So, Today I'm Thinking...

...that this spring we've had so much rain that people are starting to complain. It makes me terribly happy, and I really do think I could live in the PacNW and still enjoy that amount of rain/drizzle.
...that by Monday night, I will have attended 83 job-related graduation ceremonies.
...my students gave me a leather case that you can keep your journals in and re-fill it. I enjoy it when my teens "get" me.
...my New Year's resolution to eat well isn't holding up so well, but I still haven't had any carbonated beverages in 2007.
...Doonesbury, the cartoon strip, gets Memorial Day "right" every year. You may disagree with his politics, but you can agree with this sentiment.
...I watched part of a PBS documentary on famed photographer Annie Leibovitz. I like it when I see her talk about the things that make her "tick" and see those very same things in my wife.
...the first few days of summer vacation in my little burg are peculiar because it seems like nobody knows what to do with newfound "down time."
...the in-laws are coming for Shelby's dance recital next week and I'm looking forward to it. I have been blessed with a good family to marry into.
...bathroom redecoration is nearly complete and that's very nice. For some reason, I get very annoyed when works are "in progress" even though I know that it'll be great when it's done.
...piggybacking on what I heard some radio DJ's talking about: I think we "over-graduate" so much in our society that it de-values the worthy ones. You know, the kindgergarten, elementary school and middle school ceremonies have watered down the important ones. I've always thought graduation ceremonies prior to university were for the parents, anyway.
...I think Jerry Jones has put something in the water because I've never really wanted to go to a Super Bowl before. I enjoy the idea of the USA sitting down to watch a game together in various sub-groups and like being a part of that relational venture, but with the 2011 Super Bowl coming to the Dallas area, I actually think it'd be cool to go. Of course, the way that event works is that NFL sponsor corporations will get the $900 seats anyway. But for some reason I think I'd like to go.
...there are few things worse than watching the local baseball team circle the drain BEFORE FREAKIN' MEMORIAL DAY.
...the Dallas Morning New religion section (which comes out every Saturday) has gone downhill since they put it in the Metro section instead of it's own pull-out section.
...all of you who keep harping on me to write a book on youth ministry obviously didn't notice the extreme drop-off in comments at The Diner over the last three weeks. There's just not that much interest to publish in that niche market unless you're already a "name" youth minister.
...I read that if every driving American cut one gallon a week from their gasoline usage, it would cause a drastic drop in prices. It's discouraging that it never hit my brain that our citizenry would willingly slice some 25 miles from their personal routines. I don't know if my 4 mile commute is a big culprit and most weeks I don't even drive 25 miles, but there are still some ways I could cut it if I thought about it.
...Mother's Day this year wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.
...I don't think it's good for me to have a friend as a tattoo artist.
...my reading has slowed considerably, but that's actually kind of a good thing because work is excitingly busy and new challenges have my mind hopping with all sorts of creativity. Not to mention the reality that Christian publishing is in some kind of funk or something because I couldn't find one good book published last year worth giving to my seniors. I gave them Green Eggs and Ham because, well, they'll probably learn more about evangelism, perseverance and trying new things from that than anything they'd buy at a Christian retailer.
...that having a rainy Sunday morning with a cup of coffee (Chock Full O' Nuts brand!), with the newspaper and church services to look forward to are really a nice start to a day.