This post might get kind of lengthly, so I had to divvy it up:

• I value my sleep, I mean I really really value my sleep.  So when I knew I had to wake up somewhat early on a Saturday morning to participate at a service project at church I wasn’t that excited; but it turned out that my little sacrifice certainly warmed my spirit.

  My church is actually in a pretty nice neighborhood, but is good at reaching out to other communities.  This time we teamed up with a Cornerstone Baptist Church in Dallas right around MLK and Malcolm X Blvd to assist some of their congregation.  There are a lot of jokes around here about that area of town regarding the minorities and the safety of the neighborhood - I guess you can call it ‘the hood.’  But this was my little non-important observation:  it reminded me a lot of the neighborhoods I grew up in Mineral Wells.  The houses were dated, but most maintained a pleasant appeal.  Heck, everything was dated from the schools to the stores, but I found people that were open to talking to one another.  I/we stereotype too damn much.

  The owner of the house we worked on was about to turn 96 years old.  She had a cross in her backyard, which I thought was pretty cool, then it hit me – it wasn’t a cross but a clothes line.  Man, how have I forgotton my roots!

  I also saw another person in a wheelchair come by and ask if it was possible for us to work on her house.  It was then that I learned that once you actually go outside of the church, that is when you start to reach people. 

  If you want to view some pictures I took of this event, you can view them here.

• WifeGeeding ‘demanded’ new flooring for GeedingManor, and thus it was so.  Who installed them?  Well, I’m ‘working’ on the tile part, but all the wood and carpet was done by professionals.  Who were the professionals?  Well, no other than hispanic men who could only speak a few english phrases.

  It was humbling to see these men work, and take so much pride in doing so.  For two straight days they worked from 8-6, for who knows, a salary I would probably scoff at.  I work in an air-conditioned building in front of a PC and feel like I’m underpaid.  These guys were working their rears off actually doing physical labor, yet they are making the most out of this opportunity to provide for their familiy - which I’m sure they hardly have time to spend time with.  America, the land of opportunity and dreams.  I think we shouldn’t hoard this opportunity or dream from anyone, but I also don’t have the right answer in how to do this.

  I still feel like folks should be able to speak english if they want to live here.  If my mother could do it, I know others can.  And speaking of my mother, her servant’s heart is still beating strong.  I can remember as a kid when we would have workers at our house from time to time, and she would make me go out there and give them water.  She stayed true and made me do the same for these men this time around.  I may be paying them for a service, but I can still serve them.  Much thanks to MomGeeding for the lesson and reminder.

• 66% or 2 out of 3 times 2

  I have been to three weddings within a month’s time, and two out of the three grooms cried.  In a way I want to say it was such a touching thing to see a man love a woman so much, but then again I also wanted to be Marlon Brando as the Godfather and slap these men like he did to Johnny Fontane and say “You can act like a man, what’s a matter with you!”

  Two of these weddings had a reception OUTDOORS!  This should be an unwritten rule, but if you live in Texas and you plan an event in the summer in which people actually dress up and wear a suit, the event needs to be indoors.  I’m fat, hardly works out, and don’t eat healthy - sweating in a suit will only make wifeGeeding into widowGeeding much faster.

  One more observation, the bride and groom arived to this music which I thought was kinda cool.  Well, without the Stars Wars part.  The wedding before the bride and groom arrived to Clocks by Coldplay.

  Also, when you are hot and not really enjoying yourself because there isn’t a place to sit, a phone call from a friend you haven’t heard from in seven years was perfect timing.

• When in Waco I saw a McDonalds advertise a chicken biscuit.  I remember Whataburger started to sell one, but I wasn’t impressed.  Personally no one can top Chick-Fil-A in this category.  Also, I have not seen any McDonalds advertise any chicken biscuit in the DFW area.
• I have rediscovered the $0.99 Breakfast Jack at Jack-in-the-Box.  Remember, breakfast is served all day.  I also discovered that they sell a Meaty Breakfast Burrito that consists of the following:

  Flour tortilla
  Scrambled eggs
  Ham, sliced
  Sausage crumbles
  Cheddar cheese, shredded
  Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
  Bacon slices
  Butter flavored vegetable shortening

  And what do you know, as I visited their website to find out that information, it turns out they now sell a chicken biscuit.  Interesing.

• An observation about our local sports media and Jerry Jones.  The NFL has this new rule that local media can no longer film on the sidelines.  I noticed that Jerry Jones was a guest on Fox, NBC, and ABC.  For some reason CBS was left out.  Mike Duecey of Fox and Dale Hanson of ABC both tore into Jones a little bit about this, but of course the local NBC affiliate sucks at sports and basically just kissed Jerry’s butt the whole time.  I’m kinda split on what sports cast I like, but I certainly know I don’t enjoy watching the local NBC affiliate.
• Someone made the comment that it took a legendary coach like Pat Riley many years to win another title, and it could work out for Parcells this year.  Initially I liked this thought.  Great coaches of the 80’s winning titles in the otts, but then I realized if this trend works, Joe Gibbs may be the one winning a title . . . gulp