Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in joeleo's LiveJournal:

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Monday, June 4th, 2007
9:14 pm	Moving Day I have decided to make a new place the primary home of my thoughts. http://joelschwartz.blogspot.com/ Although I'll still be around here to comment on posts and such, my two cents will be there instead from now on. Please come and visit! (Comment on this)
Friday, March 30th, 2007
7:38 pm	Rain, Rain, Go Away! The last couple days here in Texas, we've gotten some nasty storms! The interstate has been flooded to where traffic has been shut down! When we moved down here, we were in the midst of a drought. Now, we've just been poured on all day the last two days. 2 down, 38 to go? :) On a sad note, one of the showers is taking place in our living room. It is not that the roof is leaking. Instead, it is from our bathroom. This week, we had the floor beneath our bathtub replaced. Our apartment staff has been great through this, going to great lengths to try to help us get things taken care of especially since Jess' friend Karen is coming into town tomorrow. They even put us up in a hotel for last night and tonight. The people they hire to do the work, well, they're a bit questionable. One of the guys put a screw in the shower pipe. (Oddly enough, this happened at my apartment in Athens when they tried to fix the shower.) Another guy messed up the drain. However, they did not know this until they had done everything else (including cleaning the carpets) and the last thing he was doing was turning the water on to make sure it worked (although he thought he was already done for the week, but when I saw we couldn't take showers, the apartment staff called his boss who sent him out here to do it). It worked alright... and we got rain showers in our living room. Quite frustrating. So maybe we'll get put up in a hotel for hte weekend? I sure hope not. That is not how I had hoped to spend my weekend, nor is this how it was supposed to go while we had company! Right now I'm waiting for the plumber to arrive and look at the stuff to figure out what in the world is going on. So I thought I'd update for once. On a postive note, Jess and I bought "Life in Cartoon Motion" by Mika this week. We LOVE it. Some of the songs are a little overly sexual, but apart from that, I don't really have any complaints. Chances are you won't be able to sit down and enjoy it... because you'll have to get up and dance. :) Check it out! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 3rd, 2007
10:04 am	We haven't even been there yet.... Who would have known that us humans could have such great power. Not only could we cause global warming on our own planet, but we can also cause it on a planet that no human has been to! Look what we've done!! That's right, Mars is experiencing global warming at a similar rate to what we're experiencing global warming here on Earth. And since all scientists supposedly agree that global warming on the earth is occuring at the rate it is because of human activity, for Mars to be experiencing it at a similar rate, well, that must mean we're behind it too.... or those Martians that we've yet to discover apart from Marvin the Martian. And really, if Marvin can cause the same amount of damage as all 6 billion of us Earthlings can, maybe we're not so bad after all. :) DISCLAIMER: I do believe that we have a responsibility to take care of our planet. However, I do not believe that we should be scared into doing so through things like global warming. I am not saying that global warming is not occuring, but I do seriously question the effect that humans have had on it. Regardless, I believe that we should take better care of our planet, as it is a gift, given to us to preserve and enjoy. (Comment on this)
Monday, January 1st, 2007
1:24 pm	Top 20 of 2006 As Jessica and I were driving back from Indiana yesterday, I decided that it would be fun to put together a list of my top 20 most played songs in 2006. I got my computer in the first part of January of last year, so the song counts on iTunes reflect on the past year of music. These songs are not the top 20 that came out in 2006, but merely the 20 songs I listened to most. 20 (5 way tie) - "Move Along" by The All-American Rejects, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane, "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers, "Seasons Always Change" by Sarah Masen, and "Lonely Nation" by Switchfoot I was amazed that a couple of these songs made it this high. "Somewhere Only We Know" was enjoyed in 2005, but I don't remember listening to it that much in '06. "Lonely Nation" was a solid song, but once again, I didn't remember listening to it that much. However, "Mr. Brightside" is the paradigm example of jealousy... I mean, you can hear it ooze in the guy's voice. This is a great work of music. Also, "Move Along" was a great song, although I think it got as many plays as it did due to the music video. If you haven't seen it, it is well worth checking out. The song that I would rank as my favorite of those tied for the #20 spot is "Seasons Always Change". This may be my favorite Sarah Masen song as it speaks of life and love and the growth that happens in the midst of the seasons of change in life. 19 - "Love" by Sarah Masen This was a surprise as well. I really like this cover of Victoria Williams' song, but as it has been a part of my life for 10+ years, it was surprising to find it in the top 20. I think that this cover should make Victoria Williams ashamed for ever recording the song because Sarah Masen blows her out of the water with this song. 16 (3 way tie) - "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand, "Come Back Down" by Lifehouse, "Screen Door" by Rich Mullins Each of these songs belongs in the top 20 for good reasons. "Take Me Out" is a song with a great tempo change in the midst of it, a killer play on Guitar Hero, and an all around fun song. "Come Back Down" is the opener off of the newest Lifehouse. (I think they should be due for a new one anytime personally.) When I heard this song for the first time, I felt like Lifehouse had found the perfect sound for the band and had developed it in a way that felt natural. "Screen Door" is an incredibly fun song by Rich. It is an a cappella number with 4 guys, and when this was performed in concert, they would do "The Cup Game" while singing it. This added to the witty lyrics about the relevancy of faith without works ("It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine.") makes it a memorable song to be enjoyed by all. 12 (4 way tie) - "No Sleep Tonight" by The Faders, "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" by Jack Johnson, "To Be With You" by Mr. Big, "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers "No Sleep Tonight" became famous through a Cingular/iTunes commercial. This fun, infectious song is a bit risque, but it is easy to miss it in the beat as you fight the urge to break out into dance. "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" is another song that was greatly enhanced for me by the music video. The entire music video was filmed but played backwards and he mouthed the words backwards so when the music video was played backwards, it would look like he was saying the words correctly. Simply amazing. "To Be With You" is one of those songs that just never dies. I was surprised to see it this high, but how can you not want to break out singing along?? "One Headlight" is the sign of what could have been. When I hear this song, I can't help but think that this band has great potential and should be huge today. However, it didn't work that way. Bill Simmons of ESPN attributes this to a joint performance with Bruce Springsteen at the 1997 VMAs where Springsteen found his groove and took over the song as his own and the Wallflowers never recovered. If you see the clip, he may be on to something. Regardless, this is a song that best embodies the music scene of the mid-90s. 11 - "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield This is a fun song that just makes you want to get up and dance. 10 - "Better Days" by Goo Goo Dolls A song that rocks and points to a not-yet future for which we hope and which we must work to achieve. 9 - "We Can Work It Out" by Phil Keaggy and PFR I love the Beatles. They are in a league of their own when it comes to music. They are one band that you typically just don't cover. You won't do the song justice. However, Phil Keaggy and PFR nail this song. They bring in more strings to the original and add their own flare. Seeing as both are heavily influenced by the Beatles, it makes sense that they might be able to pull this off. This is the only Beatles cover that should be listened to. 8 - "Funny Little Frog" by Belle & Sebastian This is a relatively unknown band who produces some fun pop/rock. Although this is not my favorite song of theirs, it is a great song that is worth listening to. The lyrics may not make much sense, but it is still fun. 6 (2 tied) - "No Action" by Elvis Costello, "Use It" by The New Pornographers "No Action" being so high is a result of an early year Evlis Costello kick that I was on. This isn't one of his overly popular songs, but is very catchy and an enjoyable listen. "Use It" is a song that everyone should own. It has a great sound by a band that deserves much more publicity than it does. I'll admit that their name may have something to do with that, but I don't care. Go listen to their stuff. Now. 5 - "Letter From An Occupant" by The New Pornographers This is the first hit from The New Pornographers off of their first album. Although it may not may be a bit hard to understand at times, it just rocks. Neko Case's voice takes this song to a level that is unparalleled by most other bands. 4 - "Take a Chance on Me" by ABBA "Mike and Mike in the Morning" should be thanked for the appearance of this song. They would play this song multiple times every morning for at least 2 weeks as they prepared for the NFL draft. Everytime they played this, it would get stuck in my head for the rest of the day. I downloaded it and enjoy it... and look forward to the NFL draft next year... in part, so I can laugh at the team that drafts Brady Quinn FAR too high, and also so I can hear this song. The top three songs were all tied for number of plays. However, I've taken the liberty to rate them so there is a #1 song for the year. 1c - "This Time" by The Crash Moderns I saw this band open for Lifehouse in the summer of 2005. They played this song and it was so incredibly catchy that I couldn't get it out of my head. Near the beginning of 2006 they made the song available for download on their website. I downloaded it and the rest is history. 1b - "For You I Will (Confidence)" by Teddy Geiger This song will also be sung by Wayne to me. This song began to be recognized through the show "Love Monkey". Sadly, the show only lasted 3 episodes on CBS and VH-1 played the other 5 episodes that were recorded before it was canned. I loved that show and I loved this song before it was embraced by teenage girls all over the country. Therefore, it is a tribute to Tom Cavanagh and "Love Monkey" that this song did so well. May the show live on in the hearts of its fans forever. 1 - "The Big One" by Sarah Masen This song was put on Sarah Masen's website for a free download. She wrote a little blurb about the significance of this song. It is a powerful, beautiful song that is well worth listening to... and definitely deserving of the top spot of my top 20 of 2006 list. I hope that you all had a happy new year! May this be a year full of joy, blessings, and growth for all! Current Mood: amused (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 30th, 2006
12:07 pm	A rare occasion... Right now (1 pm EDT), it is 47 degrees in Berne, IN. It is 30 degrees here in Waco, TX. Finally, I have a reason to wear a sweater... for today. Tomorrow it's back up into the upper 50s (where people will still complain it's freezing). Oh, and I was wearing shorts yesterday. Quite the change in weather! Current Mood: happy (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 16th, 2006
4:48 pm	Jess Saves the Day!! As a follow up to the previous post: My wife called Alltel today and talked to a reasonable person who very easily saw what was going on and credited to us what should have been credited to us. Because of all of the confusion, the reasonable person submitted our case to a manager for training purposes and we'll probably be getting a call about the situation in the next few days. We'll have all kinds of nice things to say about the person we talked to today, that is for sure. My wife rules. :) (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 8th, 2006
10:11 pm	Why we will NOT sign another contract with Alltel... DISCLAIMER: This is long, and more of a venting post than anything, but it has a happy ending so please read. Tonight was a frustrating night for the Schwartz family. Jess and I recently switched her cell phone number to a local Texas number, staying with the same company, Alltel. This was all fine and good till we got a bill this week for the phone that was significantly higher than it should have been. (The difference was $30, but when that almost doubles the bill, that definitely causes the eyebrows to raise.) Basically, when they changed the number, they had to set up a new account, but we were assured that everything would be transferred and there would be no charge. However, this was not the case. Not only were we being double charged for about half a month (since we changed in the middle of a billing cycle, but once again was assured it would be no charge), but they also charged us $12 in overages, because they set us up for 4 days of a billing cycle and we went over by 30 minutes for those 4 days worth of minutes... even though we were definitely under the impression that it would just be a continuation of our former plan. So tonight, we go to Alltel to talk to them about it. We talk to the manager and explained what was going on. She agreed with us that something wasn't right, so she explained the situation to another representative and had him start helping us. He called the financial department and was going to ask if they could transfer the credit from the previous account to the new one. This seemed simple enough. However, he calls and finds out that there is a $6 balance on the account. This makes no sense. Alltel bills you ahead on your minutes. For instance, our billing cycle starts on the 5th of the month and goes to the 4th of the next month. So when you get your bill that they send out on October 4th (which is due in October), it says that you're being billed for Oct 5 - Nov 4. So when you pay your bill for October, you are paying to use those minutes through Nov 4. We paid our bill for October before switching our number. So theoretically, this would mean that we've paid for the minutes through Nov 4. However, our new bill started billing us for the phone on October 25. We had already paid through Nov 4, so it seems obvious that we're being billed twice for the time between Oct 25 and Nov 4. We explain this to the manager and she says it makes perfect sense and that she's going to call financial services for us and find out what's going on. This is where it gets interesting. When she calls financial services, she is told, in a nutshell, that when you pay your bill, you are paying for the calls of the previous month. The fact that the bill has the dates of the month you are in does not mean you are paying for those calls. You are paying for the calls of the previous month. So, we were not being doubly charged for those days, but rather, they were giving us those days for FREE. What a deal! She feels like she understands the company line and gets off the phone, while Jess and I are completely and utterly confused. She gives us the line. She is not getting through to us. If you pay for the calls you made in the previous month, then it seems like our bill for our new number should not have had a charge on it. We ask her about this. She says that we are paying for the minutes to use the phone in the upcoming month, since they bill a month ahead. So we ask what we'll be paying for when the next bill comes. She tells us that we'll be paying for the calls we make during this time. We're confused. We think that we already paid for these calls. We ask if she means that we pay for the overages and text messages we send during the previous month and pay for the plan for the month ahead. We are assured that this is incorrect. We are charged for all of the calls we make in the previous month when we pay our bill. So we ask why we're paying the charge for the plan on the first month of our new number. We're told that we're paying in order to use the minutes because Alltel bills a month ahead. So we ask why we're not getting some sort of credit since we paid to use the phone through Nov 4 with our October bill. We're told that the October bill paid for September's calls and that we were given October for free and that if we're that upset about the 11 days, they can just bill us for all of October. We tell her that we've already paid for October with the October bill. She tells us that we paid for September. So we ask her why we're paying a charge on the first month of our new number and she tells us that we're paying for the minutes to use the phone because Alltel bills a month ahead. This circle continued for 20 minutes after we'd been there for well over 30 minutes before the circle conversation began. The lady was getting pissed. Jess and I were none too pleased either. Eventually, we realized that logic was not going to get through to this lady. She had been told by the financial department that we were wrong and had actually been given a gift and she wasn't going to argue with the corporate office. So Jess and I thanked her for her time, let her know that we'll be changing companies when our plan expires and left. We walked out the door and Jess screamed "WHY CAN'T PEOPLE THINK FOR THEMSELVES?!?!?" Our next stop was Target. We had bought a new microwave a month and a half ago. This microwave was an interesting microwave. We used gift cards from Target to purchase this microwave. (Thanks to all who bought us Target giftcards for our wedding. We promise thank you notes aren't too far away!!) We bring it home and when we start it up, it has an interesting noise. It sounds like it takes a large jolt to start the microwave, but we think nothing of it. However, after a couple days, it kicks off the breaker when we start it. This starts to be a semi-common thing. We turn things off in order to prevent it from kicking off the breaker. (A brief story: we had people over, playing games in our kitchen, and we decide to make popcorn. So we shut all the lights off and turn everything off in hopes of not kicking the breaker. It was humorous.) We mention something to our office manager to see if there's something wrong with our breaker last week because it started acting really weird. Sometimes we'd have multiple things running besides the microwave and it'd be fine. However, other times we'd turn everything off and it'd still kick off the breaker. She sends the maintenance guy over and we realize that we have 4 rooms (including both of our bathrooms) on one breaker. He checks out a couple other apartments and finds that they are not wired that way at all. After first trying to convince the office manager to let him put a larger breaker in, he gets her to agree to send an electrician over sometime soon to rewire the breaker box. We look forward to this and hope that this will solve the problem. On Monday, things got worse. The electrician had yet to come, but the microwave was flipping the breaker. We were shutting everything off and it'd flip the breaker. We unplugged everything that was on that breaker and turned off all the lights and the microwave by itself would flip the breaker. Today, I called the manufacturer and see if it is something with the microwave. They decided it probably was, so they told us to go ahead and take it back to Target and exchange it. We go to Target after Alltel, both feeling a little hot, and the people at Target were GREAT. They let us RETURN the microwave as opposed to exchanging it. We could get the same microwave for no charge (since we originally bought it on sale) or we could take that money and put it towards a different microwave. We decided we might want to upgrade a bit (since Jess has a job now and all), and decided on one that would have been about $40 more than we originally spent. We were a little reluctant to spend that kind of money, but it had more features, more wattage, but yet had less power consumption. We took that to mean that it would be less likely to kick the breaker, if it was actually the microwave kicking the breaker. We go to pick up the box of one to find it was a repackaged one. One of the corners of the box was INCREDIBLY damaged, so instead of returning it to the manufacturer, they just repacked it and sold it for a cheaper price. We were assured that we could return it if there was anything wrong, that the warranty was still good, and they even opened up the box and let us look at it to make sure nothing was actually damaged. We were THRILLED with it and purchased it right on the spot. We brought it home, plugged it in, and it runs sooo smoothly. There's no big kicking sound to start the microwave anymore. Just a gentle start. We've turned everything on the breaker on and it doesn't flip it. We're incredibly happy with it. Oh, and the amount off the regular price for it being a repackaged item was $30. I guess God has a good sense of humor... but we're still not going to renew our contract with Alltel. :) Current Mood: content (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 21st, 2006
8:27 pm	Crazy Week... These last 7 days have been really tough and crazy, but good. Last Friday, my Grandpa Valier Amstutz passed away. It was sorta unexpected, even though he had been in the hospital for nearly 2 months. He had been improving, but Friday morning he took a turn for the much worse and by mid-afternoon, he was gone. Jess and I rushed back (plane flight to Indy) for the viewing and the funeral. It was wonderful to spend time with the family and support each other through the loss. It was very moving to see the number of people come to the viewing and share stories about how Grandpa impacted their lives. I can only hope that the same things are said about my funeral. Here is a picture from the last time I saw him, when Jess and I went to visit him before we left for Texas. We were able to show him and my grandma the video of our wedding (since they weren't able to be there) and he smiled through the whole thing, loving every minute of it. It's a very good last memory of my grandpa for sure. Tuesday we flew back to Texas, and yesterday was spent catching up on reading and rest. Today was the first "normal" day in a week. However, a first happened today; I got my first haircut from my wife! :) Isn't it great??? :) If you're curious as to how it looked before here's a picture from Monday: Feel free to go to her site (Jess' Xanga Site) and tell her what a great job she did! As for now, it's back to the books to try and keep catching up! Please remember my family as we work through this loss. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
11:09 pm	Behold the athiest's nightmare... I was introduced to this clip tonight at a party with some fellow grad students. One of the guys is teaching a class on religion and he's showing this clip in class tomorrow. We watched it 3 different times because it was so incredibly funny on so many levels. :) This clip will make you think... or just laugh. Speak freely on your thoughts about this clip. I'm going to watch a movie with my wife since it's still her birthday for another 50 minutes. It's not Lady in the Water. (I'll try to expound more of my thoughts on that soon.) Instead, we're watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind... now that's an EXCELLENT movie. :) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, September 3rd, 2006
2:42 pm	A Good Thing about Texas Last night my wife and I had a date night. We went out to eat at this place called Taco Bueno, and then went to the dollar theatre and saw Lady of the Lake. The movie was iffy at best. It was similar to most M. Night Shyamalan movies in that it's a great story but at some point it takes a turn to the ridiculous coincidents which make an interesting story just plain goofy. Anyway, the good thing that happened last night is that I found out that there are fast food joints (and sit down restaurants as I found out this afternoon) that serve IBC root beer from the tap, and charge as though it was any other soft drink. Needless to say, I had about 3 glasses last night for supper. It was GREAT! Let this motivate you all to come visit. Not only do we have the Dr. Pepper Museum, but you can get IBC root beer when you go out to eat for the same price as a Coke or Pepsi! :) (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006
10:36 pm	Waco Heat It's hot here. (How hot is it, Joel?) It's so hot that we have our air conditioning set at 85 degrees during the day and I get goosebumps when I walk inside because it feels so cold. I hope it cools down soon. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 17th, 2006
10:39 pm	Texas Life! We have arrived in Waco, and life is busy! The wedding went really well and I got me a wife now! :) We really enjoyed our honeymoon, and made the big move down to Texas this week! Orientation went well, we had a great time with Jess' dad and sister (who helped us move) and now we're doing that fun thing called unpacking. I'll give more of an update once classes start or we get the pictures to post! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
8:48 am	Almost Here... This will be my last post as a single man. This afternoon, I'm taking off for Jackson, MI, where I will be getting married on Saturday! I can hardly believe the time has come already! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was working out all the details as to how I was going to propose to this woman, but nearly 7 months have flown by, and on Saturday afternoon, I officially get the title of "Luckiest Guy in the World" as I marry Jessica Muterspaugh. :) It would be greatly appreciated if you keep us in your prayers on Saturday and beyond. Sunday we'll head down to Tennessee for our honeymoon. Next Friday, we'll come back to Berne. On Saturday, go up to Jackson, while coming back to Berne on late Sunday evening. Monday we take off for Texas and we'll arrive in Waco on Tuesday noonish (if everything goes as planned). On Wednesday morning, I have orientation, with classes starting on Monday. It's going to be a busy, crazy, stressful time, but in the midst of it all, I think it will also be a really good time. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006
11:32 pm	Stress.... You know, this whole wedding thing is stressful. People ask me if I'm getting nervous about the wedding, in that, am I nervous to be marrying Jess (not Jess in particular, but just making such a huge commitment). The answer to that question is a resounding "NO!!!!" I'm absolutely thrilled to be marrying her and there is nothing I am more excited about! However, am I nervous about all the little details of the wedding... well, I'm definitely getting there! Between the slide show, programs, favors, packing, etc... the list goes on! It'll be here soon enough... and I'll be married to the woman of my dreams... is there anything better? :) Current Mood: excited Current Music: "A Page Is Turned" - Bebo Norman (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, July 6th, 2006
10:38 pm	I love my parents I have the World's Greatest Parents. They've been taking ballroom dancing lessons for my wedding, and they're getting really good. Tonight, I played them some of the songs that Jess and I will play at the reception and they were practicing away. It was really cute. They really get into it. My dad is so concerned about doing it right and my mom just really gets into it. They'll be AWESOME to watch at the reception! So if you're coming to the wedding, bring cameras... it'll be worth it! (Comment on this)
Sunday, June 25th, 2006
10:26 am	The Kingdom of God.... You scored as Kingdom as a Christianised Society. Christians shouldn't withdraw from the world, but by being present in it they can transform it. The kingdom is not only spiritual, but social, political, and cultural. </td> The Kingdom as Earthly Utopia 83% Kingdom as a Christianised Society 83% The Kingdom is mystical communion 42% The Kingdom as a counter-system 42% The Kingdom as a political state 25% Inner spiritual experience 8% The Kingdom is a Future Hope 8% The Kingdom as Institutional Church 8% What is the Kingdom of God? created with QuizFarm.com (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, June 12th, 2006
6:14 pm	The Weekend... My friends, this was a FULL weekend... so full, in fact, that it started a day early! Thursday night, my parents came down to Athens. As soon as they got there, we moved some things to a grad student's place for Mr. David Wright next year. Following that, we ordered pizza. My mom was so hungry, she ate four pieces... this is not like my mom at all! However, both of my parents were soon zonked out on the couch. When Jess arrived a little after midnight, they had both been out for some time. Friday morning, I graduated with my Masters degree from Ohio University. Now I'm expecting you all to call me by my professional name. That means you too Jess! :) We ate at Pizza Hut for lunch, where Jess gave me my gift... a Kierkegaard biography and a melted candy bar. However, in the wrapper of the candy bar (but still outside the foil thankfully) were a set of tickets for the Cubs-Tigers game at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon!! After lunch, we went back to my apartment where we spent the rest of the afternoon loading up the U-Haul trailer my parents brought. They took off around 5 pm, and left Jess and I to clean the apartment and pack up the remaining smaller things and my clothes. That was quite the task, but we were able to hit the road a little before 9 pm, and made it back to Berne around midnight. After seeing Jess in action while cleaning, I'm quite pumped about how clean our apartment will be!! (Don't worry, I'll do my share... she'll just make things look great!) Saturday morning, I got up a little before 7 so I could go garage saling with my mom, as there were a couple garage sales that advertised queen bedroom suits for sale. We found one that I really liked for a really good price, so we put a hold on it and came back and I woke Jess up and we went to look at it together, because I'm smart enough to get her input before buying something like that. She looked at it, and loved it, so we bought it. We got a waterbed frame (that the former owners had put box springs and a mattress in, as we will do as well), 3 drawers that go under each side of the bed, a nice dresser with a mirror on top, and a chest/small wardrobe. Now you might wonder how much we paid. $500? $400? Try $200. We got a steal of a deal on this! We both really like how it looks and we're both thrilled with it. The rest of Saturday was spent unloading things and unpacking. We did play a little DDR with Jay... I like that game. Later that evening, we went to the Movie Gallery and she decided to rent Munich. I wasn't too thrilled with the choice and I was tired, so I fell asleep before the introduction was done. When it was over, she woke me up and told me how disappointed she was with it. I tried not to say, "I told you so".... but it was too hard, so I did. She knew she had it coming though, so she laughed. :) Sunday, I got up and went to church to hear about The Da Vinci Code. My personal thoughts about it are best saved for another post. We ate lunch, and I said goodbye to Jess, and ended up spending most of the afternoon napping and playing Guitar Hero for PS2. In the evening, I read, and took it easy. Yeah, that was a nice day. Now today, I've gotten my room looking much better, so I can actually move around in it, and tomorrow I start working construction for dad. Crazy times... but good times. Current Mood: tired (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 31st, 2006
9:20 pm	Fun Pictures! This weekend, Jess and I were in Berne and had the world renowned photographer Jared Schwartz take some photos of us. We're not having professional engagement pictures done, so these are sorta stand-ins for those! One great couple! On the front porch Nice and proper Aren't we cute? I'm a macho man! Hope you've enjoyed!! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 22nd, 2006
8:48 pm	Confessions Saturday night I did something that I wasn't proud of. Sunday night, I became even more entrenched in it. This afternoon, the trend continued, and I'm sad to report that it will probably continue through tomorrow evening. What is this thing of which I speak? I got caught up in an NBC mini-series. It started on Saturday night, with the movie "10.5". This was originally produced and shown in 2004. NBC got it in their heads to produce a two-part sequel to this movie, entitled, "10.5 Apocalypse", which started last night and concludes tomorrow. On Saturday night, I was sitting in my apartment, being a bum and thought it looked like it could be interesting. It ends up that it actually was! This will probably sound sick and twisted, but there was something refreshing about watching a movie about natural disasters that had nothing to do with global warming! For those of you unfamiliar with it, basically, what happens is that a string of earthquakes start to rock the west coast, eventually causing a part of California to break off, but they took steps to keep the entire west coast from breaking off. Last night started the sequel. However, last night I was in Columbus for the evening, hanging out with my friend Ed and his wife. I was dismayed, because I didn't want to have to leave early to make it back to watch it, I didn't want to make them watch it, so I ultimately ended up taping it. I thought about watching it when I got home late, but decided to sleep and spend the afternoon today watching it. I watched it, and it just gets more and more interesting! On Tuesday night is the second and concluding part of this mini-series. This presents a dilemma. For those of you unaware of my viewing habits, I tend to enjoy American Idol. The season finale of American Idol is Tuesday night. The actual singing part happens at 9pm. On the flip side, the conclusion of "10.5 Apocalypse" starts at 9pm. I'm torn... but the way things are shaping up, I'm guessing I'll be watching "10.5 Apocalypse" and catching bits of American Idol here and there. I'm embarassed, but I just can't stop!! Let the public mockery begin.... But please go easy on me. (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 18th, 2006
4:23 pm	You can call me "Master".... I passed the defense today! I have a few revisions to make, but nothing that I wasn't expecting. I got drilled in a few areas, but all in all, I felt like I handled things quite well... and the grad student that annoys me to death forgot about my defense and didn't show up. :) It's been a good day. I've spent much more time working on the thesis the last two days than I have sleeping, so I get to start making up the sleep! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and encouragement! (2 Comments |Comment on this)