. . . and I have some music playing in the background. I'm not really paying attention to it until I leave my bedroom, walk into the living room and hear the following lyric: ". . . a land where large, fuzzy dice still hang proudly like testicles from rear view mirrors."

It was just one of those moments that grabs your attention, shakes you out of whatever thoughts you were having, and makes you realize there's a lot going on around you if you stop to pay attention.

I found some patty-shaped-vaguely-meat-looking-things in the freezer tonight. I'm not sure what they are or who put them there. I sure don't remember putting them there, but then again we know how reliable my memory has been of late. I'm hungry though and it's dinner time, so it's time for an adventure.

You see, I've been trying to avoid grocery shopping the last couple of weeks in order to force myself to eat all the stuff I bought at one point or another that seemed good at the time but has never actually been eaten. I've got cans of three bean salad sitting in my cupboard from before I left for Iraq. God only knows how old the maybe meat patties are. I can say definitively they're less than 2 years old, because I've only lived here a year and a half. Beyond that, I can't vouch for their age. Anyway, I've reached the point where all the good stuff is gone. So now the unknown food stuffs are on the skillet. I figure in a few minutes I should have an idea what they are, once they warm up and start to smell.

Wish me luck.

I swear to God, I'm going to get a second phone, leave it at home and only keep it on my bedroom dresser. That way, when I can't find my regular cell phone I can just call it with the other one and stop searching for it all the friggin' time!!

My tree is up! Here's the pics. When it gets dark tonight, I'll post some pics of it in the dark, maybe even put up a quick video of the apartment.

Well, today is my birthday and I'm turning thirty. I must say, it's much ado about not very much. It's a bigger deal to get the day off and get some sleep more than anything else. So unfortunately I don't have any deep thoughts on turning the big three-oh. Maybe I'll drink a couple margaritas and some beers later tonight and write a drunken, rambling, semi-philosophical post about only being as old as you feel or some other cliche'. But I doubt it.

I can't even really claim I'm middle aged, since you figure most people my age will live to be 100. I'm not even a third done. And when you consider the life styles some of my family members have lived before me, and they're still alive? My lord, I may never die. I think I come from hardy genetic stock.

So what have I done so far? Well, slept in of course. I baked some cookies to take in to work (remember when you were in grade school? What did you do for your birthday? You made sweets for everyone else to enjoy, right? Well, I turn thirty and my co-workers get cookies!)

I made some lunch. Watered my little tree. Wrapped some Christmas presents. Took care of some eBay chores.

OK, so maybe I am an old man now.

"Master, where shall I work today?"
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then he pointed out a tiny plot
And he said, "Work there for me."
But I answered quickly, "Oh no, not there!
Not anyone could see,
No matter how well my task is done,
Not that small place for me!"

His voice, when he spoke, it was not stern,
But he answered me tenderly:
"Disciple, search that heart of thine.
Are you working for them, or for me?
Nazareth was just a little place,
And so was Galilee."