HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYBODY!!!

click the greeting above and join the New Years 2009 Celebration in New Zealand!!!!

I know the NFL season is not over with yet, but this has got to be the best play of the year......

By the way, that is called a forearm shiver..... Ref 1, Rams 0.......and if the images don't tell the whole story, watch the video!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpYroK4SRmg

Is there any wonder why the Rams are having a loosing season???

Well, the Rams play the Falcons Sunday in the last game of the regular season....

GO FALCONS!!!!!

Today was verrrrry cooooold here in Johnson City, TN..... when we awoke the temperature hoovered around 10 degrees F. The wind chill temperature was zero (0) degrees F. Burrrrrrr!!!

As the day progressed to noon time or so the sun was our the wind was calmed down and the temperature was around 20 degrees F... I went out and took a couple of pictures of our front yard decorations......
and
As you can see, it surly was a very nice sunny day.....

A few minutes later I was eating my lunch and watching Sports Center on ESPN when I happened to look past the TV and out the window and saw that it appeared to be snowing...

it looked quite a bit like a blizzard... which seemed unusual since it was bright and sunny out the other windows...... so I investigated.............
Low and behold I discovered that it was snowing in my neighbors yard.... I walked closer and discovered......that my neighbor was making snow on his front yard....... WoooooooooooHaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Now I have to tell you that is the very first time I have seen anyone blowing snow here in Johnson City, Tennessee.... One time in the last 25 years here in JC I sprinkeled my yard and tried to make a skating rink..... but, honestly, I never I thought I would see snow blowing here in the city!!!

I am as excited as a little boy and I wish I could go lay down in it and make a snow angle!!! I have however, given the state of my back, decided that might not be such a good thing!!!!

So, have yourself a very merry WHITE Christmas, I am!!!! Peace on Earth, John

Favorite e-mail from finals week.....

Before you read these, you should know a little about the final.

It was a comprehensive 100 question multiple choice and True/False exam.

All questions from the first half of the course were take directly from the mid-term (also a 100 question mc & t/f exam).

Oh yah, I almost forgot to tell you, this was an open book, open note, exam taken on-line without supervision.

In order to cut down on the obvious ability for students to share information, I set up the exam so that each student received a different random order of questions and could only answer one question at a time and there was no back-tracking...........

Class averages on the Final Exam were:

My two in-class (sometimes called land) section's averages were 71.77 and 71.75; whereas the on-line section's average was 75.02..... My presence may be irrelevant!!!! (These averages were for students who actually took the exam - there were some who skipped it and received a zero......


Anyway, the e-mails follow:

I just took the Final, and did not do as good as I thought I would. I believe it is going to bring my grade down, even though I have gotten 100's on all my assignments and discussions, except 1 I got a 90. I really thought I would receive an A, and I think now because I did poorly on my final I will be 1 point away. Is there any way I can take the final over, or anything I can do to receive an A, please???

Followed by:

I will immediately retake or whatever will be possible to do better. I obviously was not as prepared as I thought I was. I apologize for any inconveince. [notice misspelling of inconvenience]

and another:

I was wondering if you offered extra credit?

I just took the MIS exam. I must say it was one of the hardest exam I have
ever taken in my life. I studied for it before I attempted it and I did not
even get the chance to finish it. I was on a good track I felt and then I
started running out of time so I just had to start clicking random answers
in hopes to choose the right answer! I felt I could have used a little more
than 2 hours! Anyways, with such a low score on the grade I know I will do
poorly in the class now, probably, I cannot afford this! Do you plan on
curving the exam? Is there anything I can do to raise my exam score?

Missed an A by 0.75, almost made the Dean's list again. I enjoyed the class.
[I rounded this one up and this student received an A..... He did make the Dean's list again!!!]

That's not so many comments for the 106 students I have - what a great job.....

The end of the semester brings many interesting comments such as these...... I am sure that you have your own interesting (or like this one, not so very interesting) stories and, of course, that is why we blog....

happy trails to you until we blog again...., john

My friend Zeno on his blog Zeno's Happiness posted a video about being in search of pie..... I thought it would be fun to look at a somewhat different video concerning Pi....... click on the following link

In search of Pi

To be honest, I like Zeno's pie better than my pi...... Remember that it is better to split a hair -
pi vs pie than to split an infinitive or an atom.........

it's finals week.....................do I need to say any more than that?????

Peace, john

Santa came early to our house!!!
Today the installer arrived to install our new windows!!!
There Santa is taking out our the old windows in the dinning room -
Here is his sleigh and some of the wonderful packages he brought to our home
Here are the installed windows in the front!!

We are so fortunate to get our Christmas presents early!!!

Cheers to all, john

Today I had an Epidural Steroid Injection at Lumbar 4 Vertebrae!!!

Here is a picture.......
That long skinny thing on the right is the needle...... Thank God for numbing medicines, I only felt a slight pressure...

I am home now, resting... at the moment I am pain free in my lower back and right leg... that is the result of some additional numbing medicine that is combined with the steroid... it will go away and then it will take somewhere in the vicinity of 4-5 days for the steroid to actually start working...

cross your fingers and pray. the purpose of all this is to postpone inevitable surgery because of the narrowing of the area around the spinal cord, called stinosis, caused by arthritis and aging..

A bad thing about me getting older is that this happens .... a good thing is that I am getting older and able to experience all of it!!!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, Peace, John

YIKES!!!!

GUESS I'M COMMITTED NOW!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!!

Obama’s Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy
Stunning Break with Last Eight Years
By Andy Borowitz, The Borowitz Report

In the first two weeks since the election, President-elect Barack Obama has broken with a tradition established over the past eight years through his controversial use of complete sentences, political observers say.

Millions of Americans who watched Mr. Obama's appearance on CBS' "Sixty Minutes" on Sunday witnessed the president-elect's unorthodox verbal tick, which had Mr. Obama employing grammatically correct sentences virtually every time he opened his mouth.

But Mr. Obama's decision to use complete sentences in his public pronouncements carries with it certain risks, since after the last eight years many Americans may find his odd speaking style jarring.

According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it "alienating" to have a President who speaks English as if it were his first language.

"Every time Obama opens his mouth, his subjects and verbs are in agreement," says Mr. Logsdon. "If he keeps it up, he is running the risk of sounding like an elitist."

The historian said that if Mr. Obama insists on using complete sentences in his speeches, the public may find itself saying, "Okay, subject, predicate, subject predicate - we get it, stop showing off."

The President-elect's stubborn insistence on using complete sentences has already attracted a rebuke from one of his harshest critics, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

"Talking with complete sentences there and also too talking in a way that ordinary Americans like Joe the Plumber and Tito the Builder can't really do there, I think needing to do that isn't tapping into what Americans are needing also," she said.

//////sent to me from a friend and shared with all of you........

Cheers, John

At last!!!
Pictures of the party

4 O'clock Special Meeting November 1, 2008
In honor of Ruth and Rhonda spouses invited!!!

The Club standing: Bo and Sam
Sitting: Michael, Joe, Dennis, and John
The whole gang.....
Standing: Bo, Marie, Leesa, Sharon, Sandy, Lynn, Ruth, Rhonda, Roz, and Sam
Sitting: Michael, Joe, Dennis, John

Many more pictures of the party with Dennis and Leesa dancing and Roz practicing getting up in case she falls are available at : http://www.facebook.com/editphoto.php?aid=2008660#/photo.php?pid=30145379&id=1432996535&ref=mf

We had a great time...... hope you enjoy the pictures

Cheers, John

New great news about Matthew.... See http://www.mattfay.blogspot.com/ Praise God! John

FIRST DAY OF EARLY VOTING FOR OUR NEW PRESIDENT

I VOTED TODAY!!

I cast my vote for the future of our country....
(50 min. wait in line -
5 min. to vote)
The best hour I had all day!
The privilege to vote is priceless!!!

Make an hour of your life count,
VOTE!!!!

new news about Matthew..... go to http://www.mattfay.blogspot.com/ for an update...

Cheers, John

Hey everybody....

On November 9, I am going to be preaching at our church on the general topic of Hope.... Our pastor, Michelle, is thinking about a project to collect congregational thoughts on her sermon topics at some future time....

Our Michael suggested that the blog might a way to have that kind of interaction.

So, I am talking about hope and would like you to give me some input into the topic from your perspective.....I am thinking of expanding the title to be "Hope, in times of prosperity and despair" or maybe "High Hopes in Low Times."

What do you think, got any input?????

Can't wait to hear from you.

Cheers, john

San Diego Thursday and part of Friday:

Thursday: On the way to lunch - Something for CUMC to aspire to........or not ;)Lunch at the:On the roof.....With a view of the Pacific Ocean.......We had fish tacos and were thy ever yummy.....

Then we, my sister and I, went for a walk on the boardwalk, ooops, make that the concrete:
With a view of the ocean:
A trip to Mesa College, where my sister works!!
Some San Diego traffic:and a view of the Southern California drought..........

And here is where we ate breakfast on Friday with my sister and her son and family from Oregon...... This is La Jolla....
Here we are walking around a park below the restaurant and above the ocean... The water below is called the divers pool. It is a natural pool where the waters are calm and divers and snorkelers and surf kiakers go to view the marine life..... The couple in one of the pictures is my sisters grand son and his girl friend....

Later this evening my sisters family will meet, after dinner, for desert (which starts with "d" and not "c" in case you are worried) and then the adults will head out in search of an adult beverage.... More postings of this excellent adventure will follow.... Keep your head up and your powder dry.... I didn't make that up and it is not pertinent to this blog, but I wanted to say it. Cheers, john

Here I am from San Diego California....My flight was wonderful....slight delay at the TRI, but made the connection and had smooth sailing, (so to speak) all the way here!!! Sandy is at home entertaining her sister who had already planned her yearly visit before the party for my sister was planned....

Was discussing beers with one of my nephews..... likes Fat Tire and I told him about 1556... now he is looking for it... we are all going in search of it on Friday evening!!!! More later...

The weather here is outstanding... They are transiting to fall... toward the end of October they will enter their hot season.... While the seasons are not as noticeable here as they are in East Tennessee, the locals can really tell the difference!!! Proving once more that where you are is where you are and you should get used to it!!!

I will post pics later, when I take some, and keep you well informed... Although my sister and the surrounding area does not have wireless, she has DSL and it is easy to plug-and-play!!!!!

Remember, take good care of yourself and try not to be the next pin cushion!!!! love, john

1554 Enlightened Black Ale

Born of a flood and centuries-old Belgian text, 1554 Enlightened Black Ale uses a light lager yeast strain and dark chocolaty malts to redefine what dark beer can be. In 1997, a Fort Collins flood destroyed the original recipe our researcher, Phil Benstein, found in the library. So Phil and brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert, traveled to Belgium to retrieve this unique style lost to the ages. Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and mouthfeel.

GIANT!!

`The Twist' is top song

of Billboard Hot 100 era

See the whole article at:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080911/ap_en_ot/music_billboard_top_song

What's your top song???????

See the lyrics and get the ringtone at:

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/heartsinatlantis/thetwist.htm

Have a great day, john

Praise Band concert opens WNL..... Our Praise Band opened the activities for our Wednesday night programs at church... it was a wonderful out door concert and fun was had by many, many people!!! Some pictures will follow.... but first a couple of things I should have blogged about and didn't....

A few weeks ago, I awoke and looked outside and said, Oh MY GOD!!! Sandy said what is wrong? I said you have to come see this!!!!
During the night, our neighbor's (across the street) yard had been rolled..... it was everywhere!!!! Once again I was thankful that the teenage years have passed by at out house!!!

Usually the news is understandable by me, there is war here and a war there, someone shot someone else, stocks are down, and the price of everything is up.... not to hard to understand until the other day, the news was way above my head......
it was delivered to my rooftop instead of my doorstep!!!

Now here are pictures of the Praise Band, the real reason for this blog.....
First the band!!!!



The Sound Guys!!!!!
The crowd..... all ages!!!



Our Pastor Michelle!!!
We truly had a wonderful time.... The band was AWESOME!!! Thank you PRAISE BAND!!