Category: General (page 21 of 121)

Still, all in all, a good run for Fl…Flo…Flor…FloriDUH!

BTW, that graphic is an “artist’s conception” of what was commonly referred to as a “hurtin’ Gator” back in the day. See, in the Dark Ages – circa 1979 – the “preppy” look was just coming into its own at Florida State University. Everybody had those très cool Lacoste polo shirts. In the week leading up to the big FSU-UF showdown, we put Band-Aids over the gator crocodile to show our disdain for the boys from Gainesville, as in “there’s gonna some hurtin’ Gators come Saturday!”)

Contrary to popular culture/belief, there really was music before the iPod and iTunes.

Heck, there even was music before CDs, before cassettes, and – gasp! – before albums! (See, there used to be these things, called albums, and they were usually black vinyl, about 12 inches in diameter, with a little hole in the middle. There was a series of grooves – actually one loooooong spiral groove! – that went around the surfaces – there were two sides! – of the album. Those grooves are where the music hid! But I digress…)

There was music before U2, Rascal Flatts, and Mary J. Blige. There was music before Lynyrd Skynyrd, George Strait, and Diana Ross. There was music before The Beatles, Buck Owens, and Etta James. Believe it or not, there was even music before Elvis, Hank (Sr. and Jr. and III), and Billie Holiday!

I say all that to say that tonight’s Unwind is from a little bit earlier time frame than any of those folks. Tonight, I’m unwinding with Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

What a perfect way to unwind on what turned out – after a pretty blustery morning – to be a gorgeous spring day in northwest Georgia!

If you happen to see a huge glow in the skies over Canton, Georgia today, do not fear. It’s only the glow from the “millions and millions” of candles on my buddy Gary Lamb’s birthday cake!

Some guys are “friends,” only when you’ve got something they want or need. Some guys are real friends, no matter what. I’m happy to say that Gary is one of those second kind of guys. He’s not afraid to tell me the truth, as he sees it. He’s not worried about what other folks think. He has a heart for God. he has a passion for the unchurched/dechurched of Canton and Cherokee County. He always gives me something to think about. He always challenges me. And even though he’s quick to go to lunch but slow to pick up the check, he is a man that I’m glad to simply call my friend.

Stop by the Great One’s blog and wish him a happy birthday. Oh, he hits the big 3-0 today! Old coot, indeed!

…and the ball has come to an abrupt end.

Gilded coaches are just plain old pumpkins.

Mighty charging steeds are puny little mice.

And Cinderella has gone home.

Good run, Patriots.

And now we can pull for either UCLA or LSU…anybody but Fl…Flor..FloriDUH! (Wow! I’ve had to type it two weeks in a row! Wash my keyboard off, quick!)

…you know the rest!

Check out the latest addition to one of our local outlet malls: The Foxworthy Store! I love this part of the story…

One shopper, a bride-to-be, came in and made a list of all the hunting decor she’d like to see in her boudoir. She wanted everything from the camouflage bedspread and shams to the toilet paper holder made of deer antlers.

The words of Psalm 71:18 won’t let me go this morning for some reason…

Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

I don’t what – if anything of value – I might have to offer “this new generation,” but I want the rest of my life to count.

Sinatra was great. The Velvet Fog, according to me and Judge Harry Stone was pretty awesome, too. Tony Bennett? Wonderful! Joe Williams, as I’ve already mentioned, was my kind of singer before he was Claire Huxtable’s dad.

But WOW! Johnny Hartman was – and is! – surely the ballad king! Tonight, I’m unwinding with his contribution to the Verve For Lovers series. Nothing fancy, nothing showy. Pure, unadulterated romantic ballads, in a lush baritone.

Oh yeah….there’s some other guys playing along with Johnny Hartman on this CD. Guys with names like Tyner, Jacquet, Jones (Hank and Elvin), Hinton, and some saxophonist named Coltrane.

Check it out!

OK, it’s official: I got the news the other day that my little attempt at a blog sucks as of late. Correctimundo! It has been rather lame lately. (Lately?!?!? Whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?!?!?) I haven’t been posting anything significant.

That doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to post or that I haven’t had anything to post. It doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about posting or even talked about posting. But as the ancient Chinese proverb I saw somewhere today succintly reminds us…

Talk never cooked the rice.

So, the first step back to blogging frequency is to clean up the draft pile. Without further adieu, here, for your perusal and enjoyment and wonderment and thought and consideration, are some random links to some stuff I found on the way to some place else. Peruse. Enjoy. Wonder. Think. Consider.

• Writing for busy people (Link via Darren Rowse)
• Terry Paulson writes about George Mason, and how they’ve gotten their victories and earned respect the hard way. His great quote…
  

  Those waiting to be given respect, might best get busy earning it.

• The biggest inhibitor of growth is leadership skill, or lack of it. So says Peter Behrendt, via Devin Reams
• Evangelism is not a sales pitch and missions is not a weekend project. In fact, evangelism and missions are not separate programs – they are everyday aspects of a disciple’s life

It’s been tough being a Number One seed in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament. But I guess that’s why they call it The Madness, bay-bee!

As it stands, the final Four is LSU, UCLA, Fl…Flo…Flor…Florida (there! I made my self type it!) and oh, yeah…George Mason. Who? George Mason, bay-bee! And the glass slipper has the George Mason colors all over it!

Went to the Y first thing this morning, as usual.

Double-Your-Cardio-Double-Your-Fun Friday, as usual.

Checked in with one of my Coach-Approach trainers/slave drivers/drill sergeants as I was finishing up my workout. She was “just telling this new guy about” me…

She: Go ahead, Charlie, tell him how much weight you’ve lost!
Me: About 27 pounds.
She: See! Isn’t that great?!?!

A little more small talk, off to the locker room, the shower, and the dreaded scales, as usual.

Oh, as I was leaving the building, I ran into the same trainer/slave driver/drill sergeant…

Me: I lied to you a little while ago.
She: Lied to me? About what?
Me: About that 27 pounds.
She: Well, we all fudge our numbers from time to time. You’ll get back on track. Don’t worry about it. Keep plugging. Hang in there.
Me: Uhhh…it’s…uh, 29 pounds as of today…