Woke up this morning and realized I had no more clean pairs of jeans (that fit anyways…). I had to kick it up a notch and go “business casual”. Headed off to work on a cool start to the day. Talked to Stacey on the way in. She was heading in the opposite direction to Florence to work today. She called later to let me know she arrived safely. That’s cool.

Work was slow for me overall. I worked on improving some processes and procedures to hopefully make my job easier in the future. Went to lunch with my manager, Kim. After lunch was pretty much more of the same thing. Headed to Holly’s afterwards to get my usual haircut then stopped at the mall to pick up some alterations. Talked to Dave pretty much the whole ride home. Got home in time for the rain to pick up a little.

My cable company came and swapped out my modem for a new model that would handle the speed upgrade. Very nice service. Called them yesterday afternoon and they showed up this morning. I’m supposed to be getting up to 3mbs down and 512k up. SWEETNESS. I can host some games now with good performance. Thanks to Kevin, I’m involved in several - Splinter Cell - Pandora Tomorrow, Far Cry, and UT2K4. Might get a chance to try some of that out this weekend.

Had a small dinner then played on the drums a bit. Set list is pretty easy this week so practice should go well. Donny helped me get my new kick drum mic set up on the mixer… a supa-fly Shure Beta 91. I may take the other mic I was using, an AKG D-112 and use it on my lowest floor tom. We’ll see. Got a small fortune in mics now that I think about it… (4) Shure Beta 98’s, the Beta 91, SM57, (2) KSM-137’s, AKG D-112, and an Audix SCX-One. I’m all set to go the next time we go into the studio for sure.

Dang, it’s late again.

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I *actually* got caught up at work today! I even started going through stuff on my desk and throwing away old things. I went to bed late Sunday night and paid for it today after lunch. I thought I was going to keel over at my desk. Speaking of lunch, I headed over to Publix (in Madison) for a sub then went by my cleaners to pick up some laundry I had left last week. So there I was, stomach full, comfy chair, the sound of rain on the roof of my office building… it was hard keeping my eyes open - BELIEVE me.

On the way home from work, there was a big traffic jam on 6th avenue. As it turns out, something happened that killed the power to that area of town. I called my sis and found out she was sitting in the dark at her office finishing a project. That must have been fun. Was cheking email at home to get the song list from Kevin when I got an IM from Sarah. We chatted a little then I invited her to join the Guad Squad. She joined me and the usual suspects at the restaurant for our usual Monday routine. Strolled up and down the mall before we all went our separate ways. Eli was having some trouble at the homestead which kind of put her in a less than optimum mood but I’m glad she was at least able to make it out and walk around with the group. I really hope her situation improves because I know she would be so much happier if things were even just a *little* more different.

Tonight, Kev brought along his new Musician’s Friend catalog - holding it like Gollum with the ring of power. It was easy to imagine him looking at it thinking “My precssss-ious…” LOL!

Time for bed.

set pooped=1

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Got up to the church and set up my stuff. Everything went smoothly today except for a problem with a wireless mic. Donny got everything ironed out eventually and there were no major problems to speak of. Music and the message were good.

Afterwards, headed to Ruby’s with Kev and Kailyn for some grub, then over to Office Depot to see what was on sale. Nothing there appealed to me and I only picked up some vlecro ties and a screen wiping thing. Check out the bookstore too before heading home. Ran into an old friend, Wendy and chit-chatted with her a little as I was leaving.

Went over to Kevin’s later and hung out for awhile. Eli joined up later and we vegged on the couch and watched the tube most of the evening. Came home to finish up some laundry. Time for bed now. Another fun week at the office begins tomorrow. Yippee.

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My “guests” finally arrived. My parents arrived from the Philippines Friday afternoon after a lengthy (it always is) flight. It’s about 23 hours to get here from there. Me, Solita, Daniel and Dave met them at the airport. We headed to Cracker Barrel so we could all get some real food in us. Had fun catching up with them then headed back to Decatur.

QUICK FUNNY: I have a friend that works at Shure, the microphone company. He had located some items for me and shipped them via FedEx where they were to hold it for me to pick up. My buddy’s name is Jesus’ (pronounced, “heh-soose”, accent on the “soose”). FedEx has this automated system that calls to tell you they’re holding your package. I answer the phone and the computer asks “Is this Jonathan?”. “Yes” I replied. “We are holding a package for you from *Jesus* (pronounced the regular way).” It went on to give me instructions but I was laughing so hard at how funny this all sounded. When I went by FedEx, the lady there said “You must be pretty important! Not too many people get packages from Jesus…” LOL!

Didn’t do much but hang with the parents for the remainder of the day. Daniel and Solita came back over for dinner with us. Called it a night shortly afterwards.

Saturday was pretty slow. I really didn’t get going till after lnch. Mom and dad are still trying to adapt to the time change. There in the Philippines, they run 14 hours ahead of us - so 12 midnight here is 2 PM in the afternoon there. That’s a BIG difference to get used to.

Ran some errands in the afternoon. Saw Kira at Emiron and picked up some cables from her. Also was able to get her to loan us her band’s PSM200 IEM system to try out. Dave was wanting to compare them to the ones the church had just bought. That will be good.

Hung with my folks again tonight. Updating my blog while they watch Gladiator on “the system”.

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The highlight of my Tuesday is that my car had a SEVERE miss in the engine. It was okay driving to work, but when I went to lunch and ran errands, it was very very bad. So bad that I had AAA come get my car to take it back to the shop. I had planned on riding home with a co-worker but the tow dude said I had to ride to the shop with him. So… short day at the office.

Got to the shop and they pulled it in right away. Turns out that one of my spark plug wires had split on the plug end and was sparking to the head instead of to the plug. I saw it myself and thought “wow”. Got a replacement wire and fixed that problem. They also cleaned out my idle air control valve, adjusted my idle, tightened a motor mount and changed my oil and filter all free of charge for my trouble. That was pretty cool. Ran a few more errands afterwards then went home.

Wednesday I went to the mall to pick up some games that were released that day - Far Cry and Splinter Cell:Pandora Tomorrow. Got a free t-shirt with one of them. Stopped by at Dillard’s also to see what was left of the sale items. I ended up picking up another jacket and a few shirts. Kevin was heading to the mall to get his games too and bring me a pressure washer. I hung around and went down to Parisian where I found some pants on sale in my size. Got those and got them measured for some alterations. By now, Kev showed up and we decided to eat lunch at Gibsons. Kev suggested we see if Dana wanted to join us so I gave her a ring. She met up with us and we had a good time chomping down some grub. We talked a little bit about church buildings, one “nearby” in particular and one from Kev’s past. I mentioned, “So, if you see a church with this kind of design and floor plan, they’re gonna screw you over…” LOL! That’s actually funny but more of an inside joke. In another funny moment at the restaurant, Kev mentioned that he felt like he was cheating on Jim & Nick… with Big Bob! He was referring to the restaurant of course but out of context it was pretty funny.

Went home and loaded the games and tried them out. Both look great. Then it was time to pressure wash. Did that for awhile. Next, I had to get a bed frame since I inadvertantly gave the one I needed away. It subsequently became part of Jack’s welding scrap so there was no getting that back. Whoops. Ran out and picked a frame up then got it back home. Next, I had to work on that new Agnes Dei song we were going to be practicing. I hadn’t heard it a lot before so I would definitely need to get some practice time in. Worked on that for a while then jumped in the shower. Off to band practice.

Kev and Dave were there setting up the IEM system for the band. I set my other drums back up while they were busy. Retuned them as well because they were a good bit out and sounded like crap. Once that was done I was all set. Practice went well although the IEM’s will take a little getting used to for everyone. Stacey seemed happiest with them. “I can actually hear myself!”. I’ve been using IEM’s now for over a year and love them. I could not imagine playing without them.

Logan’s won out as the dinner destination. Me, The Burns, Kyle, Eli and “The Slapper” went. Dinner was good and follicle-free. The fireworks started when the two kids were seemingly getting along then all of the sudden, Emma smacks Kailyn across the face. While Eli hauled Emma off for a beating, Kailyn looked all confused as to what had happened. She didn’t cry though she was a little bewildered by what was going on. That was an ugly scene. I hope she doesn’t think that it’s okay to do that to other kids as a result. I’m glad Eli addressed it quickly. That’s not something you let slide.

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Dropped my car off to get the repairs finished then headed to work with an officemate who gave me a ride. 60 seconds after I sat down on my desk the phone started ringing, then emails and IM’s came pouring in. Spent the better part of the day trying to get a site in Colorado up on the WAN. After replacing equipment, it turned out to be a problem with the phone company (Qwest) gear. Suprisingly, they showed up on site a little over 2 hours after we got a trouble ticket opened with them. That’s pretty dang impressive. After they fixed their stuff, me and my people came back in and got the other pieces in place to get things humming.

Picked up my car after work… hmmm, I have one lingering problem - the car “stumbles” a bit when accelerating from idle. I’ll call tomorrow and see what the deal is with that. Got home and felt really tired all the sudden so I crashed for a bit before the Guad Squad get together. Got up and met Kev at the mall first to pre-order a game. Once again, I got screwed on the perks - Kev got a free CD thingy for Far Cry. That was the last one. Last week, I pre-ordered the special edition of UT2004 on DVD. Kevin got his, I got screwed because we actually weren’t supposed to get them (due to a stupid issue) but Kev picked his up before EB Games realized the error. GAH!

Got a battery in my watch changed by some old friends at a jewelery store then made my way to Guad. Met up with the usual suspects, the Burns, Eli & Co., “Biceps” Root and the suprise guests - the Andersons! We all had a great time. The margaritas were at a tooth enamel dissolving level tonight. I stopped at one. Finished then went with Kyle, Eli, and the kids to Dillard’s to shop. I picked up 2 more casual shirts. Went home after that.

Joined Brandon and some of his friends on their UT server for some Onslaught. Did pretty good. It’s fun getting back into that fast action game. I look forward to doing more of that. Time for bed now though.

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Got to church this morning ready to have a great time. Eventully that was the case, but we had a ROUGH start. Sucked like a Hoover during warm-up. I have a feeling that a certain somone is going to have a set of IEM’s one way or another very soon. I know how they feel though as about a year or so ago I was in the same situation when I could either use wedges and go deaf or switch to in-ears and have a MUCH lower volume AND be able to hear what I need to in the mix.

Several visitors were there including Eli’s friend from Montgomery. She was in town to celebrate Eli’s larvae’s birthday. Another gues I knew from a past job I had. I hope they come back. Steven came out too. It was good to see him there. He’d be a great addition to the band. I hope he decides to plug-in with our group. That would be awesome.

Well, it came time to play. I just prayed to God that everything would go okay although I was prepared for a train wreck if one arose. Suprisingly, no problems whatsoever that I could tell! BIG thumbs to Eli - she must have done a lot of work between last Wednesday’s practice and today. Nice job. All of Kevin’s new toys worked as well. New guitar was great! One minor tuning issue arose due to the wild temperature fluctuations we were experiencing but it was taken in stride. Dave did a good job with the message as usual. Hope the recording turns out okay though - his mic was pointing straight to the left as it was clipped too high up on his shirt and flopped over. Consequently, the sound from the PA was quite hollow. Ya live, ya learn.

Ate at Dead Lobster for lunch with the Burns and Root. Late into the meal, Kyle looked like an Irish Setter pointing at some prey as his gaze was locked on… his plate. Turns out there was a hair on it. “Eat around it” was our server’s suggestion. ROFL! He ended up getting his meal for free and a dessert as well.

Kev and I headed back to the church to load up my drums and to pick up his keyboard and guitars. That reminds me, we’re gonna have to look into doing something about ventilation in the men’s restroom. After the service was over, I ducked in there to get rid of a Mt. Dew I had earlier. I walked in and almost choked. I thought the EPA would show up as this would definitely qualify as a release of toxic gasses into the atmosphere. Wow. That was rough.

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I had a blindingly busy week. All went well for the most part. No major malfunctions to speak about. Ate at all the regular spots.

Took my car in Friday to diagnose and fix several little things that I haven’t had time to get repaired. Some brake stuff, a rough idle issue, oil leak and O2 sensor problem. The shop didn’t get done with everything as a part that was needed hadn’t arrived so I’l be taking it back Monday for them to finish up on it. Ate dinner with the Burns at Dead Lobster. Ran into the Wes’s (yeah I know Kim…) and the Prevatt newlyweds.

I had a pretty aggressive schedule for Saturday. The plan was to fix 2 toilets, move my drums to the church, and move some furniture around in anticipation of my guests arrival. Packed up my drums - which also made me realize how thankful that I don’t have to do this every week anymore. That was a chore but it went by suprisingly quickly. Kevin showed up and we hauled it all up to the building. Unloaded and set them up. Kev brough along his new guitar, a VERY nice Fender HSS Strat. While I was getting things adjusted, he was playing on his big amp. That axe sounds TONS better than the Hooptiephone model he’d been using up to now. Once I got all my crap in order, we jammed a bit then made our way to meet Stacey and their larvae at Logan’s. Next stop was Lowe’s for some gaskets and plumbing junk.

Got started on toilet #1 - it needed to have the gasket between the tank and the bowl replaced as when you flushed, water leaked out as the bowl was filling up. Kev and I wrestled with some corroded bolts and finally were able to get the tank off. Put the new gasket on and installed all new innards as well. Re-assembled things then turned the water back on (had to use the water main - that’s another story though). Took a couple of flushes but we were still leaking. We theorized that the bolts holding the two together weren’t tight enough. So… as we were tightening, I mentioned at one point that I had a small drip going. Suddenly, a huge crack appeared and water started shooting out. I scrambled out to the front yard and cut the main off again but not before I had a small pool in the back bathroom.

So we’re at Lowe’s buying a toilet now. Get one picked out and heave it back to the house. Got the old toilet removed and then had “fun time with the wax ring”. Got ready to install the new one and the wax ring that was supposed to be included with it was missing.

So I’m standing at the customer service counter at Lowe’s… Third time there today. The got me a new wax ring no questions asked. Back to the villa for more action. Oh, also in the same trip, Kev picked up his wet/dry vac to clean up the mess. Got most of the water up then proceded to work on getting the new toilet in. SUCCESS! At this point though, I had no desire to do any of the other things I had planned. This plumbing debacle sapped the life out of me. Big kudos to Kevin for the help he was today.

I’m looking forward to church tomorrow, especially since I’ll have my “good” drums there. Kev will have his Roland and his Strat and Eric will have his fly Lakland. I hope Kyle brings the Jem and his Mesa Rig. We’ll be in full-bling mode at that point. I hope we have lots of visitors AND lots of returning folks as well. Should be a good day.

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Monday wrap-up: Work was busy AND productive. That was nice for a change.

Had our gathering at the Guad. I arrived first and was surpised to see an ex-gf there with her parents. Said hi and chatted for a bit then headed for my table. Soon Kevin waddled in with his “peeps”. Next was Eli, who took 15 minutes to get from around Chik-Fil-A to the Guad. Last but not least was the new “regular” - The Root of All Evil. We all dined on Mexican fare then unleashed ourselves on the mall. I went ahead and hoisted Kailyn up on my shoulders and took off with her. First stop was EB Games where somehow I got talked inot pre-ordering the UT 2004 Special Edition (a lot of drama later on as a result). Next was a visit to Sears where we talked to Tania. Also saw Andrea there and chit-chatted. Back with Kailyn perched up high we headed down the mall again. I stopped over at one of the kiosk things to say hey to a girl I had met a few weeks back. Eli was right behind me to thwart any attempts I made… at anything. (Note to self: bring along a toy to entertain Eli to keep her occuppied) Ended up at Dillard’s again for some shopping. I picked up another shirt, 2 winter scarf things, and a black casual coat. Now I wish it was fall again so I could wear all my new stuff. At least I’m ready for this coming fall. I’ve spent a LOT on clothes the past few weeks. Also took Eli into the dressing room to evaluate jean lengths. We apparently disagree on lenght so to make peace, I’ll eventually get a pair of jeans to wear when she’s around. I may look like Shaggy walking to the Mystery Machine but I least will know Eli’s not rolling her eyes about it. As we were leaving Dillard’s, Kyle took an interest in trying out the “Power of the Baby”. After a bit of uncertainty about how to operate the baby, he hoisted Kailyn up on his shoulders and took off. Turns out he really dug it. It seems like as long as one of the Asian’s are around Kailyn won’t have to walk much. Took some fun photos then headed home.

Watched “Average Joe” before going to bed. Looks like it will be a good series. I’ll have to keep up with that.

Tuesday wrap-up: Got to work late and left early. That was messed up.

BIG mix-up with my UT2004 pre-order. Turns out Kevin and I should not have been offered the pre-order deal. Kevin lucked out and went to the mall early in the day and picked up his copy before they caught the mistake. By the time I arrived they figured out what happened and I got screwed. We’ll see about that. The manager is trying to fix things for me and was real apologetic for the situation so I’ll give him a day or two to get me copy before I open up a 55 gal. drum of whup @ss on em.

Went to get my hair cut. Holly was running behind so I got caught up on all the tabloid news. I can’t believe people pay money to get that crap. Next, I went over to Kev’s to check out the new games and eat part of a bird. It was good. Now I’m home doing home stuff and am getting ready for bed. I practiced a new song we’ve got going for tomorrow. I hope practice goes better than last week. Ugh. That was rough.

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Saturday started out with an interesting excercise at the church where you evaluated yourself for strengths and such. While I’m sure it was beneficial to some, I had been through others before so I was a little bored. Hopefully it helped someone. It was good to see a few new faces willing to participate in these sorts of things though.

Went home and worked on some things I need to get done before my “guests” arrive in 2 weeks. Ran out and did some errands. Also checked out the new Publix. FINALLY! A real grocery store. While I was waiting to order a sub sandwich there, I met a guy named Darius from over in Atlanta. He and his wife moved here about a year ago and were also eager for the Publix to open. Turns out he pastors a church somewhere here. I told him a bit about Crosspoint. He seemed interested in that. Got my food and we parted ways. Saw Terry over in the seafood department. He normally works at the Madison Publix. He was bummed that they didn’t transfer him. He lives in Trinity so it would have been convenient for him. Oh well.

Got back home and did more work in the yard. I hate leaves. Just need to get that out there. Leaves suck.

Know what else sucks? Cleaning bathtubs and tile. We must have some really hard water around here as a thick layer of lime builds up on the surfaces and is like chalk to get off. Major pain in the butt to clean but I got it done. Later, I did some laundry before going to bed.

Church went much better than our practice last Wednesday would have led you to believe. Everything pretty much went off without a hitch. Sound was slightly off but Donny came on the scene and got everything back in order. It’s definitely nice to have Donny around. He mentioned he had a bit of a rough week. Hope this next one’s better for him. Everyone did a great job this morning. Dave did great as well with his message and illustration. Lots of visitors this morning. It was good to see all who made it out.

Applebee’s won out for the lunch choice. My food today was good, suprisingly. Kyle and I gave our necks and eyeballs a good workout looking at all the “scenery” there. It was few and far between but if you worked at it, you’d find something worth checking out. Next, nap time. Ahhh….

Got up and headed to the grocery store to pick up some items for the get together at Kev and Stacey’s. Had some good burgers and a good time just hanging out. Kyle showed up a little later to join us. We all had a good discussion about spiritual things and where we were, etc. I laid out some thoughts of mine and shared them with the group on how “connected” I felt to God and why. My basic complaint was that I found myself to be too passive instead of taking an active part in reaching others. I’ve got to think on that then do something about it.

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