A digital commonplace for a Regular Guy called Charlie Pharis

Month: November 2006 (page 2 of 2)

A Couple of Updates…

…just to set your concerned minds at ease!

  • Whatever was the deal with my calf/ankle thing is all better today. Must have just been a little overuse on Tuesday. No problems at all!
  • And since some of you asked, GanGan Haddard is not my grandfather – he’s my dad! “The Boy” and “The Nephew” are the apples-of-the-eye grandkids! So, Happy Birthday to Howard!

“GanGan Haddard,” It’s Your Day!

“GanGan Haddard.” A little boy’s way of saying “Granddaddy Howard.” Well, GanGan Haddard hits the big 3-9 today. Plus a few.

Never one to make the headlines (well, except for that term on the local school board, and runner-up in the county fair cooking contest), still my hero after all these years.

Servant heart, do anything in the world for you. Best exemplified by the story told by another of my lesser heroes about the time the church needed to buy some property. GanGan Haddard voted against it (of course!). But it passed overwhelmingly. And when the day came for that property to be renovated, who was the first one there with tools and expertise in tow? You guessed it! When my other lesser hero asked why he was so enthusiastic about helping with the work when he’d been so dead-set against getting the property, GanGan Haddard responded…

I voted and had my say, the church has spoken, now it’s time to get busy moving ahead!

I have been this guy, and GanGan Haddard is this one.

Creator of “Howardisms,” like…

  • Many hands make light work.
  • Sorry Braves!
  • Lookahere!
  • Great time o’ day!
  • Don’t get caught exceeding the speed limit. (Intoned like clockwork at the end of every visit home, and followed by the response, “They have to catch me first!”)
  • Boo! (Not in that scary ghost way…aw, never mind…you had to be there!)

And my favorite…

“Can’t” never could do anything!

Thanks for everything, GanGan Haddard. Happy Birthday! See you next week!

Wednesday Night Unwind, 11.15.06…


Severe weather possible in our area, constant rain all day long and forecast for all night, these three are just about perfect for a rare midweek unwind…

(Apologies to “The Boy.” I guess if Dad is listening to John Mayer, he’s not cool anymore, huh?)

Ouch! That Smarts!

Missed my workout today because of my first injury since the whole process began back in January. Yesterday was an interval training day, and I guess that’s when it happened. I didn’t notice it until this morning. It’s right between my calf and my ankle and it feels really tight and sore. I can walk and all that, but I’m glad I gave it a rest all day today. I’ll jump back in the saddle tomorrow morning, and see how it goes.

Until then, any experienced runners out there with the same symptoms?

Oh, BTW…the scale said 190 this morning! That’s down from 274 in January…and that’s just about where I want to be!

A Dreary Day…

I’m sitting in my favorite little coffee place in our area, doing my usual Wednesday morning thing. It’s raining, it’s grey, and the fall leaves are piling up on the street outside. The cappuccino is like nectar of the gods.

The Greek Grammar Gang is holding forth in the corner booth behind me (“the rough primitive adjectives in Mark” – boy, those were the days!).

The “Weekly Reader” has made it through today’s paper, and has turned to some huge Guide to the Bible.

The staff is discussing/critiquing the merits of some local churches (“too geared to evangelism, if you want to grow, it’s not a place for you,” “it’s all about the Sunday show,” “more North Point than North Point,” etc.).

This guy is usually here but not today.

This is usually playing, but not today.

Sunday Night Unwind, 11.05.06…


Some of your Christmas and winter favorites, done with incredible swing and style, by some of the best jazz artists you’ve probably never heard of. Christmas music is in full swing at the “Just Charlie” hacienda, and this one will be one of the most played this year.

So Close, So Far Away…


…and slipping further.

Just a rather cryptic heads-up to those who know and those who care…Nothing happened like I thought yesterday. No great provision or deliverance or supply or any of those things I had such a confidence about early in the morning. No great breakthroughs. No confirmation. I guess I just missed it.

If you think you hear Someone saying…

Run easy, son…

…or something about…

…waiting because your dad’s coming…

…it may be, in the big scheme of things, best not to pay any attention to it. You’d just be setting yourself up for a huge disappointment. Trust me…or not…

At any rate, the ante just got raised when the new month kicked in.

And that’s all I’ve got to say about that…