Jamie gets the profile song for the evening. It is raining in Northern California and I am happy. It's going to get cold in the next few days. I might be taking video of snow this weekend. I hope everyone has a great evening.........................................12,13,06.... ......Good Morning from California............It's 9:04 am, PDT..................The concert was good last night. I ended up volunteering for a little while before the show. I wasn't waiting outside with the rest of them, so I couldn't give the ticket away. I went out there a couple of times, but it was just too crowded to give out one ticket. I ended up giving it to someone I knew would put it in a good place. She did. I had a nice lady sitting next to me, who might not have been able to see the show. I also had people behind me. I asked them if they had tickets, and most did. Some did not. I was not going to be the fire lane police last night. I just let them be. Maybe Thursday I'll be in the mood to tell them to move to the lobby. I just wanted to see the show last night...I came home and decided to put up the video as is. I know the music is different, but that is what I was looking for. Remember, I want to start at the bottom...I think I have reached my goal. Now, I can set a new goal a little higher. If you watch the video, check out the tape on my hat. I had to laugh when I put it there. The hat had a company's name on it that wouldn't be appropriate for me to show....I didn't have dinner last night, so I'm going to go out to breakfast. I need it...I was at the show early last night and I saw one of the chefs from the Madrigal Dinner. I asked him about the vegetable recipe, and he gave me the basics....The West Coast is starting to get pounded by a winter story. I hope those guys on Mt. Hood are in a snow cave. I'll say a prayer for them... ..............................................12,12,06.2.... ......I managed to video something I can live with. I might try again tomorrow. My fingers are just not working like they should. I ate at a fast food place yesterday. I wonder if there was any "You know what" in it...12,12,06.1.........It's 1:46 pm, PDT...I'm taking a little break. I am trying to do this video again today. I have found that my left hand fingers are not working as fast as I would like them. I'm trying to leave them out on one part and still continue. I really wanted to get this recorded today...I'm already living with the sticking keys, (Two doing it now), and now I have to leave a hand out of one part...This is proving to be difficult...................... 12,12,06................It's 7:03 am, PDT...................Good morning from California................It rained all night here in the Sierra Nevada Mtn. Range. There should be another 5 or 6 inches of fresh snow on the top. I took the camcorder up yesterday, but couldn't really see much with all the clouds. It was cold....I talked to a local singer/songwriter/musician yesterday. He has a student that really likes whammy bars. I'm going to let him try out my Flying V. It just sits here as a backup. He wants to buy one, but isn't sure. This way at least he can try one out...The teacher also asked me if I knew anyone who would be willing to volunteer to video tape and put something together for the band "13" in June. This is a band of 13 and 14 year olds that he helps out. It sounds like a worthy cause.....I received a catalog in the mail for onion transplants. I purchased my onion starts from this company in Omaha, TX last year. If anyone is interrested in planting their own onions, try www.bopf.com. A "bunch" is about 50 to 75 onion plants. A think there is a two bunch minimum which runs you about $11.75, which includes shipping. What a deal. These onion transplants are already trimmed and are ready to plant. When I buy from the other place, I have to trim them up and it is a hassle. This company does it right. I was impressed when I received my order and I was impressed with the onions after I grew them. It is fun growing your own onions. I'm going to order some more, because I liked the taste. For the Short Day varieties, I planted the "Hybrid Yellow Granex", the "TX 1015-Y Supersweet", and the "Red Burgandy". For the Intermediate variety, I planted the "Hybrid Candy", and the "Hybrid Red Stockton". It's always good to check and see if the onion plant variety you choose can be grown in your area........................................................ ............12,11,06.................It's 9:23 pm, PDT....................I recorded for about two hours of tape today; so, real time was at least double. I was frustrated most of the day. I have the story line, but need the playing to be better. The low G key I use in the intro is sticking. What's up with that? No other key is sticking. Maybe it's because I've been beating on it for a week. Oh well! I'll record with it sticking because I haven't been able to fix it. I have seen the video many times and it is interresting to say the least. You will be surprised. I'm going to sleep and try again tomorrow. I hope everyone has a great evening..............................................12,11,0 6.................9:36 am..............I took the camera bag back and exchanged it for one with a shoulder strap. The shoulder strap was securely fastened to the inside of this one. I wonder what happened to the strap from the other bag. I do like the bag. It is a quick draw model. I think I'll take it to the top today and see how it does taping the mountains. There is a foot of new snow from the weekend. It should be beautiful. If it comes out O.K., I'll post the video. I still haven't done the piano piece. I'll get to it. I want to put it up before Christmas, so that leaves me 14 days. The beginning sounded like a Halloween movie theme, so I'm going to change it. Strange, I never noticed it before; but, I have not recorded this song before; so, it was new to me...I went to Radio Shack the other day and bought a couple of more SD cards because the price was so good. I'm now loaded with 3 GB for stills and 6 hours of DV for video.....................................12,11,06.......... ..........Good morning from California........It's 6:30 am, PDT...........I'm hoping I do not get any calls for work today. I would really like to stay home and clean my desk and take care of mail. It's nice and warm in here and it is cold out there....Finally, we had a real storm come through. It was trying to snow here yesterday. I like snow. I just do not like shoveling it every day. A couple of times a year is just fine.....I bought a case for the new camera. The shoulder strap is not in it. I'll have to take it back and deal with customer service.........................................12,10,06.1.. .................It's 11:51 am, PDT..........Church was good today. I'll definitely have to get this one on CD.......I have some good news. I learned today that the food seeds have made it to Uganda. I know they will grow some good food with them, and if they need more, they know where I am. He really liked the Liquid Amber trees he saw in the states. Now, that I know the food seed has made it, I looked to find some tree seeds for him. I found some rare Liquid Amber seeds that are in Europe. I'll send them when they arrive. I have no idea if they will grow in Uganda, but with a little water they might have some shade trees when the children get older............................................12,10,06... ...................Good morning from California. It's 7:21 am, PDT.........................The Christmas tree went up in the family room yesterday. Some of it came down this morning. This puppy is a chewing machine. She also ruined my nice hat that the owner of a True Value gave me for building his house. I'll be happy when the chewing stage is over...I'm getting used to the video camera. I took some test video last night, and I like what I see. It is different, that's for sure....My Winter Concert tickets came on Friday. I have my seats again for both nights. You just never know until you have the tickets in your hands. I buy two seats and will give one away to someone waiting in line. I just realized that the first night is Tuesday. It will be nice to hear the choir. They usually sing in foreign languages; so, I can't understand the words, but it is beautiful music to my ears..................................................12,09, 06..............It's 11:43 am, PDT. Happy Saturday.............I drove to Sacramento this morning. The good mall is only 40 minutes away, but Fry's is on the other side of the river, so it took me an hour. That's pretty good time since it is 50 miles. Traffic was light. I was there a half an hour before it opened. I was one of the first there. At about 7 minutes before opening, everyone walked to the door. I guess they do not have a good watch. I waited in the nice warm car until the doors were opened. I went straight to the video cameras and found the one that was advertised. I was going to get it but was told by the employee that the quality was not that good. Well, that's no good. I need a descent quality picture. I told him that I was looking to spend around $500. Cameras on the low end table went from a couple of hundred up to five hundred. He recommended the Panasonic PV-GS180. He said it had the 3CCD chip in it and takes the best pictures for that price range. It was priced $499.99. That's good, I'm under $500. I knew he wasn't just trying to sell me another camera because the other one was the same price. He found me an open box one that was reduced in price to $379.99. Great, I just saved $120. I haven't had a problem with open box items, but I'm sure they exist. I'm not ready to quit my day job, but I have just added another hobby: "Wildlife Video Photographer". You can laugh now. I'm charging the battery now. I have faith it will work just fine........................................................ .........12,08,06.2.............It's 5:59 pm, PDT...................It was a long week. We went to the carpet job this morning. It was a large room where we had to pull up old carpet and pad, and replace with some new pad and carpet. Yuk!!!!!!!! The old carpet was disgusting! It ranked up there in the top 100 most disgusting carpets I've pulled up. My friend took one look and said, "I quit". It was about 45 degrees outside and was just above freezing inside the room. What are people thinking. You need heat to stretch in carpet. No guarantee on this job. We busted it out and went to the laminate job. I thought the living room was disgusting the other day. We pulled up a large room and it was in the top 50 most disgusting I've ever pulled up. I'm going to give you my conclusion. Others certainly agree with me. Hard surface products are the cleanest for your house. I realize that people like to walk on carpet, but I would leave the carpet for the bedrooms and not in rest of the house. Hard surfaces are easy to keep clean and stay clean much longer. That's just a tip from someone that knows. If you are putting down tile, purchase the largest tile for the job so that there are not grout joints everywhere. Grout joints collect dirt too!.....................................I'm going to get up early tomorrow and buy a new video camera. I want to do some videos and my video man can not always be there. I do not like borrowing his because it is expensive. I'm looking at an inexpensive 20 GB Hard Drive model. I want to show everyone what an inexpensive camera can do. I have the new one I bought last week, but it is not good for what I want to video. (You know, the nature event)......I also like the mini DVs because you have a tape backup. I guess I could burn DVDs to back it up. I do not like loosing hard drives and I've lost a few that were loaded with pictures. I'll leave early so that I am there 15 to 30 minutes before the store opens. I love shopping for electronics. It's about an hour drive from here, if I leave early. It can quickly turn into two, or three if you leave at the wrong time........................................................ ...........................................................1 2,08,06.1................Motivational Song of the Day: ............................................................ ..........It is time to put up Rick Mugrage with "Blue Skies".....................................................I had just finished listening to the big band at Joshua Fest, and the "Air 1" stage was shut down for the night. I was kicking back in my chair relaxing, and Mike from "No Middle Ground" rousted me to come hear his friend play. It was late, about 10:30 or 11:00 pm. Up At Night Records would keep going with artists until the am. I was tired, but walked over to have a listen. Wow! This man played and sung with a passion I had not seen. I was taken in for the entire set. I was so glad Mike had me go because it was one of the best sets I have ever seen and heard live. I purchased a couple of his CDs and thanked him...You can find Rick in my top 24 if you want to visit his myspace music page....Just a tip from my desk........................................................ .....................12,08,06.....................Happy Friday from California...It's 6:39 am, PDT................Thank God It's Friday...I need to pull weeds in the garden tomorrow. Hopefully I will not be working on this laminate job tomorrow. We have a small carpet job in the morning, and then we will return to the laminate job. The job was 900 square feet, and we have about 600 completed.... It looks like we are in for some rain. We could sure use it. It is dry around here........................................................ ..........12,07,06.1...............It's 5:59 pm, PDT.....I worked 9:00 to 5:00 today on the laminate floor. I decided that I can not post the wrinkled T-shirt picture. The color would give away the vendor, and I do not think it would be right. I could go into photshop and change the color, but I'm not going to bother. You'll just have to take my word for it that the shirt wins the most wrinkled prize out of the package...I did see something tonight that I want to video. It might be boring to some, but it was a beautiful sight that doesn't have any registered, or trade mark stickers on it! I'll try to video it next week. It will be a beautiful surprise to some. O.K., I'll give you a hint. It will be a nature video......I'm trying to be as careful as I can about putting up images. There are so many "No, No's", that I want to catch them before I post them. I know most people just post the pictures, but I am not most people. I always try to think ahead and stop any problems before they happen. Yes, I play pool. I usually look at 3,4, or 5 shots ahead. You probably wouldn't want to play this game with me if you are competitive. I do not like to compete; but, if challenged, I'll usually rise above and disappoint someone. Myself, I do not mind loosing. It is just a game...One of my friends does not read my page. He thinks he will get in trouble from his wife if he logs on. I'm thinking, I have one of the cleanest pages out there. I advised him NOT to log on to my page because I do not want my page to cause any problems for anyone. Just stay away if it will create problems. I do not like problems, and nobody does. I warned him. It is now history because I typed it................................................12,07,06.. ...................It's Thursday, 7:17 am, PDT.......................The puppy woke me up at 5:00 am. She thinks that biting is playing. It is not. I took some pictures yesterday at different stages of the carpet install. They might be interresting to some. I wore my pedometer yesterday. It registered 12,234 steps at work which was 7.41 miles. It was not registering when I was crawling, which would probably account for another 1,000 steps on my knees...We went to Ace hardware the other day to pick up some 10" saw blades that were on sale. It was $20 for 2 and we usually pay around $40 for 1. Well, they are a lesser quality, but it still is a good price. The package comes with two blades and a free T-shirt with the company's name on it. My friend opened his because we were going to use the blades that day. The shirt was the funniest looking shirt I have seen to date. Without a doubt, it was the most wrinkled shirt I'd ever seen. I'll have to get a picture. I'll put some tape over the name so someone doesn't think I'm advertising................................................. ........12,06,06.1...............It's 6:48 pm, PDT..................I worked 8:00 to 5:00 again today. We laid carpet in a little house. Funny, the new little house goes for $400,000. I'll build my own thank you anyway. The house was clean because the contractor is a clean man. It was refreshing after yesterday's junk. I decided that I can not post the pictures. The house is a rental. I will not post pictures of houses unless they are for sale. This house was for rent, so it will not be shown. Bummer! They were some good shots. I'll just tell you that it was a big pile of dirt in the middle of a floor. The dirt came off the shoes and traveled through the carpet and through the pad. This is pretty typical of country houses without much landscaping. The size of the pile in one living room would fill a gallon bucket. I'll put up something to make up for it.......................................................... ................12,06,06...................Good morning from California. It's 8:15 am, PDT..............I woke up early and prepared for my day. I was having a glass of Florida's Natural orange juice and looked out the window. (I love fresh squeezed orange juice. I have two glasses a day. It would be a rare event if I had a cold)...Anyway, I looked over and my daughter's light was not on. She was still sleeping and the bus was coming in about two minutes. We had just had a talk the day before. She needs to get up earlier so that she is not rushing. I guess the talk did no good. I had to drive her to school. I dropped her off about 300 yards from school. There is always a traffic jam, so I let her off at an intersection, and took the turn to return home. I told her that she should think about getting up in the morning while walking the rest of the way. I told her if she had a job in the real world, she would have been fired this year several times....I walked down to the garden because the onions could use some water since we do not have any rain. I noticed a kink in the hose and reached down to straighten it. The hose cracked and broke in half. I guess it's a little cold outside. Oh well, the onions will last another day without water. They are tough...My video man called the other day. He reads my page and knew I was cooking up something. I told him my idea and he liked it. I know he wants to get creative with the video for "The New Millennium", but I want do to a simple piano video first. I'm not finding the time to practice. I better go and do that now. We are laying carpet today in the morning, and then back to the laminate job. I'll try to change the pictures tonight. My problem is that I like to print them up and put them in a photo album. This is where I am lacking and why they do not change more often...I'll work on it....I hope everyone has a great day......................................................... ....12,05,06.1........It's 6:58 pm, PDT.................The day was interresting. We went to put in laminate flooring in a kitchen in a mobile home. It was disgusting. There were rat feces on the floor and it was all around sick. We finished as quick as we could and left. I couldn't even wash my hands because the sink was not working. I wouldn't go to the bathroom in that house if you paid me. I walked up to the clubhouse to use theirs. Yes, putting floors in new houses are "Glory Floor Days", and putting floors in disgusting houses are "Bad Days". We then went to the second job. Again, this house is getting laminate flooring. Bummer, it is a glue laminate. We had to pull up carpet and pad. Yuk!!!!!!! The floor had animal urine stains everywhere. This is sick. I took the carpet and pad out and put it in the truck. Then, I had to scrape the floor because some of the pad had stuck to the floor with disgusting yuk! I have to breath this junk. I took a picture of the dirt under the pad. You won't believe it. We started to instal the new laminate and the glue wouldn't come out of the bottles. The glue was old and the consistency was a jell. Another lovely day putting floors in. It was dark when I returned home, so there is no chance of doing any yard work today. Tomorrow, we'll do a carpet job in the morning, and return to the laminate job to do some more...I'm going to take you inside the flooring business. I'm going to post the picture on Friday. I know this might shock some people, but this is what we have to deal with and I am not going to candy coat it. I'm going to give it to you as it is...I'm tired. I put some ingredients in the bread machine. I'm going to make pizza tonight. I wanted to have cheese and steak with baked potato, but I had a sub sandwich of the same for lunch, so it ruined it for me. I like to eat fresh, but I didn't go there today because I was not driving. I ended up at the other place. It did not have the vegetables I get at the "Fresh" place. It was also over priced. And, it wasn't that good. It was lunch, so I ate it.......................................................... ...........12,05,06...................Happy Tuesday from California. It's 7:10 am, PDT......................I worked on the lights last night. It definitely looks like Christmas on our street. We have some real "Go Getters". One house reminds me of some classic shows. It really looks cool when we get snow...I purchased 1 GB of memory for my new camera. Radio Shack had 1 gig SD cards for $24.99. Can you believe the price? It's about half of the going price. I am trying to get used to this camera. It will shoot video, so I'm waiting for a clear day to take it to the top and video the view. I'd like to video this crazy puppy. She loves her toys. I'm trying to teach her how to play soccer. I've been playing with a tennis ball. I thought I would increase the size of the ball yesterday, so I moved up to about a half size ball. If you know soccer ball sizes, this size isn't available, but I have one. She went nuts with it. She played by herself for over an hour. Then, I was teaching her how to return my golf balls, and I found a size 5 in the bushes. She pushed the ball for about 10 minutes down to the end of the property. I had to go retrieve the ball, or she might have ended up down at the river. That's a switch, I'm the ball retriever. I put the big ball away...I started weeding the onions yesterday. It is going to take hours and hours. Some of the onions are growing in a lawn of weeds. Onions do not grow well competing with weeds, so they need to go. I'll post the pictures with my progress.... The "Wassail" drink recipe: Place two parts Apple juice and one part Cranberry juice in a pot. Place cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and a little allspice in some cheese cloth and tie it closed. Toss it in the juice. Add a little honey, and cook the mixture for about an hour on medium heat, stirring occasionaly. It is a fantastic hot drink that is healthy. No preservatives added..................12,04,06................Good morning from California..It's another "Automatic Monday"..7:53 am, PDT.............It was a little hard waking up this morning, but I feel great..........Tear down went well last night. It's amazing to see so many volunteers working. The musical production was a success. This was my third year helping and I had a good time. I met some new people and had a few surprises....There was a new song from a great composer at the Spring Concert earlier this year. I liked the song and learned that the composer was in the audience. I did not meet him, but wanted to give him a crystal for the good work. I figured I'd run into him some day. The song was named "Rosa Parks", and was touching. She would have liked it. Anyway, my friend informed me Saturday night that Mark was the composer of "Rosa Parks". Mark was the nice chef that gave me the pork tenderloin. It's a small world. I gave out some crystals to volunteers last year and he received one. I really liked the "Rosa Parks" composition, so I gave him a finished cut stone this year. He told us some of the spices he put in the rosemary vegetables. I'll try to recreate a version of the dish in the next few weeks and post it in my recipes. He also told us what was in the fantastic appetizer. I think I can recreate a version of this also..... The one recipe I wanted, I now have. There is this drink we all have every year and it is wonderful. It is a hot drink and is great for the winter season. There is no alcohol in it. A retired conductor, who has a theater named after him, makes the drink. Anyway, he was there all 4 nights and I was dying to ask him if he would give me the recipe. I walked up to his table early in the evening, but he was talking to musicians; so I figured the time was not right. After the performance, he came down to get his large containers washed. I think they make around 10 gallons a night for the performance. I asked and he told. If you have a Christmas party coming up, this is a great healthy drink. I'll post it in my recipe blog. The aroma of this drink cooking fills the room with a marvelous scent. You can even cook it on your wood stove and get the potpourri scent in your home as an added bonus...I'll post it under recipes later today. The drink is called "Wassail"....We had 5 dish washers early in the evening, and then another man joined the team. I was wearing my Fender shirt and he asked me if I played. I said "Yes, but I'm terrible". It turns out that he is a singer/songwriter/musician and gives guitar lessons for a living. I could sure use some lessons, but finding the time is difficult. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and God is in control. I'll find the time to take some lessons...I took piano lessons for about a month when I was young. The instructor put his hand on my leg one day during practice. I figured he was gay, so I quit. I would have taken lessons later in life, but money and time were not on my side; so, I taught myself. I have decided to make a live video of one of my songs, because I have a great idea. I'm still not going to sing. I have to do a Folk song first. I want to record a duet. The female vocalist I have in mind for the part has moved to Southern California, so it might be a long wait. Anyway, the piano instrumental video should be interresting when I complete it. I think outside the box as well as inside the box. You'll know what I mean when you see the video. I'll put the piece on the fast track. I'll pick up some PA forms tomorrow and maybe record next weekend. It's going to take me at least a week to get up to speed. Again, you'll know what I mean when you see the video.............I'm going for the easy 4 mile jog this morning after it warms up. I didn't get a call for work today, so I'll work around the house. I still need to put lights on two more trees...I hope everyone has a great day........
I'd like to meet:
Actually, I'm not looking to meet anyone. I'm here for conversation, help, learning and teaching. I am here to teach lessons from my life experience, and give people self esteem if I can. I have met people from around the world in my travels, some good, some bad. Some people, including me, need a nudge in the right direction. Some are doing fine, and I'm here too. Others need serious help, and you'll find me here sometimes too. The truth is, we all need some help sometimes. If I can help, I am here; and, I am willing. I've spent my life trying to give back to those that deserve it. I've handed out crystals, and I have cut gemstones for people and organizations I thought worthy. I have seen the greed in the world and I aimed to cancel it out with my God given talent. If I did give you a crystal, remember it's just a rock. It is probably going to outlast most gifts because it's a rock. Keep it out of the sun and freezing temperatures. Heating and cooling are responsible for most breaks in rocks. I know what is important, and it's not the gems, and it's not the limmos (I can't stand riding backwards), it's not the fame, it's not the money, it's not the power, It is the calling to Glorify God instead of others or ourselves, and to help others that are in need. We are all just people reaching for the ultimate goal of everlasting life with our Father in Heaven. Please feel free to write your thoughts, or ask questions. I can not be bought. Prayer requests are always welcome. God Bless you all, always. *James All comments have been posted...................................................... ................................ The only comments that have been deleted, are large banner comments, and comments which made the sender look uninformed by not reading. No diss to them, just didn't want them to look funny when I have said something and they didn't read it. I have probably only deleted 4 or 5 comments.
