Monday, September 29, 2008

September 29, 2008

Today was Monday.

I went jogging late last night with Midnight. I probably got only about 5-6 hours of sleep.

I was tired today but did have good focus and energy in the classroom. I am trying and am succeeding, I think, at being very hands-on with all of my classes. I had time after visiting the Chiropractor at 8 AM to come back to school and read my teacher edition textbooks for planning and demonstration ideas. In Guitar I class I had the students analyze their sheet music in four ways: Name notes, write beat duration values under every note, circle all tonic notes and draw a straight line for a graph between notes. Practice went well as they played some duets on Claire de Lune.

I stayed after school until 4 PM grading papers for all classes and putting those grades in the computer.

Donna is getting whooped teaching her kindergarten class of 21 kids. They are having great difficulty grabbing on to very simple concepts like circles, squares, triangles, etc.

I took another nap from 5-7 PM tonight. I hated to do that but I was whooped also. I was able to stop by Jack in the Box for a little over an hour tonight.

Andrew wrote a song yesterday and today on the guitar and vocally called, "I Wonder Why." I thought it was a great concept.

Today was an historic day for the stock market. It lost around 778 points, more than the first day the market was open after September 11. I did some reading on the Internet today on the theories of what caused the Great Depression around the world starting in 1929 and going for about 10 years in America.

September 28, 2008

Today was Sunday.

Peter, Brandi & Michael helped lead worship in the service this morning.

Of all people, Marvin Gorman spoke in the service. I took notes. Here is some of what he said:

  • What we hear has a profound impact on the way you think and the way you act.
  • Judging is not your area, not your department.
  • God said, "What I did was a pattern or a recipe."
  • When we get things right, the God of glory comes down.
  • Anger is one of our biggest problems in America.
  • Anger is like trying to control a pet rattlesnake.
  • Anger and pride are twin sisters.
  • Don't ever want what you deserve. Jesus took what you deserve.

I took a rather long nap this afternoon after we ate lunch. The kids at a 1 foot subway sandwich--Donna and I ate at China Buffet.

In the evening Andrew and Matthew went to the Devitt's house with the youth group.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

September 27, 2008

I good a good night of rest last night.

Ate breakfast at Jack in the Box on Airline & Siegen for the first time in a while.

Read Isaiah 53 in The Message bible. It was very powerful.

Ate lunch at Mr. Gaddis with Donna and the kids. Andrew ran into some friends he knew from FWC so he ate and joked around with them.

I took a 2-3 nap this afternoon.

Donna and I went on a date for supper to Sonic on Coursey Blvd. We each had a #1 Sonic burger and shared a strawberry-banana smoothie. We spoke of how it is important after you have done your best in your work to let it go and rest your mind from the worries and cares of it.

We also watched LSU play against Mississippi State. Alabama #8 put a whooping on #3 Georgia tonight. We saw part of that as well. It seems to me that Nick Saban, the coach of Alabama, has a gift of helping and convincing his players of the need to focus and the dangers that overconfidence brings when it slackens your focus.

I put together the worship set tonight for church tomorrow morning. I hope to have Brandi, Michael and Peter lead for us.

September 26, 2008

Today was Friday.

I was rather tired today.

I visited the chiropractor again this morning while Shawn took the first part of Bible & Musical Arts class.

I continued to use the Korg X5 keyboard from time to time in my classes by playing very short clips and theme songs.

I played keyboard at Set Free Indeed this evening.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

September 25, 2008

Today was Thursday.

One thing I forget to mention about yesterday that was good was that I was able to get the Korg X5 keyboard working with the correct adaptor yesterday at the church. It belongs to the church but hasn't been used for some time. I had to set some factory defaults on it to get it to be in the right scale temperament.

I used the X5 today in class a tiny bit.

I also taught today's classes how my new Strict Zone would work. I also explained that they should always be in a Cooperation and Curiosity Zone no matter what.

I had a voice lesson first thing this morning with Mrs. Gee. She is an excellent teacher and really knows her subject.

I also prepared for classes today by reading my teacher's manuals for creative presentation ideas. I am trying to be as creative as I know how in the presentation of my classes. I have gained much confidence in my presenting skills and am focusing on giving it the best I have every day. This is what is required of me and this I am able to give.

I did book checks today for minus one point on their participation grade. I think three in Spanish I did not have their books and six in Spanish II did not books. The Spanish II class did not follow procedure at the beginning of class well at all. I was not pleased. I got them all on task one by one. Then I announced that we were going to have a talk about procedures that they were not following after a brief two minute brain break. The talk went well. I was specific about what I was looking for, bring books, pick up new warm-up handout, sit down when bell rings, don't ignore your teacher. I told them I wanted to be heard and I knew I was not being heard because no one was following procedure. The class went smoothly there on out. The main purpose of the Strict Zone is to be fair to the students so they would know the mood and expectation of the teacher at a given time in the classroom without being taken off guard. I told them that I tend to be a laid back person that usually does what I am told to do but I realized that not all people function the same way as I do. Some take my laid-backness to mean that this is going to be an easy, laid back, do-what-ever-you-want class, which has never been the case and never will be.
At the very end of class I fired up the X5 keyboard and played for a minute or two. The students were sucked into the music. When I stopped a couple of them said, "Why did you stop, keep going!" N. said, "Mr. Woolsey never ceases to amaze." Of course, I know that one day your students can think you are the best thing in the world, the next day they are belly aching about how unfair you are. Such is human nature. All the more useful I think I will find my zones to be a fair warning of my expectations to my class.

Guitar class was only one hour today because of the pep rally held on the lawn by the side of the gym. The gym is currently not usable. The floor is buckled due to hurricane Gustav.

I had duty at the flagpole. P. was everywhere today and stole another student's ID badge.

My family and I ate at Jack-in-the-Box by our house for supper. It was great to visit with them.

I took a 30 minutes snooze from 5 to 5:30 PM.

I prepared a letter for my mortgage company to sign a check from my home insurance company.

I visited Zeagler's music, bought some guitar strings and picked-up the Hal Leonard Levels 1-3 Guitar Course with CDs.

Andrew was practicing the keyboard when I got home tonight. Even Drexel told me yesterday that he wants to learn how to play the piano. Lisa came up to me after school and said I play the piano "so good."

I really hope I can be an example to all of my students of someone who tries their best to serve God where ever I am put. I want to give my best in all that I do. Even though my work is tiring and requires all of my energy every day, it is so fulfilling. I don't want to be famous. I have already done that when I played on TV across America on Brother Swaggart's telecast. I enjoyed having that platform, but I think I like this one better.

I thank God for Dr. Melilli. He is pushing me a bit right now to practice more with my church worship team. I am grateful for the example he sets and the messages he preaches. It took me probably a year or two to see if he was for real or not. I really see a lot of consistency in his life every day.

September 24, 2008

Today was Wednesday. My wife, Donna, had her 41st birthday today!

At school it was a B-day.

First period was Spanish II. I gave what I thought was a great speech on the problems of corruption and how it can slow down entire economies of countries and keep the people of that country in poverty. Today I invented the "Strict Zone" where I demand absolute command of the class and the students give me absolute attention and respect or they are instantly docked a point off their responsibility grade. I carefully explained how it would work, "If I don't like the way you are seated in your chair, minus one. If I don't think I'm getting enough eye contact from you, minus one. If I think you are distracting the class in any way, minus one. . ." I only used this hyper strict zone during limited times in class, mainly during the introduction of a brand new lesson. It did help me to give a very detailed speech and explanation of the differences between America and some other countries I have lived in. I think the students received it very well and I think it got the wheels of their imaginations turning.

Second period was Bible and Musical Arts class. I shared a brief devotional summed up in a formula I heard Alistar Begg say on the radio this morning, "Hearing plus faith equals blessing."
I played the piano and organ in the high school chapel service today. We played Mighty to Save, Healer and Only You. We were let out 10 minutes early today so I went and ate at the cafeteria on the elementary side. The chicken breast they served me was awesome. The meal cost $3.

Third period was Spanish I. I also introduced them to the Strict Zone and some of "the world's greatest transparencies."

During fourth period I adjusted the test grades in the computer system for most of the period.

We ate Wendy's drive-thru.

I took a nap at home and then headed back to church. The youth group and Michael Campagna lead the service tonight. Andrew, my son of 15 years, played the drums and held a very steady beat throughout the worship service. I was very pleased. Michael's sermon was titled, "A Bad Day in the Life of Jesus."

I went to sleep at about 11 PM tonight.

September 24, 2008

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

September 23, 2008

Today was Tuesday.

Just got back from open house at the high school. I made six seven minutes presentations. Talked to Mrs. Mills and apologized for having to get on her son last year in one of my classes. Parents were very friendly and receptive at open house. Met missionary, Robin's mom a voice teacher.

School went well. I gave it all I had in planning and energy. We went over Test 1 for reviews today. Had to be more strict with Spanish II class to demand their attention during instruction. Strictness worked very well. Today I asked students to write out on a piece of paper, "I did well (or poor) on this test because I . . ." I got some interesting responses which I read to the class anonymously.

First period was spent planning and reading over lessons and ideas for Spanish I, II and III classes. Part of lunch was spent looking for some alternative TAB and rhythm diagram sheets to print from the Internet.

Students did not practice guitar as aggressively as I thought they should so I gave them homework to take home. I want to pick up the pace.

I got a hair cut a little before 9 PM at Supercuts tonight on the way home from school.

Andrew showed me a song that him and Matthew recorded. It is quite good and Matt's guitar skills are improving greatly.

Andrew has been playing the keyboard at home a lot. Today I was taking a nap before going to open house and I thought Andrew's playing was an ice cream truck outside because he kept playing the same line over and over.

September 22, 2008

Monday.

B-day at the High School. Fourth period I spent doing three weeks of lesson plans for Mrs. Devitt for all of my high school subjects. Also turned in progress reports for all 120 students I teach via the Schoolmaster Gradebook computer program.

Chapel band rehearsal went well. Shawn could not make it so I lead most of practice with my voice. I taught our high school team what a sound check is, how to do it and why it needs to be done.

My family ate at Cane's on the way home. I read from a list I found at school. One of the items read, "Your parents used to not be so borning until they started paying all your bills and cleaning all your clothes for you . . ." The list compared high school to the real world.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

September 21, 2008

Today was Sunday.

Brandi, Michael & Patti lead worship at CLF this morning. They did a very good job.

I met with Mark Martel about my roof repair and the insurance coverage I was given.

CLF had about $160,000 worth of damage. The insurance company wants them to cough up 5% of the appraised value of the whole property. The total value is roughly $36 million. The insurance will be of little or no use.

The U.S. government is going to bail out AIG and some bad mortgages loans at the tune of $700 billion dollars, mainly so we don't go into a major downturn in the economy.

Andrew and Matthew went to youth group at 5PM and ended at about 8PM.

I did a little work at church checking some of the older hot spot monitors to see which ones work. Two of four still work fine.

I profread a 2,700 word story that my son Andrew wrote. He had some interesting expressions in the story but he needs to do some more work on the verb tenses since he is working with a lot of flashbacks.

Tomorrow progress reports are due. Donna, my wife, graded about 50 tests for me today. I didn't get to see her or my daughter, Ashlyn, much today. I took a long nap this afternoon from 1PM to 4PM.

Goodnight now! 12:43 AM

Saturday, September 20, 2008

September 20, 2008

Today was a Saturday.

I went to McD's this morning. The internet still did not work. I read two daily Bible readings from www.oneyearbibleonline.com .

We ate lunch at home. Donna and I had some warmed-up frozen meatballs with ketchup. Ashlyn cooked three packages of macaroni and cheese.

My family and Ben went out to eat with my parents, James and Jean Woolsey at Ryan's on Coursey Blvd. The steaks were excellent! I had a couple. We visited with my parents from about 4:15PM until 6:00PM. We had pleasant converstation and parents looked quite relaxed and at their best. We spoke of past experiences some. My dad mentioned that the school I went to in Kindergarten in Tucson was, according to him, the oldest school in the city, Lowell elementary.

At home this evening Donna and I watched the LSU vs. Auburn game. The final was LSU 26, Auburn 21. I was quite a game. At halftime, however, I had to finish selection of the songs for the worship service tomorrow at CLF. Brandi, Michael & Patti are going to lead worship for us tomorrow. I am pretty excited about the format and songs. This is the first time we will do I Am Free and Likeness of Jesus in a Sunday morning service.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

September 19, 2008

Today was Friday. I was a good day. I had a good amount of energy and I put a lot into my teaching. I started the day by asking Jennifer, my voice teacher, to critique someone we had heard sing. She explained how they strained their muscles in different ways. She mentioned how when you sing, instead of trying to get in peoples faces, if you lean back a little bit and concentrate on your song, it is more effective in communicating the song's message.

I had an idea last night for a one day trade on AIG. Buy at 2.60 and sell at 4.00. It would have worked! Of course, that was a rare occasion since the feds had just bought about 89 percent of the company to rescue it.

Spanish I & II got tested on Chapter 1 today. They also say Episode 1 and 17 of Destinos. Guitar I & II also went well. I preached to them what specific skill, notereading, we are trying to gain among many skills we could choose. I told them we are trying to give them a change to succeed in music at a college level should they so choose to take a college course or minor in music. They seemed to buy in to the idea well.

I had flag pole duty. Matthew bought a blue ice cone for one dollar. We drove home but stopped at Taco Bell on the way and ate quickly. I took a nap and went to Set Free Indeed. Service went well with Ty showing right before the service. David played the drums. Scott played guitar again.

Peter & Gina had a baby today named Emily Grace. I also called my sister, Shauna, today on her birthday.

I looked through some sock possiblities with Benn tonight and we just threw around some ideas.

September 18, 2008

Today was a Thursday, a B-day at school.

I had a voice lesson today with Jeniffer Gee. She showed me that my chin keeps rising like a turtle as I try to go to high notes.

I helped Ashlyn write two paragraphs for her homework tonight. I also went on a walk with Donna, my wife, and we dropped off some clothes and laundry detergent at Doris's house. The broken limbs of trees are still piled up in front of every house. They have not yet been collected from Hurricane Gustav.

Shawyn gave us a good word in Bible Musical Arts class today from Hosea about Gomer his unfaithful wife.

Joy thought that Gil's Korean Bible was that coolest thing she ever saw today in Spanish I class.

Peter & Gina a scheduled to have their child born tomorrow, which happens to also be my little sister's birthday. My sister will be 35.

I had a make-up faculty meeting at 7:15 AM this morning. We ran a little over, as such, my students were waiting in the hall for me when I arrived at the classroom, 4-A.

I ate a piece of peperoni pizza and two chocolate chip cookies for lunch today for $2.

For supper I had pork ribs on torillas from an MRE from the hurricane week.

I stayed home and worked on my computer tonight instead of going to McDonald's. Midnight is staring at me right now in his red collar. He said, "Mmmmu."

I opened an account at Scotttrade.com in order to be able to buy individual stocks. I might do this kind of for a little extra excitement. I hope I don't get to carried away in wanting to get rich to quickly. The Tyson stock looked like a good stock to buy at a low and maybe cash back out in 3-12 months.

The stock market tumbled more that 400 points on two different days this week. There is roughly about 45 days until the Novemeber presidential election between Obama and McCain.

I went to the Business First bank to try to cash a check after school today, but there was still insufficient funds.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

September 17, 2008

Today was a Wednesday.

The day started with a jog at about 6:30 AM. I only got a little over five hours of sleep last night--not enough for a 38 year old man. We arrived at school at around 7:26 AM. I dropped everyone off, left a note for Mrs. Devitt and went to another chiropractor appointment at 8 AM. My back was a little out of balance. I got back to school at about 8:35 AM. Mrs. Devitt came and saw me about writing my lessons plans in Spanish. I explained that the textbook and curicullum listed all key concepts and directions in Spanish. She tought it might have been I joke I was trying to play on her. We had a pleasant and productive conversation.

Second period was Spanish I. It went well as we went over a second study guide to prepare them for the test on Chapter one on Friday. We left early to set up for Chapel service.

I thought the chapel music transitions were very rough today. I ran sound. I am always so picky about the way I think things should be. I felt like the musicians could have been more agressive in doing their introductions instead of waiting around for ever with no real leading happening. Sometimes the instruments have to lead while the vocals are transitioning or worshiping.

Third period was Spanish II. We also covered a second study guide for their upcoming test. I moved Stephen across the room and later told him "enough!" on the running of his mouth. That kind of captured the attention of the other motor mouths and brought them to better focus. Overall I think the class went well. Nick wasn't in class for the third day in a row.

Luch was next. Fourth period went fine with the Guitar I & II students being tested by performing a song. Guitar I performed Ode to Joy, while Guitar II performed a couple of strumming patterns and Joshua Fought the battle of Jericho. With a little extra time at the end of class I had them gather in one area of the pews in the balcony at the church and I tought them some strumming patterns using ta, ti ti, and tika-tika, for quater, eighth and sixtheenth notes respectively. They copied rather well although some guitars were out of tune.

I had a 30 flag pole duty after school. One of the boy jr. high students was very hyper today bouncing off everything and everyone. Matt and I went and picked up the rest of the family and we also dropped Maureec off at his house.

We ate at home and I took a nap from 4:30 to 5:30. We got back to church at 6:10 in time for me to copy the songs and fire up the sound system. We had a full band tonight and the worship was awesome. We did Friend of God, How Great is Our God, You are My All in All, and Your Love Oh Lord. Glen Barras preached an excellent message on unity using the oil poured over the priests and the dew that slowly settles on Mount Hermon as examples of what unity feels like. I sat between Donna and Doris. One time Doris finished one of Mr. Barras' sentences before he did. I thought that was pretty cool. Peter Barnes and his voice were awesome as he lead worship tonight.

I ate some cookies and had a caffeine-free diet coke after service. We drove home. Donna seemed very tired today. I joked since the beginning of the day that we should try being negative all day today.

Matthew finished his project on Pointee Coupee Parish tonight. Matthew is growing into a little man now. He is very good looking. Andrew said today that everyone likes his hair. He was told by a lady at CC's tonight to turn his MP3 player off. Michael Campagna joked that Andrew almost got them kicked out of CC's.

The things I am stressed about now are:
Fixing my roof.
$1000 deductible.
Cashing the check made out to Citimortage and Donna and myself.
A $400 check that bounced from some of extra music playing. This is the fourth month that this check has bounced.
How to do more band practices for the church band.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

September 16, 2008

Today was generally a good day. It was a B-day at school. First period I had a Spanish II class. Second period was Bible & Musical Arts class. Lunch was next. Third period was Spanish I with my son Andrew in the class. In 2nd period, Shawn was not there to help me teach, but we rehearsed Eddie Jame's Freedom, Jesus Paid it All and Worthy.

I asked Mrs. Devitt for five more Spanish II books because some of the ones we have have some water damage.

In Spanish I class I had some special guests help me act out a dialogue. My guests were the Kleenex box and the paper clip holder. I acted out the Spanish dialogue with some different voices. The students laughed and enjoyed it.

I have some neighbors this evening, starting at about 10:30 PM, that are out yelling at each other at the top of their voices.

I helped Matthew, my son of 12 years, write a paper for Mr. Reid on Pointe Coupee Parish.

I also got to practice Jesus Paid It All with Andrew, 15, in his room. He was struggling with 3/4 time signatures today earlier. He seemed to do better tonight. I played Ashlyn's acoustic guitar and sang while Andrew played the electronic drums in his room.

Donna, my wife, looked great today in her new clothes. She said that she had a better day than yesterday as well.

We ate at the Wendy's on Bluebonnet on the way home today. It was relaxing and it was nice to be with the whole family.

Monday, September 15, 2008

September 15, 2008

Today was Monday, our first day back at school after Hurricane Gustav.

I went jogging this morning without my contacts in. I saw a dog outside but I could not tell if it was Midnight or not. The clock on my MP3 player was 10 minutes faster than the clocks inside the house so I wasn't quite sure what to believe.

I was tired today after getting only about 4-5 hours of sleep last night. My Spanish II class of 25 high schoolers was talkative today. I was patient with them even though their mouths needed some bridles on them. I took off 5 points of participation on four students.

I learned how to play the song "Call Me Old Fashioned" on the keyboard at home tonight.

At 5:10 PM I visited Dr. Wolverton, my chiropractor. He did a great job as always on my back.

LA state is intercepting some of my payments to the U.S. Treasury. I owe LA only about $1000 now and Federal only about $400. I was trying to pay of the Federal taxes first but LA is getting in the way. I just hope they are keeping books right for me. They only send out a yearly statement so I never know what they are doing unless I pick up the phone and stay on hold for a while.

Matthew ate two pieces of pizza for lunch and almost threw them up the next period in P.E. He said to me, "They worked me harder today than you."

We had family devotions and read I Corinthians from The Message Bible. The best part I thought was this: "Just think--you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale."
I like this because if you realize you don't need another thing to make you content, you can be content with what you have. Mr. Purdue mentioned in the finance class that I missed, of which he briefed me on later that all the advertising we are flooded with on TV, Internet and billboards teaches us to be discontent so we will buy what they are selling.

I had an idea to start a word processor file on my computer today called blessings, in which I would keep a running list of all of my blessings and keep adding to it.

Another verse I read this evening was from II Corinthians 13. "We don't just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them."

Sunday, September 14, 2008

September 14, 2008

Today was a Sunday.

We sang "Holiness" as our last song. Doc said that it matched his message perfectly. He said nothing will empty to pews of a church as fast as a message of repentance.

My Internet has not worked at McDonald's for two days. I called an IT guy at AT&T this evening to get some help. He was not able to rectify the situation.

Erin, from Farmer's Insurance, assessed the damage to our fences and our roof around 12:35 PM. She said they can give us a new roof and replace some of the fence. Our detectable is $1,000.

Andrew played drums at youth group tonight. He had to be there at 5 PM.

Ashlyn went to Lizzy's house after church. The Harmon's got their electricity back late today.

I learned a song tonight on Ashlyn's guitar which had a line in it "the moon is on fire."

Saturday, September 13, 2008

September 13, 2008

Today was Saturday.

I awoke at 10:30 AM. I ate breakfast at Md D's on Perkins and Bluebonnet. The Internet did not work today. I made a budget using the spreadsheet available in Microsoft Works. I came home and showed Donna the numbers and did some comparisons on some possible different plans. One was a 3.5 year plan; another was a plan where we try to refinance our house by next month for $100K, consolidating all of our debt at 5.5% on a 30 fixed mortgage.

I didn't take much of a nap today but I did get to lay down for a bit.

The family went out to eat at Taco Bell for supper. I had one of my favorite orders, the Southwest Steak Bowl. We saw Claudia and Cameron there as well. Claudia graduated from CLA last year and was my Spanish student the year before that.

This evening I put the praise and worship set together for church tomorrow.

LSU played Northern Texas on TV this evening and smeared them, I am sure.

September 12, 2008

Steve and Doris got their power back after Hurricane Gustav in Baton Rouge. They are my bro and sis in law.

In the morning I read some enchanting poetry by John G. Neihardt. One line that hit home with me from the poem "Let Me Live Out My Years " was the last two lines:

Let me be as a tune-swept fiddlestring
That feels the Master Melody—and snaps!

I played bass guitar at Set Free Indeed with Ty, Andre, Scott, and Tonja. After the music portion I was standing in the back of the auditorium and I accidentally caught the high string of the bass and pulled it off of its tuning key. I had to restring it.

I picked up Andrew, Ben and D'Andre. We drove D'Andre home after twisting and turning through a neighborhood between Perkins and Highland to get to his house. I joked about whether Nick Antzacks grandmother could drive like this, making some hand and finger motions.

Ben came over to the house. All of us boys including Matthew stayed up talking from 10:30 PM until 3:00 AM in the morning. We spoke of everything from churches to money, the stock market and my former eBay business and the products which I designed. Ben seemed very interested. Earlier in the night Ben was recounting a story of when I dropped a book in class in front of Joseph and as he retold it his hand bumped the light fixture and down came the glass cover crashing loudly to the ground. It was hilarious and something that I am sure will always be remembered.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

September 11, 2008

Today was a Thursday. We are still off from school due to Hurricane Gustav. Hurricane Ike should be hitting around Galveston in around 24 hours.

Earlier today I read some of a book called Table-talk written by Louisa May Alcott's father. He was an educator and wrote several books of which I read the first 24 pages of Table-talk at Google Books.

I took Donna on a date to Casa Maria and my nephew Philip served us lunch. We then visited the Wal-mart on Oneal Lane. I purchased a 4GB memory card and a portable file system for my chord charts and music. Donna bought a wrist watch, a $10 pair of sunglasses and some Cranberry Almond Atkins breakfast bars, her favorite kind.

The funnest part of Ashlyn's day was going to Blockbuster with me. She was sick yesterday but today she was feeling better. She vacuumed, dusted and did the dishes today as well.

I went to the McDonald's on Siegen Lane and continued tweaking my computer system. The memory card I purchased can also run programs directly off of it which I though was pretty cool.
There were about 8 or so workers a McD's not doing much of anything for more than an hour I was there. They were all very noisy and where all over the place. How annoying it was to me along with the coldness of the restaurant and the hardness of the seats.

This evening I watched two 30 minutes episodes of The Office with Donna and Doris playing cards on their computer most of the time. I thought the episodes were funny because they ring so true as to how self-absorbed and rude we as Americans can be.

Steve, Doris and Danny are spending the night at our house again because they still do not have power at their house.

Andrew spent all day playing Warcraft and listening to his music. The lawn mower did not work for him earlier today but I was able to get it running later in the day.

The chiropractor did a good number on my back and neck today but sitting in the cold at McD's was not good for my back muscles. They are very sensitive to the cold.

The air conditioner at the house needed some tweaking as well. I noticed the air flow was very restricted by the small amount of air that is allowed through the filter vent area. I tore the bottom seal off bottom of the door to allow for more air flow. I noticed two places on the unit inside the closet that were allowing cold air to escape so I taped them up.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

September 10, 2008

Today was a Wednesday. Dr. Melilli spoke at church. He said that ministry begins with seeing the face of God.

Ashlyn Nicole, 10, was sick today.

I signed up for 5 GB of free storage space at xdrive.com. I backed up my poetry, my diary, and my chord/lyric sheets.

I jogged this morning.

We had a 10 AM meeting at CLF with the school faculty. It was announced that we would not resume school until next Monday after Hurricane Gustav.

I started blogging today. I created several new blogs: today-365, clfworship, attitudesandinsights, and journalofkevinwoolsey all at blogspot.com.

Andrew spent the last two days at Tahseen's apartment.

Ben is spending the night tonight along with Steve, Doris & Danny in Ashlyn's room.

The best thing that happened to me today was that I felt more organized by creating a webpage with my favorite daily websites to visit at today-365.blogspot.com.

I did not get to visit much with Donna today. I was a little tired and crabby I suppose. She has been watching a couple of NCIS shows each day with Doris at the house. The Gaddis's electricity is still out at their home.

Purpose & Type of Journal

I had the idea this last week to do a different kind of personal journal. It would be a journal mainly of just the highlights of each day. It would answer the question, "What is the most memorable things that happened to you today, either good or bad, that you would like to remember if you could scroll through the pages of you life 10, 20 or 50 years from today?" It would also be nice to have something to remember from each day, even if it was something very small. This journal was also inspired by Hurricane Gustav coming through Baton Rouge, LA the Monday before last and leaving us without electricity for 5 days at our home.