Starting Over (in 2007)

The following commentary by Alan Smith really strikes a chord with me with our fondness to turn over a new leaf with burying our past regrets, habits and modus operandi with an upgrade to a new and improved ME in 2007...

Some of us make resolutions like one man, named George. George said to a friend: "There's nothing like getting up at six in the morning, going for a run around the park, and taking a brisk shower before breakfast."

His friend Bob asked, "How long have you been doing this?"

George said: "I start tomorrow."

The year 2006 is almost over, and many of you have made resolutions regarding what you plan to do differently in 2007. The most popular resolutions every year tend to be things like losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking and getting out of debt. Of course, the hard part is not making the resolutions; the hard part is keeping them.

I heard of one wife who said to her spouse: "I don't want to brag, but here it is February and I've kept every one of my New Year's resolutions. I've kept them in a manila folder in the back of my desk!"

A new year seems to be an easy time to make changes. We can say goodbye to the past year with all of the mistakes we made and start afresh with a year that is unblemished. May I remind you, though, that each day of our lives we have the opportunity to start over. In fact, I would encourage you not to wait until Monday to begin making changes in your life. If you have habits that need to be changed, start today! Don't wait until January 1st to start dieting. Start today! Don't wait until January 1st to quit smoking. Start today! Don't allow yourself to live two more days with habits you need to get rid of.

And if you falter in your plans to make improvements, don't wait until January 1, 2008 to start all over again. Remember -- every day is a new opportunity to start afresh.

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)

Courtesy of:
Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ, Fayetteville, North Carolina

Reviewing the Year In Blogging (My Own)

Reviewing the Year In Blogging (My Own)

It’s time to start looking back over the year-that-was, and what better way to do it than with a variation on a meme? (Like all the hipsters that are much younger and busier than me are doing)... And to think that there are 1.400 plus posts all composed at seven words a minute in my pajamas...


JANUARY

Passion06 gathers in Nashville
Below are four images from the Passion06 conference going on downtown at the GEC and various late night locations downtown thru Thursday.




FEBRUARY

Best Lil' Lego Band in Nashville
In case you missed it, here are some photos from the Best Lil' Lego Band in Nashville practicing on their new stage set at Kerry Woo's Kitchen Table Sound Studios in West Nashville.



MARCH

Passion 07 registration opens...
with a mighty click.



APRIL

Love Is Just Another Search Problem
eHarmony? Forget about it !



MAY
True Love
If you love something, set it free.


JUNE
Need a miracle with your grilled cheese sandwich?



JULY
Customer Service heaven and hell
I'm at Target at White Bridge Road today, looking for patio furniture that was on sale.


AUGUST
I'm A Winner!
Awhile back, I entered a giveaway contest that Sammy McLoughlin, Webmaster and Editor of PalmAddicts sponsored with Vaja Cases.



SEPTEMBER
Fantasy Football - the good old days
I miss playing Fantasy Football in the cubicle world - where else can a guy pay thirty bucks for the right to...



OCTOBER
I can (and will) drive 55
Some time ago on a Thursday (I pleading the Statute of Limitations Amendment), I was feeling pretty good about meeting up with Mrs. WonderDawg for a Thursday lunch.



NOVEMBER
Where the Buffalos Roam
My son Gary on the way to Seattle snapped a picture in Montana of a buffalo by the side of the road. They're pretty tasty too as I just got back from eating a bison burger...


DECEMBER
Nashville Is Talking Christmas MeetUp is Official!
Come one, come all to the exclusive Nashville Blogger Festivus, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Solstice, Holiday Get-together.

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt - New

Photo Hunt 39: New

Theme: New | Join the Photo Hunt | View Blogroll | Visit participants.

2006 is closing out - out with the OLD, in with the NEW!



I've had these three wise monkeys for many years and this past month, we recieved this Christmas ornament of these snowmen - “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” Might be wise to live this way in 2007, but I then thought wait, do I live in a cave or hide my head in the sand in order to “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?"

I turn to Wikipedia for some insight on the phrase:

Just as there is disagreement about the origin of the phrase, there are differing explanations of the meaning of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” Some contend that it is a proverb serving as a reminder not to be so snoopy, so nosy, and so gossipy. Others say that it is a warning to stay away from places where immoral acts are taking place. Whatever the origin and meaning of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” it is one of the most visual phrases in existence. For many it is difficult, especially in the western world, to not visually associate The Three Wise Monkeys with the mentioned phrase.

And a Scripture comes to mind: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 (Text: v.17)

"...Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new..."

Rather than turn a blind eye to a need in someone's life or avoid immorality in my life, as a Christian (NOT a religious person - there's a difference!) I'm compelled to extend grace, kindness compassion and mercy to wherever I see evil at work, whether it's defined as injustice or oppression.

Just as "His mercies are NEW every morning" for me, may 2007 bring NEW opportunities to "do good to all men" by caring versus turning away. That's my prayer.

Happy NEW Year!

xxx

I joined the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt hosted by TN Chick. You too can play: Join the Photo Hunt There's a different theme every Saturday, and it's a lot of fun visiting the community of participants.

Time to move this blog ?

Blogger has been great for me since I've sign on with my first post in March of 2005.

I've been able to navigate (and have tons of fun) with adding HTML codes, cross linking to my favorite friends, blogs and resources; expand from Picasso to direct upload of photos to this blog and Flickr and making the switchover as well from PC to Mac.

Lately, it's been a headache with correcting feeds and maximizing the use of Blogger using the Mac - like it or not, it's still a Microsoft world for using the Ctrl functions inside of the Blogger dashboard.

I made the switch to NEW Blogger when Google announced that Blogger was out of BETA. However, I'm encountering bugs while maintaining two blogs on the NEW Blogger - I've haven't done anything on my other OLD Blogger site - http://bigdawgs4christ.blogspot.com. I'm not prone to use Windows XP when I want to post an entry here. I've much rather be able to have the flexibility of using this iMac or the laptop running XP to post an entry or load photos.

Anyhoo, I looked at trial versions of WordPress, TypePad and later on, test drive the iMac... but paying $79.00 dollars and up on a yearly basis doesn't appeal to me... and if I do, mapping all the content over doesn't thrill me either.

So i'm being a bit overwhelmed and anal retentive as to what direction I want to move to especially posting a photo a day every day in 2007 on the WonderDawg 365 of 2007 blog.

Bottom line: Blogging should be easy and fun, not a cumbersome process. I rather work on the creativity portion with writing, story telling and photo taking! But I'm too tenacious to drop it, so doggone it, I'm gonna make this NEW Blogger work.

Consider this post as a technical cry for help for somone who just might have a bit too much time on their hands! As I would say to Dr.Phil, the NEW Blogger ain't working for me... at this time.

Expressing Thyself in 2007

After reading this question / challenge posted by Brittney Gilbert at Nashville Is Talking, that Rex Hammock jumpstarted, my interest in tackling such a project of posting a photo a day made perfect sense:

(1) I've always been highly visual with my fondness of art and drawing since I fell out of the crib. I learn best via visual examples in academic settings whether in schematics, blueprints or word pictures.

(2) I could learn to take better photos by pushing the learning curve of my skill sets in photography and discover new techniques in lighting, settings and composition.

(3) Documenting and capturing memorable moments in a photo journal would be something I would prize for years to come. I still enjoy old photo albums of my family - thank God for digital technology!

I could go on and on, but Taylor McNight has a great tutorial - "Project 365: How to Take a Photo a Day and See Your Life in a Whole New Way" well worth reading.

From a technical standpoint, I'm still playing with the NEW Blogger and thus created a new photoblog - http://wonderdawg365.blogspot.com, but the jury is still out...

UPDATE OK, unless Blogger is simply cumbersome with MacOS, I'm giving up the ghost of creating and tweaking a mutt version of WonderDawg for this project... GRRR...

This is a great time to explore other platforms such as WordPress and TypePad while archiving the photos at my rapidly expanding Flickr account and on my iPhoto hard drive.

This quote sums it up for me:

A man should hear a little music,
read a little poetry,
and see a fine picture every day of his life,
in order that worldly cares may not
obliterate the sense of the beautiful which
God has implanted in the human soul.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(1749-1832)
Poet, dramatist, novelist, and philosopher

Gerald Ford

Every President has quotes attributed to him, good and bad even in photos. Remember Richard Richard Nixon waving goodbye?

Or saying. "I am not a crook."

Even George W. Bush over the campaign season (wincing) "Stay the course".

Gerald Ford had some succient quotes of his own and even a dry wit as well.

My top ten Gerald R. Ford quotations:

A coalition of groups is waging a massive propaganda campaign against the president of the United States. an all-out attack. Their aim is total victory for themselves and total defeat for him.

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.

As I rejected amnesty, so I reject revenge. I ask all Americans who ever asked for goodness and mercy in their lives, who ever sought forgiveness for their trespasses, to join in rehabilitating all the casualties of the tragic conflict of the past.

Even though this is late in an election year, there is no way we can go forward except together and no way anybody can win except by serving the people's urgent needs. We cannot stand still or slip backwards. We must go forward now together.

I am a Ford, not a Lincoln.

I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, so I ask you to confirm me with your prayers.

I had pro offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, who were pretty hard up for linemen in those days. If I had gone into professional football the name Jerry Ford might have been a household word today.

In all my public and private acts as your president, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end.

It's the quality of the ordinary, the straight, the square, that accounts for the great stability and success of our nation. It's a quality to be proud of. But it's a quality that many people seem to have neglected.

The three-martini lunch is the epitome of American efficiency. Where else can you get an earful, a bellyful and a snootful at the same time?

Gerald R. Ford
1913-2006

Photo source

Not exactly in good taste...

Not exactly in good taste... but neither is network news...

After hearing about President Gerald Ford passing away, here's an old 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live featuring Dana Carvey as Tom Brokaw, announcing the various ways Gerald Ford could die. Gerald Ford from reports was good humored about Chevy Chase's parodys of pratfalls, but hated the portrayal privately.

And now, back to the past:



Google Video / SNL / Gerald Ford

Oh my... ironic

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
- ALANIS MORISSETTE

Except the old man turned forty three -

Ralph Stebbins and his wife, Mary, had big plans for the $208-million Mega Millions lottery jackpot they won in April 2005.

Buy a farm. Buy a cow.

But after less than a year of incredible wealth -- taking home a $124.7-million lump-sum payment -- Ralph Stebbins has died at age 43.

Paul Dennis Reid finally has his appeals denied by the Tennessee State Supreme Court with his execution date set for January 3, 2008 (NOT 2007).

He received seven death sentences. In Nashville, he was convicted of the execution-style murders of three Nashville McDonald’s employees who were shot to death after being forced to lie face down on the floor. Source - The Tennessean

Yet in Iraq, former dictator Saddam Hussein is sentenced to die within 30 days...

Dufar, poverty, abortion, lost jobs and another clerk shot in a robbery... I just don't understand or rather I can't wrap my head around the news of the day and the wickedness that abounds everywhere I look...

Every year, I use the days between Christmas and New Year's Day to get a vision of how I can make a difference in this world one life at a time, but I need a new vision and new passion with more vigor to do so...

Life - ain't it ironic indeed...

Spying Out Nashville West

In the Bible, Moses sends 12 spies into the land of Canaan.

Over here in West Nashville, at the huge shopping development know as Nashville West, I've spied out the land from high above and seen vast amounts of asphalt, trees to be planted, walking trails constructed, lanes widened, and in March of 2007 - my shopping days at WalMart ceasing to exist...


Walking trail along Costco parking lot... notice the tunnel under the road...


Super Target from Charlotte Pike


West entrance to Super Target from Charlotte Pike


Super Target, Dick's Sporting Goods?, Best Buy with Interstate 40 in the background.

Previous spy report from October 2006

Tenants already signed are Dick's Sporting Goods, which has taken about 45,000 square feet of space; Best Buy, 30,000 square feet; Ross Dress for Less, 30,000 square feet; and Cost Plus World Market, which has taken 20,000 square feet of space for its first location in the Nashville market. Source: Nashville Business Journal

Random is Good!

Who said random is never good?

I just got word that I have been randomly selected by a computer-of-randomness for a:



Thanks Vincent! and the nice folks over at SlingMedia for cosponsoring the SlingBox Giveaway

Unboxing photos and review coming up soon.

Only at 11 pm Christmas Day...

Only at 11 pm Christmas Day... can one find a Mapco open for gas, a local market open for beer and lottery tickets and WalGreens where all the sick people with coughs, colds and congestion can go to spend $36.00 on NyQuil, Mucinex and Tylenol.

I'm grateful for the friendly help at WalGreens who make the sacrifice probably at $7.00 an hour (hopefully at time and half) to welcome in the masses who are cold and sick that were turned away from Kroger's and WalMart's closed doors.

Ok, I'm feeling better now. Thanks.

And to all, a Merry Christmas!

We done made it through 2006!



See you at the .99 cent store Tuesday! Please be nice to all the retail clerks, don't park in the handicapped spaces and say thank you with a BIG smile!

I am truly blessed man - to all the friends, family, associates, bloggers and readers that I have met in person or via this crazy WonderDawg blog this past year, you have enriched my life in so many ways. I wish you and your loved ones happy times, healthy relationships, and a uplifting holiday season with great prosperity in the New Year!



May peace and blessing be upon you always - God bless!

Holiday Greetings from WonderDawg

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all...

May we also, without prejudice, and with due regard for the force of law currently enacted, wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make weblogging great (not to imply that weblogging is necessarily greater than any other expressions of narcissism or area of choice), and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual orientation of the wishee. Further, no distinctions shall be made to platform used, whether LiveJournal, MySpace, Xanga, Yahoo! 360, WordPress, TypePad or Google's Blogger, old, new and especially Blogger Beta.

Webloggers may weblog about their anticipation of the holiday event(s), post photos and Flickr links on their weblogs of themselves with other webloggers, and with absolutely no reason feel obligated to rush home to weblog about people who are webloggers without penalty or ridicule.

"Holiday" is not intended to, nor shall it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or observances, or to such activities of any organised or ad hoc religious community, group, individual or belief (or lack thereof).



By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This greeting is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This greeting implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for the wishee her/himself or others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the implementation or non-implementation of same.

Batteries are not included or necessary. A life with physical activity and exposure to occasional sunlight is highly recommended.

This greeting is void where prohibited by law and not necessarily limited by sarcasm, snarkiness, typographical errors or small fonts.

Warning: reading this greeting may result in you understanding its contents. Neither WonderDawg or any of its associated companies, employees, contractors, friends, webloggers, Flickr contacts, Blogroll, RSS feeders and animals can be held responsible for any enjoyment, or lack thereof, that this greeting may cause, no matter how severe than enjoyment (or lack thereof) may be. This greeting has been modified from various incarnations since 2002.

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt - Lines

Photo Hunt 37: Lines

Theme: Lines | Join the Photo Hunt | View Blogroll | Visit participants.

With today's theme, I originally thought of architectural lines, ribbons and Christmas lights that intersect i.e. below at a mall:



It's Christmas and with it comes the hustle and bustle of commerce, people with sniffles and cashiers trying their best not to hate humanity...

And then there is a group of persons or things arranged in a row or series: Long lines at the checkout lanes

However today at Target, I really enjoyed the lack of lines by tucking myself away in the corner of STARBUCKS. So here's my choice for today's Photo Hunt - No lines with long architectural lines!



So in the midst of all the commerce on the other side of the wall, I a had a chance to relax and think about the meaning of Christmas, baby Jesus born in a manger, dinner with love ones and family with expressions of love and best wishes; in other word, all that is good about the holidays. Merry Christmas and blessings!

xxx

I joined the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt hosted by TN Chick. You too can play: Join the Photo Hunt There's a different theme every Saturday, and it's a lot of fun visiting the community of participants.

And now a word from our sponsor:

Courtesy of: Astounding Graphics

Mooch the WiFi

My son suggested to me that I should pack up the laptop and get out of the house to work at a local coffee shop for a change of pace. I've tried but could never get comfortable for seven good reasons:

(1) I got plenty of WiFi here at the house as I can move about the house freely or in the backyard with my dogs.

(2) I tend to spread out with my gear.

(3) There's only so much caffeine with shots of vanilla, leave room for creme Ventis I can handle at $3 or $4 bucks a pop.

(4) I get easily distracted being sociable.

(5) The guy over at the next table is a Bud Light Mr. Really Loud Cell Phone Talker Guy

(6) What do I do with my stuff and gear if I have to go potty? (I might as well be home)

(7) I can't sit on those hard chairs seeing multiple violations of man laws around me i.e. seeing a man walking in carrying a dog smaller than a football.

Now I have never understood the business model of a Starbucks or Caribou Coffee to allow single customers to dominate a table for hours. Even at the downtown library, the computers are dominated by homeless guys killing time. A lunch buddy told me they play Yahoo! Pool against one another !!!

What about the owner's prospective?

Wireless Internet cafes are the most cost-effective office space ever, but you know you're mooching. A cup of coffee is good for thirty minutes at a table, but what if you're going to be there all day, maybe every day?

What's the protocol at Wi-Fi cafes?

UPDATED: Other Views about WiFi

Coffeeshop Turns off Wi-Fi on Weekends

Would you like some coffee with that wifi?

coffee, wi-fi and the decline of western civilization

Free WiFi spawns cafe backlash

Make Any Occasion Special

My momma warned me about surfing the net...



Make Any Occasion Special

Holiday Lights for you and me!

After being cooped up with a sore throatkee, I needed to get out, shake off the cabin fever and survey the West Nashville area for some traditional Christmas yard decorating. From West Meade through Charlotte Park down Robertson Road over to Natchez Trace back through Centennial Park I went.

There is no such thing as tacky Christmas decorations in my book! Surely EVERYBODY had fun hanging the lights and assembling the big lawn ornaments... brings a smile to my face knowing that people are celebrating the Christmas holidays regardless of Griswold like tastes and efforts!

Bethany: Is your house on fire, Clark?
Clark: No, Aunt Bethany, those are the Christmas lights.

Here's a sample of some of my favorite houses... and Merry Christmas ya'll.


- Henry Ford Drive


- Robertson Road


- Robertson Road


- Ashwood at Natchez Trace


- Parthenon at Centennial Park

Want to see more? Visit my Flickr set

T-Rac proved too much for the man...

T-Rac proved too much for the man
So he's leavin' the life he's come to know
He said he's goin' back to find what's left of his world
The world he left behind not so long ago...

From the wire: "Adrian McPherson believes his career with the New Orleans Saints came to a premature end due to an injury caused when he was struck in the right knee by a small ATV driven by the Tennessee Titans' mascot in August. Now, McPherson wants the Titans to pay up."



Albert Haynesworth, PacMan, and now T-Rac!

What Adrian McPherson didn't know about raccons:

While the raccoon is often described and portrayed as a sweet, cute, and even cuddly animal, never approach a wild raccoon. A fierce animal when threatened, they can defend themselves against much larger animals. Sharp teeth, sharp claws, agility, and strength, all make the raccoon the survivor that he is. LINK

Wonder if I could get something when T-Rac muffed his high-five and smack me on top of the head at the Ravens game?

He made me say aww shucks...

The Dry Spot aka Smiley (you may know him as CeeElCee, The Amazing Adonis, Hay You, Art E. Choke, The Artful Idea Guy or the Paper Man) wrote a nice ditty / poetry piece on me for his 12 Days of Blogger Christmas.

I've had an African American pastor preach my introduction for twenty minutes (which only left me fifteen minutes to speak) in Memphis once, my kids with their home made, love filled Father's Day and Birthday cards and Mrs. WonderDawg's affectionate love cards, but never a Kerry0ke ditty. Very honoring indeed especially from a class act gent.

I met for the first time the Poetry Man* during a Mothership BBQ support group back on June 29th with Busy Mom and Sista Smiff. Mrs. WonderDawg and I had a lunch date together and while she was excused to the powder room, I overhead the table next to me talk nicely about some names that sounded familiar. Thus I turned around and asked, "Are you bloggers?" It was that day I met three of the nicest and talented bloggers you'll ever want to get a laugh out of.

Here's the man himself - Mr. CeeElCee gracing the walls where our Vince Young era Tennessee Titans play before Mr. L.P. Fields took over the Coliseum naming rights.



Thanks my friend - and Merry Christmas!



* CeeElCee is a hit with the ladies - I thought I heard at one time that he played bass in Phoebe Snow's band and Phoebe wrote a song about him:

Ooooo, ya, ya, ya, ya
Ooooo, ya
You make me laugh
'Cause your eyes they light the night
They look right through me, la, la, la
You bashful boy
You're hiding something sweet
Please give it to me, yeah, to me, ya
To me
Ooh, oh, talk to me some more
You don't have to go
You're the Poetry Man
You make things all right, ya, ya

The Curse of Chunky (Titans Win)

"Campbell's Chunky Soup, the most dangerous soup not served in a Thai restaurant" nugget of truth comes from the blog Chunky Soup Curse

So what is the Chunky Soup Curse?

John writes: The Chunky Soup Curse is the belief that every NFL player who endorses Campbell's Chunky Soup will suffer a rash of carrer- or even life-threatening injuries, failure on the field, humiliation and ultimately defeat.

Strangely, the curse does not directly stand in the way of success. It just mangles you, and eventually the mangling causes failures.

For example: Kurt Warner went to a second Super Bowl after being cursed. He just also mangled his hand the next season and had seven turnovers in a single game because of the hand. And he eventually ended up with the Arizona Cardinals.

Well, I'm of the belief that if one watches too much NFL football like I usually do every Sunday (and now Thursday & Saturday plus the NFL Replay - the four most-exciting games each week in a 90 minute format - all on the NFL Channel), the the Curse will ooze out of the TV and onto some unsuspecting soul... like me.


I've been aware of the Curse since Philly QB Donovan McNabb's Big Momma started serving the stuff up on commercials... and you'll have to visit the mentioned blog to get the full scoop. Now McNabb's Big Momma might be kinda getting old or she may be a little loose in the kitchen letting roaches crawl into the soup (they good too!)

Last week, I'm at Kroger shopping with Mrs. WonderDawg when I see Campbell's Chunky Soup on sale for $1.79. WOW, that's only 20 cents more expensive than WalMart - and Kroger never has soup on sale, because they rather sell pallets of Ramon Noodle Soup in those ten for .99 cents packages to those with college student budgets and tastes. It was cold last weekend and I had a real desire for soup, even if it came in a can. I gave some thought of violating my covenant of "Any Place But Shoney's" to have seven big bowls of soup from the hot bar, but the only soup Shoney's has been primarily serving for the last ten years is cabbage beef soup.

As soon as I put the two cans of Campbell's Chunky Soup Slow Roasted Beef with Mushrooms in the cart, my stomach started churning... I told Mrs. WonderDawg better hurry it up, as I need to head out... I always heard never shop at the supermarket while hungry to prevent buying junk food. That morning I had just a little too much coffee and fiber; fortunately we were at the Belle Meade Kroger, so I drove home to excuse myself and was back in 20 minutes. (I never use public restrooms)

So today, I'm laid up with a bad sore throat and my back hurts from laying around, so some good comfort food includes grilled cheese sandwiches and Campbell's Chunky Soup. I make the two sandwiches quickly so as to not arouse my two dogs with the power of cheese and pop open the can of soup into a microwave bowl. The pop top emitted a carbonated like sound which I thought was unusual, but because I shook the can I didn't think anything about it.

After nuking for three and 1/2 minutes, my soup had this bubbly surface that hung around like a witch's brew after stirring. I took a spoonful into my mouth - with an ammonia flavored taste hitting my taste buds, I immediately recognized the Chunky Soup Curse demons wanted to invade my weak body and do bodily (and bowel) damage, so I said no way! I flush the soup and its Slow Roasted in Hell Beef with Mushroom demons back to the pits of hell down the garbage disposal immediately.



I retrived the can of out the trash bin for further inspection - no dents in the can.

So my health was spared from The Chunky Soup Curse.

As for the NFL action, my beloved Dallas Cowboys beat the Atlanta Falcons with 17 unanswered points; our Tennessee Titans scrimmaged the Jacksonville Jaguars offense for 44 minutes of stellar defense and won big; the Denver Broncos beat the hapless Arizona Cardinals and for good measure, the axis of evil Washington Redskins made me feel great beating the New Orleans FEMA Saints after the thrashing last week of the Cowboys. QB Donovan McNabb? Remember how he hurt his knee during the Titans/Eagles game? - he's out for the season.

So by not eating the Chunky Soup, all of our favorite NFL teams won. And I still have this bad cough.

What's in your pantry? Cast those demons out now!


McNabb photo credit

Simply Stunning

Saturday night we drove into the beautiful sunset into Madison, TN ....



to witness a simply stunning Christmas Choir Concert at Cornerstone Church.



Powerful choir singing classic Christmas songs and Christian worship music; kids singing Jingle Bells, ice skating on the stage, a brief Christmas message by Pastor Maury Davis and perhaps the highlight for me and many others, a song about "all I want for Christmas is a soldier coming home."



The warm welcome by members of the church, videos, outstanding production and technical effects coupled with enthusiam by the talented musicians and solists, performers and choir made for one of the most memorable and moving Christmas celebrations ever.



The nearly full house enjoyed the gift to the community from Cornerstone Church - highly impressive. Many thanks!

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt - Annoying

Photo Hunt 36: Annoying

Theme: Annoying | Join the Photo Hunt | View Blogroll | Visit participants.

Causing vexation or irritation; troublesome: an annoying cough.

transitive verb
1 : to disturb or irritate especially by repeated acts
2 : to harass especially by quick brief attacks
intransitive verb : to cause annoyance

Hmmm, should I post a picture of a Hummer parked in a handicapped parking space at WalMart or the classic blue screen of death:



Grrr.

Annoying indeed.

Windows XP, why you vex me so?

Thanks Apple for my iMac.

P.S. Ms. Hummer from the suburbs, please don't park in the handicapped space again. Height of 5'2" while talking on a cell phone does not entited you to a handicapped parking space.

Other annoying things by people

xxx

I joined the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt hosted by TN Chick. You too can play: Join the Photo Hunt There's a different theme every Saturday, and it's a lot of fun visiting the community of participants.

THUNDER in your home

I received some emails about the status of Thunder, the dog I met at the Nashville Humane Association. Thunder is still waiting for a good home with a big yard...



Earlier this week I wrote:
Thunder is a collie/shepherd/lab mix, neutered male, 5 to 6 years old, weights about 66 lbs and he tells me (I'm kinda like Dr. Doolittle) that he's been around other dogs and older kids - he would like a place that has a lot of running room. Thunder would be so GRATEFUL if someone would take him home today. A super gentle dog that I think would make an excellent side kick buddy.

Give them a call at 615 352-1010 or stop by and see them at 213 Oceola in West Nashville 37209

The adoption fee is $85.00 for dogs and $75.00 for cats.

We'd like to take in Thunder, but we already have Ally and Diggy. Spread the word if you know anyone that is willing to bring some unconditional love into their homes this holiday season.

Many thanks!

BTW, Shauna wrote this nice comment:

I have a lot of love for the Nashville Humane Association. Alex Pudl ran out the front door one Saturday morning and never looked back. My husband walked and drove around searching for him, but didn't have any luck. A few hours later I called them to report him missing, and he was there! I don't know who dropped him off there, but I'm eternally grateful and try to give something to the shelter whenever I get the chance.

This Is So NOT Christmas!

I went undercover via spycam at Sam Walton's to show yo peeps this:





I couldn't bring myself to charge $24.95, photograph it and return it. I always thought Christmas traditions die hard, but with upside down trees, blue pointsettas and NOW Hip Hop Santa. I'm somewhat perplexed and disappointed to see Santa Clause dressed like this.

Would you own this? And why?

Road Trippin' Nashville

You've ever seen those guides that recommend taking one day road trips out of Nashville to exotic places like state parks, antique stores, countryside settings (yawn)... Yeah, they're pretty and all, but the driving to and fro gets tiresome for me... I use to be able to hunker down in a car and travel for sixteen hours straight, but over the years, my new threshold is three hours. Driving to Memphis or Knoxville is pushing my limit, let alone Atlanta traffic.

I think my love of savoring the sights and rich textures of the visuals that I encounter along the way give me pause to pull over and take a picture. Digital cameras with my Asian(ness) is a toxic mix. I make a great tourist! I really enjoy launching out in a new city and making memories via snapshots. Mrs. WonderDawg is not fond of my "Oh Look! Did You See That! Stop! Go Back Around the Block!"

For example, she had a day off today. Actually we had planned to be in Seattle for a long weekend to see our son Gary at McChord Air Force base. Turns out he was scheduled to fly out on a training mission in one of those monster C-17 cargo planes, so we would have missed seeing him on our visit. But next spring is our rescheduled time frame which will give us time to renew our passports, see Vancouver, Canada and spend more time in Seattle, as we have never seen that part of the country.

Turns out, Seattle experienced a monsoon. Watching a bit of the NFL football game showed cascading water with 40 mph winds. Nope, the only time I enjoy rain is when my vegetable garden is planted and when the earth needs a bath in springtime.

We head out to get our Civic tested for emissions over in West Nashville off of Centennial Blvd. I've always seen the Tennessee State Penitentiary off of Briley Parkway, but this morning it seem appropriate having lived in Nashville for twenty eight years to take a first time, look 'n' see since we were in the neighborhood.



The old Tennessee State Penitentiary closed in June 1992. As part of the settlement in a class action suit, Grubbs v. Bradley (1983), the federal court issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the Tennessee Department of Correction from ever again housing inmates at the Tennessee State Prison. link

The architecture is stunning; with the vast expanse of land and access to the highway, this would be a good place for some condos/office space!



We saw a sign that idenfied a Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction (TRICOR) Finished goods warehouse with trucks out front, so the space must be utilized to some extent.



The old Tennessee State Penitentiary has become somewhat of a celebrity itself, housing such Hollywood productions as the HBO movie "Against the Wall" (for which it was painted red) and Bruce Beresford's "Last Dance" with Sharon Stone. During the week the company filmed there, many of [THE GREEN MILE] the cast and crew ended up touring the penitentiary's old Death Row building, Unit 6, a low, one-story rectangular stretch of brick that sits adjacent to the main administration building. Among its many inhabitants over the years was felon James Earl Ray. Link