thin mints and presidents

a co-worker's child is selling girl scout cookies for her troop. the order form sits on our conference table. i walk by it everyday. thin mints. tagalongs. do-si-dos. shortbread. caramel delights. i find myself avoiding the conference table at all costs. i have a game tomorrow and a half marathon in may. i can not be fat for that. it's taken me almost 33 years to learn that cookies make you fat. and girl scouts are an evil clan of miniature pudgy pushers. that's why they are here. the country got a new president. he seems like a nice guy i guess. i wouldn't want the job. the economy is in a downward spiral, the housing market is the pits, war and fighting surround us, our planet is suffering great environmental decline, and we continue to be a society of consumers. consume a tree. consume an ocean. consume a credit card. consume a cookie. thank God for guitar hero. it's still january. it's still cold. i'm in need of a jeep ride. i may bundle up and do that this weekend. we play our second game tomorrow night. i still haven't figured out whether or not our team is good. i mean, i think we could whoop some girl scouts or a team of third graders... but it's a bit too early to tell. i daydream alot these days. hard to stay focused. it's wonderful... like a cookie.

old guy

coming out of retirement is more difficult than some would think. i recently joined a men's basketball league at my church. it's easily been six plus months since i've held a basketball. needless to say, i'm a bit rusty. last night was our first game. we won. i started out slow trying to find my form, but hit a few shots before it was all said and done. everything felt fine... almost. lungs and legs were great. however i somehow twisted my back, and find myself walking like an elderly man today. it's really sore. i guess i have six days to recuperate. but i look forward to the season ahead. the friendships. the teamwork. the competition. today on my drive in the temperature was -12... with a wind chill of -30. it's cold. i can't imagine what trees feel like. i've got to say i'm a bit mushy these days... and owe it all to a beautiful brown eyed girl.

service

i was greeted this way, "what's up, man". i was a civilian. he was a paid employee. i was having a difficult time trying to figure how who he was speaking to and why i was his man. i was at the store to spend what i feel is a considerable amount of money on a piece of modern technology. what happened to customer service? really. my snackwrap had sauce on it today. i specifically order it without sauce. no sauce please. but it's all a game you see, once you leave the window... you'll eat what they made for you. and like it. a snack wrap with sauce. however i did not like it. i enjoy walmart greeters when they are friendly. some are quite scary... and have kept me from going in the store a time or two. the bag boy at my grocery store likes to smash the bread in the bottom of my paper bag with jars of heavy pickles and brick shaped frozen foods. nothing says joy like a communion wafer-sized peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich. there was a time when the person in charge was a person with manners. when the customer really was always right. and when those serving in the public greeted one another with smiles and good fortune. i do not want to hear about your baby's dead beat daddy, your sister's skin infection ointment, your mom's bad perm, your cracked nail or why your aunt is living in your garage... i just want my pickles in the bottom of the bag and my eggs handled with care. a smile wouldn't hurt. tonight i start playing league basketball at my church. i have not shot a basketball in months. i will try to make it up and down the court without passing out or twisting an ankle. it's cold outside. i'm sure the sunshine will bring a bit more warmth... some day down the road.

best man

my best friend asked me to be his best man. i am honored and thankful. colorado. tubing. haunted housing. concerts. costumes. storm watchin. camping. tornado chasing. worshipping. bonfires. working security. hiking. jeeping. cruising. serving. the list is endless. i could go on. and on. we've had many good times, and i pray we will have many more. today has been slow. the weather is chilly. it's early january... the calm before the storm. things will pick up here quickly. the past week has been nice. a new year found me a reason to celebrate. i caught up with an old friend who shared his love for his bride to be. made a child laugh. and found warmth in the hand of a beautiful woman. i count myself blessed. i've never been one for resolutions... they seem to be promises that are very quickly forgotten. so i won't call them 'resolutions'. i'll call them 'plans'. this coming year, i plan to take more walks through the woods, lose more weight, take more road trips, be 'inconvenienced' every once and a while. keep my life and what i have in perspective. be kind to the cat. be prepared for the mountain and the mini. drink more water. be better than i was a year ago. love anything more. grow closer to God. make someone's day special and bet on red.