Good Stuff

Frustrated with the frustrations of this often-frustrating season, I began to blog about the ironic frustrations of the "most wonderful time of the year".  But then I thought, "Why babble on about bad drivers, slow check writers, and bad customer service?  Why not babble about some good stuff instead?"

So here we go - 

My Top 5 Retail Favorites of 2008...

5. 99 Cent Stores

Desperate to finish stuffing stockings, I ran into a 99 cent store and found lots of unexpected treasures.

4. Online Shopping

My wife has a favorite perfume.  Naturally, it's expensive, obscure, and (oh yea) discontinued!   It's really hard to find, but without the internet it would be impossible.  

And yea - She's worth it.  

3. Starbucks

Specifically - the drive thru at Brookhurst and Adams.  They're always pleasant.  They always get our drinks right.  They never scorch the milk.

2. Home Depot

Our tree dried up and died about a week before Christmas.  On a trip to HD for something unrelated, I mentioned this to an employee.  She said, "Bring it back and we'll give you a new one."  When I returned the dead tree, another HD employee apologized that we had to take down all our decorations and start over again, then he told me to take any tree on the lot.

1. Target

I love Target.  Clean stores.  Wide unobstructed isles.  Good employees.  A good selection of quality merchandise.  Reasonable prices.  Not as cheap as Walmart, but I'll gladly fork over a few more bucks because hey - I didn't have to go to Walmart.

A special moment with my girl...

I shared a significant place with my daughter Hope today.

We found ourselves in Yucaipa with about an hour to kill, so we took the kids to Wildwood Canyon Park. This is a special place to Heidi and I. The day we started dating we went to this park and talked for hours.

So today I took Hope for a little walk. As we strolled to a cement picnick table under a huge oak tree I explained to her, "The day your mom and I started dating, we came to this park. We had been best friends for a long time and we finally realized that we loved each other. We came here and spent hours talking and laughing and hugging."

As we approached the table under the tree I told her, "...and you see that table right there? That is the exact place where we sat."

We stopped and looked at the table for a few seconds before Hope shared her reaction to my story...

"Wow", she said, "That's an old table."

Slap Happy

A Typical Day @ the Office

I'm published in Portuguese!

Shut up Carrie

Intervention

It's 9:30pm and Heidi is in a mood.  I'll just get to the point here.  She's having PMS.  She sends me to the store to get supplies... chocolate therapy. 

"I want brownies."

"Do you want ice cream?"

"No.  Yuck.  Sick.  I'm so over ice cream.  I don't like ice cream anymore."

"Okay.  (trying to keep a straight face)  I'll get brownies."

"I want ones with frosting."

"Okay - chocolate, or cream cheese?"

"They ALL have chocolate frosting."

"Well, actually, some people make them with creme cheese or butter cream frosting."

"Yea.  Well those people should be tied up and shot." 

I get to the store.  I pick up frosted brownies and chocolate fudge ice cream (sometimes I know her better than she does).  I go to the check out lane.  Dead serious here.  Dude in front of me has two cartons of Ben and Jerry's, a bottle of Midol, and a bottle of wine.  

"Dude, we are so in the same boat."

(He looks at my order.) "Yea.  It's pretty bad."

"Good luck, man."

"You to."

Facebook killed the blog-e-o- Star

I said to myself that as soon as my busy season (summer) was over I'd start blogging again and looking at other friends' blogs.  Well, here I am - at the tail end of my vacation; when I had planned to return from my blogging break, and I'm wondering if I should bother.  Have we all migrated to facebook?  It's so fast and easy to check up on everybody in your cyberlife at once now.  Do we still need to blog?  Is facebook the DVD to blogging's VHS?  

Relaxed Baby

UGSFAW -  Check

Camp - Check

Gospel Light Video Shoot - Check

Tomorrow I tie up a few loose ends and then it's time to go on vacation and relax.

Oh yeah

UGSFAW

I guess I'm still too close to it and too tired from it.  My thoughts on it are still unorganized, so here's just some random cool stuff I'm thankful for...

-557 kids and 197 awesome volunteers having a blast.

(-709 and 250+ including Preschool VBS)

-The staff pulling together for Children's Ministry like I've never seen.

-UGSFAW weekend - Jeff leading - moving lights - awesome set - 

-My daughter loved it

-Great stories coming back to me

-A spirit of love, fun, energy

-Feeling supported by the whole church

-Not a single complaint from a parent, child, or volunteer

-Getting to preach in the "Big Room" again

-Having an incredible team to share the victory with

-Positive comments, notes and e-mails re: UGSFAW and the weekend

-Feeling that good kind of tired - like after a day at the beach -but better

STOP YELLING AT ME!

inside voices please

Face Book Rocks!

I just got a face book message from my wife saying she would like to confirm our relationship.  I thought we did that last night.  Twice.  

Facebook

Okay, so I gave in and started a facebook page tonight.  I felt like I needed one more thing to not have time for right now.

Profile Pic

Heidi hates my freaky yellow pic.  I think it's cool.  Which one do you like better?

I HATE ALL THIS STINKING LOUSY HAIR

I've got a video shoot at the end of summer so I'm growing my hair out because my character is a surf-bum.

AND THE WINNER IS... DAVID!

we're all so proud

No Spoiler Alert - Promise

I'm sitting here watching Idol - it's sad.  The 6 girls are singing "hard for the money" together. Their show-smiles are really shallow.  

They all look like they're thinking "Really?  I signed something saying I had to do this?"

Amanda looks especially thrilled to participate in the poorly choreographed dancing.

(30 minutes later)

Th Jonas Brothers were amazing.  It looked like they were pounding out 8th note power chords on their guitars, but it sounded like they were playing full down-strums on the 4ths.  And sometimes one of the guys would quit playing altogether, but the music wouldn't sound any different.  Weird.

(20 minutes later)

I'm watching Archuletta.  Amazing voice.  Great tone.  Masterful control.  Perfect pitch.  But who is actually going to buy an album from the guy?  "Great" isn't a genre.

(9 minutes later)

The Pips just stole the show.

(2 minutes later)

I don't care if you're dressed in stage-black and backing up Carrie Underwood.  It's impossible to look cool while holding a banjo.

(5 minutes later)

George?  Are you kidding me?

Love Thoughts

Okay - Just in case you don't know about "Love Thoughts" it's this thing on KOST FM where somebody writes a sappy letter to their signif, and the sultry-voiced female deejay reads it on the air.  It's sickening and hokey, and until recently I didn't even know that they still did this.  

So I hop on the Main Street Shuttle at John Wayne Airport to get back to my car and get home. It's one of those shuttles configured so everyone sits around the sides facing the middle.  We pile in - all the seats are full, but nobody is standing in the middle.  We take off and the driver cranks the radio - almost uncomfortably loud - just in time - for a "KOST 103 Love Thought". I'm in a shuttle with a bunch of tired strangers; a few business men, a retired couple, a young married couple, you get the picture.  

It starts...

"Tonight's love thought is from Chuey in Yucaipa, and it's a special message for you Michelle...

Chuey says, 'I know that I can be difficult sometimes, but I want you to know that I have always loved you and there is a special place in my heart for you.  Your eyes - they remind me of the stars that shine in the night.  The smell of your hair is like...'"

It just gets worse and worse.  And it's the longest "Love Thought" ever.

Needless to say, things are really awkward on the shuttle.  Nobody is making eye-contact. Everybody is fidgeting.  Then I catch sight of the guy across from me.  His head is buried in his hand.  He's trying to contain himself.  Then it happens... I get the giggles.  I'm trying so hard to hold it in, but I can't help but look around at everyone else on the bus.

So awkward, so uncomfortable, so funny.  

I make eye contact with one of the businessmen just as the sultry voice continues, "...my heart aches to hold you..."

I loose it.  In a shuttle full of complete strangers I bust out laughing - followed by three others who did the same.  Then I had to explain what a "Love Thought" is to the people on the shuttle who had never heard one before.

It was fun.

Now Discover Your Strengths

I think everybody should read this book.  I shared it with our children's ministry team today and it gave us a lot of insight into each other's gifts, talents, and desires.  The basic idea is how the most effective people don't focus on their weaknesses, but on their strengths.  I have found the implementation of this book's ideas to be encouraging, liberating, fascinating, and revolutionary.  It preaches that we need to stop getting hung up on all the stuff we stink at.  Blow off you weaknesses and focus on the things you can do well.  No exaggeration - it's probably in the top 5 books I've ever read.

Isn't Life Just Super Fantastic?

I woke up this morning to the smell of coffee and the sound of children playing in the distance. It made me realize how wonderful life really is and how I have so very much to be thankful for.  The warm breeze caressed the trees reminding me that all of my troubles and concerns will eventually blow away.  I walked out the door this morning and a half-dozen morning doves scattered into the sky.  There were butterflies and rainbows and I'm pretty sure I heard the song "Perfect Day" playing in the distance.  My life is so good.  In fact, I'm quite confident that it is at least twice as good as yours.  Did I mention that my toots smell like cotton candy? (Kristi - this is what happens when I am forced to blog - you've brought this upon yourself!)

So everybody keep smiling and counting your blessings and feeling wonderful... like me!

My Favorite Staff Retreat Stuff in No Particular Order

-Bingo-

$5 for over an hour of entertainment with great friends, a chance to win some moola, and a whole bunch of old people.  Priceless.

-Prayer- 

Scott R. directs us in a time of prayer where we offer up short statements about things for which we are thankful.  And we have a heck of a lot to be thankful for.  

-Bruce- 

He is an inspiration to me.  He's transparent and vulnerable to his staff.  He's honest about his struggles.  He's got a huge heart that can't help but love people - even difficult people. And he's just a little bit too hard on himself.

-The Lazy River- 

Our resort had one of those lazy rivers where you float around in circles on an inner-tube.  So me, Billy, Matt, Dave, and Curtis took our bad selves and our big guts down there for a while and floated, played, talked, and laughed.  Later Jeff joined the fun.  The rest of the people were all families and retired couples, so we stuck out just a little bit.  I'm pretty sure they were laughing at us.

-Basketball...  Not! 

Jeff and Matt made Billy, Dave and I feel old on the basketball court. I'm still trying to catch my breath.

-Youth-  

I love that there are seven people on staff who are younger than me.  They bring so much energy and insight with them, and they challenge the things that are established.  

-Age- 

I love that there are eight people on staff who are older than me and I get to be a benefactor of their wisdom and experience.  

-Right in the middle-  

It's a unique and amazing place to be.  Too bad it's temporary.

-Excitement-  

We're all in this exciting place together and the next few years are going to be an incredible adventure.  We all know it.  And we're pumped.  Bring it baby!

-Coming Home-  

What a blessing to have an amazing wife and a couple of awesome little spazoids to come home to. Love it.

Retreat!

Yea -I'm up at staff retreat.  we're at this sweet resort out in Indio of all places.  So far we've had a great dinner, played some guitar hero, and have done lots of informal visiting.  The meetings start tomorrow.  I miss Heidi and he kids, but apart from my family there isn't another bunch of people I'd rather be stuck with for a few days.  There is an excitement and positivity on this staff that is infectious.  There's this energy that is generated by the fact that we all know that we are on the verge of some really big things.  God has blessed me so much by allowing me to be a part of what is going on here.  It's awesome to see Matt and Jeff clicking with everybody and having a good time.  I'm sure tomorrow will be a blast.

Fess Up #2 - Unhealthy Choices

Kurt's Fried Egg Scramble

Cook four strips of bacon

Leave it in the pan a little longer

Come as close as you possibly can to burning it

Remove bacon strips

Fry two eggs in the bacon grease

Add salt

Add some more salt

Pan scramble the eggs making sure to absorb all of the grease and grizzle into them

Crumble bacon onto eggs and top with cheese

Seriously - I eat this. 

It's got to be the most unhealthy thing I eat.

Fess up - what's the most unhealthy thing you eat? 

Fess Up #1 - Strange Aversions

It seems like most people I know have one or two strange aversions.  Mine is band-aids.  I consider them to the most foul, unsanitary, and germ-ridden of all necessary evils.  They don't just absorb blood.  They hold the blood against you and mix it with whatever dirt, sweat, and whatever else you produce or come into contact with throughout the day.  I will bleed for hours before resorting to a band-aid.  One of my favorite products is New Skin, which is basically a way of super-gluing minor cuts and scrapes closed.   

Then there's the practice of giving children unnecessary bandages to make them "feel better". Kids are dirty enough without having an adhesive strip attached that will grab whatever filth they come into contact with and add it to their sweat and snot and germs and food residue.  When a child of mine wants a band-aid I just say. "Let it air out."

There - Absolutely cathartic!  

So what's your strange aversion?  Get it off your chest.  It'll make you feel better.

BLOG RAVE DELAYED! - 10:00

Heidi and Kristi are still out and I've had a crazy night.  I'll be able to start around 10.  See you then - or you know - start without me!

Todai

I'm Over It

I hate to admit this.  I don't want it to be true.  I've tried to stay engaged.  I've tried to stoke my interest, but it just isn't there.  I'm bored with it.  I don't care about it.  I am over American Idol. I could care less if it's on or not, or who is going home.  Somebody help me!  I want to care!  I want to enjoy it again!  Is something wrong with me, or am I just sick of 15 minutes worth of TV being stretched into an hour-long results show?  I know the talent is great this year.  I know most of the contestants are wonderful and interesting and attractive and whatever.  I just don't care.  Can it ever be like it was when I stood up and yelled "no way!" the night Jasmine Trias beat out the three divas?  Will I ever want somebody to win like I wanted Taylor Hicks to win?  Will I ever not want someone to win like I didn't want Carry Underwood to win?  Will I ever care again?  

BLOG RAVE!

What do you think?  We pick a night and go from like 9:00 to whenever - everybody online posting, reading, commenting... "Virtually" hanging out - but we don't have to pay for sitters cause the kids are all asleep.  Thoughts?

Billy Loves Me

Thugs Love Me

make your own graffiti!  i did this on atom.smasher.org/graffiti, but there are some better graffiti generators out there.  i liked this one because of the brick wall and the cops.

Church Signs...

Okay John B and Jon M both caught on.  Go to churchsigngenerator.com and make your own.

Texans Love Me

My Uncle just e-mailed this to me.  A Church in his town (Tyler, Texas) is using my book and for some reason felt compelled to credit the author.  I'm laughing so hard.  It's kind of bizarre.

I'm Bummed - Amused - but Bummed

Hope and Jack and I are snuggling on the "big bed". Hope pats my stomach and says, "Jack - put your head down on daddy's tummy. It's like a big squishey pillow."

Great Tuesday

Last night at 4th-5th grade Bible Study (The Challenge), we had Bring-a-Friend night.  The kids responded to a degree I've never seen nor expected.  We had friends from school, neighbors, and teammates.  I encouraged them to bring friends who were not already going to Church somewhere and that's exactly what they did.  For many of our visitors this was their first Church experience.  We gave away a bunch of Bibles to kids who didn't have them, and I got to talk to a couple parents of our young guests and invite them to Church.  They seemed really interested. We all had a blast whacking each other with fun-noodles and studying the Bible.  Things just clicked. 

Great Sunday

Church was awesome today.  Ryan, the new Jr. High worship leader, rocks.  Jeff is back in Overdrive and it was packed out.  TEK House was packed and the kids are a total blast.  Lots of visitors.  Between services people were talking and smiling and just generally in a good mood.  I love this place.

Germans Love Me

Apparently I'm a pretty big deal in Germany.  The German release of my book is out and sales are doing pretty well.  Dare I aspire to join the ranks of the Hoff?

What is he thinking?

Come on - share your witty caption for this shot...

New Rule...

Homemade quesadillas should be pan-fried and have cheese burnt to the outside.

Blog

Heidi just complained that I never blog anymore.  So here.  Here's an entry.

A Week Off

I'm Staying home this week to do a bunch of work on the house.  So far I...

Cleaned the garage

Finished painting the exterior

Planted some flowers and trees

Mowed the lawn

Installed new baseboards (w/ fancy angled corners)

Installed a new garage door opener

Installed a new exterior light

Fixed an electrical issue (w/ help from Chuck)

Still to do...

Tighten up some plumbing fixtures

Touch up paint throughout house

Fix two broken drawers

Clean out my closet

Repair kitchen grout 

Spoiler Alert! (Just Kidding)

I totally got Laurel on that last one.  And as a bonus I got Tamila.  However, I also got called a loser and a jerk (ouch!).  I was told that I had lost the trust of my friends.  And I'm probably getting kicked in the shins tonight. Weighing this fallout against the fleeting self-congratulatory satisfaction of having people fall for a lowbrow prank like that, I've learned a valuable lesson.  It's totally worth it!  I would so do it again!

I'm Totally Lost

I can't believe they killed off Juliette & Sawyer in one episode!

Oh yea - Spoiler Alert!

Props

Last weekend we pulled off two great camps simultaneously.  We did Jr. High, and Junior camps up at Pine Summit in Big Bear.  Although Matt and I were in charge, we were blessed to have an incredible amount of support from fellow staff and volunteers.

Billy put together a road rig that was perfect for the trip.

Laurel handled TEK House back at the Church so I didn't spend a second worrying about that.

Scott Martin and Mike Masterson handled all things technical.  They brought the gear up in the trailer, and prepped everything for us.

Jeff, Brittany, and Kenny handled the music.  We are fortunate to have more musical talent in our youth dept than most Churches have in their whole congregation (no exaggeration here).

Brian Edwards handled a potentially dangerous situation on the bus brilliantly.  

Kasey handled everything on the business end.  Matt and I didn't have to worry about busses, registration, dinner on the bus, checking in...  All we had to do was show up ready to run the program and speak.  And then we had the most incredible group of counselors.  I would leave my own kids in the care of any one of them.  These people were all up there for all the right reasons and were real Christ-like examples for the kids.  It was truly a team victory.

A Special Camp Recipe

We're up at camp having a blast.  Here's something you can try at home...

In a blender, puree 

3 rotten eggs

1 fresh trout

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp cumin

Feed mixture to a sick stray dog and wait for it to vomit.

Gather the vomit into a tupperware container and cover.

Store container in a hothouse for three months.

I don't really know what you will end up with, but I promise that it isn't going to smell as bad as one of Matt's farts.

Old Ladies Love Me

Okay - so I'm getting my hair cut today, and as I'm getting out of the chair I hear this lady (circa 70) say as loudly as she can to another lady (circa 80), "My goodness!  What a handsome young man!"  

Embarrassed, I give a sheepish grin.  That was a mistake.  It encouraged her.  

"Boy, you're a looker.  Isn't he a looker Blanch."  (I'm not making this up.  Her name was Blanch.)

"Oh yes!"  Blanch agrees, "You must have your pick of the ladies!"

"Not if my wife has anything to say about it" I retort, "And she does."

There are other men around and at this point I want to crawl into a hole.  I'm trying to pay and get out as fast as possible, but it's taking forever.

It continues.  

"My goodness I bet your wife has to beat em off with a stick!"

I guess that a smile or flirtatious comment from some young college girl would provide a little boost for the ego.  I suppose a prolonged look from some pretty service rep at the mall would be a novel thing.

But I wouldn't know, because that's never - ever - the case with me. With me it's old ladies.  It's always been old ladies. And so I guess I should just graciously join the ranks of my - um - contemporaries?...

 

Home Alone - sort of

I feel alone.  Heidi is out of town on business this week because whatever and it's just me and the kids.  Times like this make us painfully aware of all she does to make this place a home.  It's late and I'm tired, so I'll quit there or it's going to get really sappy really fast.  I promised her I'd post some pics of the kids, so here they are right now...

Lost

Lost was boring tonight and I called the "Aaron" thing like 20 minutes into it.

Wind Up Sushi

Last weekend the Bakers gave me this; It's a wind-up sushi toy.  Best gift ever! (goes without saying).  What a great feeling to have somebody walk up and hand you wind up sushi!  That's only topped by the feeling of having friends who see something quirky and bazaar and think of you.  

Over-thinking It

The blogging community is a new social arena for me.  And nothing stirs one's insecurities like a new social setting.  We have an amazing ability to attach meaning or intent where there is none.

Deep inside my insecurities are always overanalyzing things...

Another comment by so-and-so.  He's put comments on half my entries, which means he frequently checks in on my blog.  But am I on his "Blog Friends" list? No!  Sure, come by and read a little, drop your comment, and have a good time at my expense.  But where's the commitment?   Are you ashamed to let others know about our exchanges?

Then today I get a comment from an old friend.  I go to check out her blog, and it's exclusive. You have to be invited, and I'm not invited.  So what was that?  You can come hang in my cyberhood, but I'm not allowed in yours.  What - were you just slumming today?  Left your fancy gated cyber-community for a while and now I'm sitting at the gate being turned around by the guard because I'm not on your list?

Makes you wonder who else in looking at my blog; looking without posting anything.  They're like virtual voyeurs spying on me - violating my privacy.  How dare they not post anything; making their presence known.

But the worst thing of all is that snotty little tag that reads "0 comments" or in other words, "Nobody thought anything of what you wrote."  I poured my heart into that post!  It was inspired!  I felt the spirit move as my trembling hands danced across he keyboard weaving a tapestry of inspiration... and nobody liked it!  Am I stupid?  Was my inspired discourse really just an incoherent disquisition? What do I do?  Do I remove the post?  Why "0 comments"? Why!?

Maybe I'm not doing my part.  Have I taken the time to post on other people's blogs?  Maybe they feel shunned by me.  If I want to have blog buddies I need to be a blog buddy.  That's it!  I'll post like crazy on other people's blogs and before I know it my comment tabs will be overflowing!  I gotta go!

Disclaimer

Some of us - my friends - have been directed to post disclaimers on our blogs. Did you check out mine? It's pretty sweet!

The Look

This one makes me so proud.  I used that exact same look on his mom 18 years ago.  

Yup.  He's got the look down.  And one day I'll teach him how to use it.

Nailed

I don't know why, but I felt compelled to share this...

7 years ago I'm home alone on my day off.  I'm sitting on the couch with my feet up and a bag of chips and a can of Diet Coke.  Then I notice my toenails are about due for a trim.  So I get some clippers, sit back down and go to work.  As I cut, I collect the trimmings in a paper towel so they can be disposed of properly.  For whatever reason I like to do the big toes last - sort of like the grand finale of the process.  What satisfaction to cut that last one off in one big, gratifying strip.  I clip the last big toe-nail, and pop! It flies away - I don't know where. This is a huge deal. I MUST find it.  But it eludes me.  After looking through the couch cushions, the carpet, and even well beyond toenail flicking range, I cannot find it.  I continue to look; knowing that if I don't retrieve the thing my wife will step on it with in seconds of returning home from work. She will be completely grossed out, and I'll be in trouble.  Almost an hour later I give up.  I finally convince myself that if I cannot find the clipping after an hour of deliberate searching, my wife will not find it by mistake.  I sit back down to watch my show and enjoy my snack.  My stress in soon curbed by the salty, crunchy goodness of a mouth full of greasy potato chips.  I chase that down with a crisp, fizzy, palate-cleansing swig of Diet Co.. WHAT THE?  My toenail is in my mouth!  

So many things to process at once...

The odds of a toenail landing directly in the mouth of my Coke can.

The taste of toenail tainted Diet Coke.

Do I swallow the Coke and grab the Toenail off my tongue?

Or do I run and spit it all out in the sink?

The wasted time spent searching for it.

The fact that there's a toenail in my mouth!

I ran.  I spit.  And I've learned a valuable lesson; Don't clip nearby uncovered liquids.

I never saw the point - till now

I'm giving in.  I finally have a reason to blog.  

My initial experiences with blogs were negative, so the whole thing turned me off.  The first blogs I read were written by a few adultolescents I knew who had double-lives.  In person they were respectful & decent individuals who had moral standards.  But online they had deprived, morally deficient alter-egos.  They used filthy language and discussed their most personal inner-desires and thoughts - often inappropriate.  I called it "online exhibitionism". Like flashing the world with your innermost depravity.

Later I saw it used as a passive-aggressive vehicle for catharsis; A way of getting something off your chest that you would never say to someone in person.  Being one who struggles against his own passive-aggressive tendencies,  I stayed clear of the whole thing.

Till now...

Our friends Curtis & Kristi (raise a glass) have two little girls who have been sick.  Within a day of each other, both girls have been rushed to the ER, then hospitalized at CHOC.  This morning I woke up at 7:15, eager to find out what was going on with Haley, but reluctant to call so early. I was so glad to find that Kristi had updated her bog late last night - reporting the latest and letting us know that progress was being made.  The blog kept us up to date.  It helped us to know ow to pray.  It kept us connected.  I thought about the few blogs I have checked in on lately, and how I feel more connected to my blogging friends in little ways.

This made me realize that for years I only really saw the "dark side" of blogdom.  This gives me a purpose to blog; to stay connected to friends and family I don't get to see as often as I'd like (which is pretty much all my friends and family).  I know this should have been obvious.  But I was so tainted by previous experiences that the obvious advantages of blogging eluded me.

So I join you my friends!  Let the blogging begin!