Wednesday, September 26, 2007

simpleTravel (pt.8)

Day 5

Back to simpleTime, back to simpleLife.

The trip is over and I got back at the Canton/Akron AP @ about 11:15 or so and left about 11:30 or so. I am sooooo tired, lol.

All in all, there were several things good and several things not so good…do you believe I forgot my cell today as I came in to work?

What an idiot.

In for work today, just now (3.5 hours after I got here) able to sit and write much of anything to whomever you all are that read…

Anyway…

That was the trip…

I am sure I will remember more later, but yeah….

So survived the simpleMan

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

simpleTravel (pt.7)

Day 4

7:22pm simpleTime
7:22pm HOTLANTA time…lol!!

Yes, yes, yes, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

I am STUCKin Atlanta for 3 hours because my connecting flight was so late….WOOOOO!!!

At least I have a little time to sit back and do some people watching, a hobby I love but have lost time for.

I did manage to get a class BASICALLY done before I left on the last flight, so I am a little more optimistic about life in general.

Another YP didn’t make the flight like me and BLEW UP at the guy working the desk…not THAT guys fault, and was giving him all sorts of attitude. I walk up, already figuring that we missed our flight, and after that dude left on a bit of a temper tantrum, I walk up and hand him my ticket and say, “Same situation as him.” The Delta guy says, “Same situation, different attitude.” And smirked, after that I asked if there was a phone available that wasn’t a payphone so I could call the simpleWife so she wouldn’t be at the AP for like 4 hours. I told him I forgot my phone at home or I would have used that, he said, “Well, I didn’t forget my phone at home.” I was a little like…what? But then I noticed he was pulling out HIS phone for me to use.

Niiiiiccceeee!

Left a message with the simpleWife, all is well.

Interesting…

The guy I was with isn’t a bad guy, and sure we took and different flight to help them out…but it would have helped us out too had it worked. So anyway, just interesting what we as believers look like with our attitudes…

I am guilty more often than I like…

And I get up and tell people we have to be different…

Just made me think…

Anyway, he was so distressed he didn’t even want to go get a coffee or anything…too bad, it would have been free.

Back to people watching….wahooo…

So watches the simpleMan.

OOHHHH CHICK FIGHT!!!! Lol

Meh…no fight…lots of cussing and shoving. Thought for sure there was going to be a rumble though…good stuff.

Again…so watches the simpleMan.

simpleTravel pt.6

Day 4 (Last Day)…will have one for day 5 as I will probably be dead tired tonight and getting in late…so final installation tomorrow.

12:00pm simpleTime
10:00am CS Time

So here it is, the last day. Last night was decent and this morning has gone well. I ran into a guy named Bryan earlier in the week at breakfast and happened to run into him again at dinner last night. We ended up talking and while I had planned to go to my room and pack and do the miscellaneous we went to watch the football game, hang out, and get a milk shake @ Denny’s.

We stayed there and talked for quite some time and it was pretty refreshing. So I went up to my room and it was pretty late and I still needed to pack.

Well, as we know simpleMan, is always working towards simplicity. This includes packing (to the point of forgetting a few things but in the long run simpleMan has found it the best way overall), so simpleMan brought a small suitcase and the laptop bag.

Then simpleMan buys a few things for simpleWife and simpleMother-in-Law…

simpleMan SMASH lol

It miraculously fit after my sper-human SQUISHING abilities; I decided to leave some of the useless freebies I had gotten behind.

Funny side note: right now I am sitting across the foyer from the evangelism Linebacker and he is doing some sort of interview because he is planning on co-pastoring a church plant. Cool stuff…

Back to simpleTravel…

So I got up early today and was SOOOO tired, but breakfast was at 6:30am (WHY!?!?!?) but since I had eaten sooo much recently, I was fine with skipping which I ended up doing because I was waiting for Allen so I could put my stuff in the car. He ended up taking his stuff out early cus he couldn’t sleep…so I was waiting for him…and he wasn’t in much of a hurry.

Meh…no biggie…

I am a warm-blooded person by nature, but I have got to tell you I went up to the conference for the morning session…let’s just say I type now with ice-cubes and not my normal ten digits…COLD!

So I am heading back up I a few, (bout 45 mins) to wrap up and then to the AP (Airport). I will try to at least report in when I get to Cincy…but otherwise tomorrow. Hope everyone….yes, all two of you, has enjoyed simpleTravel…tomorrow…the conclusion!

So freezes the simpleMan.

Monday, September 24, 2007

simpleTravel pt. 5

Day 3
12:03pm simpleTime
10:03am CS Time

One thing I have forgotten to mention, I have decided to mention now…since this will be my only time stolen today (Very hectic today) and will not be on till later tonight. In this hotel, which is very nice, my room is almost the furthest room away from the lobby/Conference center. There are only like 4 rooms further away, honestly. This place is THE most confusing hotel I have ever been in, (And for those of you who went to Detroit with me…that is saying a lot) I feel like every time I go to my room or head to the conference center I enter Pan’s Labyrinth. I have yet to run into the faun, but there is a little Hispanic man that had he not had a hat on, I believe he could have been faun indeed.

I have figured out something like 5 different ways to get back and forth, non-the-less, I feel that I have found the quickest way…and with only half a day left lol.

While there, of course, are some draw backs, I am nearly finished with another class, I do NOT have to put the toilet seat down for the first time in several years, and I do NOT have to make my bed! HA!

Not much longer before I have to go, and I want to wrap up this class work today too, so, this will be a short entry for simpleTravel.

Till this evening…simpleMan must brave the Labyrinth, fauns or not…some things must be done.

So ventures the simpleMan.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

simpleTravel (pt.4)

Day 2
9:10pm simpleTime
7:10pm CS Time

So I decided with some of the extra time I took to work on some church work, guess I should give some background.

I ended up writing three papers for my schoolwork, I put he three papers on a jump drive (there are like 12 different names for the USB storage drive, but that what I call a jump drive.) So I was going to bring it home so the simpleWife could check/edit them for me.

Once again, simpleMan forgets…OYE!

Well that is all well and good, until I get here and go to work on the church stuff, which I thought I had saved on the good ol’ laptop….NOPE!

It is ALSO on the jump drive.

WHY!?!?!

Well anyway I began working on the schoolwork I brought to be somewhat productive, because I am once again skipping something…but let me tell you why…

Tonight after dinner is the entertainment styling of the Colorado Wranglers…a country western band and cowboy humor…

If you know the simpleMan…you know simpleMan does not do country, especially the type of styling that are similar to the Colorado Wranglers.

Yee-haw ya’ll!

My first break after the Pike’s Peak I napped a bit, woke up to see the Browns within striking distance…field goal GOOD…THE BROWNS ARE 2-1!!!

Ohh..wait…it’s the Browns.

Yeah, time out called before the kick. Rekick…aaannndddd BLOCKED!

Daft!

So suffers the simpleMan.

simpleTravel (pt. 3)

Day 2
6:42pm simpleTime
4:42pm CS Time

So the beds here are pretty nice, easy to sleep in and not the status quo cardboard mattress for a hotel. Today I got up and went to breakfast, and had a “service” and it was…meh…ok.

Allen looked over and said, “Hey…let’s roll.” While we were getting ready to get out of here, he overheard that Pike’s Peak wasn’t too far away. In fact it was about 30 minutes away, so off we went. It took longer to get up ON Pike’s Peak…but WOW…WOW…WOWWW.

To say it was amazing is an understatement. It is 20 miles to get up Pike’s Peak, and you literally have your heads in the clouds, you get out to go look around and your head gets like and your chest begins to pound a little because the air is so thin…what an experience!

Of course no camera, no phone, and not much of a way to share the experience, but now I have some memories and these feeble words to use to describe the amazing landscape these simpleEyes have taken in.

After seeing that, I had to skip some more “stuff” and take a little nap, do some church work, and watch some football!

More later, hopefully, but the week is going fairly well so far…tomorrow could be the sticking point.

So marvels the simpleMan

Saturday, September 22, 2007

simpleTravel (pt.2)

Day 1
3:00pm simpleTime
5:00pm Colorado Time

…and yes I know the proper terms for the time zones.

Well we were boarding the flight from Cincy to CS (Colorado Springs) and a guy from Baltimore sat next to me and it turned out he was also going to the CMA conference in CS. We began talking and he said he was going to rent a car so I could ride with him….

…Things are beginning to look a little brighter.

I was talking to him about the conference and how I wanted to find a time to get away and just hang out and … I dunno…watch a movie or something. He said, well since I rented a car I am sure we can find a time to do that…

…Excellent…

We talked back and forth about several things and it made the 2.5 hr flight go a little smoother. We land and lo and behold…the dude rented a new Dodge Charger…

…sweet…

We got to the hotel and I go to check in…

I have NO roommate!

Fantastic news!

So I take my time and get organized, actually iron my khaki pants…nothing better…oh oh oh…and get on here…yep, charge to get online. I don’t know if I will ever get that…anywhoo…if you see this before Tuesday, it means I caved to THE MAN and paid the lousy $10 to sign on for a day.

And since I forgot my simplePhone…it’s probably going to happen.

More later…

So settles the simpleMan.

Day 1
10:37pm simpleTime
8:37pm CS time

So, tonight I went to dinner and sat with Allen (Dude from plan and has the Charger) and out of no where this guy comes up and sits by us and LO AND BEHOLD this was a dude in my group from DCLA…odd.

As I was finishing up my fajitas, I look up and what do my wondering eyes see?

THE EVANGELISM LINEBACKER!!!! WHAT!?!?! WOW!!!

So I go up and introduce myself to him and talk to him for a few, he isn’t as tall as my but thickness…he is about two of me lol.


After dinner and chatting with peeps for some time we had our first meeting…OYE…def going to have to sneak out.

More tomorrow, I am tired and jet lagged and missing some of the importatn details of today, but tomorrow will be chocked full of boring meetings so I will have plenty of time to catch up.

Till then…

So sleeps the simpleMan.

simpleTravel (pt.1)

(While I normally use this for other types of subject matter…well read on, communication is a little… bah, just read!)

Day 1 (Cinncy)

Everyone has forgotten something as you prepare to travel on a trip, it has happened to just about everyone at some point in life. While this is true, simpleMan many times is knows for being a proficient packer, well organized, thinking of things that many would forget. I plan, even with my proficiency, for there to be some mistakes and some forgetfulness, and basically go by something similar to a handicap in golf, this trip (since I wasn’t particularly excited about going) a hefty 5 “swing” handicap meaning I would forget up to 5 things. Since simpleMan is known for his aptitude in packing and traveling…a rather lofty handicap that shouldn’t be a problem.

I am nearing failure on day ONE!

I get out of the car, as I was dropped off by simpleWoman (my lovely wife) and a friend. I walk off to the side to get organized and get my bearings (A wise decision…or so I thought) only to remember, “Where is my phone?” I had plugged it in for a charge when we left the house…and therefore, I am out my celly.

I really like my cell, has GPS and you can locate local restaurants, movie theaters and things of that sort. I was hoping to rely heavily on it especially as I was hoping to either sneak out for a meeting or go out after we had finished. If I got lost, GPS, so I can find my way back. AWESOME!!!

Or not…

Cus it is in my lovely Vue at the Yankee Peddler…BAH! Lol.

Oh, but that is just the beginning…

It gets better….AND I AM NOT IN COLORADO YET!

My travel agents print out said my flight leaves from CAK @ 11:20. I get to the AP (Airport cus I am lazy) at about 10:00 to 10:15 so I think, “Gee whiz, I should eat something. So I get myself a subway sub and a coffee…I have three bites left and I hear, “This is the last call for flight XYZ departing to Cincinnati, the last call for flight XYZ to Cincinnati.” I am sitting there swallowing a poorly chewed piece of sub and thinking, “Nooo waaayy!”

I immediately open my info for the flight and while the print out from the agent said 11:20; the one the lovely simpleWoman printed out for me this morning said 10:45. Of course, I didn’t look at it because I KNEW what I was doing….right.

Daft!

I still haven’t gone throw “Operation: Probe the Passenger” yet. While it is a small AP, my gate was the furthest away.

I somehow made it, but I missed the ramp and had to manually walk out and onto the jet.

Fun.

I arrive in Cincy and get a coffee to wait out my over an hour layover. I begin to think, man the schedule for this thing is brutal, I wonder when/if I will get to walk for exercise?

Oh, that’s right…YOU DIDN”T BRING YOUR SHOES!

Idiot.

I am sure I forgot something to say in this initial report…but yeah, I am already down to a -2.5 on my handicap (.5 because I am not REALLY sure I would get to exercise in the first place.) Nice start and I am not even there yet.

Till a few hours from now! WAHOOO!!!

Please take it easy on the texts and cell calls…for obvious simpleMinded reasons.

So travels the simpleMan.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Jean-eric Con-denim-ation




Please watch video first….

So, as funny as this video is, and as much as I would LOVE to say that I hadn't had this conversation with people from my church…I have. I have sat down with some people/persons and been told that dressing casual can be seen as a reflection of the heart and could be seen as someone taking a casual approach to their relationship with God.

How do I even rebuttal? Well, I am sure many of you have already thought of several of my rebuttals, so I won't go exhaustively into all of mine.

But I have to say this…because I am not going into all the other rebuttals…this argument…

Absolutely

Hurts

My heart!

It makes me tired, and all the other arguments like it, these types of things make me so weary and honestly…it absolutely makes me unhappy.

In recent days I have been yelled at for having a sip of coffee in a large covered mug in the sanctuary (before church time) because it was, "holy ground". I have been told to "SHUUUUUSH" for trying to gently play my guitar during prayer time, although it is ok for the piano to do so. I have had the discussion about jeans in church as well and a few others. I have had digs tossed at me about how I go about doing what I do in ministry. I have had people try to impose their will into my ministry even though it isn't their ministry to impose their will.

So…why?

Why do I do what I do…and the only thing I can think of is…is because even though these issues are so huge to those people that push them…in all reality, and to me…I have bigger and more important things to do then to play these games. I don't have coffee in the sanctuary any more, I don't play my guitar during prayer, I don't wear jeans to Sunday morning services, and while I take stands in protecting the ministry God has placed me in…I still let people be as involved as they wish…within reason.

So am I a complete pushover? Nope. In each of the cases listed (except the shush whom I am not sure who did it, since they did it from the midst of the congregation while I was on stage) I addressed the situation head on, I told them fully that I disagreed, and told them the only reason I was going to not do those things anymore was because I loved them, not because they were wrong.

I am tired of fighting, and to be honest, I need prayer because my leash of submission is getting shorter and shorter. I pray to have a gentle strength, and I may realize that as great as it is to have that…the cost of attaining it may be a lot higher than I imagined.

There may be more to this later….but for now…

So plods the simpleMan.