I’ve not really posted a lot about it this season, but I’ve been a huge fan of Survivor All-Stars. Not sure if that makes me uncool or not, but it’s the truth. A friend got me pumped about the first Survivor a handful of summers ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

The only thing that really stinks is that they’ll have the final 2 hour episode with the one hour reunion on tonight. Sunday night. While I’m at church. So I have to record all three hours of it (even though I’m at church for the first hour) and start watching it at 10pm and be up to the wee hours of the morning. But it’s been a pretty good All Star…now if Rupert will just win it all, I’ll be happy.

This weekend is the Gum Tree Art Festival in Tupelo. There is lots of good (but expensive) art on display, some decent entertainment, and the state’s largest 10K Race. Neither The Wife or I are running in it this year, though we’ve both done it a few times, she more than I.

But our most memorable time to run the race was five years ago. We ran w/ a group of friends. It was funny that she was the first out of all of us to finish and I was the last (I won’t share my time). But later that afternoon we met up with our friends (who were our groomsmen and one of the bridesmaids) at a church in Tupelo to be united in marriage. Five years. Wow. In that time we’ve had a baby, bought a house, gotten pregnant again, and made tons of memories. If we’re honest, not every day has been a cake walk. But each day has been a step along the journey we’re travelling together.

Five years…looking forward to many more!

The other day I couldn’t send email. I’d click Send/Receive on Outlook and nothing would happen. Error message would say “couldn’t connect to server”. At first I thought, “Stinking server!” but then I realized it was for both mail servers I was getting mail from. Hmm…maybe it will work by lunch time. Lunch came and went and I didn’t have time to check mail from home, but I realized that on my work computer I could still check my home email….hmmmm.

So I try to reinstall Outlook. But my cd-rom drive wouldn’t auto play, nor run the disc when I double clicked it. I started getting concerned. I remember trying to open an attatchment from someone a few days ago. I even scanned it with Norton Anti-virus and it showed clean. BUT…it was an older version that hadn’t been updated since the free 6 month trial ran out. So I started thinking virus. I tried to get Norton Anti Virus to open up so I could pay for an update, but to no avail. It wouldn’t even open. I didn’t just double click it but clicked it about 14 times.

So I downloaded this free Virus Protection software called AVG. I heard about it from SitePointForums. You’re supposed to enter a code to get it workign right, but after the download and clicking SetUp..it never came up for me to enter the code. It was like my comptuer was halfway locked up. I could open soem programs and I could get on the WWW, but I couldn’t get email nor open any antivirus stuff. I wondered if I went to WalMart and paid $40 for a new version of NAV if I could even install it.

So I did what I usually do when I can’t figure out something..I started messing around with stuff. I found a feature on Windows XP called System Restore. I still don’t fully understand it, but I “restored my system” to what it was like about 5 days earlier. Amazingly it went back to my old wallpaper, my old screensaver. And the two versions of the AVG program were no longer on my desktop. BUT I COULD CHECK EMAIL!!!. So I downloaded the AVG again, was able to input the code…and then scanned….and scanned….and scanned, and scanned, and scanned.

It found 836 infected files on my computer. Eight hundred and thirty freaking six! Wow. But I think everything is fine now….I hope.

The Wife’s mom had The Kid today (did you get all that?)

We went to Tupelo to pick her up then out for a quick supper. One the way out of town, heading back home we drove past a few used auto dealers. We decided to pull through one lot. The Wife said, “Hey, look at that…there are some keys in the door of that car.”

Sure enough, in the door of probalby an ’02 or ’03 Nissan Altima were the keys. The same thought ran through both of our heads…”If we were the car stealing type….” But we knew better, of course. But then I started thinking, what if I owned this car lot. But I had no clue how to get in touch with the lot owner. So we keep creeping down the rows of cars. Then on the door I saw the “Emergency Number”. I think..this car is probably a $16,000 car or so…and if someone steals it this guy is in deep you know what.

So I call and get his 7 year old daughter on the phone. She gets him on the phone and I tell him I’m in his lot looking at SUV’s and there’s a Nissan here with the keys in the door. He asks me to lock it up and put the keys on top of the Coke machine. I say “Yessir” and he says thanks and hangs up. Conversation over.

So now I’m expecting one of two phone calls. One, he looks at his caller ID and returns my call and says, “Since you saved me a full car being stolen off of my lot, I’m going to sell you any SUV I own for less than what I paid for it. My heartfelt thanks goes out to you!” Either that call or one from the Police Dept saying they found my finger prints on the door handle, lock and keys of a stolen car and they want me to come to the station for some more questions….

The Wife and I were in the car driving yesterday and talking about our priorities in our lives. Seems we both haven’t felt quite so close to God lately. I told her that my priorties in life haven’t been set well. It’s not that one unimportant thing has taken priorty over all the other important thing, but that nothing is priorty. They seem to change with the hour. Depends on my mood, where I am, what I want to do or have been doing.

It’s kinda funny that we talked about it because I’d had a horrible night the night before and just laid in bed yearning for sleep. So I started talking with God some. I realized my priorites were all out of whack. So I’m going to be spending a little time trying to get things set in place. I know where they should be, but they’re not solidly there yet.

They should be:
1. Follower of Christ
2. Husband/Dad
3. Minister to Youth
4. Student
5. New Biz Planner (or trying to learn it right now)

I get a call this morning at about 7:15. I’m sometimes up by then, sometimes not. I was inbetween the two. But I run to the den to get the phone clearing my throat and practicing, “hello. Hello.” clear throat again…” Hello?”

It was someone from the high school asking if I would come be a state testing proctor. So I pee/shower/shave/get dressed in about 28 minutes. Luckily I got to be in the library w/ a few seniors who had failed the test last year and were taking it on the computers there. So I got online and did some school work, registering for summer and fall classes. And though I was bummed at first because I wasn’t going to be in a classroom with kids I knew and all, I got to leave about an hour earlier because they finished quickly.

I know, I’m buying books up that are going to supposedly help me do things in other areas of my life. The thing is, reading takes time, doing the things I’m reading about takes time. Sleeping and eating takes time. And so does going to work, spending time with family, and everything else in my life. I need more time…or less dependance on sleep!

Anyway, I turned 30 a few months ago. I really don’t feel that old. People usually tell me I don’t look that old. But my body tries to tell me now and then that maybe I’m not feeling old, I am getting older. There are two main things I can tell a bit of a difference about. One is that my metabolism seems to be slowing down some. Not at an alarming rate, but I’m going to have to keep an eye on it. Secondly is that my lower back doesn’t always feel like it’s 18 anymore. I know I should work on flexibility and some ab and lowerback work. But I haven’t.

But I started looking around a little bit and saw a book highlighted a few times in Mens Health magazine. It was called Core Performance. It specified a workout plan for your shoulders, lower back, abs, and hips. This was supposed to be where all your power and energy was generated from in all movements. AND it said that it can help correct posture and lowerback issues. I thought, “I’m game!”

I’m going to try it out. I’ll do my best to keep you updated on its effectiveness.

Well, now I have no excuse except for time. I got my Dreamweaver MX 2004 :: The Missing Manual in the mail yesterday. Now, if I’ll just spend my spare time reading the 840+ pages and going through the tutorials, I’ll be golden. Just golden.

That, and God needs to drop some design expertice on me as well. We’ll see how it goes.

So that’s where I am. After making a great purchase of it off of eBay (saving around $700!!) I know I have to get a return on my investment. I’m awaiting a book to come in the mail from Amazon to help me “master” the stuff. But I’m hoping to get a little better than decent, make a few sites for some local businesses maybe, then refine and hone my skills and get better and better while business increases. Lofty goals, huh? You need a goal to shoot for though, right?

The good thing is that I’ve got a few projects bouncing around in my head that I think could be positive endeavors if I can take give them the time and attention to be successful (while living my regular life as well).

We’ll see. I’ll keep you updated.

The Railroad Festival booth was a success. We sold fish, chicken, fries, Pizza Hut Pizza, Apple Puffs, cheese sticks, Asiago Cheese Bites, fried corn on the cob, ice cream in a cup and in a cone, milkshakes, aaaannnnddd pickles. We had great weather and that produced our best year yet in working out there. I’m not positive of the final total just yet, but we’re pleased. I didn’t get home til anywere between 11 and 11:30 most nights then did some school work til after 1AM each night. So I’m still feeling the effects of that because I’ve been up late both Sunday and Monday nights as well.

The weekend is a lot of work, but not too bad. But having a family at home most of the time, and a pregant wife who’s in the tired/not feeling good stage made me want to be home a little more than usual too. Plus I was wanted at home. So I felt pulled by responsibility, demands, and wants. But the weekend is over, everyone is in a good mood, and there’s a new week in front of us.