Desktop Calendars

In this great world there exists mighty people that are responsible for creating what many individuals use as their daily avenue for gaining nuggets of wisdom... desktop calendars. Take a trip to your local Barnes and Noble and you'll see that you can purchase these things in a variety of styles (2006 Cynthia Hart's Victoriana Wall Calendar... Anyone? Anyone?? Bueller?). They also come with varying types of content that are meant to show some sort of glimpse into your personality while it perches itself on top of your cluttered desk (maybe more of a sign of your real personality). For example, my desktop calendar is packed full of pictures of Italy. I've never been to Italy, but would like to go someday and I do enjoy travel. However, I have discovered the reason why they only make these as a one year calendar instead of more. You see, as we get closer to the end of the year, we start becoming apathetic and sometimes down right hateful about our beloved desktop calendar and its content. Here's an example of the short conversation I have had in my head as I walk into my office at work over the last year after I got my calendar for Christmas:

-So I says to myself "SELF!" (shout out to Emeril):

January 05- It's time to open this beautiful calendar and see what awesome pictures there are of Italy. I hope this will remind me of my desire to travel and see God's awesome earth.

April 05- Oh how I love the hills of Italy. Rome, Positano, and Sicilia!

July 05- So today is Friday, but my calendar says Tuesday... I need to keep better track of the days and peel these off more often. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday... Ahhh Venice, you are gorgeous for a Friday picture.

October 05- Italy. yeah whatever. You're pretty, but I'm getting tired of gondolas and ancient ruins. Where's my coffee??

November 05- I fully plan on being more intrigued by the sticky goo that holds all the pages together at the top and when pulled off makes an interesting snot like substance that I think the Keebler Elves create when taking a break from cookie baking.

December 15, 2005- I'm tired of Italy. Maybe I won't get a calendar for next year...

December 25, 2005- Ohhhh boy!! 365 days of New Ways to Eat French Fries! I've gotta see this.

Quote Worthy

"Men always want to be a woman's first love; women have a more subtle instinct; what they like is to be a man's last romance."--Unknown. Quoted in A Father's Book of Wisdom

"Like a towering oak tree, lasting love needs time to develop strong roots." -- Tommy Nelson

"Burn!"

On our way in to work this morning, Karen and I took the back way and drove behind "Lexington Mall." This is usually a nice shortcut to drive through because the "mall" is vacant and has been for many years. As a child, I remember going to this mall full of all kinds of stores to do Christmas shopping or just to get some new clothes. Not anymore. The owners have been letting the original leases run out and not allowing stores to renew them... not that they would want to anyway. This supposed "mall" is as empty as my wallet and hasn't drawn in customers for decades. What? You mean you DON'T want to shop in stores decorated with 1970's tile and carpet with 8' ceilings?? Gasp! Anyway, so as we drive through the parking lot, we notice that an entire part of the building has been knocked down and is being removed. In fact, they are tearing the whole thing down and replacing it with a strip mall full of actual stores with merchandise (say it ain't so!). Karen and I couldn't help but chuckle at the site of this decrepit building in a prime real estate area being shredded to pieces. We felt like that old bitter couple in the movie "What About Bob." You know, the couple that was supposed to buy their dream house after saving for years and years but then had it snatched away from them by Dr. Leo Marvin. Throughout the movie they sit in their fishing boat on the lake and heckle the Marvin's with it coming to a head when the house starts to burn down at the end. In that scene, all they do is throw their hands in the air and yell "BURN! BURN! BURN! HAHAHA!"

Well Lexington Mall, "BURN! BURN! BURN!" Bring in new property with worth-while merchandise... like a Ben and Jerry's or something.

(Disclaimer: if something you should happen to Lexington Mall, like ACTUALLY catching on fire instead of figuratively, I swear I had nothing to do with it! This is just a joke and the writer has no intention of setting stuff on fire except wood in his fireplace... I just enjoy seeing the demolishing of this crappy building.)

Aren't disclaimers great? So take THAT to the stupid lady that won millions of dollars from McDonalds when she spilled hot coffee on herself and complained that the product didn't warn her it was hot! It's coffee... enough said.

Children are weird, right?

Last week my sister Kristi ran across this article that discusses single life vs the need to be married. It's an interesting read and much food for thought. So if you're interested, take a look:

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001135.cfm

There is also an article from Boundless that defends the original article here:

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001145.cfm

I won't go into the details or my thoughts on the articles themselves, but I think it's well worth reading as food for thought. I did, however, want to point out one quote that stuck out at me as a D.I.N.K. (Dual Income No Kids). My wife and I babysit our nephew Noah, which is a complete joy for us, but I must admit that we are still baffled by children at times. We've come a long way and are wanting to start a family of our own in the next few years... but still. They are such odd creatures :). Back to the article since I know I am beginning to ramble... The author is talking about how a single friend of hers deals with children when she comes to her house to hang out.

"When visiting friends who have small children, she might smile at them or politely bat them away or ask questions about them as if they’re a species of plant and she’s not someone particularly interested in botany."

Ha!! I remember feeling the same way when I used to see babies! Hopefully I've gotten better now that I have a nephew. I've stopped asking my species of plant questions like:

1. What is THAT coming out of their nose??"
2. So how fast do they grow?
3. Can it do any tricks?
4. Is it supposed to be that color all of the time or does that change too?
5. Do they really sleep all day and only bloom for 15 minutes at a time?

Ahh, maybe someday I'll have my own little plants to raise.