Sunday, July 5, 2009

I Don't Believe in Quantum Physics When it Comes to Matters of the Heart.


"Sandbox" or "Band socks", which one?

Sunday cruised by today without registering. My heart feels like a stone, really. Or rather a block of ice. It's disconcerting, to say the least. Meh, we've all been there. Nothing new under the sun, right? All is vanity, right? I'm doing my best to focus on the tremendous blessings I have, and repenting for my hard heart, etc., and I think it's working.

But in the interim, I'm having a hard time stomaching church. Probably because I'm a baby, and I hold God indirectly responsible for the difficult situation I have to stay in. It's so odd... I thought camp was great, and I was riding high. It felt nice, because the preceding weeks were trying, to say the least. Camp was awesome for me. Not 24 hours later, it was back in the fire. I don't get it. I'm not opposed to dealing with challenges, but I'm not masochistic either. If pain is optional, I'd rather pass on it, for the time being anyway.

But, such is life. I tell myself the ol' bumpersticker sayings about how "you can't appreciate the great times if you don't also have the hard times" blah blah. I know it's true - it doesn't make dealing with the pruning and burning any easier. So, my heart is a block of ice, and like a block of ice, it will thaw slowly, from the outside in. God, help me not to say or do anything stupid in the meanwhile, please! Lord knows, I want to...

Ah, well, there's some of that honesty Paula was asking for. See? It isn't fun to read, is it? I told you! Now, in guilt, I have to try and make up for it by heaping a plate-full of nonsense on y'all. Better start with the requisite Funny Picture...


Come on, you gotta give me that one. That's pretty funny.

Oh, I know what will help! Video clips of that massive fire/explosion at the fireworks factory in Holland a few years back. Trust me, if you haven't seen these clips, you're going to want to watch them through to the end...



How's that for a slice of fried gold? And this one, from a nearby rooftop...



Nothing says "Happy July 4th" like wanton fireworks-related destruction.

Finishing up the editing/formatting of the July Genius Network Interview for Piranha tonight. It's an interview with a dude named Garrett Gunderson, about marketing and developing an entreprenuerial mindset. Always an interesting read, those interviews. And it pays well, so there's that about it. It's not like I don't need the dough...

On a related note, I talked to Sister about the SquareSpace website system I'm using to develop Wagnervana, and she's going to let me set up a quick website for her using it. She has a web team at Piranha, and they handle the big, complicated projects well enough, but sometimes turn-around is an issue, especially with many projects going on. Trying to shoe-horn in a quickie website often takes longer than it could. So if it works out that I can crank out a quick site when they need one fast, it could mean some extra dough for me. Then her web team and/or Josh can handle the more complex stuff, while I fire out the quickies. Everyone wins! Yay! Free gifts for everyone!

Todayve In History: July 6
------------------------------
- July 6, 1885: Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies. (I like to keep this handy... for close encounters.)

- July 6, 1933: The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is held in Chicago. (What do we need a scoreboard for? We haven't scored any runs all season!)

- July 6, 1947: The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union. (Death does not wait for you to be ready! Death is not considerate or fair!)

- July 6, 1957: John Lennon and Paul McCartney first meet at St. Peter's Church in Liverpool, England. (Percy met your mouse.)

Celebrating birthdays on July 6th are: Tsar Nicolas I (1796), Nancy Reagan (1921), G.W. Bush (1946), Sylvester Stallone (1946) and 50 Cent (1975). Lol, Bush and Stallone were born on the same day. Classic. Almost as good as Abe Lincoln and Charles Darwin sharing the exact same birthday. Almost. The only person of note that I share a birthday with is Madonna. Just the day, not the year of course... although she's not much older than I am...

In honor of Louis Armstrong's death on July 6, 1971, here's a live video of the man himself, singing his classic "What A Wonderful World"...



I think I'll watch that one repeatedly until my mood improves.

OK, well, I think that's enough blather for the day. A new week begins. Here's to a great week! Until tomorrow, remember, "I'll think about it" means nothing in L.A...

18 comments:

Bobinho said...

Title is from Bull Durham and the last line is from Get Shorty :D

Bobinho said...

"All is vanity" could be a bible quote... Ecclesiastes i. 14. :P

David Wagner said...

15 points for Bob. BOOM! Like that.

havah said...

I love it when you put some of what I feel and think into words, Dave. Maybe you should write my blog? ;)

Wow! That was quite an explosion. 100 hundred ambulances? Yikes. Of course, wouldn't it be nice if people actually listened when told to clear out? Hmm...

I loved Louis Armstrong. I didn't know he died in my birth year. :(

Quotes:

"Percy met your mouse." is from The Green Mile

"Death does not wait for you to be ready! Death is not considerate or fair!" is from Batman Begins

"I like to keep this handy... for close encounters." is from Aliens

Oohh...do Bible quotes count?

havah said...

Ahem, NOT 100 hundred ambulances...just one hundred. And to think I even previewed that post for a change. How embarrassing!

David Wagner said...

15 points for Havah. BOOM! Like that. Bob taught you that...

Yep, Bible Quotes count. I added them to the contest for June.

havah said...

I'm very teachable.
Sometimes.
:D

Bobinho said...

not even a week has passes in july and this already feels like (another) two-legged race :D

Bobinho said...

passed* :D

Paula Titus said...

Eccl 1:9 - "Nothing new under the sun." Aint it the truth.

This will be a better week. I'm three hours ahead of you, so I can tell.

marky said...

Somebody must have really hacked you off mate. You've been deep in melencholy hills for days now!

Here's a wee thing that cheers me up, and helps put things into prespective. I hope it helps!


Last weekend I came across a 100,000-volt, pocket-sized taser for sale as a means of self-defence. The effects of the taser were supposed to be short-lived, with no long-term adverse effects on your potential assailant.
Long story short, I purchased the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing - I was disappointed. I quickly learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time I'd get a blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to my wife what that burn spot is on the face of the microwave.
So, I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that dangerous with only two AAA batteries in it. There I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, instructions in one hand, and taser in the other, thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a real target.
The directions said that a 1-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a 2-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a 3-second burst would reportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than 3 seconds would be wasting the batteries. And all the while I'm looking at this little device loaded with two tiny AAA batteries and thinking to myself: 'No possible way'.
What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best. I'm sitting there with my cat looking on with her head cocked to one side as if to say, 'Don't do it dumbass,' reasoning that a 1-second burst from such a tiny little thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to try just for the heck of it. I gingerly touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button and....
I'm pretty sure Hulk Hogan ran in through the side door, picked me up in my chair, then body-slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs. It hurt like hell.
A minute or so later (I can't be sure, because time was relative at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they get up there? My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed a ton. I'm still looking for my testicles. Do not try this at home....

Sodi said...

What do we need a scoreboard for? We haven't scored any runs all season = Bull Durham

Unknown said...

That's weird. I remember watching a video of a bunch of idiots tazing each other, that didn't happen to any of them. Well they had clothes on too, not sure if that reduces the effects or not. Glad you didn't inadvertently impale yourself on something in the process.

Now that I've expressed sympathy I will now go rofl.

David Wagner said...

100,000 volts is "cattle prod" territory. I think most police tazers are half that or less. Yeah, I can see how 100K volts would flatten you. Well, the silver lining is it makes a great story...

5 point for Paula (that's for the heads-up on the way the week is proceeding). 5 points for Shannon. And Vye is THE MAN. Nuff said.

havah said...

Well, here's the thing though...you tazer yourself and you're going to spasm and probably press the button again...and again...and again...
:D

David Wagner said...

In my comment to Paula, "that's" is supposed to be "thanks", as in "thanks for the heads up". I do wish I wasn't such a quick "submit comment button" pusher... your 5 points were legitimately earned, Paula, no charity.

Havah, you're probably right, actually!

havah said...

Of course I am! :p

Now, please go to the last posts comments and answer my question? :)

Abbie said...

dave, those firework explosions were awesome!! and crazy!! wow... and I'm sorry that things are going bad now... it always seems that God does a great work and then life hits like an iron fist and it feels worse than it did before.... :P
Marky... that was funny :D