Fluff

Wow... by popular demand, here is an onslaught of fluff.

Starting us off will be my dear friend Erina from Tokyo. Her blog is an endless supply of happiness for me. If it isn't what she says, it's how she says it. We love and miss her very much... You have to read the entry entitled "The Ending of the Year" and the part about american girls teaching her to dance sexy.

Julie, the girl that taught Erina to dance, is a great friend of ours as well. Those were good days.

Wow. I just had the worst string of songs on my mac just now. I have my collection of 6,830 songs on random, and I somehow had a Genesis song, followed by Alicia Keys, followed by the truly awful Canadian christian rock band Hokus Pick... I didn't listen to any of the songs, I simply punched past, but it did raise the question to myself "Why, oh why do I keep songs that are just awful? I mean, sure, these artists have some worthwhile songs... but what were those three? And how do I screen that out of my life?" In reality though, I don't have time to go through the mass of music that I have, and weed out the stuff I don't like. Besides, unlike some of my friends that have their tastes clearly defined, I do not. I am constantly changing the staples of my listening life. Sometimes I find myself glued to something I hated the year before, so I guess that the point is that more is better, and that next year, you'll find me jamming to Alicia Keys and Genesis. (If you do... shoot me)

Ok... Pedro the Lion just washed all the badness away with his cover of Let Down by Radiohead. What a great song. The opening guitar piece would make such a great cell phone ring tone.

Oh! I don't think that I've ever shared with you all the wonder of the world that is John Fluevog. His hand stitched leather shoes are unparalleled in coolness, and come in so many styles that they are sure to fit everyone's taste. "How do I get myself a pair of Fluevogs you ask?" I'll tell you. Drop what you're doing and direct your Firefox browser (that I know you're using instead of that crappy Internet Explorer by that crappy Micro-company) to www.fluevog.com

Alright... that's all the fluff for today. I'll try to provide some more later.

Peace!

P.S. Please continue to keep our finances in your prayers. This week's crisis is registering our cars for Colorado and getting updated tags. Curse the Californians and their stupid rules. They've brought so many idiotic tests and additional costs to the area!

Macheavelli and Iraq

Iraqeavelli... fun word. Useless, but fun.

Anyway... I started reading "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli today. A friend at a Starbucks back in Illinois recommended it, and so I thought I'd give it a read. It's easily one of the most debated books in classic literature, mainly because of its cold and calculating looks at power. How to get it, and how to keep it. It was published in 1532 after his death, but is still incredibly poignant. Here is an excerpt from Chapter III.

"But when states are acquired in a country differing in language,
customs, or laws, there are difficulties, and good fortune and great
energy are needed to hold them, and one of the greatest and most real
helps would be that he who has acquired them should go and reside
there. This would make his position more secure and durable, as it has
made that of the Turk in Greece, who, notwithstanding all the other
measures taken by him for holding that state, if he had not settled
there, would not have been able to keep it. Because, if one is on the
spot, disorders are seen as they spring up, and one can quickly remedy
them; but if one is not at hand, they are heard of only when they are
great, and then one can no longer remedy them. Besides this, the
country is not pillaged by your officials; the subjects are satisfied
by prompt recourse to the prince; thus, wishing to be good, they have
more cause to love him, and wishing to be otherwise, to fear him. He
who would attack that state from the outside must have the utmost
caution; as long as the prince resides there it can only be wrested
from him with the greatest difficulty.

The other and better course is to send colonies to one or two places,
which may be as keys to that state, for it is necessary either to do
this or else to keep there a great number of cavalry and infantry.
A prince does not spend much on colonies, for with little or no expense
he can send them out and keep them there, and he offends a minority
only of the citizens from whom he takes lands and houses to give them
to the new inhabitants; and those whom he offends, remaining poor and
scattered, are never able to injure him; whilst the rest being
uninjured are easily kept quiet, and at the same time are anxious not
to err for fear it should happen to them as it has to those who have
been despoiled. In conclusion, I say that these colonies are not
costly, they are more faithful, they injure less, and the injured, as
has been said, being poor and scattered, cannot hurt. Upon this, one
has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed,
because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more
serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a
man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of
revenge.

But in maintaining armed men there in place of colonies one spends
much more, having to consume on the garrison all the income from the
state, so that the acquisition turns into a loss, and many more are
exasperated, because the whole state is injured; through the shifting
of the garrison up and down all become acquainted with hardship, and
all become hostile, and they are enemies who, whilst beaten on their
own ground, are yet able to do hurt. For every reason, therefore, such
guards are as useless as a colony is useful."

There.

Is that crazy or what? I've often felt that our country, that our government is much more suited to conquest. But the "morals" or culture of our country will not let something as heartless and unjust as conquest take place. Another republic in the past was fond of conquest and it worked out for them for a long time... however, their lack of tolerance and justice for those with different views saw their downfall. Not to mention the complete disintegration of their moral fiber. (I like saying moral fiber... I feel like Dan Quayle.) All the same. A little advice for the government of the people, for the people, but held back from doing what they really want by the people. How do you conquer Iraq without it looking like you've conquered Iraq? Liberate them.

I don't like this translation as much as the one I'm reading in book form, but it was the only online version available, and I am not about, I don't care how much I like the quote, to type anything this long.

NOTE: The online text file of this book and many classic works of literature can be obtained free of charge on the incredibly awesome Project Gutenberg. One of the oldest websites, and projects on the internet, this online compendium of literature is truly amazing. Check it out!

Busy

Hey folks...
Thanks for checking back in.

I'll have something of interest up soon. Lots of exciting things going on!

Later!
Jim

Sarah baby photos

Well, folks... here's the first set. 15 weeks... and I think she's sucking it in a bit in the photos.

She's a little bigger in real life.

lol.

isn't she cute?

A new look

Well, I decided that I wanted to have a simpler look to the blog for awhile. And you couldn't get simpler than this.

Also, there are a few added changes to the links section. Most notably, Sarah has a blog! She finally started a Myspace account, and is using it as a blog, so go check it out, make her your friend, and let happiness ensue!

Other additions are our good friend Joni, my parents, and our new church out here in colorado springs.

Peace out.

A Rant for Jim. (Not me... the other Jim.) Well, ok, it's for me too.

And how.

This week has flown by. It's been crazy at work, but that's the Christmas season at Starbucks. I've worked a little overtime this week, which is not allowed, but good for our finances. Today was a day from hell at work, but not because it was busy, or because any pipes exploded... no... today's suckiness was caused by just about every barista I worked with today was covering for someone else's shift, or having their shift covered, or covering for the person that should have been covering for somebody that told the person who originally had the shift that they would cover for them, but couldn't because of "finals." (True story)

Ok. A moment for the bozos that act like finals are an act of God. It's like finals are a completely uncontrollable and unexpected booby trap devised by professors to trick them into failing the classes they would naturally ace if it weren't for those crazy FINALS! "Yeah... so I was totally headed for my 4.0 when my prof thought up this crazy thing! A final exam!!! What the heck?"

And what makes these people even more annoying is that most of them are studying to be teachers. TEACHERS! These are girls who have a terribly hard time balancing work and study... and want to have a career totally based around studying. Bright people these people. And there are few people on earth as condescending to homeschoolers as elementary school teachers. When I say that I was homeschooled, they look at me like I've just said that I'm a commie pinko and that God isn't American. By the way, God isn't American. Seriously, they take me not attending a public school as a personal insult. It's like telling a politician that you don't vote.

Anyway... today at work, thirty-leven people changed shifts, which makes it incredibly difficult to figure out when they should take their breaks, where they should work, and what they should be doing. Which is in fact, MY responsibility. It's all very complex. And when I think I've got it all figured out, somebody says something like "I really don't want to work drivethru today... oh, and I'd like to go home 6 hours early... cause I've got finals, which you wouldn't understand you idiot homeschooler."

"Sure."

It just gets old. And I can't just hit them with the Starbucks stick and throw them out the drive thru window... at least I don't think I can. Let me check the handbook.

Ok... I'm done ranting. I'm going to bed. Sarah is such a cool person. She doesn't make my brain cry.

Later.

Back online with pictures...

Well, Adelphia Cable wasn't able to get us hooked up on Friday, and their earliest date was this morning... so we're back online! Sarah and I had the weekend off, which we spent working on getting the new apartment set up. It is WONDERFUL! So much better than the last place. No bad smells... no sirens outside the window. And the view is great.

Here are some pics from our first few days here.


Dad asked me to take a few pics of Sarah and post her "progress" on the blog, so we'll get those pics up asap! Love you all. Thanks so much for all of your support during the last few weeks!

Jim

Walking forward into the foggy night...

Faith is weird. It feels like jumping out of a plane and has the same payoffs... Intensity. Thrill. Fear. Relief on landing. And we don't jump like the suicidal desperate... we jump with the most reliable, most amazing, never failing parachute you can use. It would be stupid to throw yourself into the abyss of life trusting everything to "work out" because you would quickly be proven wrong. But like a child on the edge of a pool, jumping into the arms of a loving parent, we trust. Trust and blind faith are two very different things. So trust we have, and God has once again, and in miraculous ways proved Himself trust-worthy.

At this moment, I write from the edge of a hopeless situation. Human hopelessness is so easy to attain. It can come very easily, and I have to keep using my "trust" to fight it off. On the other hand... we have come so far in the last week. I wrote of our needs last Monday. A staggering $1200+ defecit that we didn't have. To be raised in one week. With no possibility of Sarah being able to earn it. With no real possibility of me finding a way of making that kind of money. Our families would love nothing more than to help us, but are unable to financially. We were at the end of our ropes... or at least a few inches up. Well, the next day, our church responded with a $125 donation. Then came a generous gift and loan from a dear couple to us that equaled $500. The next day, we received a thanksgiving card with $200 in it from a couple that doesn't read the blog or know directly what we're going through! On Wednesday, our pastor gave me the church's donation, but in the meantime, someone had added $100 to the gift! We found out yesterday, that one of Sarah's relatives is planning on giving Sar a late but welcome graduation present of $100! Thus bringing the money that's coming in to $1025!!!
And that's before my Starbucks check!

Is that incredible or what?!?! What an amazing God we serve.

UPDATE!!! While I was typing... I just got this phone call!

Well, the stressful situation that I was describing earlier has just come to a relative close! When Sarah and I added up our pennies and dimes yesterday, and realized that we had the money now to get out of Tanglewood, get their referral (saying that we have paid them in full) and get our approval with Summer Grove across the street going, we wrote the check that minute and took it to Tanglewood's office. The girl there was in no hurry to do anything, and said that she'd post the check in the morning and slip the receipt under our door. Well, I had no doubt that she'd post the check, but I didn't think for a second that I wouldn't have to go over and pry the receipt and referral out of her hands when I got home from work on Thursday. (today) Anyway. I went to work this morning, and worked a princess (4 hour) shift till noon, and came home. On arriving at Summer Grove to check their progress, I found that Tanglewood hadn't answered their phone all day, and weren't responding to the faxes Summer Grove had been sending all morning! I went over, only to find the office closed with no explanation! On the first of the month! (Which is apparently the busiest day of the month for apartment people.) I did find the maintenance person, and she tried to be helpful, but she said that she hadn't seen the office manager all day. The maintenance girl gave me a receipt for the check, so at least I have proof... (it took her all of one minute to get the receipt.) but she couldn't help with the needed referral. So I went back to SG and brainstormed, then went home and looked up Tanglewood's corporate owner's number. I called them, explained the situation, and they called the property manager at home. She apparently had a family emergency, and decided not to tell her coworkers or anyone else that she wouldn't be in. Needless to say, they looked up our file on their server, called Summer Grove, and gave us the needed referral!!! So we're in! You heard it here first! We've been packing, and tonight a mix of baristas from Starbucks and people from church. (Baristas are not, in fact, people.)

Anyway... I've got alot to do! But that's the update for now! Thank you thank you thank you for your prayers and thoughts. We love all you guys!

Peace!
Jim

What A WEEK!!!

Wow folks!
This has been an action packed week!

Ryan, Jess & Kaitlin have been out this past few days, Sarah has been up and down feelings-wise... and our apartment situation is still unresolved.

Ry, Jess & Kaity flew in on Thanksgiving Day. I went to pick them up, but half way to Denver, I got a call that their plane had turned around in St. Louis and went back to Chicago for repairs. They were going to be about 2 hours late. So I decided that instead of going directly to the airport, which is East of the city a bit... I would go downtown. I haven't been there since '99, when I went with my roommates from college. So I drove into town, and since it was a holiday, nothing was open, but parking on the street was easy to find, and free... so I drove to the 16th street mall and parked. (The 16th St. mall is THE place to be in Denver, and very neat. It's an entire street of stores with two free trolleys that go up and down it all day. There's no actual traffic on it, so it's really nice.) I walked around, and got some coffee at a Starbucks that was open, and sat with the homeless and talked to them for awhile. It was really eye opening, and I heard some sad stories, and some happy stories... it was a great way to focus on the things that God has blessed us with. When it was time, I hopped back in the car and drove to the airport to pick everybody up, and head back. We took our time, and drove through Garden of the gods when we got to Colorado Springs. Everybody was really happy to see Sarah, and be done traveling. I cooked dinner, which was a nice roast with potatoes and carrots. There was green bean casserole, and dinner rolls, and sweet potatoes made from scratch. Everything turned out great!

The past several days have been spent hanging out and having fun. We have enjoyed having the company, and the help around the house. It's been nice for me to have Ryan, and Sarah to have the girls for emotional support. Sometimes it's hard to share your feelings with your spouse when you're feeling something you've said before. Or a dozen times before. It's hard to say, "This really has been getting me down... again..." without annoying them, or frustrating yourself. Sometimes, having someone who truly cares to listen to your common issues, can go a long way.

Ryan's "cow" (Gateway laptop) died on him early in the trip, so he's had issues with that, but otherwise, things went really well.

Oh... the apartment. Well folks, I don't know how many of you will understand this, but we are coming down to the wire and we're not worried. Well... we're worried to a point. But we know that God is going to provide in an amazing way, and I can't wait to blog what that was! As we stand, we have found an apartment we can afford payments on ($515 per month) even though we're single income now... and we will be able to pay off the fee for breaking our lease in payments to Tanglewood. (How appropriately named is this place?) And the really cool thing is that it is across the street, so it's easy to move to, and there is a first month free special on it. It would be a two bedroom, one bath. It isn't stinky, or old, and it has new carpet and vinyl. There are of course, problems. The main one is that they have a policy that requires you to have all money owed your last apartment paid in full. This is not possible at this point, so we are asking that they look at this situation differently. The second issue is that we may not make enough at this point to pass the application. The third, is that my next paycheck is ON the day we need to be out of here, and it's not going to be as high because I wasn't able to work my full 40 hours this last week! So it's gonna be tight no matter what! I really haven't a clue as to what's going to happen, but I am eager to find out. We have done everything we could, and we are at the end of ourselves... so we step out on faith that Jesus won't let us fall. For those of you praying, the amount we're praying for is about $1,000. That would allow us to get out of Tanglewood, into Summer Grove, and would provide for Sarah's medical expenses. Thank you for your prayers.

In conclusion, please continue to pray for Sarah as her health continues to give her problems. Her stomach is very delicate, and she continues to have morn-afternoo-nigh-twiligh-daw-brunchtime sickness. She has been holding up valiently, but needs rest from her bodies problems. Thank you.

Well, I need to head to bed.

Love yall.
Jim

Return

Wow folks... Sorry about the absence.

Updates include a scare for Sarah and I, kind donations, another move, a visit from back home, and new music.

First up, and to asuage your fears... Sarah and I had a scare concerning the baby about a week ago. I was just getting off work, and I got a call from Sar who had some bleeding, and was scared that something was wrong with the baby. As soon as I got off the phone with her, I got a call from one of the guys from church. He was wondering how we were doing, and wanted to know if we needed prayer for anything... how's that for timing? So after I got off the phone with him, I called my parents so they could be praying too. I got home and comforted Sarah for a couple minutes, and then called the doctor on duty. Since it was a Saturday, it was a few minutes after the page before he called back. The doc on duty wasn't Sarah's, but he was able to assess the sitch pretty quickly, and let us know that a little "Spotting" isn't normal, but it isn't unusual either, so unless it got worse, we were ok. He said to have Sarah stay resting, and keep excercise to a minimum for a couple days. The fact that we had just had the sonagram two days prior, and everything was great when we did, was also a good sign. Since then, Sarah has experienced a bit more spotting, but after checking with another doctor on Friday, we are feeling alot better about things. I don't think I'll be totally confident that everything's ok until I see the baby again, and have a doctor right there observing what it looks like... but I have faith that no matter what happens, God is in control, and He will get us through.

On to brighter things. I don't know that I updated you all regarding our apartment situation... ok, so I did... I just checked. Yeah... nothing new to report. We're still looking, and we have till the second. So please keep our housing in your prayers.

On to even brighter things... Today at church, a lady that always says hi and asks how we're doing every Sunday came up and asked if we wanted a crib and a stroller. Pretty cool, so we went over to her house to see them, and they look great! They're used, but in great shape, and she had a portable playpen area too! So we took the playpen and stroller, and we'll get the crib after we move again. The crib is about 4 years old, and is cherry. Gorgeous. God provides in so many ways! We were looking through a Target baby book to see what we wanted to register, and the crib and stroller were both such expensive items. Necessary, but expensive... and now those are out of the way, so we can focus our registry a little differently! Pretty awesome. The portable playpen was an extra, but I'm sure it'll be a welcome one.

To the really exciting news!
Kaitlin, Jessica and Ryan are coming out for Thanksgiving this week!
Kait & Jess are Sarah's sisters, and Ryan is my best friend and their cousin. So we'll be with family this holiday. So nice. Sarah has been pining for family these past few weeks, and will probably attempt to kidnap them. Don't worry though, we'll call them in sick for work for the next few months. (Jessica's work might actually believe us...) They'll be here for a few days, and then head back to Chicago. My manager gave me Thurs. and Fri. off, and since I don't work Sundays, I'll be able to be home for 3 out of the 4 days. I'm planning a roast, since Sarah can't stand any sort of poultry being cooked, eaten, stored or served in any way since her pregnancy began. So one turkey can breathe easier this year. Well... I'm sure it'll get killed anyway. Subway has to make it's money some way...

In new music. I found the 2002 Tom Waits release Blood Money at the library, along with a newer MXPX album called Before Everything & After. I also picked up an album by the Datsuns, a punk band I'm roughly familiar with. Finishing up the pack, and Jim... I refuse to let you read the next sentence. Turn away now!!! Seriously! If you read this, you will disown me... man... I can't bring myself to say it. If you want to know the last album I picked up, and your last name does not start with "Van" email me, and I'll tell you. I have to keep what dignity I still have with Jim alive.

At work, I finally had the opportunity to make nametags for my fellow workers. I love em, and I brought them in yesterday to overwhelming appreciation. Everybody loved them, and so I'll post a few here for your amusement. These tags are not seen by the customer, but instead mark who is on which register... for my fellow Starbuckians, you'll recognize the idea, as you were my first store to make these for. It's hard to find a thing to encapsulate your friends' personalities with... one defining feature that will amuse and not offend... but they seem to be cool with these.






















So there are a few... hope you enjoyed them. I love that pic of Debbie Harry on Tim's card.
I can't believe that CBGB's is closing. I've barely been to NY city... and that was one of the locations on my list... oh well.

Alright everyone. In the future, I'll try to stick to smaller, more frequent posting, instead of binges like this one.

Peace and thank you,
Jim

$2.29

Gas is down to $2.29 where we are, and I am happy. Not that I use all that much anymore, but it's a relief to not have to chuck out the same money for gas as we do our APARTMENT any more!

Just kidding.

Today was a nice, long day at work, but tomorrow and Saturday I open, so while waking up and leaving home while it's dark will not be fun... getting off work by noon is priceless.

I really can't remember why it was I wanted to blog, but I remember saying to myself "Self... you should say something about that." But I guess it wasn't that important.

No apartment news yet, but we're working on it.

Alright. I give up. Talk to you all later.

Jim

Skype

Hi guys... I know... two posts in one day!!!

This last week or so, I've been using a program called Skype, and it's been awesome!

It is free to download and use, and it works on Windows or Mac machines. What it does is it allows you to use your internet connection to carry on phone-like conversations over your computer. You "Call", "Hang up" and "Connect" like a phone, but using your mic and speakers on your computer. (although, with some connections, headphones keep nasty echo away.)

It's also neat because it's international. I had a conversation tonight with a Chinese college student, who was in China. Pretty cool.

Here's a link to the windows app.

And the mac app.

If you decide to download and use this program, let me know, and I'll hook you up with my screenname.

Peace.

First Pics!!!!

Alright Everybody!!! Here's the first pic of our little booger that we got at the doctor's office today!

I know it sounds crazy, but I think we can tell a little about the baby's personality, even though it's so early in the pregnancy... but honestly... take a look.

"... and I'm BACK IN THE GAME!!!"

Alright!!!

We are now officially ONLINE!

I am so excited. We had the internet hooked up last night, and spent the better part of the last day catching up. I updated all our programs and checked my emails... wow... I missed a few, because, holy shnikies... there were alot.


Sar fiddled around today, and I think she said she had around 150 emails to go through. Amazing how much contact we have nowadays.

Well, now that I am on a personal computer, I can better blog out surroundings to you. Here are several photos of my ride to work every day. The mountain you see in the distance that is bigger than the others is Pikes Peak.






I am working on the western side of town, almost to the Garden of the Gods... speaking of which. Here is a pic I took the other night of my store. Forgive my crappy camera.


So anyway... last Sunday, Sarah and I went to church at the Vinyard that we've been visiting, (and have decided to attend regularly) and then we helped out at a fall/costume party that the church had for the local community. Lots of candy... enough to last us awhile. And that, my friends, is saying something... actually, before the party, Sarah and I went to lunch at the Cracker Barrel (mmm... chicken & dumplins... mmm) and I got this cool picture below of a cloud enveloping a nearby mountain. It was really cool to watch. We're such newbies.


Well, after that, we went over to a friend from church's apartment, and decided that we could do better than where we were. Our apartment, while spacious, is stinky. And not just to super-pregnant-smelling-a-chicken-fry-in-the-
next-county-Sarah... to me too. Several times a day, the place is filled with the smells of cooking (if you want to call it that) and cigarette smoke. But like, nasty, cheap, left-in-your-cup-of-coffee cigarette smoke smell.

Ugh.

And there are alot of issues with the quality of the place. Our lights, and water have had issues... the doorknob sort of came loose and had to be repaired, and it is super noisy because we're right next to the street.

So for all of those reasons, we've decided to... wait for it... wait for it... yup, move.

But this time to a nicer apartment, and with friends who live here, and the ability to actually see the apartment before we move in, I am confident that we will be able to find something much nicer, and possibly considerably cheaper from what I hear. The apartment complex was moved by my "you guys suck" speech, and will not be hitting us up with any crazy fees. So we are looking again.

Lemme see.

Oh, yeah. Note to all Starbucks partners reading this. Do not. I repeat. DO NOT attach a "Grounds for your garden" sticker to your lower lip. This causes one to lose said skin, and bleed profusely all over your environment. Even if one is busy, and your hands are dirty, and you may be "just" looking for a place to keep the sticker, even if only for a second... do not give in. It hurts alot. And you try to figure out a way to get your lip to stop spurting blood from six different open wounds. It ain't easy mister!

Everyone else, ignore the above comment that my uhhh.... friend did.

Peace.
Jim

Crooked Saints, pirated music, and life is good!

Steve. Dude. I did not know you knew about this place. I'm honored to have your attention. And you STILL have my freakin Guided by Voices cd that you borrowed 3 years ago!

George... for goodness sake, buy a mac. And if the Orange Thongs decide to make a Colorado appearance, consider yourself booked.

Kate, miss ya. Email me and let me know what's up. Or write... I think I've forgotten how.

Ryan, hook this negro up. I'll have ftp access on the 1st. I've got some stuff you have to hear too.

Kaitlin, did you and Gabi make up yet? I talked to Sarah about you coming out for the summer. It would be redunkulous! I hope it works out.

Paula, Sarah is still projectile vomiting, but any other tips you have are welcome.

Jim, thanks for the feedback about the word verification. I hope it doesn't discourage any incredibly lazy people from posting. I always love what they have to say.

Mom & Dad, sorry for not calling more. I've been juggling a trillion things. I love you.

Stephen & Ezra, punch each other in the face for me. I miss you guys. Hopefully, we can get you out here for a couple weeks each when the baby is born. I'll do the homeschooling... of course, the only subjects we'll cover are music, art and computer science.

Sean. Miss you man. Hope I can see you again in the forseeable future. Make fun of Dave for me.

Sarah... if you're reading this, I love you and I'll see you when I get home... yeah, that was dumb.

Well, that's Tuesday catchup. Hope you were on there, and if so, that you enjoyed it. If you weren't on there, comment more... then I'll remember to write to you.

I, much like Lousiana, am not fixing the real problem...

I am building levees. (Honestly... does anybody know how to spell that?)

In accordance with Ryan's sage advice (He's getting mad props lately.) I am erecting a word verification box in my comments section. Please forgive the inconvenience if it bothers you, but it will hopefully prevent the salmon cooking, iPod nano giving, blood sucking populace of the internet from posting on my blog.

My thanks to all of you for your patience as I continue my attempt at an enjoyable blogging experience.

The glove compartment is inadequetly named...

...and everybody knows it.

Hi everyone. Thanks for all the comments. As Ryan so adequetly put it, it makes the dull ache of missing you quiet down for a couple minutes, just hearing from you.

I'm terribly excited about having produce bearing my name. Jim the pumpkin. If I were a vegetable, I probably would be an odd shaped gourd of some kind. The kind that makes you worry about eating it.

The end of the week was fairly uneventful, with the exception of some busy days at work. The "man" and I are doing well, and I have been making friends at my new Starbucks. They were taking their time about deciding if I was ok or not, but seem to over their suspicions.

The library was a real jewel mine this week concerning music. I found Beck's Guero album, an older Belle & Sebastian album, and a cd by Whirlwind Heat... a small band that has the gimmick of the bass player beating the living daylights out of the lead singer at the end of every concert. Jumping on his back and punching him in the head and what-not. Good, clean fun. I also picked up an old japanese yakuza (gangster) movie called "Afraid to die." It was pretty decent... and had a cool "I've been shot and now I'm going to stagger over to an escalator, struggle against it for several long seconds and then die in a poetic, and somewhat unusual ending to the movie" ending. I also picked up "Osama" which is an independent film that came out last year about a little girl in a family of women that live in Taliban-ruled Afganistan. Her last male relative dies and she has to cut her hair and pretend to be a boy to get work. She uses the name Osama because it's powerful, and people don't question her. I got interupted watching it, and it apparently didn't have the appeal to bring me back. So I didn't. Oh well. Maybe someday when I feel like it.

We get broadband set up next week!!! We're so excited. This is going to be so much less of a luxury.

Hi to Kristen! Welcome! I miss you and your laugh. My wonder twin. Say hey to Kate Hunter for me, and Jen if you see her.

Massa, are you still in contact with Sarah Kowal? Just wondering.

Well, that's about it for today. Thanks for the comments about controlling spam, Ry. And Jim, I do read your blog. You have never lost your edge there... thank you for setting a good, if not jaded example. And Paula, I bought those travel-ease wrist bands for "my woman I'm taking to the dance" and she has been wearing them. No real difference yet, but anything helps. Thanks again for the tip!

See y'all later!
"How you like it?!"

No news is good news... or just plain boring...

So I'll try to make some up.
Not really.

I can, however, continue to update everyone on what's going on with us. Sarah is still having alot of morning sickness, and doesn't have much of an appetite, but she is pulling through and has been getting alot of rest. We're both encouraged by the feedback we've read about the morning sickness. It would seem that it implies a healthy pregnancy so far, and to be quite honest, I've been nervous. It's just one of those things in life, and maybe because my family had some miscarriages, that you almost don't want to think it will go all the way through in case it doesn't. But we trust that God is in control of any and all situations, and this is just another part of life that we will live through no matter what happens.

Work has been going well. I close the store tonight. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I am being paid by my store to do posters and flyers for our Saturday Night music and art shows. We are starting a program to boost our business on Sat. nights by bringing in bands and art shows every weekend. It's very exciting, and last week, our first week, went great. I'll post some of the posters here later so that you can see them.

Oh, last night Sar and I went on a date. We went out for Italian, and then saw the Corpse Bride. A really fantastic movie. Tim Burton is great. It was really well done, and charming, with a very original plot. Kept me guessing... At dinner, Sarah and I had a great discussion that ranged all over the place. I know it sounds funny to say, but I miss her. I've been working alot, and she's been home alone, and I know the feeling is mutual. Needless to say, it was a very nice evening.

We're both looking forward to the Sox in the World Series this weekend! I can't wait. I can't help but feel like this is their year.

Oh, in Apple news, which should be considered my alternative blog. If mine is down or something... Apple debuted the new, quad G5 processor tower. That's four, 2.7Ghz power pc G5 processors working together in what would be the fastest computer I can imagine is on the market right now. And the chips are built so that 2 independant processors are on the same chip. They're calling it dual-core processing... and it's already 64 bit. This is just crazy. If Ryan had that setup for his sound editing, or if I had that for graphics, it would BLOW US AWAY. I have no idea what it would be like to work on a machine like that. But I'd like to.

Well, that's it for today. Hi to everyone back at Woodgrove Festival, at home in Ohio, and in Illinois!

We love and miss you.
Jim

The man and I make nice

Today I fixed things with the manager I mentioned the other day. We both had some good things to say, and everything is better now. I've just been stressed lately. Alot on my mind.

But today things are really looking up, and I have some good news on several fronts. The first, and most important is that Sarah has an appointment to go see the doctor, and hopefully that will go well. We are excited to find someone that will see her in the next millenium, and I pray that it is a friendly and sensative doctor... so someone imaginary basically.

The second thing is that I called and arranged to have internet installed at our apartment on the first of next month. That will truly simplify a great deal of our life right now, and allow us to keep in touch with all of you that much easier.

The third, and somewhat inconsequential... but cool to me, is that Apple has made a modification to their iTunes program that I suggested to them. Of course, there may be absolutely nothing to do with me sending them a long email with pictures and at least a dozen reasons why their program needed the feature I suggested, but there may be. They are very good at keeping their finger on the pulse of the consumer, and the power user even more so, and to have an eloquent and well thought out idea that they can use and look cool because of, handed to them on a silver (free) platter is a great deal for them. Brain storming for free. Maybe I was just one of many people frustrated by the lack of folders in the iTunes playlist menu bar, or maybe I was the only one that said something, but I feel that I have done my job in simplifying my and other people's musical lives. Go Jim.

And my geekery stock increases exponentially.

Um... what else? The mountains looked really beautiful today. They're flocked with snow, and really look fantastic. I am hoping to get back on Ryan's show, possibly using an internet phone service, as soon as we have internet in the house. We'll see. For the time being, he's still using pre-recorded segments of "The music you're not listening to, but should..."

Well, I can't think of anything else right now... Oh, George or Massa.... Would you guys please make sure that Michelle C. and Emily Smith have the address of this blog? I think that they'd enjoy it.

Later,
Jim

A Jim Blog Classic...

For those of you who occasionally cruise around the archives of this blog, ok... so none of you do that... so in acceptance of that fact, I have decided to post a "Jim Blog Classic" from my first blogger post on July 28th of last year.

The scene, I am not yet working for Starbucks, and I am still in the hell hole known as A Quantum Leap Advertising... (Yes... named after the show... anyway...) Sarah and I had just moved into our Woodridge, IL apartment, and were getting settled. I had been blogging for about 2 months, on the spymac network, which had proved to be fairly unfriendly to my non-macintosh friends. And with that introduction, I give you my younger, less mature, newly blogging self...

"Stress has been building up lately, and with the constant demand on my employer's part for new and "more amazing" designs... I'm running out of steam. And since the "steam" is what I bring to the table, I need to keep it coming or I am not exactly considered useful. All the same, all these thoughts culminated today in the action of my brain farting. Yes, I think that in my overactive, and recently abused imagination, I heard my brain go "Phummph" today around 3:42pm. At first, I thought it might be our neighbors, "The mexicans" who have a giant garden growing in what was meant to be the loading dock of their business. But no, the harsh reality that my brain had just farted was the disgusting, whether real or imagined smell of boiling hotdogs (which for those of you who don't know, is the worst smell ever...) which smelled only slightly less horrible than the skunk that ate burnt popcorn, crawled under our apartment the other night and died in a fiery sulfuric blast. This is merely my interpretation of the smell that started smelling about 11:30 the other night. It stopped reeking around 8:45 that morning. Just enough to deprive us of as much sleep as possible. Later that day, upon arriving home, I went sniffing (literally) around the apartment to find the source of the hideous odor... but to no avail. No skunkish-burnt-popcorn smells to be found.

Oh well..."

And there you have it ladies and gents... the brain-farting, skunk despising post from the past. Hope you enjoyed this rerun. I hope to enter syndication at some point...

My eternal battle against the man...

And... I'm losing.

I got written up today, for the first time at Starbucks, because I was late to work. I am not exactly sure why I have been having trouble this last week, but I was late several days. Only 3-5 minutes each time... not big in my book, but the assistant manager at my store is one of those annoying people that rarely makes mistakes, and holds an incredibly high standard for other people. I'm not saying that she doesn't have ground to stand on, she does... I was late. But I'm really used to having folks look the other way in certain areas, because of my performance in areas like sales and interpersonal/customer relations.

In actuality, I'm going to look at this as a challenge. I know that I can get almost everything right at work if I really push myself, but I'm not used to someone on my back about it. It's such an inward battle for me. On one hand, I feel like I should be excused for some reason. That my exemplorary behaviour in one area of my work should allow for some leaway in what I consider to be a "nitty-gritty" area. On the other hand, I realize that arriving on time is important, and while I have slipped up this last week, it's something I usually get right. (At work that is...) I'm just trying to swallow my pride, and accept that there are things that I need to get right, or I'm going to be called on it. I guess that's the problem. I don't have problems accepting that I need to change, but I guess I feel that I can do it on my own, without supervision, or repercussions regarding failure.

Anyway, on to other things... Sarah and I have decided not to keep the Buick. We are going to be selling our 1996 Buick LeSabre, and hopefully getting another, more fuel efficient car.

Sarah is still feeling sick, and it lasts the majority of the day. Hopefully this will pass soon, and she'll be able to not throw up in the morning.

Ryan, buy the iPod. It's gotten considerably thinner, and while the nano is awesomely small, 4 Gigs and the loss of video support just doesn't justify the price difference of like $50. Seriously man, when you're sitting at work, watching Entourage on your iPod... are you seriously going to care that you can't fit it in the gum wrapper you just tossed? Buck up and buy the iPod. Steve-o is not going to make a size bump on the nano anytime soon, or he would've debuted it WITH the new iPod. He seriously would've waited to make a bigger impact. He prefers an onslaught of new devices as opposed to the gradual release like they've done this past month. My bets are on him NOT being happy with the way that this release has gone, but these are outstanding products all the same. P.S. Jim V... congrats to Paula on the purchase of the last of the 4th gen iPods. I know she'll be happy. It was the best of its line.

Massa, sorry about Matt being a putz and not giving you the phone. I am in the process of writing you a little card. My address is mwaff-wulfff-wauuuaffff-uff-waspafff (censored).

George, thanks for the story. I will now be able to intrigue and beguile listners with the history of that word for years to come. Can I ever repay you?

Thanks to everyone on the congratulations! We are so happy to have friends like you. Our little one is going to have such a family of great and supportive friends watching over its life. We appreciate you all so much!

I think I had something else... what was it? Oh, maybe this...

We are probably going to have INTERNET AT HOME NEXT MONTH!!! We're working on it. With Sarah's tutoring position, we may have the funds to set it up. If so... I will post more... if not, I'll try to post more.

Oh, and yeah... THE WHITE SOX ARE IN THE SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO Sox, and here's to ending the stupid "curse" thing... maybe we can get the Cubbies in the series next year. First Boston, now the Sox... who knows?

Stephen, are you wearing your jersey and hat?

Well, that's it for now. Peace out, and have a great day... we miss you.

Little big news

Ok, I couldn't include this in the "Big News" post, but Apple just released new iPods that can view video, and are thinner, and new thinner iMacs with remote controls...

I burn, I pine, I perish...


www.apple.com

BIG NEWS

Ok, so huge news today.

Sarah is expecting!!!

I can't hardly believe it, but after being married for 4 years, we are going to have a baby! There were some accurate predictions by commentators on this blog, and I will say that we had our own suspicions, but neither of us expected this to be this easy. Sarah's mom had to undergo alot of surgeries and hardship to have children, and we feared that this would also be the case for Sarah. But apparently not.

She still has been struggling with morning sickness, but at least she doesn't have to worry about missing work or anything. She did pick up the tutoring job, that will be a few hours a week, and all at night.

Thanks so much everybody for all of your love and support. It was just a few days ago that we started mourning the loss of Susan, and now this! What a burst of good news!

On to more good news, I got a call from my sister Tammy today, and she is also expecting! They found out today. Very strange that both pregnancies are so close together, but that will mean less boredom for our kids at family reunions. I'm picturing one great baseball game.

Wow... what else? Oh yeah. Sarah turns 26 tomorrow, so this is one big birthday present for her. If anybody wants to send their good wishes or congratulations or both to her, her addy is saremil@yahoo.com. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you.

Well, we're off to go to dinner for Sarah's birthday. We got a gift certificate for Chili's from one of the gazillion surveys that she fills out on a regular basis. :)

Love you all, miss you all...
Peacy-weese

Ok... that's it!

I agree wholeheartedly with Jim V's rant comment on the "Comfortably Numb" post. Advertisers on blogger are scum, and I am, like Pat Robertson endorsing the assasination of a world leader on his "christian" program, endorsing the online (via hacking, spamming or otherwise obnoxious behaviour) assasination of the advertisers using my blog as a billboard.

It is way too annoying for me to use my limited internet access time to delete your notes about home loans, mortgages, and sports memorabilia! Take a gander through my posts, and you'll realize I don't have money for any of that!

Argh! (And for George... "IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS!")

This weekend, in which it snows, Sarah is still sick, and Jim makes gruel

Well folks, today it is snowing here in Colorado. It's beginning to look alot like a freak mix of seasons, as most of the trees have not yet changed. I will say that the aspens look beautiful whether they have green leaves, yellow leaves or snow on them. What a fantastic tree. Sarah says I'm a geek because I like trees and birds. I guess it's more than the fact that I like them... I have this odd desire to remember their names, and things about them. I don't remember doing that as a kid. Maybe something's wrong with me.

Sarah's been feeling ill for about a week and a half now. She gets sick in the morning, and doesn't like eating much. For those of you who know her, that's somewhere near death for her. I decided that maybe she needed some chicken soup, so yesterday, I made some soup. I started with water, some chicken boulion, some chicken I grilled, celery and onion. I added some spices, and left it in the crockpot to steep for awhile. I then added a little more than a cup of rice. Mistake. After about 4 hours, (In my mind, a good amount of time for a soup... having 0% soup making experience) the rice had gone beyond soft and tasty, (approx. 2 hrs.) to being highly absorbant. When I returned to the crockpot around hour number 4, the rice had successfully absorbed all of the fluid in the pot, and had turned into something resembling grits. Grits are good, but not chicken flavored grits with pieces of celery in them. We called it gruel, and I bravely ate about 4 ounces of it, before pouring the whole fiasco into a bag and hauling it off to the trash. This accounts for the second cooking fiasco of my married career. And I must say, out of four years, two incidents aint bad! The whole thing reminded me of a book I read as a youngster in which a sailing ship hauling rice as cargo sprung a leak, and the rice inflated and blew the ship apart by its boards. This was much less dramatic, and involved celery and a crockpot, but the stories are otherwise identical. In my defense, I tried to come up with an idea of restoring the gruel to a state of edibility. But to no avail.

Oh, I should probably say something about my new store. I am now full time at the Garden of the gods Starbucks. The workers and customers are great! I really like the crew, and while drive through poses some really big challenges, I'm sure I'll get accustomed soon enough. Some possible "feet in" for Sarah have popped up in the last week or so. My district manager Ed, knows a head honcho over at Cook Publishing, and he met with his friend yesterday, and gave him Sarah's resume. Hopefully it will lead to something lucrative for her. In the meantime, a tutoring position may open up for her that would pay around $30 an hour! Pretty awesome!

Anyway, I can't really think of anything more to say for now, so I'll let you all go. Enjoy your day, and know that we miss you.

Peace,
Jim

Comfortably Numb

I was driving up by Glen Eyre on the western side of town today, and I decided that the perfect song to drive through the mountains to is "Comfortably numb" by Pink Floyd. Not that anyone needed to know that, but as Ryan would say, I had and "apostrophe".

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Jim, you nailed it on the head with the verse that you recommended. It's one of my favorites, and a constant source of strength in my life. My dad had me memorize it when I was young and afraid of the dark, and it's gotten me through increasingly "dark" areas of my life. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

Very cool to have you bring it up. Thanks man.

Massa, Erina and Mom, thanks for your posts too. Love you all.

That's all for today. More later.

Jim

Susan

Well, I don't really know how to tackle this, but here goes. You guys are all here to read about the good, the bad, and the really bad in my life, so you deserve to hear this too...

My 17 year old cousin Susan Miller was killed yesterday in an auto accident.
I really don't know any details, nor do I know if anyone else was killed. No other family members were involved, and that's the extent of my knowledge.

I can't believe that this has happened. While I have had many odd and frustrating circumstances in my life, death has never been something that I have had to cope with. At least not in the immediate sense. Both my parent's families are very long lived, I've always said you have to kill us to get rid of us... anyway, Susan was born with Spinal Biffeda (I think that's how you spell it) and has had various ailments her whole life. She has fought them with bravery, endured them with dignity, and to die in a car wreck seems an insult to her memory. She was a constant reader, a talented singer, and loved horses. She adjusted to the all-to-often moves of a military family, and was an incredibly loving person. When I met my sister in law Kaitlin, I realized that I had only met one other person so ready to love and be loved, and that was Susan. She accepted Sarah immediately when she met her, and was always the first to jump up and run to the door when I would come back home for reunions. She was an amazing person.

Her brother Michael is in the Marines now, just like his father, and I don't know that he has been notified yet. Please keep him in your prayers, as well as her mother Joyce, father Mark, and younger sister Kaity.

My grandparents seem to be handling it with shock, but well considering this is their first loss of a child or grandchild. We grandchildren are back down to 9, at least 9 here. We'll miss Susan terribly, and while Sarah and I can't make it back for the funeral, we will be there in our hearts.

All love to the Miller family.
Jim & Sarah

Blood, guts, and rock and roll... hold on, my tartlets are burning...

Whoa.

I have gone soft.

I was just reading my posts, and that's just softy-soft-soft.

Sorry... I mean... GET LOST! WHO ASKED WHAT YOU THINK?

There.

FURNITURE

Yesterday, several very cool things happened. One was that while I am still working at the South Tejon Starbucks the majority of my time, I had a considerably better day than usual. I think that they got my point about how they aren't very welcoming to new workers. I had several people comment on how they thought I was doing a good job, and one of them gave me a green apron card (For those of you not of the Starbucks persuasion, a green apron card is a recognition device that Starbucks employees can use to award one another. They have 5 catagories, and if you get one of each, you get a pin to wear on your apron. It's just a neat way of saying that you noticed that whoever you gave it to was doing a good job, and that you appreciate them.) but she scratched out it's category "Compassionate" that it came with, and wrote "Brave" there. The inscription on the back said that the card was for "staying positive in the face of adversity." It was a really kind sentiment, and I almost feel bad about leaving... uh... well, not really.

The second really cool thing came from the same store. One of the shift managers is moving, and she gave Sarah and I her couch and a coffee table. They are both great, and I would've picked them out myself if we had been out shopping. VERY VERY COOL. Now we won't have to watch movies in our lawn furniture!

Anyway, I'll write more later this week.

Peacy-weese.

P.S. Massa, don't tell Vicki, but I almost feel bad for her getting engaged to that dipwad. Which reminds me... don't date dipwads. If you're not careful, they'll propose. Then you'll be stuck with a dipwad, and that's no good. Kaitlin, that goes for you and Gabi too. Bo-Daggit.

Starbucks, football and pinch hitting preachers...

Well, we had an eventful weekend.

I had a discussion with the manager of the store I've been at out here last Friday, and apparently, the district manager wants me to be at the Garden of the gods store. Much busier, and much more like my old store back in Woodridge. I am happy about this decision. I really haven't fit in at the downtown store, it's pretty far from our apartment, and the parking is atrocious. I've had to park about 5 blocks away just to get a space that was free. So I had my first day at the G.O.G. store today, and I loved it. They're a drive through, which is new to me, but otherwise, very welcoming, and very friendly. I still have to work at the downtown store a bit this and next week, but I'll be full time at the Garden of the gods store after that.

We went to a pretty neat church on Sunday. The first in our search for a new place of worship... and a good one. We looked in the newspaper to see what was around, and found a Vineyard church. Vineyard is a group of non-denominational churches that I am familiar with to a certain degree. I've been to ones in Columbus, OH, Ft. Wayne, IN, and Chicago... and they were all good. This one we visited was no exception. It is small, and still meets in an elementary school gymnasium, but hopes to have it's own building soon. The people couldn't have been more welcoming if they tried, and we really enjoyed the message. It was perfect for the situation we've been in, and it really spoke to us. The pastor is a kindhearted man, not too much older than us, and the only downside was the worship service which was truly aweful. But, as it says in the Bible, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord."

At the end of the service, they announced that they were going to have a church softball game afterwards, and that visitors were welcome. Sarah and I decided to go home for lunch, but come back for the game. Now, those of you that know me, know my undying hatred of the game of softball (That abomination of baseball)... so you will understand how much we were needing a bit of fellowship with kind people that believe similarly. The game was MUCH more enjoyable than I thought possible, and afterward, we played a game of TACKLE FOOTBALL!!! I love football! I was huffing and puffing, due to the altitude sickness that I'm fending off with the tanacity of Jesse Jackson fighting off reality. I played safety, which is totally my position. I love to intercept, and I really enjoy tackling. People really don't expect me to hit as hard as I do, which really turns into an advantage in a nice competitive game. And despite the fact that I consistantly tackle them, and force lost yards, and strip the ball (Nice clean church game) they still don't get it, and run right at me, like I'm going to bounce off them. Silly running back, kicks are for trids.
Anyway, enough with me being proud of myself, because I ache like a mother today. But at least I'm dying with a smile on my face. After the game we went and visited with one of the men from the church that we met that day. He's a scientist from Britain that's working with the military here in town. He has a really nice apartment on Norad mountain. (Which I still can't get used to seeing... the mountain that is... I mean, how "secret" is our secret base in the mountain with all the antenae sticking out of it?) Anyway, that was a nice, if not slightly weird visit, as he showed us all the cool, expensive stuff he has, and I couldn't help thinking about how we're working our butts off to pay next month's rent, you know? Anyway, that was that, and we went home and watched movies.

We ended up watching different movies, because I rented an ungodly amount of dvds from the library (FREE!!!) that would be incredibly boring to anyone but me. I have yet to attempt the full 5 hours of the German masterpiece Das Boot, but I did tackle (heh heh... tackle... I'm retarded...) the original movie Solaris, which was a classic Soviet movie from the 70's. Sort of an answer to Kubrick's Space Odyssy 2001. It was really good acting. Alot of russian, which, by the way, is a really cool language. Very dramatic, and easy on the ears. It was long, and not a movie to be watched lightly. (You have to keep saying "I will not fast forward this movie... I will not fast forward this movie... I will not fast forward this movie..." to yourself at certain parts, but otherwise, totally worthwhile.)

I continue my money making schemes, and will keep you all posted on any developements. Please continue to pray for our financial situation, and for Sarah's job search.

We love and miss you all.
Jim

Settling down.

Well, I'm working my butt off, and things seem to be coming together.

At work, I've been iffy about the Starbucks I'm at. It's just not at all like any of the stores I've worked at in the past. They're really really really laid back. And yet, their tips are great because the customers love them. It's not my style at all. I'd love the happy environment that customers love, but there are standards to hold to. And I miss them. Plus, they are NOT AT ALL competitive. Right now, we're focussing on selling coffee bags by the pound, and I accounted for nearly 50% of the store's sales in that area last week! I mean, I'm not bad, but that's just silly.
It does, however, make me look really good, and if I do decide to go to another store, I should have a pretty good selection to choose from.

Sarah has gotten her resume, cover letter and applications done, and is on her way to finding a great job! Please keep her in your prayers as she steps out into this new and exciting chapter of her life. We still don't have internet, so snail mail is much appreciated if you want to send her a friendly note.

Well, that's it for now.

And as they say and the Rock and Roll Cafe... "Love all, serve all."

Clothing, moving and Harry Potter...

Thanks for all the feedback on the ideas. The idea concerning the clothing adaptation line continues to blossom, and Jim, I think that Paula would be awesome at that kind of thing... she should definitely pursue it. Let me know if it gets any farther along...

Yesterday, I finally got my hands on the sixth, and most recent Harry Potter novel, the "Half blood prince"... and interesting title for what seemed to be a minor part of the plot. Anyway, I read it yesterday, and it was excellent. Definitely made up for the last two books that I didn't like all that much. Rowling is a fantastic writer, and creates some truly creative characters. I don't know anybody that has made a similar character that has carried the mistrust and mystery surrounding the character of Snape through several books. Usually, you make up your mind about a central character, as to whether they're good or bad, by the first or second book. But by the end of this last one, you're still guessing.

So all in all, good reading. This new library has a great selection of movies, and a decent music selection. Definitely some fringe material in the music department, which of course, I don't mind at all. I found an old Hokus Pick album that was what appears to be on first listen, AWEFUL! A Ryan Adams album from 2003 called "Rock N Roll" which appears to be quite good, and a "Jim classic" from my childhood called "Mansion builder" by the early christian rock group 2nd Chapter of Acts. Very cool. We got out two of Akira Kurosawa's movies that we hadn't seen yet, and watched Yojmbo last night. Funny, weird, and basically a Japanese spaghetti western. Good Friday night material.

I close my store tonight, so I'm off to work before long. We got an invitation to a game night at somebody's house last night, but declined to go. One of our friend Dan's friends from back home helped us with the move on this end, and his college and careers group from his church were the ones with the party. It's nice to have people who are kind enough to invite us, but we're still pretty tired, and enjoy the peace and quiet of home for now.

OH! My best friend Ryan is planning on buying the newest iPod of the bunch, the iPod Nano. This new iPod will be replacing the very successful iPod mini, has a color screen, is incredibly thin, and will most likely receive a storage boost before this time next year. It may end up being the most successful yet... it definitely has the potential.

Oh, well... I've run out of stuff to ramble on about...

Later.

Colorado Springs

Well, it's been a few days out here, and we're making our adjustments.

I feel out of it. It may be the altitude, it may be the lack of money, or it may be that I miss you all so much... I'm not sure.

Sarah has been adjusting to it too. It's a really strange feeling to suddenly be "living" in a place you hardly know. I had this happen in college, but it was different. This is unique. There are moments when you can hardly believe that you're lucky enough to live in a place with (insert cool thing here)... and there are other moments when you are really disappointed.

I have begun working at the South Tejon & Colorado Springs Ave. store in downtown C.S. It is a VERY slow store. (About half the business of the Woodridge store I came from.) Particularly at night. I really like the environment, and I really like the downtown area. The store manager is a really cool woman named Michelle, and she has a real heart for people and coffee, so we get along very well. I've only clashed with one employee there, who has a very abrasive personality. She is looking for people to reject her, and does everything she can to push people away. It's really annoying because I have no intention of rejecting her, nor do I wish to, so her constant attempts to insult me or call attention to my "faults" are a bit taxing. Otherwise, the crew is a good one, and I have gotten a bit attached to the store already. In truth, I'd love to keep the store, and the manager, and trade all the baristas for my friends back in Woodridge starbucks. You guys would love it. There are NO assistant managers! How about that?

Oh, yesterday... something completely bizarre happened. These two girls came in while I was working register, and I overheard the one say something about working back in Chicago, so I asked her where she was from, and she said that she worked for a Starbucks back in Chicago, and that she was transferring to the store I'm at out here. I asked her whereabouts in Chicago, and she said "Oh, this store in a western suburb called 7 Bridges... it's in a town called Woodridge." I was like "I'm from Woodgrove Festival! We hate you guys!" So it turns out that this girl (Vanessa) and her friend are both transferring out, so I'll have a little bit of Woodridge out there with me.

Um... I'm trying to remember if I've forgotten anything.

Oh, I am planning on starting a little business on the side to help make ends meet. The purpose of it will be personalizing articles of clothing. I've been seeing alot of "personalized" designs on jeans and shoes at stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, and they are really charging an arm and a leg for these things. The problem is that if you do find a design that you like on the leg of a pair of jeans, the chances of that pair fitting you well is unlikely, and if you do find a pair that look good, and have a "personal" touch, you walk out and see three other girls with the same design on their pants. Not very personal at all. Many of these designs have a tattoo feel to them, and are designs that I could match in quality without breaking a sweat. So the idea occured to me, that I could make truly personal designs, even custom ones to include the girl's name or whatever, and put the design on a pair of jeans or whatever that she already loves. That way, the customer ends up with an affordable and truly original article of clothing. I am planning on beginning with jeans and jackets, expanding to shoes (like sketchers or Converse Chuck Taylors) and moving on from there. In theory, a girl with the money, could have her own logo of sorts, and have it placed on whatever clothing an accessories she wanted. I do see guys getting in on the jackets and shoes part of this, so I don't want to make it too girl-centric, but that is where I see my initial market being. I am planning on calling the line "Tricky". Like a tricked out car or something. This is more modification that manufacturing, therefore keeping the overhead incredibly low.

It's just an idea, but with the right response, it could really suppliment our income. It's difficult, if not impossible to get a second job while working starbucks, simply because of the randomness of my schedule.

Well, that's it for now. Gimmie feedback. Tell me it's a great idea, tell me it's awful... tell me to move back, tell me to stay...

I love you all.
Jim

It's driving me nuts!

Alright, so the name of this post is an inside joke... to all who get it... I love and miss you. To all of you who didn't get it, I love and miss you too.

We are now in the great state of Colorado, and are beginning the next chapter of our lives here. I am currently writing this from the library, as we do not have the mac set up yet, nor will we have internet up and running for several weeks. We are running an extremely tight budget right now, and will hopefully be much more stable shortly. Thanks go out to all of you who supported us in your prayers, and to the kind folks who helped us pack, unpack, move, drive, pay for gas, and all of the kind goodbye-for-nows.

The apartment is great! It has an awesome fireplace, and a year round jacuzzi. Even though it's 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, it's still $150 cheaper a month than our 1 bedroom in Woodridge! We really like it alot, and it has a beautiful view of Pike's Peak. We got to go over to the Garden of the gods earlier this week, and it is more beautiful than I imagined... we will definitely be spending alot of free time there, as we hope to get in better shape. These past few months have really taken a toll on our bodies as well as our stress levels.

I miss all of you terribly, and especially to the peeps I didn't really get to say goodbye to, I am sorry, and I hope to see you again sometime. To my "How you like it?" girl, I hope you like the cd...and dump your boyfriend, he's a dork. Geeorge, miss you at work... it's not the same. Massa, I know you're lying about it being better that I'm not there. You know you're lying... just fess up! If Michelle or Mike are reading this, I miss you guys too. Thanks so much Michelle for all the stuff you did. Somebody tell Jen that I said hi, so that she doesn't feel left out. Jim V. Hey man, I forgot to give you back your album art book before we left, so it will be coming in the mail. Hope all is well with you and your wonderful wife. Ryan, let's figure out that skype thing once I'm up and running. I have a feeling it's going to be our saving grace. Sean, you rule. You've been and continue to be such a great friend. To the illustrious Dan... who will not be reading this... Dan is the greatest. Mom and Dad Miller I love you so much, and am so grateful for all of your support and prayers. I have never doubted that I could do anything, and that's all because of you. Mom and Dad Schmitt Thanks so much for the month of housing, the conversations, and the help moving out! It was so much more than we could have asked for, and we are really thankful. G & G Miller Thanks for coming out to see us last time we were out! We miss you, and can't wait for you to come out and visit us mountaineers! Tammy, I've gotten so used to missing you that it doesn't seem like we're that much farther apart. We really had a nice time visiting you, and hope to do it again sometime... you're always welcome out here! Stephen, Thanks for being patient with me when I don't always have time to talk. You are so understanding, and have such a great heart. I wish you could be here, the hiking is great... you'd love it. You are totally my favorite 12 year old brother. I can't believe you'll be a teenager next year! WOW. Ezra, Dude... I really wish you were out here. Everybody rides their bikes... you'd fit right in! We are praying for you and hope that you get a new drum teacher soon. Katie, I miss you sooooo much! I am really glad that we got to have the month that we did. Remember to read 1st John, and James... tell me what you think, and call with questions if you have them. Love you. Gabster, Big hug! I miss you too! Take good care of Kaitlin for us while we're out here. To everybody else reading this, we love and miss you, and would've kept writing, but the librarian is giving me a look.

Peace and thank you!
Jim

Off to New York

Today Sarah and I are headed for New York City to deliver some sports memorabilia. It should be a fun trip, and we are looking forward to it.

Things are coming along slowly but surely with the Colorado plans.

No new news per se.

Hope you all are doing well, I'll write more when we get back.

Jim

Hi everyone

Well, it's been a long time since I wrote, and I do apologize to anyone who diligently checks back here, only to find it empty of any new info... so here's a bit for those of you whose loyalty (or amount of free time) amazes me.

Sarah and I are now staying with her parents as we prepare to go to Colorado. Things with the apartment out there, and a transfer for me have not been going as well as I had hoped. BUT we perservere. I have had it with the Garden of the Gods Starbucks, and I am open to checking out any store out there with an opening. I was led to believe that they had one, but they apparently do not. Suckage. Anyway, I am calling around this morning, so pray that it goes well.

Other events taking place today... I should be going through my coffee master certification today, and will finally get my black apron. Very cool news for me, as I have worked pretty hard to get it.

Sarah is fine, and is working for the eBay guy still. We are probably going to run some memorabilia out to NY City for him next week. He is willing to pay us well, and the money will really help with the move. I have had some good side jobs graphics wise lately, and that is helping too.

Sarah and I went to Georgia last week, and saw some of my family that I haven't seen in a long time. We also visited my grandpa's grave. Good times. We were down there for a wedding, and while it was a long drive, it was totally worth it!

Well, I need to go, but I miss you all. Hope to be back up and writing again soon.

Jim

White Stripes and Headphones...

So I've been listening to the new White Stripes' release "Get Behind Me, Satan" and the Headphones debut album (self titled) like crazy lately.

Good music. Not quite the musical genius that "Elephant" was. As far as the White Stripes are concerned, but the Headphones album is equivalent to anything that Pedro the Lion has released lately.

In other news, my best friend Ryan's internet radio show is now available as a podcast on the iTunes music store. It is, as all podcasts are, free... and for those not faint of heart, feel free to check it out. For those unwilling to bridge the PG13 rating on their iPod, beware. Ryan has recently lifted his self-imposed ban on profanity, and has done so with gusto. The brave new world of podcasting seems to be dodging the bullets that all other radio has been riddled with this past year or so.
This administration seems to be so power drunk that they are taking on areas of free speech I never thought possible. All in the name of the public's safety... from what? Bad words? Let's try focusing on some REAL issues, like what people say, not how they say it.

And flag burning.... don't get me started!!! It's outrageous! Ryan and I actually agree on this issue, and if you do check out his show, be sure to download the latest show (July 10, 2005) and give his comments a listen. They're well worth it.

I really cut that rant down... deleted alot of screaming... self censored for the public good.

Anyway, hope all is well with you. We are busy packing, and getting ready for the changes on the horizon.

Peace and thank you,
Jim

Sarah

Just a pic of my lovely girl. I did a watercolor effect on it, but it's the look in her eyes that really makes the picture beautiful.

Apologies and Explanations

Hey all.
So I forgot that my computer existed.

Yeah... right... when hell freezes over.

The truth to the complete and utter silence that has reigned uncontested on my blog as of late is due to several very big things going on in our life. "Well" you would say... "If big things are happening in your life, and you don't write because of that, are you saying that you only write when nothing cool is happening?"

Yes. That is exactly what I am saying.
The majority of my posts in the past are basically me making a big deal out of the many little quirks and funny events that happen in everyday life. If I wrote only when something big, cool and unusual happened, I would post once every couple weeks... sort of like lately...

ANYWAY... on to the news.

Sarah and I have decided to move to Colorado. Our lease is up at the end of July, and we are planning on heading out to Colorado Springs, Colorado in the early weeks of September. For the month of August, we are currently looking for a place to stay, but flying by the seat of our collective pants feels really good right now. I trust that God is looking out for us, and that everything will work out for the best. He is so good to us.

A little background on the decision, and I won't bore you, is that Sarah has always wanted to be adventurous and move away from everything that she has grown up around... to break out and discover a place of her own. I've had the opportunity to move around a bit in my life, and I'm ready to pick up and trailblaze a new chapter in our life together. Colorado Springs provides a great area for jobs for both of us, it has a lower cost of living, and is incredibly beautiful. I have had the opportunity to see the area twice in my life, and look forward to waking up to the majestic view of the rocky mountains every day.

In other news, I have a new manager at my Starbucks. He kicks butt, and will hopefully kick mine enough to transform me into a truly impressive barista before I transfer out to Colorado. I am a good worker, but lack certain skills and information that would make me truly outstanding. I hope to rectify that.

Anyway, I'm tired, so this is all for now. Sorry all. I promise to try to write more in the next few weeks.

Peace!

Random Quote

"I no longer need to punish, deceive or compromise myself. Unless, of course, I want to stay employed." -The man known as "Jim" who posts in the comment sections of this blog. Not to be confused with me.

Only for the geeks out there...

Oh... I just realized that I should mention this, as it is some of the biggest news in Apple history. Apple has announced that it will be transitioning to Intel Pentium processors over the next few years. This will be the third "major" transition for the company since its founding in the seventies. The first was the switch to the power pc processor in the mid nineties, the second was the "brain transplant" that was the switch from OS9 to OSX. If I were to say anything at Apple has been "dragging" the past few years, it would be the speed and availability of their processors. But the whole processor industry has slowed down dramatically in the past few years, so I've been excusing it. This however looks to turn that around. Apple hopes to have Intel using machines on the market by next June, and a complete changeover of their lineup by the end of 2007. The idea of this happening was so incredibly remote, that many thought it impossible. For Apple to switch their Operating System to work on a different processor would require a complete re-tooling of the entire system. The feeling out there the past few weeks in response to the rumors of an Apple/Intel partnership was "there's no way that Apple can do this... for that to happen, they would have had to have built it to be processor independant over the past 5 years... they would have had to have been planning this since OSX debuted!" Well... uh.... they did. Apple has dedicated an entire division of their company to making OSX work on Intel processors for the past 5-6 years. The switch is going to be easy. For most developers, they will be able to adapt their products to run on the new system in literally, a matter of weeks, and in some cases, days. Not that they'll need it for a year, but they have the time. In the case of applications that aren't ready or don't try to get ready by the release of the Intel run mac, Apple has created an algorythm called "Rosetta" that, get this... LIVE TRANSLATES from power pc to intel. I watched Jobs run Word, Excel, Powerpoint and a few other apps on an Intel mac, these are programs as they are today... with no tweaking, and they ran at a speed that was an almost unnoticeable difference from the norm. This is going to allow every application to be used on the new macs that was on the old, until they adapt their apps to run on the Intels themselves! Very cool. In other news, the next big cat is going to be "Leopard" and it will come out about the same time that Windows is promising to have Longhorn out by. I would not want to be that cow.

Well, that's it for the geek-fest, Ladies and Germs...

See ya.

Woodridge

Hey all.
It's been awhile, so I'll catch you up.

I'll be heading back to Woodridge this week as far as work's concerned. I've learned alot during my time in Hinsdale, and quite frankly, I've been pretty wiped and that's why posts to the blog have slowed to a standstill. As I head back, I anticipate stepping up what I was doing at my home store before I left. I think that in the last two months I've really tightened up the shifts I'm on. No more guesswork, I know what needs to be done, and I feel much more confident getting things done.

We had our small group from church over to our apartment on Sunday. It was a really good time, and we even gave a little tour of our area... When you attend a church of thousands, it's sometimes hard to feel that "personal" touch, not to mention that there's no accountability.
We've really been blessed by the support and friendship of these folks.

Sarah is working full time now. She will be cranking out resumes soon. I look forward to seeing what kind of career she will get into. She's so smart and sincere, and I really anticipate a great job for her. One where she can truly help others, and take home some fulfillment for herself. I remember the feeling of pride in my work that I had at the newspaper, and the idea that "I did that" with different ads in the newspaper. It's something that you don't get in many jobs, but is a definite plus. I get that feeling to a certain degree at Starbucks as I continue to build relationships with customers, and people within the company. I'm sure that if I continue down this path, that "I did that" feeling will increase when I can see places I've helped make better. But for now, I'm praying that Sarah finds a job that she can be challenged at, and be proud of a job well done.

My parents found a new house in Ohia. They are moving soon, and hopefully this will be a great place to live. I've always liked the town they're moving to. The boys seem to be doing well, and while my Dad's health is a little shaky at times, I'm really happy for them at this point in their life. You can really see God's hand on their lives, and I feel that they will be able to look back and say "We didn't waste our lives, fiddling around, trying to make ourselves happy..." That's really what I want, when I think about it. I want to be able to look back on my life and see people I was able to help, sacrifices I was able to make, unselfishness... of course, every day I see evidence of the opposite in my life. I see the decisions made for me, manipulations of loved ones, and things I'll regret. Ah, regret. We love to dodge it here in America. Act like it doesn't exist... say you don't have them... Bull... You have them, as do I.
Regret is the wonderful device that tells us to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. If faced with similar circumstances "I will do the right thing" next time. My advice, regret's not going to go away any more than gravity, and so next time it rears its head, listen to what it says, and make the decision to do what's right if that situation ever happens again. Pretending that regret doesn't exist is unfortunately something that few people are able to do at the end of their lives, and had they listened to its voice of warning earlier, they'd have alot less to regret. Period. For details, watch Magnolia.

Well, that's enough for now.
I hope this wasn't too heavy, but I'm so tired of people happily skipping off of cliffs in their lives. WAKE UP! Life is fragile and short! Live it right!

Peace and thank you,
Jim

Keanu = Wisdom

I know I haven't written alot lately... and here's an unlikely post at that...

I heard a quote tonight worth repeating, and it comes to you thanks to Keanu Reeves.

"Pain heals, chicks dig scars, and glory lasts forever." - K.R. in The Replacements

These boys aren't that bright...

ArentThatBright
Originally uploaded by Redeemerv2.

Here's to Lion Video. The dumbest people on the planet, and their ample DVD selection...

Sorry for the gap in posts...

Alot's been happening lately. Sarah had her graduation ceremony on Saturday, and her party on Sunday. My family came out for the weekend, and went home yesterday.

Last week went real well. I had some difficulties at work with a no-call/no-show. Which I take very seriously... I also got to work with Hinsdale's Laura for the first time. Laura is a professional barista. I think that's the best way to put it. Easily the most structured shift manager I've ever met, and I was a bit nervous working with her, but it turned out great. Just do everything she says, and you'll be good. It sounds bad, but she makes it really easy. You don't have to worry about what's going on, or what you should be doing... it was a really nice break, as I have been the shift on duty every shift I've worked for the past several weeks. It was pretty relaxing actually, even though we were swamped. I hope that at some point I can measure up with these great people that I am learning from.

Sarah's graduation ceremony was really cool. It was SO good to see her cross that stage. She wore a black cap and gown, a gold sash for her title of "Summa Cum Laude" (Which is awesome!!! That means "with highest honor" in latin) and black and red sashes for her participation in Sigma Tau Delta (English Honors Society). Afterwards, we went to a really nice reception where she was congratulated by her professors and coworkers from the school. We took some really good pictures there, which I will post later, and then we stopped at a local hotdog place (not Portillo's, Erina... I wouldn't do that to you...) and headed home.

Sunday was the party for Sarah at her parent's house in Midlothian. We went to church in the morning, and then headed over to start decorating. The night went great, and Sarah got a ton of really nice gifts. The most complex of which was a vacation for us in October. She got airfare, and a weeks stay in a relative's condo on South Padre Island off the coast of Texas. Other family members donated certificates to restaurants, and Sarah's parents set us up with parasailing tickets... It's going to be wonderful. Sarah needs a break so bad. There were lots of other great gifts all around. From my parents and brothers, and Sarah's close friends... It was a great time. The food was really diverse and delicious, and the weather couldn't have been better.

My family hung out until yesterday afternoon when they headed back to Ohia. After they left, Sarah and I watched "West Side Story" and then went for a nice long walk. She is so nice to live with... the best partner I could hope for. Life is so nice... I look forward in anticipation of what the future holds.

Well, that's it for now. I am going to work on some projects I have lying around. I think that Sar and I have our date night tonight, so that should be fun.

Peace out.
Jim

Word to your mother.