Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Things I Learned in Michigan...

I just returned from an amazing trip to the "land of my youth" - which is not entirely true since I don't think I have grown up yet. This was the first time I had ever taken a vacation by myself. I feel like this weekend was one of those "watershed" moments in my life. I re-connected with old friends and made new ones, did new things and experienced life. Here's the list:

  • Drink water while driving a convertible down the highway for half the morning.
  • I can get sun through my clothes.
  • RDU is the worst airport I have ever been in.
  • DTW is the second worst airport I have ever been in.
  • I have a new appreciation for CLT airport.
  • One of the best times of day to solve the world's problems (or at least your own) is from about 2am - 4am.
  • Always travel with a fan.
  • Everyone has a story to tell - listen! Shut your trap and listen!
  • The roads in Michigan are like war zones.
  • True friends take you the way you are and don't' judge you for what you have done.
  • The Jonas Brothers are Christians.
  • I have completely conquered my fear of flying! WOW! Thank you Lord...ALL YOU.
  • I would rather sit and talk all day with interesting kids than a lot of things...if you treat kids like they have something important to say then your life will be happier - they will fill it with joy.
  • EVERYTHING changes, some changes are not so good, but most are great, unexpected...
  • My worth does not revolve around how well I can sing or how good I am at working on computers.
  • Never pass up an opportunity to tell someone how much they mean to you.
  • I love XM Satellite Radio.
  • The traffic in Winston-Salem is...er...NOT EXISTENT!
  • Never forget to mingle...even when you don't want to...

NEW ONES I thought of later...

  • "O Brother Where Art Thou" is an awesome movie...I love ""A Man of Constant Sorrow".
  • Some of the best times may come when you are doing practically nothing...

That's enough for now.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

I should never play poker for money

I have never played poker for money - and for good reasons. One thing, I don't like to gamble - it just seems like a waste of money - a crazy waste of money. In fact, if someone wants to gamble I'll be happy to take the money from them and put it to good use!

The other reason is that I would be the perfect example in "poker school" of what a "poker face" is NOT.

One thing for certain - I don't have a good way of hiding my emotions - short of physically hiding until they subside. Even then, the residuals are pretty easy to see as long as you are looking my way. I don't have any REAL skills at masking my emotion, especially if (this is not a complete list):
  • I'm talking
  • I'm passionate about something
  • I'm excited about something
  • I'm mad
  • I'm sad
  • I'm disappointed

My face, my voice, my body language all give me away - even a blind person would ask "what's up with you?". It's pathetic...and it's me.

The flip-side of all that is you pretty much know how I feel about most things. If you are a close friend, then even more so. If I like you - you know it. If I don't like you - you know it. If I like spending time with you and have things in common with you - you know it. There isn't much guess-work involved in knowing me.

TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE...

When i get excited about something, when I have great news or world changing news (my world), then I feel a real burning need to share it. I'm terrible at surprises - I love to give them, but the suspense kills me! I've only been able to pull a few off in my life.

There is just something in me that can't hold in good news, no matter how inappropriate it would be to share. For me, good news, good times, good friends, good life are all blessings that are multiplied when shared. Even more, I feel like I have let my friends down if I withhold information from them - isn't that what friends are for?...sharing our joys and sorrows?

So, if I had a Royal Flush in a poker game it would be of no use to me, because everyone would know about it before I could convince them to give me their money.

It's a good thing I'm not playing poker.

"...Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:7-18