A Pound of Thoughts

INSIGHT.

What does it mean to you?  Feel free to write whatever you want.  Comment thread is open.

Here’s just some things that are crossing my mind right now:

• Why is blogging so addictive? I have found myself
  always looking forward to updating my blog/looking for comments. Why is
  that?  What makes blogging so intriguing?  Is it the fact that we can say pretty much whatever we want to, in an effort to get things off our chest?  Is it the prospect of finding out what other people think?  Is it the desire to connect with others from distant parts of the globe?  Or is it something more base and simplistic?  What could it be?  I also find myself anxiously awaiting posts at other blog sites. 
• Why can’t I go to bed earlier than 1:00 a.m. during the work week? Recently I have been staying up way too late on weeknights.  I then get to work, dragging my feet, not wanting to do a thing because I’m so exhausted.  (This is somewhat also related to/a result of Number 1).
• Why did the presidential candidates start so early? I have been wondering this for some time, but I’ve just never posed the question on here.  Is it the fact they have no life?  Did they really hate their “other” jobs of representing the people?  Did they just want some extra pocket money?  It’s total lunacy on both sides…We’re still a whole year away from the primaries (many of which have been changed to coincide with the candidates’ impatience), and their not accomplishing anything but raising money. No one is really going to remember these “debates” a year from now when we actually cast our votes.
• How can a tornado do that?  I am constantly amazed at the awesome power of God’s creation, nature.  This past weekend’s tragedy in Greensburg, Kansas has even deepened that awe and respect.  My heart is heavy for all 1,500 plus residents of that pretty-much-razed town.  May God be with all of you as you struggle to rebuild.
• Tiny Cat Pants is extremely creative.  I wish I could come up with some neat stuff to sell like Aunt B.  I’m quite tempted to go on there and buy a “Tiny Cat Pants” mug.  I can just hear my wife now – “What’s ‘Tiny Cat Pants’?” I don’t know how I’d respond…

Today was, well, interesting to say the least. My wife and I set out on a mission to find an ink cartridge for our all-in-one printer, a Lexmark X8350. Now, the ink it uses in pretty common. A number 32 or 34 cartridge. So, in our weekly excursion to Wal-Mart, we decided to go ahead and pick one up. I had no idea it would be such a monumental odyssey.

We reached the electronics department, and I went straight to the ink. It’s a pretty big section, complete with HP, Lexmark, Canon, and several other brands. All of the different inks were in numerical order, so it’s pretty easy to find it - usually. I look and they have 30, 31, 33, 36….umm, where’s the 32? What about 34? They weren’t in their slots. Darnit!

So, I ask the lady that works in the photo section: “Do you have any more Lexmark ink in back?” She responds, “Oh, I may work in the photo section, but we don’t handle the ink. That’s the electronics department.” Well, lady, the ink is in your stupid section! How wonderful! Ignorant Wal-Mart worker #1.

So I go to the electronics department, which is on the other side of the wall. The lady working behind the desk is just about to walk away when I call out, “Hey! Can I ask you a question? Do you have any more Lexmark ink in back?” She says, “Umm, I don’t usually work in this department. I was just watching it so my friend who works here could go to lunch.” By the way, it’s nearly 6:30 at night. Do they call every meal “lunch”? Ignorant Wal-Mart worker #2.

Then she asks, “Do you know where they keep it?”

Um, duh!! Would I be asking if you have any more ink in the back if I didn’t know where it was?? “Yes” is all I could say.

So she proceeds to reach under the counter, grabs a little infrared gun, and walks with me back to where the ink is. She scans the bar code on the rack and says, “We have five in stock.” Then where’s it at?? I just look at her dumbfounded. She looks at me and says, “It could be on the truck, and they just haven’t unloaded it yet.” I have to restrain myself from bursting out laughing. They would have just five ink cartridges on a Wal-Mart truck?? That’s the whole stock?? You’ve got to be joking me!

All I can do is just walk back to where my wife was, talking to a couple we ran into. So I can’t help but tell them the story.

Why can’t I ever find somebody in Wal-Mart who knows what they’re doing? I’ll probably never know.

Disclaimer: This post was never intend to offend anyone who works at Wal-Mart. I’m sure that every other employee is smarter than the two I ran into.

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Here I am, sitting at home working away on my computer. Today has been kind-of uneventful, although I did get quite upset at (one of) my credit card companies. They automatically withdrew some money out of my account, which I had the understanding wouldn’t come out until June. Oh well, such as life. Nothing I can do about it, since I did owe them a payment. But, the quicker it gets paid off, the better. I just have to keep in mind that I’m getting a refund from the IRS! So, in another week and a half, I’ll forget about this little stunt they pulled. Sometimes I just can’t help but wonder – Am I that much of a pushover?

Anyways, I’m having a hard time coming up with something to write about. There are a lot of things out there that I can write about, but would it be interesting? But then again, this is my blog. I could write about anything I want! So, I’ll just do that.

Yesterday I came home from work, apparently pretty tired. My wife and I both laid down to take about an hour nap (neither of us set an alarm clock). This was about 6:30 I guess. Well, she got up around 10:30pm (she told me this morning) and I was still asleep…she said I didn’t move an inch. Well, next thing I know, I’m waking up at 6:30 this morning! Whoa! I must have been tired…

I proceed to get up and go into the kitchen…I take the coffee filter tray out of my coffeemaker, empty the old grounds, and wash out the canister/tub that holds the coffee. I fill it up, and pour the water into the tank. I look in the coffee ground storage pot – and it’s empty! I really didn’t feel like grinding up any more coffee beans, but I was really in need of a caffeine fix. So, I open the fridge and get the beans out. I pour them into my grinder and grind them for about 20 seconds…I like my coffee extremely fine. Now I can make my coffee! I can not describe to you how much a satisfaction it is to drink freshly ground coffee in the morning – It’s just so refreshing!

Well, the rest of my morning was dedicated to updating my Microsoft Money software and reading blogs. I just find it very relaxing to get a peek into other people’s lives and see how it compares with mine. Some posts make me laugh; others make me sad, while others really get my brain juices flowing.

Slarti, I must tell you that your post “Infantile” was really an inspiring post.

I found this on Pink is Neat’s website when I was just browsing around…so I decided to try it out and put it on here…Interesting…very interesting.

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger

I don’t like the fact they use a woman’s finger, though….Why can’t they use a man’s finger?

Today has been a horrific day.  It has seen the unbelievable tragic loss of so many young lives; it is surreal.  Never did I imagine when I woke up today that we would have been talking - as a nation - of the deaths of so many promising young people at Virginia Technical University.  And if I feel this way - a complete stranger - just imagine how the families of all of those lost must be feeling.

My heart goes out to each and every one.

As I venture off to bed, I just want to offer this prayer to those families out there:

God, we know you are a loving God, a caring God, I just lift up the families of the victims of the Virginia Tech University shooting, give them the strength to get through this difficult time - this time of grieving, of loss.  Be with them through the next days and weeks.  May they see You in the midst of this tempest; may they rely on You to go on.  In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen.