15. Transportation #JanBlogaDay

When I was still being formed in my mother's womb, my parents owned a tiny little Fiat.  I can't picture it.  I think it got broadsided by a pickup, but because it was raining and because the car was so light, the car just slid away.  I'm led to believe that if it hadn't been raining or it had been a larger car that held its ground there's a good chance I wouldn't be here today.

The first car I remember is a large green Dodge that would have made Al Bundy proud.  I remember when we came back from Longview in May 1980, piles of ash would collect under it every time we washed it.

Guess that's why in 1981 we replaced it with a Chevy Malibu.  I still remember standing in the garage and just feeling kind of giddy when they'd start it up.  It just had such a power and exciting roar to it.  We had that car for a *long* time as that was also the car I learned to drive in.  KKZ 912.

In 1984, the Buick Skylark joined the stable.  I don't know what it replaced, I have a mental block, I can't even remember what was in the other side of the garage next to the Malibu.  The pool table?  Did we even have two cars?  EZX 094.  Why do I remember these????!?!?

14. Food #JanBlogaDay

I'll take the doughnut pizza.
(You can keep your PBR, you silly, dirty hipsters.)

Ah, food.  My mortal enemy.  Can't live without it, can't live with myself after when I enjoy it.  I have an interesting dieting plan.  I will pick a goal, I will work until I've come within 3 pounds of the goal, and then I will abandon the goal and gain lots of weight.  Not sure why.  I'm like the snail in the well - climb up three inches each day, slip back two each night.  I'm making progress, but it's incredibly slow.

We've assembled into a team for the quarter and one of the big topics at our kick-off meeting was about what caused someone to have to bring doughnuts - what kind of rule violation.  I begged that they keep that to a minimum and they tossed something back at me about a fruit of the spirit being "self-control" and I threw something back about not being wired that way and how they shouldn't lead me into temptation.  I'm not sure it worked and I just became the cranky guy who doesn't like doughnuts.  Only, anyone who really knows me knows that's really, really, really not the case.

Don't Live in the Past

An origin story is nice, even for Band-Aid Brand Adhesives, I suppose. But I finally had to turn the box around, I got tired of reading about Earle Dickson and his clumsy wife every time I opened the vanity in our bathroom.

Band-Aids are no longer the only type (or cheapest kind) of, um, well, band-aid you can buy. Perhaps they should add another paragraph on the patents and research since then - how they continue to innovate.

That would be the kind of affirmation that tells the customers they made the right choice and why they should continue to reach for Band-Aid Brand Adhesives in the future and not one of the cheap brands. (Can you tell I'm reading "Start with Why"?)

13. Ten Things Fail Jameses for the Day #JanBlogaDay

Today we've been issued the topic Top Ten. We don't get much more than a common theme to go from. Sometimes that can be challenging, other times it's quite easy. I convinced my wife to participate and it's been really interesting to see what she commits to screen in a long-form post. She's the queen of Facebook (every post generates enough comments and likes to be its own forum) but I love the insight that comes from the longer thoughts.

So I've been thinking about Top Ten today. I like lists. Lists are my thing. Before I even knew what the topic was, I was making a list. The past few nights I (and the whole family) have been blessed with good sleep. But then last night, we weren't. Rachel and I made poor choices (me staying up too late, her waking up in the middle of the night and choosing to camp out by the supply cabinet eating snacks and reading books), Ben had a period of wakefulness and Lori just didn't sleep well with lots of tossing and turning. So what I was thinking about in my head was how I would react today. I've had a lot of days lately with negativity and I thought it was just how things were, but these past few days, yesterday in particular, showed me just how valuable a great night's sleep can really be.

So if the only difference between yesterday and today was the quality of sleep (and the disappointing near miss by the Seahawks), here's what I need to be cognizant of today:

1. Interruption Frustration - I learned about this from the free therapy I get by attending Rachel's Neurobehavioral consults. This is when you're so engrossed in something that interruptions are seismic, cataclysmic. She and I both suffer from this. I've learned to endure them silently, giving my attention to the interruption while inside what's going on isn't so pretty. Rachel lets the inside out and it can be scary. For her, we've learned to ease into things that will be a disruption. For me, I've learned to remain calm. My ability to shift gears into the interruption is far improved with a good night's sleep.

Tactic/Response: Anticipate interruptions and mentally prepare for them, do not allow myself to become so engrossed that it's difficult to temporarily surface and shift gears.

2. Plan Disruption - that's happening at this exact moment. I had a plan to work on this post and now I'm being asked to do something else as a member of this household and not a selfish person focusing only on myself.

Tactic/Response: Reprioritize. Put the laptop back on top of the printer and walk away. This post can wait. A child needs tickling. Lori's still on the clock her job needs her somewhere else at the moment. At minimum, prepare to multitask.

3. Overstimulation - I can over-stimulated by too much noise especially when I'm trying to think.

Tactic/Response: Be involved in the noise-making if necessary. Eliminate unnecessary noise (fans, music, cat meowing) where possible. (Don't worry, not eliminating the cat, just figuring out why he's meowing and stop him.)  Take a break if the noise is too distracting and can't be eliminated (like a child's TV show.. those are only 22 minutes long anyhow.)

4. Financial Anxiety - It's bill-paying day. The finances are a bit touchy and complicated at the moment.

Tactic/Response: Remind myself that there's nothing to be anxious about and much to celebrate - Lori and I are on the same page to a greater degree than we have ever been before, we've spent the week reducing costs and setting some goals in a way we never have been before. We're making progress, we have a plan.

What Are We Listening To? (Christian)

It looks like I haven't done this since mid-2011. There's not a lot of movement. As our library grows, I think it takes more to change things, that you get a first-mover advantage going on. "Here With Us" rocketed to the top of this list as well but most of the music here has been at the top for awhile. I guess we haven't bought as much new (Christian) music this year. I think we've done more Pandora this year, especially Lori where she's got a few good stations aimed at the type of Christian music (she's got stations like "JJ Heller Radio," "Praise Bands," "Reliant K Radio" and "Tommy Walker Radio").

One recent addition to our collection that I've really liked is "The Story," a compilation of artists singing songs from the perspective of different Bible characters. There's a lot in there that make great between-service music for those mornings when I'm running sound at church.

Without further ado, here's the top 25:

1. Here With Us - Joy Williams [9]
2. Ancient Words - Michael W. Smith [3]
3. My Savior My God - Aaron Shust [2]
4. In Christ Alone - Adrienne Liesching (with Geoff Moore) [1]
5. You Are Holy (Prince of Peace) - Michael W. Smith [5]
6. Keep The Candle Burning - Point of Grace [4]
7. Secret Ambition - Michael W. Smith [6]
8. Dive - Steve Curtis Chapman [10]
9. In Christ Alone - Adrienne Liesching (with Geoff Moore) [new] - apparently I like this song so much two copies made it into the top 25. I wonder if last time I combined them.
10. Back Home - JJ Heller [15]

12. Recovery #JanBlogaDay

I've mentioned before about how late last year I jumped off the diet wagon with reckless abandon and glee and then turned around and ate the wagon and the horses and then the road we were traveling on. I stopped running, walking weighing myself, and it was as if I wanted to destroy all the progress I had made, like I was seeking out weight gain. As if there was something inside me saying "Too little! Too thin! You must be fatter!" And I reveled in it, sad as that is.

And then came the new year. It wasn't so much a resolution as just an acknowledgement that the debauchery was over, it was time to be responsible again.

And for the most part, I'm happy to report that it wasn't too difficult. I found the road, found the wagon, climbed back on and we're underway again.

What Are We Listening To? (Christmas)

I'm surprised to see that I haven't done this since January 2011. My goal had been to do Christmas yearly and everything else twice a year. I'm also surprised to see what happens when you allow some songs to be in rotation all year ("Here With Us" and BNL's "Jingle Bells" and all the "Let It Snow" variations.) I want to look to see if there are some more of a Christmas theme that would make good year-round music like JJ Heller's "Wake Up the World." So here's the top 25 list from iTunes. The 2011 rankings in [brackets]. Links to Amazon so that you can listen to short clips if you're not familiar with any of these.



1. Here With Us - Joy Williams [3]

2. Jingle Bells - Barenaked Ladies [1]

3. Linus & Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio [new]

4. Christmas Lullaby - Mannheim Steamroller [new]

5. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Dean Martin [new]

6. I Saw Three Ships - Mannheim Steamroller [new]

7. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Bing Crosby [new]

8. Let It Snow - Celtic Woman [new]

9. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Frank Sinatra [new]

10. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow! - Jaci Velasquez [new]