Simply put. It’s really a broad question, but there have been things lately that have been happening both to me and my friends that are just rather negative. There have been lots of stuff happening the month of July and most of it is bad. Kids dying, friends moving, one health concern, another health concern, stress at work, the list is big this month.
Should Sunset consider this a “Black July”?
What is God telling me?
Was reading some blogs today (like every day…) and I came across this picture. If you didn’t know that Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, anyone?) was making a movie based upon the award winning Xbox game, Halo, now you do. One of the best parts of the game (They’re all good really) are the vehicles. This one is “The Warthog” and this isn’t a model…
It’s a full honest to goodness working vehicle!
It’s located in New Zealand where Peter’s special effects shop is at. Special thanks for Patrick for pointing this out!
I’m in awe…
-Michael
Last night was much needed fun time. This week has just been a terrible one and last night was a nice breath of fresh air. I got an email from Dallas, one of Jay’s relatives (brother in law?) explaining that Jay was having a baby shower. Not any normal shower though, a Texas Holdem baby shower! And you’re thinking What?!?@#?$?!
It was fun!
But I must admit, I felt like a newb. I was a newb, I have never played before. So I was sorta freakin out and this is real embarrassing here…towards the beginning, I thought we were playing with real money.
:blink:
The first 3 rounds I was totally under the impression that whatever chips I was throwing in the pot was actually money coming out of my wallet. After I had asked Josh a few questions, it all made sense though. This is where the fun began.
Now knowing that the chips I was throwing in the pot weren’t Comcast, Verizon, or any other bill that I probably needed to pay (My house lender, Brian was playing next to me) I felt a little more confident.
But this was still my first time, and it totally showed! Twice I played a hand thinking of just a pair when I actually had something better. Beginners luck I believe. Jay and Kirk both gave short run downs of the game and that helped a bit, but the order of types of hands was initially confusing.
I’m not sure how I did it, it was certainly not skill, but after a few successful wins, I had a lot of chips. I also picked up on some poker terminology like “commanding the table” and “throwing some weight”, and of course…the stupid blinds. Very interesting game.
Checking in on the other table (there were 2, plus another for…snicker…the losers) I saw Matt, Jay, Dallas, Janet and Jenni. There were others, but I don’t remember their names. When we first arrived, Matt told me of a great quest to totally annihilate Brian. I guess they have history. So you think when you see the picture to the left, Matt is raising his hands in victory, right?
HAHAHAHA
Not quite. Before I left, Matt was in the losers table. :p And I was looking forward to playing him.
There was a frustrating part of this though. So it was getting close to when we needed to leave to pick up Zaeda, so I figured ok…make some really large bets on cards that I know aren’t very good. Going out in glory!
Not really.
The last three rounds that I played I was trying to lose the chips… but I won. Bah! I had most of the chips on the table (I think…) and didn’t want to just get up and walk.
“Operator, I need an exit!”
But the last round I played I won big…and it was already past the time I needed to leave so I had to walk. Oh well. Throughout the night, I saw Jay getting LOTS of chips so I was hoping to play him too, but until next baby shower Jay…I will be training specifically for YOU!
So I have been tracking a nasty rumor that Apple and Microsoft have inked a licensing deal where the iPhone would have Exchange ActiveSync support for talking to our Exchange servers. How cool would that be? Well…Mary Jo Foley is reporting that the deal is done and it may be out towards the beginning of fall.
Looks like I may have to pick one of those bad boys up…
Ever feel like a walking zombie? You know what I’m talking about. You feel like your just on autopilot, you know what to do (sometimes) but while you do it, it just doesn’t feel like you’re there. You don’t give it your all, your A-Game, 100% or you’re just not you?
This has been me the past month or so. Just walking around like there is a cloud or a haze…just blurry. What can make you feel this way? Lots of things. Changes in your job, changes in your family, something that shakes you to the core, stuff that just changes when you least expect it. Today Sunset received some news that I have been dealing with for awhile and after today I thought it was going to get better, but it’s just getting worse.
A co-worker of mine, Matt Singley is leaving his position at Sunset. Not only is he leaving, he is moving down to Bel Air, CA for a new position @ Bel Air Presbyterian Church. This has been extremely hard for me to swallow. Matt is not just any friend, he is a best friend. I first met him while I was working at Fry’s Electronics 6 years ago and my life has never been the same since. Add also role model and mentor to the list, and you get a fraction of how I feel about him leaving. I like how Jay said it best…that both him and I are fighting a “bout of depression”.
I’ve been going day after day with a lump in my throat. I was hoping it would go away, but it hasn’t. I feel terrible because I feel very selfish and I need to think positively.
If I could say something to the staff down there, it would be this: You are getting an amazing leader who not only has a passion for Christ, but has been blessed with the ability to lead and direct successful ministry. What Matt has done @ Sunset is just incredible. One of the best parts is Matt is authentic. He will give you the straight answer, the first time.
There will be change people, don’t be afraid of it…embrace it.
Michael
Pray for me today, another hard one ahead…
So I was doing my normal morning reading and I saw this on the sidebar. I never look at the side bar stuff as it’s mostly ads and I like to mentally block them. This is not an ad though, this is a link to another article about lip balm.
Lip Balm you say?
Yes. What could be harmful about that? Well a magazine, Famous, is giving off free sticks of lip balm from manufacturer Softlips. The magazine is targeting the teen group of girls, 12-17 years old. Technically nothing wrong with that although I have some fundamental problems with the content…but that’s for another post. What makes this interesting is that the lip balm that Softlips puts in with the magazine is…
alcohol flavored!
“Michael…you HAVE to be kidding?!?!”. I wish I was. Famous claims that they are targeting the demographic of 18-34 year olds, but you and I both know know about those magazine towards the beginning of the check-out aisles…they’re aimed at our young girls.
I’ll let you read the article and decide. Am I totally off on this? Is there a little bit of understanding that I’m just missing? Tell me your thoughts here, I would love to hear them!
OOh warm weather is so sweet! Last week Arianna ( Mike’s youngest sister) Zaeda and I went to the beach! We started out at Seaside where we saw the Aquarium ( Zaeda’s first time.) Zaeda looked at all the animals ( or fish.. or whatever..) and said ” oooh. sad.” She didnt like how they ALL seemed unhappy. She liked touching the sand dollar in the touch tank.
Then we got to the really awesome part of the day! Ari and I laid on the sand for almost 4 hours while Zaeda played happily in the sand. We would take little jaunts to the water and splash and then lay around some more. We went to Mo’s for lunch in Cannon Beach. Good food and more time to just lay around in the sun! Sadly, Ari and I suffered sunburnt legs. We should have been a bit more careful! Zaeda had no issues with the sun and played so hard that at the end of the day she exclaimed that she wanted to lay down and nap on the beach and WOULD NOT GET UP! We had a great day though. All pictures are courtesy of Miss Arianna Sainz. Thanks Ari!
Ok so… no photos right now.. as I have to resize them all. I will do so tomorrow!
Saw this on Drudge, and yea. It is amazing that people are able to survive stuff like that but hey…God bless em! I would think it would hurt a little bit. *shrugs*
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070713/NEWS/707130322
I’m a Dynamic Leader! Or so says PersonalDNA.com. I must admit, this is probably the truest test results I have seen when taking these types of exams. I don’t do this often, but at the recommendation of Tony Morgan, I decided too. You want an inside glimpse that I feel is reflective of me, read on! Also, with the bottom graphic, hover over the different colors.
Your solid grounding in the practicalities of life, along with your self-assuredness and your willingness to appreciate new things make you a LEADER.
You’re in touch with what is going on around you and adept at remaining down-to-earth and logical.
Although you’re detail-oriented, this doesn’t mean that you lose the big picture.
You tend to find beauty in form and efficiency, as opposed to finding it in broad-based, abstract concepts.
Never one to pass on an adventure, you’re consistently seeking and finding new things, even in your immediate surroundings.
Because of this eagerness to pursue new experiences, you’ve learned a lot; your attention to detail means that you gain a great deal from your adventures.
The intellectual curiosity that drives you leads you to seek out causes of and reasons behind things.
Your confidence gives you the potential to take your general awareness and channel it into leadership.
You’re not set on one way of doing things, and you often have the skills and persistence to find innovative ways of facing challenges.
You are well-attuned to your talents, and can deal with most problems that you face.
Your independent streak allows you to make decisions efficiently and to trust your instincts
You’re not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you’re generally considerate of others’ feelings as well.
Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.
As someone who is DYNAMIC, you do not have a hard time meeting new people, and you have a bunch of close friends.
You are not overly concerned with what others may think about you, which leaves you free to be thoroughly involved in the world around you.
There are those who find being around people exhausting?but not you! Interacting with others, whether at a party or in conversation, gives you energy.
You have a strong sense of what the world is like and how it should be.
You have enormous respect for those who have earned their success, and have little patience for those who try to bend the rules or ride on the coattails of others’ hard work.
Believing in the importance of integrity and hard work doesn’t stop you from believing that people will do the right thing?you know that people are good at heart.
You sometimes have trouble understanding why others feel the way they do, but it doesn’t stop you from having faith and trust in those around you.
Part of what makes engaging with people so interesting for you is that you occasionally learn something new about yourself or about a problem you’re having when discussing things with others.
Your strong worldview leads you to believe that people shouldn’t rely on their emotions so much when making decisions.