Posted by Brian October 31, 2005
Here is a list of stuff I’ve done/seen/experienced recently, along with ratings:
- Carving Homestar Runner Jack-o-lanterns with David
- Rating: Fun, fun, fun! David is better at it than I am.
- Hearing David shout, “the good times are over!” in his best H*R voice when I did something that upset him during the carving of the H*R punkins
- Rating: Hilarious! I love David.
- Praline Pumpkin Pie (with brown sugar, butter and pecans on top)
- Rating: Yummy. I’ve never made it this way before, but it’s good! I wouldn’t want to totally give up on “plain” pumpkin pie, though.
- Getting an evening phone call from Joan Miller requesting, “Drop everything and go to a haunted house with us!”
- Rating: Good. I like spontaneity!
- “Haunted Hotel” at intersection of Stagecoach Road and Colonel Glenn in Little Rock
- Rating: Not really scary. Still, it was fun. I’m not sure it was worth waiting in line in the cold for over an hour to get in. But I got to talk with Joan during the wait, so that makes up for it.
- Finding out that my car has been towed, because I left it in an E-Z Mart parking lot while I rode with Joan and the others to the haunted house
- Missing church because the only Sunday hours at the towing company (aka “the extortionists”) clash with worship hours
- Paying $187.25 to the towing company (aka “robbers and thieves”) to get the car back
- Rating: Rather more than annoying.
- Being free from the annoying project that I had been assigned to at work
- Discovering that I will have to travel (and work over the weekend, not coming home) for an unknown length of time for the new annoying project at work
- Rating: Boo! However, the travel will be to Chicago. I’ve never been there. So that’s something, I guess.
OK, so they’re not really “ratings” (like 1st, 2nd, 3rd; or good, better, best). Get over it.
Posted by Brian October 31, 2005
Seriously, you guys.
Posted by Brian October 24, 2005
This weekend David and I went down to the River Market district because it was the last weekend for the farmers’ market. I wanted to get some pumpkins. I got some pretty ones, though they were overpriced.
We had trouble getting down there, though, because a lot of streets were closed off for the Komen Foundation Race for the Cure (which raises funds for breast cancer research). This race is a big deal in Little Rock. I think the LR race is one of the biggest in the country, in fact.
So, we had a hard time finding our way downtown around all the roadblocks. While we were meandering, we saw several groups of racers walking around (I think the race was over). One woman, still in her pink outfit and race number, was smoking a cigarette. Smoking a cigarette during an anti-cancer event. Hmmm.
At the River Market, one vendor was selling meat from “heritage breed” animals. I think this means breeds which are old and which were once very common, but have become uncommon due to modern factory-farm methods. There was an amusing sign on the vendor’s booth: “Heritage breeds: Eat them or lose them!” The sign almost persuaded me to buy some of their lamb meat! Poor little heritage lambs. We’re eating you for your own good. 
Posted by Brian October 21, 2005
I’ve seen this post before, but Eric at Two World Collision (which is now linked over on the right) has recently brought it to my attention again.
It’s worth reading, and paying attention to the pictures.
Posted by Brian October 20, 2005
Drinking too much Diet Dr. Pepper can also produce some odd feelings.
Posted by Brian October 20, 2005
to go from being one of the more “liberal” members of your denomination (Church of Christ), to being one of the more “conservative” members of your denomination (Episcopal Church).
To go from saying things like, “yes, people in other churches ARE Christians” to saying things like, “yes, I think the image of God as ‘Father’ is still relevant.”
Of course, I like to think of myself as neither “liberal” nor “conservative”, but simply “right”. Ha! 
(And, yes, I have unfairly painted each denomination with an overly-broad brush.) (And yes, I did call the Church of Christ a “denomination.”) (And yes, there are too many quotation marks and parentheses in this post.)
Posted by Brian October 17, 2005
I know that some of you do not share my love for Homestar Runner. I also know that some of you do not share my love for Jack-o-lanterns.
But too bad. I just had to link to this page:
Homestar Runner pumpkin stencils (resizable, printable)
Apparently they’ve been doing this for years, but it’s new to me.
Posted by Brian October 14, 2005
I have nothing profound to say, but David keeps yapping at me to update the blog.
I washed my car yesterday. This is a rare event. I think I have washed it once before (maybe twice). Every other wash the poor thing has ever received has been at the hands of the dealership, when I went in for a checkup or service.
I washed it because I will be driving Joan Miller and Hal Epperson to Memphis in it tonight. Joan came with me to the dealership when I first test-drove a MINI, and was in on all my excitement about it. But then she never really got to see my actual car that I bought. When we were discussing our upcoming trip, she told me to make sure I cleaned it out, so there would be no snot in it. I’m not sure why she thinks my car would be full of snot. Everyone who knows me can attest that I do sneeze a lot. But I’m usually not very snotty. ANYWAY, since Joan made a big deal about cleaning the car, I decided I should wash it. Now I just need to get all the trash and yarn and unfinished Christmas presents out of it, so Hal and Joan will be able to fit in.
On our trip, Joan and Hal (who both live in Dallas) and I will see our friend from Harding, Amy Smallwood (who lives in Memphis). I think the plan involves touring Graceland, and I don’t know what else. I hear Graceland is pretty gaudy, but I guess it will still be cool to see it. Since I saw Elvis’ birthplace while I was in Tupelo for work, I think I will pretty much be done with my Elvis sightseeing needs. I’ve never been a huge Elvis fan, though I admit he was pretty cute when he was younger.
On a completely unrelated note: The second floor of the building I work in is used for training. People from around the company (and therefore the country) sometimes come here for classes, so they have brochures and things about Little Rock up there by the public phone bank. I was up there a couple of days ago and noticed a little pile of lapel pins shaped like the Arkansas flag. I’m not sure why anybody but the governor would want to wear one, but still, they’re kinda cool, I guess. Except that below the flag, the pins have the words, “SECRETARY OF STATE CHARLIE DANIELS”. I’m thinking not even the governor would want to wear one of these pins with the name of the Arkansas Secretary of State on it.
Even weirder: beside the pins, there is a stack of cardstock bookmarks. They have a picture of the Arkansas flag, the text of the “Pledge to the Arkansas Flag”, and another little note letting you know that this nice bookmark was provided by Charlie Daniels, Secretary of State.
I didn’t even know that there was a pledge to the flag of Arkansas. I certainly didn’t know it was so badly worded (and Overly Capitalized): “I Salute the Arkansas Flag With Its Diamond and Stars. We Pledge Our Loyalty to Thee.”
I’m not sure what the Arkansas Secretary of State is supposed to do. But surely Charlie Daniels could figure out something better than spending state money for lapel pins and bookmarks with his name on them, right?
On a less sarcastic note: We are having fantastic weather here in Little Rock! October is definitely the best month in Arkansas. I’ve been driving around with the windows down on my freshly-washed car.
Have a lovely weekend!
