9/30/11

   Howdy! Computer or whatever's still acting up & shutting off without warning, so I'll be quick.
   Worked football game last nite. All of my co-workers and I got threatened and verbally abused. And our team lost 48 to 6. Not a pleasant evening.
   Wow... last day of September. Sure went quick. As usual. Life is way too short, and way too quick sometimes.
   Well, gotta go. Hope to write again soon.

9/28/11

   I'll type fast. Well, as fast as I can. Our router or something's been tweeked last 3 days. Doggone internet shuts off without warning. This week's crazy, too. I have to start 2 Bible studies & finish 2 that I haven't even started tonite. Have to work a football game (security) tomorrow. I've missed Facebook. I felt disconnected. At the same time, I almost wish I lived 150 or so years ago. I like real mail. I like visits from friends. This electronic stuff has some amazing aspects to it, but do we really talk? Do we REALLY communicate? Speaking of which, have you been to my Facebook wall? I have e-mail. I would love to hear from anybody who reads this.

9/24/11

   Well, didn't work on the story yesterday. Too busy. I hate being too busy to write.
   The cars are still running, thank God.
   My daughter and I went to a ministry meeting for the James 1:27 ministry  at our church. We do hospital and nursing home visitations and Bible studies. We had a really encouraging time, a refreshing time, being reminded of how Jesus is our true Treasure, and how He gave all to save us. From Matthew 13:44. We were introduced to the new pastor in charge of our ministry (Jason Powell). Great guy. Really loves the Lord & has a real passion for the lost.
   Whipped. Ran errands all day. Wanna work on my story, but gotta get ready to hit the sack.

9/23/11

   Done with another week, thank God. No football game tonite.
   I worked quite a bit on my story last nite. It's more than 67,000 words now. Hope to work on it some more tonite. I just can't tell you how totally at home I feel when I write. Nothing else exists. Hours fly by. It's my drug, my escape. I could write all day, every day.
   Well, gotta check Facebook & go from there.

9/22/11

   Well today is (are) the birthday(s) of 2 great friends of mine; Cheryl Piazza of York, Maine. Also, Scott Van Buskirk of Riverside. God bless 'em both!
   Today, we had a flat. The tires(7 years old) were so bad, we had to get 4 new tires. Other stuff needs done too, but we're trying to figure out how we're gonna pay for today's work.
    Anybody out there? Anybody ever really read this? I'm discouraged. I never (rarely, actually) hear from anybody on Facebook. I NEVER hear from anybody on this. If you read this, would you let me know? I take criticism, suggestions, donations, whatever. I need to know if it's worth my time writing in here.  I have Facebook & e-mail. And a cell phone, house phone, and I'll even look for smoke signals.
   Been working on my story tonite. Been great. Deleted some lame stuff & added other stuff. I haven't written for DAYS!

9/20/11

   Well, we got our car back from the shop this p.m. They THINK it was a sensor they replaced. I HOPE that's all it was. That was expensive enough. Doggone shame when a 7 year old car's considered a junker. You could've bought a car in 1930 that's STILL on the road! Nothing's made to last any more.
   Been ridiculously busy today. Never got to my story. Too tired now. Gotta hit the sack.

9/19/11

   Well, today, our dear friend Carl and my wife's uncle were both buried.
   Our car's been in the shop since 8:30 a.m. They can't even find what's wrong with it.
   Like I say, one good thing about everything going wrong all the time is that at least that way you know you're still alive.

9/18/11

   Today's been one of those days I'd be better off not even talking about. Basically, every stinking thing that CAN go wrong pretty much has gone wrong.
   Of the 594,759,495,905 things that I needed to do today, I think I did 2. Maybe three. Not counting eating lunch. Why are there days like this? Days where EVERY stinking thing goes wrong, one after another. I've been in a constant state of being exceedingly pissed off all day. That can't be good for you.
   The Chargers lost today to the Patriots. That was just wrong.
   Our car's engine light came on, and the car nearly completely died. Now it's in our driveway, probably beyond hope of repair. Of course, our warranty expired last month.
   I've been too pissed to even work on my story. I may yet. Maybe it'll help somehow. And tomorrow's Monday. Great.

9/17/11

   Oy! Just got back from Urgent Care. Wife nearly broke her ankle. Has crutches, has to elevate foot 5 days, Last nite, worked a high school football game where I got cussed out by loudmouth jerk adults. They want you to thrash 'em so they can sue you. Today was Saturday school with a room full of delinquents. Actually, they behaved fairly well. Each day, I wish more & more that I was a full-time author.

9/15/11

   Hard to know what to say. Found out last nite that a dear old friend of ours went home to be with the Lord. He died Sun. nite or early Mon. morning. His name was Carl Johnson. He was older than my Dad (who's 81). It wasn't a shocking tragedy like when a 10-year-old dies. Yet, it was a heavy blow to the heart. I'm not trying to put Carl up on a pedestal - he'd rebuke me if I did; but he was the most godly, Christ-like man I ever knew. When I was in his presence, I felt like I was standing before the Lord. I know that sounds weird and idolatrous. It isn't meant to be. I didn't worship him. But the love of Christ literally flowed and glowed from Carl. I felt aware of my sinfulness when I was with him. I felt ashamed and dirty. One of the last times I saw him, he greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. If a man (other than my Dad) kissed me, I'd have serious problems with that. But it was like a kiss from Jesus Himself. I felt loved and honored. I know he's on his face in front of Jesus right now, and he already probably kissed Jesus and Jesus kissed him back. I wish people could see Jesus in me 1/10th of how I saw Jesus in Carl. I'd be doing really good.

9/14/11

  Well, up to over 66,500 words on my story. Goal is at least 75,000. Don't have time to write tonite. Wish I did.
   Gotta get ready for the Wed. nite Bible study at church.
   Long ugly week so far. Long ugly week to go. Gotta work a football game Fri. nite & Sat. school this Sat. Stinks when you can't even look forward to the weekend.

9/13/11

   Wrote a wee bit on my story last nite. Man, it felt good! I felt like a fish that had been gasping on land being put back in the water. I'm gonna go try to write a wee bit more. It's super slow this way. I just haven't had time since I went back to work. I wish to God I could be a full-time writer! What better life than that could there be? Even if I was a billionaire, I'd still write. Or I'd explode. That would be ugly.

9/12/11

   Well, it's been 2 weeks since I worked on my story. As soon as I'm done with this, I hope to write an hour or so before bed. I miss writing. It's a love & an addiction. Like I say, some days, I sit & write for hours. Other days, I just waste time.

9/11/11

   This date will never be the same to us Americans. Our lives will never be the same. Nothing will really ever be the same. People have made poems, speeches, catchy little sayings, prayers and so forth all day. I can't top any of them. I just thank God that I still have a family, that I can freely go to church to worship my Savior, that I have a job, that I can live in relative peace; all because of God's grace and because brave men and women fight bravely every day and night so I may live in peace. God has truly shed His grace on us. Let us not forget that, nor trample on His grace and forgiveness.
   Been a crazy, busy weekend, but I spent it with my family. We have food and haven't lost our house yet. We are more fortunate, if I may use that word, than millions of others. I hate getting up in the morning, but I thank God I have a job to go to. And I thank God I have that day in which to wake up. Now I gotta go to bed so I CAN wake up. 

9/10/11

   Well, tonite was the first Harvest Crusade at Dodger Stadium. I haven't heard the stats yet, but I heard that they had to close the field because so many people responded to the invitation to accept Christ!
   Finally cooler today (about low 80s). Maybe the devil will go back to hell. I think he's been living here lately 'cause it's been so hot.
   Ran around on errands all day. Hope to work on my story some tomorrow.
   It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since Sept. 11. How have we changed? More paranoid, maybe. More cautious. But are we more godly? Do we trust in God more? I hope so.

Sept. 8

  Wow. One month until I'm fifty. I feel old. Half a century. I'm so old, about all I exercise is running my mouth and jumping to conclusions.
   I didn't write here yesterday. Busier than a blind dog in a meat house. Then went church & home really late. Got home late from work tonite. Had football game & a game tomorrow too. Have a bunch of ideas to add to my story. Just never have time to write. If I didn't have to sleep at nite, I'd get a lot more done. Life is so short - why do we have to spend 1/3 of it asleep?
   Well, I gotta get ready to hit the sack, so I can work all day & late into the night and be tired and not able to write AGAIN!

Sept. 6

   Back to work after 3 days off. It was hotter than the devil's doorknob today again.
   I realized today that I have one month left to be in my forties. Kind of a weird thought. I know now why time goes so fast as you get older; it's that head-first slide downhill into the grave. Now, isn't that a cheery outlook on life? Seems I just turned 40. I can remember my 40th birthday party like it was last month. Half a century. Wow. That's nothing compared to eternity, though.
   Well, I gotta hit the sack. Not too hard, though. I might hurt something at my age.

Labor Day

   Did you remember to labor today?
   Well, Jenny's home from camp, praise God! God did amazing things in the lives of the 300 kids who were there!
   The 3 day weekend's over. I accomplished basically nothing. Haven't worked on my story for over a week. Miss it bad. Wanna write! Just seems there's never time.
   Oy. Back to the hot old grind tomorrow.

Sept. 4

   Well, haven't worked on my story for a week. Was making great progress, too. Going thru withdrawals.
   Jenny & the 300 other kids are enjoying camp. I pray they grow close to the Lord & each other. I pray they're blessed. But I'll sure be glad when she's home.

Sept. 3

 Well, it's late. Been ridiculously busy today. Just finished a Bible study for a nursing home where I teach a Bible study on Sundays.
   Daughter Jenny's at camp, having fun, but she had no sleep last nite. Miss her & will be SO glad to have her home.
   So tired, I think my eyes are going to bleed. I gotta sleep.

Sept. 2

   I'm so tired, my eyes feel like a peeling onion.
   Well, I survived the first week back at work, thank God. Our daughter Jennifer is up in the mountains at camp, with a couple hundred other high school age kids, mostly from our church (Harvest Christian Fellowship of Riverside). I hate when she's gone. Our "puzzle" is missing a piece. Our circle is broken. And it's a bitter foretaste of the day when she leaves home. That's a day that I'd rather die than see. Maybe I'm an overly sentimental wimp. Think what you want. I couldn't care less. That's where I am.
   I haven't had a chance all week to work on my story. I think about the story all day, every day. It's my thing. It's all I want to do.
   Speaking of which, I gotta go work on a Bible study for this Sunday, so I can get to bed before the sun comes up again.