Mens Dress Shoes

To continue on my series of ‘Randy pretends he has fashion sense’ type posts tonight I went to buy black mens dress shoes.  Who designs these things?  I swear to you that almost every shoes less than $100.00 they soles are made from recycled iron maidens.  That is to say they’re incredibly uncomfortable.  Considering I don’t wear them very often I can’t justify that sort of expenditure.  Worse, the designs were very weird to me.  I guess I didn’t expect to be as opinionated as I was, but some of the shoes literally looked like the bill of Scrooge McDuck from the Disney Ducktails cartoon.  Done in black of course (or brown).  Then there were some shoes that looked like they’d been cleaved in half by a random hatchet murdered, but then carefully and professionally stitched up so as to fake you out into thinking they were supposed to look like that.

To Jessica’s credit she has somewhere between 10 and 20 black shoes.  I don’t think that 7 of them look any different to the other shoes, but she identifies small nuances that make the shoes unique.  Tonight I learned about nuance.  With multiple manufacturers making the same shoe styles I was able to pick out small curves that were cut differently, different lace types, and of course various types of ‘cushion’ inside of the shoes.  I prefer shoes that feel like my Vans: soft, cushiony, and sporty.  That way when some thug asks me to play a pick-up game while I’m dressed up I can easily get schooled in my comfortable shoes and sweat out a perfectly nice shirt and pants.

I guess I just expect to get schooled in style and comfort instead of looking like I killed a cartoon duck and then tried to implement the Spanish inquisition on myself.

Can I Ask Your Opinion?

I had a gal ask me that last night.  I was in the changing room open area last night while Jessica was trying something on.  The woman had been trying on a dress and I think she liked it but she wanted to ask someone else’s opinion.  Fortunately I was there, Mr. unshaved with t-shirt and jeans on.  She looks really good in the dress.  I recommended she take it in to a tailor and have it hemmed up about 1.5 inches.  Me.  Suggesting that people get things tailored.  Imagine that.  But Mr. Craig got me hooked on tailored clothes and so now I’m a dress clothes snob.  If the pants or shirt don’t fit (get a size up  depending on the cut) and get the piece tailored and then you’ll look good, be comfortable, and you’re sure to score big with the fashion police.

The only problem was that I was pretty sure that I’m one of a small handful of people who actually have male body parts, who are straight, who would have been able to evaluate all of the outfits Jessica tried on as well as the dress this stranger tried on.  Apparently I’ve watched too much “What Not to Wear” 😛

The Most Fruitfullest Day in a While

I had a very fruitful Sunday.  We skipped church, which is abnormal, but Abby wasn’t well on Saturday and Jessica and I decided laying low was best for her, and I had no commitments.  I’m relatively sure I’m not going to hell for it, but its not a practice I intend to make a habit of for other reasons 🙂  But I accomplished a whole lot: I fixed an electrical outlet that’s been broken since we moved in, I hung Christmas lights on the front gutter.  I purchased a Christmas tree, mounted it on the stand, which we later decorated.  I also fixed my gas grill which had had an obstruction in the gas tube.  Abby and I snuck out and spread Christmas cheer while we bought Jessica a Christmas present or three.  I bought the presents, Abby said Merry Christmas to nearly every passer-by.  Only a few people actually said ‘Merry Christmas’ back to her.  I think I did other things, too, but I can’t remember.  It was a busy day, but I’m stoked to have gotten so much done.  I know that working on a honey-do list doesn’t sound like fun, but checking things off on that list feels really, really good.

Periodically, Like a Magazine

Periodically people move, and when they move their bodies burn calories, which explains the profuse amount of processed foods available at various establishments.  And at the Belle Taco establishment today I saw this lovely sign (snapped with my cell phone, sorry its low quality)

Closed spelled WRONG

If you look closely you’ll notice that closed is spelled as if the sign creator was a super clever fellow.  Or maybe they are a product of the Aurora Public Education System (APES).  What do you think?  Does Taco Bell need signs like this everywhere to go with their “Think outsid3 th3 bun” ad campaign? The burrito I ordered was just the ingredients rolled in the tortilla.  Thus when I lifted it out of the paper wrapper much nastiness fell into the (conveniently located) bag.   Drivers b3w@r3.

Happy Thanksfiving!

I had a friend accidentally type ‘Thanksfiving’ last night in an IM instead of Thanksgiving. My mom will be proud to know that I am capable of spelling Thankgiving. Woops. Thanksgivng. Darn. I thought I could spell it, but apparently not. Anyway, I’m thankful for my family. A beautiful wife, a pair of beautiful daughters [which trumps a pair of jacks, but is still not quite enough to beat other hands, apparently. I’m going to Vegas in December for a business trip and have to practice my card counting skillz], a home that is warm, food that is tasty, a steady stream of income, and of course, a car that runs well.

I’m thankful for all of the things that I have, including the readers of this blog. Have a happy Thanksgiving! [Yeah! I spelled it right] But also, give someone a high-five this thanksfiving, because it will be cool.

Happy Thanksfiving!

Christmas Wish List

I have had several folks ask for a Christmas wish list. Rather than email it to a few who ask, and then re-email it to others, I’m going to post it here, apologies for those of you who read this blog for other reasons 😉

I have one heavily starred request on my paper list for my in-laws in Indiana. Many moons ago they got me an IU mug (probably to remind me where I should move when I get to ‘heaven’ 😉 ). That mug has been used so heavily that it has finally just cracked from temperature fluctuation over time (going from room temperature to 210 degrees over and over again apparently wears things out. Who knew?) I would like another one. The mugs remind me of that part of my family and I often pray for them as I drink my beverage. And, no, I don’t pray that they’d move to Colorado 🙂

Other things for the rest of the world:

  • Wood working clamps. 24 inches or so would be great!
  • PSP games (can be used, I’m not picky): SOCOM, Wipeout Pure, Tiger Woods, Star Wars Battlefront II, and Tony Hawk Skateboarding
  • Amazon has nice, high quality guitar cables: Monster Standard 100 Instrument cables, 12 ft
  • Jars of Clay’s new album, Good Monsters
  • A Shop Vac. Apparently Jessica doesn’t want to wade through saw dust

Just Like Dad…

After our church service on Sunday (context: which I lead the singing during) one of the older gentlemen at church shook my had and said, “Your part was good.”  I thanked him for his complement.  Then he said, “It amazes me how much you remind me of your dad.  You’re like your dad only you have hair.”  Cracked me up.  Thanks, Art.  I’m glad to have hair.  I’m also glad to have a dad that when you say that its a complement 🙂

A Sight I Wish I Had Not Seen

Note: This is a bit somber.  The events described within this post really got me thinking. 

Tonight on the way to the chiropractors, to continue my treatment for an automobile accident in June, I saw another accident.  One auto, and one motorized wheelchair presumably for a quadriplegic or very incapacitated person.  All I saw was the SUV mounted up onto the side of the wheel chair.  There was no one in the wheel chair because the emergency vehicles had taken that person away.  Traffic coming the other direction was almost completely stopped because the emergency vehicles had blocked so much of the road.

My best guess is that the person who was in the motorized wheelchair was going as fast as the motor would carry him across the street as the person who was driving, in the second lane so his vision was blocked by the car next to him (or her), slid into the crosswalk.  I imagine that neither person saw it coming until it was far too late.  I often slide into the crosswalk without thinking about it.

Accidents like that are possibly far worse in my imagination than reality.  However, the driver of that SUV is probably mortified and in an emotional state that only prescription drugs can bring down to a point where rest is possible.  I pray that all involved are somehow miraculously OK.  This holiday season with all of the fun and thankfulness around, please be careful while you drive.  Remember to be thankful for all of your family members.  I am.

I’m thankful for my whole family.  I’m thankful for my friends.  I’m thankful for the readers of this blog.  Please have a thankful and peaceful holiday season.  Be safe.

He Fought the Good Fight

One of the elders at the church that Jessica and I have attended over the last two and a half years just went home to be with Jesus. Hal has been fighting cancer for some time now and his fight is over. What’s most amazing to me in this last half a year that we’ve known about Hal’s cancer is the number of people Hal has encouraged and witnessed to and offered hope to. You see Hal has taught classes on pain and suffering. Hal has been over God’s word many, many times teaching from it and living out what is in the text. Hal has told multiple stories about offering encouragement to chaplains that were responsible for coming in to cheer him up. Hal knew that what he was going through was not the end, and he knew that the suffering was their for his growth (Romans 8:28). He encouraged doctors to not cry (can you imagine being a doctor who is sad you’re losing a patient and the patient tells you to not worry because he’s excited about seeing his Savior?). Hal knew he was right where he needed to be and that the gospel needed to be shared there in the hospital or with various visitors.
I didn’t get to spend very much time with Hal compared to my dad or one of the other elders, Mike Doyle, but Hal and I had a few good conversations, and shortly before it was discovered that he had cancer he and his wife Lindey invited us over for dinner with the girls. Hal has been in the hospital and on bed rest for much of the last six months and so I really didn’t get a chance to visit with him. However, I kept feeling this deep sense of frustration because I know that there was much that Hal knew that I hadn’t learned yet. I suppose that the many recordings of Hal that we have will be a good source of teaching and I can learn much from what he explained as he exposited the Scriptures.

This evening, as his family prayed around his hospital bed the Lord decided that it was time for Hal to quit the suffering and begin the next part of eternity. I’m sure that the sound of the monitoring equipment alerting them to Hal’s resting heart was a tough, tough thing for them to hear, but I also know that they are relieved that their husband, or dad, or father-in-law is not suffering any more. As a body Holly Hills Bible Church has been very concerned. Some people have known Hal as a friend, a pastor and a mentor for a long, long time. Fortunately you can go online and listen to Hal’s teaching and testimony on the church website: http://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org.

Hal loved the Colorado Rockies and would often be seen after a Sunday service wearing a Rockies hat as he and Lindey were heading off to go watch a game. He’s a lot higher than a mile high now.