I'll Give A Dollar to Anyone Who Can Find My Voice!

Last Wednesday after work I noticed my throat starting to get sore. When I woke up Thursday my voice was hoarse and was starting to disappear. I took a couple of over the counter cold remedies and went to work anyway. By the time I got home from work my voice was practically gone. Later that evening, I was sitting on the couch attempting to talk to my family. I jokingly said, "I'll give a dollar to anyone who can tell me where to find my voice!"

My daughter, in a somewhat serious voice said, "Go lay down in the bed and go to sleep and you will find you voice in the morning!"

Good answer. She wanted to know if I would really give her a dollar if it worked. I told her I would. Unfortunately for her, when I woke up this morning, my voice was even worse than before. As I type, I have no voice at all, just a few squeaks.

It did give me a chance to show a movie to my adult students at work though. Since I couldn't speak, I showed them the classic movie, Arsenic and Old Lace, starring Cary Grant.

The younger students laughed at the fact the movie was black and white. Some of them refused to watch and chose to go our study lab to work on other topics. I gave them a fairly difficult writing assignment about, {Which famous person from history they would most want to spend the day with, and why?}, instead. For those who stayed, they got to enjoy the film, and then write a short GED style essay about. {Would you protect someone you loved from going to jail for murder?}. Good Huh! The younger students who stayed to watch the film actually enjoyed the show even though it was in "black and white."

The Feet of God

This is a must read and very inspiring story I found on CNN.com
It is a great example of God's work in action. I wish more Christians would do something like this to help the homeless rather than just look down on them in disgust.

The story is called...Runner Gets Homeless on Right Track. (click to read)

I like finding good stories in the news. Not all the world is going to crap you know!

Some 2008 Movies I Am Anxiously Awaiting to See!

Borrowing a cue from my friend Tech Daddy, I thought I would list a few of the upcoming movies for 2008 that I am anxiously awaiting to see. Some of them have already come to the theaters and I need to just go and watch them, others are due out soon, and some later this year. Here is my list! Click on the names of the movies to see the trailers.

1. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything (a Veggie Tales Movie) -- already in theaters.

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Silver Skull (Opens May 22)

3. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Opens May 16)

4. The Dark Knight (Opens July 18)

5. WALL-E (Opens June 27)

6. Iron Man (Opens May 2)

7. The Incredible Hulk (Opens June 13)

8. Horton Hears a Who -- already in theaters

9. Kung Fu Panda (Opens June 6)

10. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (Opens April 18th nationwide, it's in some theaters already.)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out November 21, but alas no trailer for it yet.

The next James Bond movie also comes out November 7. It is called Quantum of Solace. By clicking this you will get to see a "Behind the Scenes" clip about the filming of the new Bond film.

If you have any more exciting movie suggestions let me know. It looks to be a great movie year, I hope!

Hey! I'm a Handy Man

Normally the words "Handy Man" and me don't go well together. I sadly tend to defer to my father to help me out when it comes to changing out plumbing or electric items. This has sadly also come with a price. Not only has it given my dad the "authority" to feel he can tell me what to do when it comes to trying to fix up my house or other advice about insurance etc..., it also gave me feelings of inadequacy about my own manhood. I have always felt doubt or fear when it came to even attempting to do something a "handy man" would do.

Today, I took matters into my own hands. Our kitchen faucet was leaking. Leaking so bad it was starting to run out onto the kitchen floor. I checked out the situation and determined the washers and connections to our kitchen faucet were old and out of date. So the wife and I decided to buy a new faucet. Still not sure of my own abilities I called my dad to see if he could help me take out the old faucet and install the new one on Tuesday. When I got home, however; I was determined to change out the faucets by myself, without my dad's help.

I got home, changed clothes, took out my tools and started to work. I did find out there is very little work room under a kitchen sink. After much groaning, twisting, and praying that God give me the strength to do something by myself, I finally got the old nuts/bolts/washers (whatever) loosened and the old faucet was gone. Following the "easy install" directions, I soon had the new faucet installed. After a few checks for leaks, the faucet was declared usable by me!

I (thanks be to God) did it! I was a Handy Man. This has given me a great boost of confidence (again thanks be to God), that has helped me decided to try another little project in the next few days.

The only thing that has dampened my mood about being a "Handy Man", was that while I was fixing the faucet; I was listening to my Texas Rangers getting beat up by the Seattle Mariners to start the 2008 MLB Season. They (the Rangers) are currently loosing 5-2 in the top of the 8th.

P.S. -- added 4-1-08 (The Rangers lost 5-2) Bummer!