quote of the day...

they stepped out onto the platform and the wind brushed by emily with the insistence of a man...

from a winter's love, by madeleine l'engle

happy birthday, dear old dad!

damn you, cheese toast...

i just came out on the losing end of a fight with my toaster oven. ugh...

consider me officially on the george mason bandwagon...

did anyone else watch the connecticut - george mason game yesterday?

unbelievable.

the patriots take on florida saturday for a spot in the national championship. i am, as you may have noticed, looking forward with great anticipation to the game. if you need me in the late afternoon on saturday, you know where to find me...

perched in front of the tv (and if you've ever seen me watching the end of a close basketball game, perched is indeed the appropriate term...), yelling at the players, yelling at the refs, cursing the commercial breaks, and all-in-all thoroughly enjoying my favorite sporting event of the year.

go patriots!

i tell ya, life ain't easy...

barclay has added this gem of a song to his repertoire (a particular favorite of my mother's, if i remember correctly). it cracked me up so much last night that i decided the world needed to revisit the story of a boy named sue...

My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."

Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."
(note from laci: this is my favorite line from the whole song...)

Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now you're gonna die!!"

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.

I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.

And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."

He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!

johnny cash, you're so great...

encouraging millions of americans to pray daily for the President, his Cabinet and the Nation

would somebody please tell me how in the world i got signed up for the presidential prayer team's mailing list?

from the email that arrived in my inbox this morning:

The Presidential Prayer Team is seeking special individuals from its membership roles who God is calling to be a PPT Ambassador.

PPT Ambassadors are individuals who represent The Presidential Prayer Team to their church and community. PPT Ambassadors desire to strengthen the culture of prayer in America by inspiring others to join the Team.

If you believe that God would have you become a member of this elite group of prayer warriors then follow the directions below. There is no obligation.

well, since there's no obligation...

one more dollar...

because i am blessed to have more-than-the-average-bear's number of musicians in my life, i found this cartoon to be particularly amusing. so barclay, ryan, seth, don and lori, troy, and all the rest of you who don't leave home without a guitar...this one's for you.

sorry the print is so small. if you click on the comic, it'll take you somewhere you can actually read the words. which is, after all, the point...

fill 'er up...

so i went grocery shopping last saturday night. that giant box of a supermarket (the hyvee on state line) contained approximately four shoppers that evening - me and three overworked mothers who were exceedingly happy (i could tell from the tears in their eyes...) to be shopping sans children. my social life is really happening...

at any rate, as i exited the store, i saw the following sign:

spend $50 at hyvee wine and spirits and receive a $.10/gallon discount at the hyvee fuel center!!!

let me get this straight. you'll make it worth it for me to spend at least $50 at the hyvee liquor store by giving me cheap gasoline?

friends at hyvee, discount fuel + $50 worth of keystone light = bad news. just so you know...

happy birthday, barclay martin!

completed project, number one...

that is one fine "backpack." and the kid's pretty cute, too...

happy birthday, anh dang!

the big D...

from this morning's kansas city star:

I want to point out here that Dallas is a very fine city known for many things such as, hold on, where’s that tourist guide?

Oh, here it is. Dallas is a very fine city known for many things such as having five I.M. Pei edifices, its famous cheerleaders, headquartering many famous companies like 7-Eleven and for having the No. 1 volume Kia dealer in America. Dallas also has an airport that is “bigger than the Island of Manhattan,” a fun little fact you probably knew if you’ve ever had to change terminals there.

heh...

and that's pretty much all there is to say about that...

overheard at chubby's on broadway at approximately four o'clock sunday morning...

i hope you shit for a week...

watch out, barbara bush...