Love One Another

I got a little fed up after reading on Facebook a post by a family member that led to a disagreement, and name-calling and disrespect for one another's opinions was the result.  I tend to stay away from controversy.  Most people who know me know where I am on the political and religious spectrum, just because I don't make it a secret.  But I can only speak for myself.  If you don't agree with me, then I'm not going to bash your head in until you do, and I don't expect you to do that, either.  But it's happening all around us!  Anyway, I posted the following on Facebook and it garnered a lot of support, if not comment (and I purposely asked folks to be civil, which might be why no one is commenting, other than with words of support):

It scares and saddens me that we can allow our political differences to tarnish and define our relationships with each other, rather than just understand that we're all different.  If we don't agree on something, that shouldn't mean that we can't be friends, or be civil to one another.  In today's culture, though, it appears that we're too close-minded to look past these differences, and hate and disgust replaces love.  Name-calling and labels replace individuality.  How does God put up with us?  We're all sinners.  (I'm not looking to start a debate here...if you're going to comment, you better be civil.  I purposefully stay out of political and religious debates here on FB because I don't believe it belongs on here... I'd rather just connect with my friends and loved ones.  If you know me, you know where I stand.)  John 13:34-35 (NIV) - "A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  No one is allowed to have an opinion anymore without being picked on and hated by everyone that disagrees with them.  Civil discourse doesn't seem to exist anymore.  Political correctness comes before common sense.  Right equals might.  Disagreement leads to bullying.  It's crazy.  I'm just disheartened by it all.

I guess I'm just naive to think that we can all just get along.  Christianity by its very nature seems to garner hate by those who don't subscribe to its teachings.  I'm hated just for being a Christ-follower, yet Jesus told us all to love one another.  I'm not saying I do it all the time.  I try, though.  I want to be the person my dog thinks I am.  I want to love and be loved, knowing that's impossible.  But I'm trying.

Have a great evening, everyone!  Tell your loved ones how much you love them. You can't say it enough.

Date #2

Yesterday was an exciting day!  My daughter was off from school because of a teacher's professional day, or something, and since no one in my family was available to stay with my daughter, I decided to take the day off myself.  This gave us a nice three day weekend.

We started the day off by going to the movies.  The new GODZILLA was playing at the IMAX theater at Columbia Mall, and since it was high on my and my daughter's lists of movies we wanted to see, that's what we did.  We headed out in a deluge.  It was raining very hard, a continuation from the overnight rain we experienced.  The road outside of our neighborhood, Stephens Road, was flooded again, so going that way was not an option.  We also decided, since it was later than planned, that we would grab a quick breakfast at Chick-Fil-A.  Then it was off to the mall.

The theater wasn't too crowded, but this theater continues to have problems getting people through the concession lines quickly.  It's very hard to get what you need when the movie is starting and the employees appear to be struggling to get the orders filled.  I don't know how to fix this, other than they need to have more employees working the concessions.

The movie itself is awesome!  Stay tuned for a review of the movie in a near-future blog.

After the movie, we had lunch at Eggspectations, which was great, then we sent to Daedalus books for fun.  If you have never been to Daedalus, it's an awesome place to find books.  You really don't go there to find a particular book.  You go to browse and find surprises.  It's the prices that are so great, though.  You can get a half dozen books and spend less than $30.  Daedalus sells books offered by publishers as remainders, which are the difference between what a publisher printed and what was sold.  They are sold at bargain prices.  I get most of my books from Daedalus.  I love this place!  It's on Gerwig Lane in Columbia.  From Snowden River Parkway, turn onto Berger Road, then right on Gerwig.  Daedalus is on the left.

After all of that excitement, we went home, I cleaned up, and we went back out to drop Melody off with my mother for the evening, and I went on my second date with Miss M.  I don't go on very many second dates, so this was a moderately big deal.

We had a really nice evening.  It was beautiful outside after all of the rains earlier in the day.  We drove down to the waterfront on the Anacostia.  There was an outdoor concert last night, and we had a really nice dinner at Aqua 301.  In fact, one of the contractors I work with at my office also works as a server at Aqua 301, and she treated us to a dessert at the end of our meal.  We ate outside so we could hear the music.  It was really nice.

Miss M and I seem to get along really well.  There is an obvious attraction, and we seem to have a connection at a spiritual level, and we can talk about anything.  The only thing that seems to be a difference is in what interests us.  She and I have different kinds of things we like to do.  Without getting into details, it seems like this may be an area of concern, though it's still way too early, since we've only been out together twice, and I don't want to jump to conclusions.  At our cores, I think we're a lot alike.  I don't want to give up yet, and I don't want it to sound like I'm being too picky.  The sense I get from her is that she seems interested in me enough to want to continue to see each other, So I want to continue see her and see where this goes.

There's a Scottish festival near Northeast, MD, today, that I'm going to to meet my daughter, Mom, and uncle, but today is also the Preakness.  Getting around Baltimore may be a challenge.  It should be a lot of fun, though.

Have a great Saturday, everyone!

Join The Band

I'm a proud papa tonight after my daughter's first band concert tonight at her school!  Melody started playing the clarinet (taking after her dear old daddio) at the beginning of the school year, and she has really enjoyed it.  The concert was the opportunity for all of the new musicians to come together in a performance for their families and loved ones, and it was great!

I remember my first concert.  I started playing the clarinet in sixth grade.  The night of my first concert I was a nervous wreck.  Just before we were due to go on stage, I lost it and threw up all over the floor in the hallway.  It came over me so quickly, I had no time to get to the restroom.  The next thing I knew, my parents were being called back from the audience over the loudspeaker.  Mom & Dad asked me if I was okay, and whether I still wanted to play in the concert.  Of course I wanted to play.  The show must go on!  So I did.  I went on to play in Junior High and High School bands, on both clarinet and alto sax.  I played in the jazz band, too, and, later, in the Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band at the University of Maryland.  It was a blast!

So Melody was pretty awesome.  The band directors, Mary Curry and Saul Green, were so patient with the kids.  They also were quite funny.  This is Mr. Green's first job out of college, and, as a percussionist, I can tell that he worked very hard with the student percussionists, as they did a solo piece during the concert that was really well done.  Mrs. Curry directed the bands and, again, her talent in leading the kids was evident in their enthusiasm.  It was a fun night.  At the end of the show, both directors talked about the importance of the school music program and how great the bands were at the middle school level, and they hoped that all of the kids would move on to play at that level.

After the concert, I was able to tell Mrs. Curry and Mr. Green how wonderful the show was, and Mrs. Curry turned it right back to me and said what a great student Melody is.  She also said she loves her name.  I may have lead her to a life of music with her name.

I want to further emphasize what Mrs. Curry and Mr. Green said about being in the band.  It is such a great social group as students enter into middle and high school.  They need that kind of environment, where they're accepted and can bond with kids who they have something in common.  I believe it's healthy and creates a positive experience for the kids who stay with it.  I never regretted it, and enjoyed it immensely.  I hope my daughter will stay with it, too.

Support your school's music program, in particular the instrumental bands.  It's a great place to learn and grow.

Have a great evening, everyone!

Unhealthy Thoughts About Delicious Foods

Unhealthy thoughts about delicious foods...

• Hot, soft, freshly made chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven, along with a large glass of milk...

• New York style pizza, topped with pepperoni and extra cheese, hot out of the oven...

• Scrambled eggs and blueberry pancakes topped with buttery maple syrup...

• Sweet, juicy, corn-on-the-cob grilled with butter...

• Hot turkey on sourdough bread drenched in gravy with creamy mashed potatoes covered in butter...

• Tender, thinly sliced beef on french bread dipped in au jus...

• Creamy warm pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream...

• Hot, glazed Krispy Kreme donuts right off of the conveyor...

• Sweet, juicy watermelon on a hot Summer afternoon...

• Hot, buttered toast dipped in a mug of hot chocolate on a cold Winter morning...

• Angel hair pasta covered with sweet marinara meat sauce...

• Crispy tacos with spicy beef, cool, crisp lettuce, salsa, sharp cheddar cheese, and taco sauce...

• Gooey, chocolaty not-quite-done brownies, hot out of the oven...

• Greasy, seasoned, juicy fried chicken...

• Sweet Maryland blue crabs covered in Old Bay...

• Cold root beer with vanilla ice cream...

• Cinnamon buns covered with hot glazed sugar...

• Hot, tender pulled pork covered with sweet and tangy barbecue sauce...

• Creamy cheesecake covered in strawberries and drizzled with strawberry sauce...

• Hot, just-baked peanut butter fudge...

• Flip back the lid, scoop everything in sight, A rainbow of red, brown and white; Chocolate chip and everything that's nice; Tutti Frutti once and spumoni twice; Spread the whipped cream for at least an hour, Pile it high as the Eiffel Tower; Load it with nuts, about 16 tons, Top it with a pizza just for fun; Now add the cherries, the kind she loves to munch, Skip one banana, use the whole darn bunch; Drown it in fudge, 6 or 7 cans, Give her two spoons, she'll eat it with both hands; Banana split for my baby, A glass of plain water for me.... (Thanks to Louis Prima!)

Have a great, tasty evening, everyone!

Using Last Summer Vacation to Plan Our Next Summer Vacation

My wonderful daughter, Melody, and I were talking about all of the things we've got planned for travel this year.  We've already taken our big West Coast Spring Break trip, and we're looking ahead to the Summer vacation to the Midwest, including our regular trip to Chicago, and continuing on to Wisconsin Dells.  It's going to be a great Summer!

Melody has been having trouble with her iPhone, which is apparently too full of pictures to have any memory.  So we transferred the whole bunch of them to a laptop to free up some memory to enable her to download a few apps.  So I was going through her pics and came across a couple from last Summer that I was surprised to see, and I enjoyed the memory.  Here they are:

The second pic is a list we made highlighting all of the things we did last Spring and Summer, including our big New York City and New England trip over Spring Break, and all of the great Summer trips to amusement parks, mostly.  It was a great Summer, and Melody seemed to think so, given the pictures of these things.  She and I are both list makers, so it was funny that she wanted to make a list to begin with.

Anyway, this Summer should rival last, and even the Spring Break was comparable to last year's.  I really love taking these trips, and I'm glad to see Melody finds them memorable, as well.  She's definitely my daughter!

Have a great evening, everyone!  And plan a trip this Summer!  You'll be glad you did!

Mother's Day Perspective

Another Mother's Day has come and gone.  I wish I could say it is an enjoyable day, but each year I struggle with it.  It's never a day that I can treat as a normal Mother's Day.  And it's all because my wife, Teresa, passed away just prior to her first Mother's Day.

I'd love to just spend the day with my mom.  She is more than deserving of the honor of having her children (me, my sister, Angie, and my brother, Darren) spend the day with her, treating her to dinner, showing her how much we love her.  But since her birthday is May 7, we often celebrate her birthday with her, but not Mother's Day.  She claims it's no big deal, and she is more than happy to have us help her celebrate her birthday.  It in no way diminishes the importance of the day for her.  I only wish we could all celebrate Mother's Day with her, as well.

My wife was an only child.  So the "pressure" to celebrate her mom on Mother's Day was all on her.  Where I could share that responsibility with my siblings, she didn't have that luxury, and I'm sure she had no problem celebrating with her mom.  Once we were married, we tried to give attention to both of our moms.  It was kind of easy since we went to the same church at the time as her parents, so we could celebrate my mother-in-law in the morning, usually followed by lunch, and then spend dinner or dessert with my mom on Sunday evening.  It was a good compromise.

We no longer go to that church, so that is not an option for us anymore.  My daughter, Melody, and I attend our church on Saturday evening, which frees us up to go out to my in-laws church on Sunday morning.  But because my wife is not longer with us, I'm responsible for making sure my mother-in-law gets honored for Mother's Day.  Please understand that I am not complaining in the least.  I love my mother-in-law and it's always a great time with her and my father-in-law.  I just miss that I am unable to spend our Mother's Day with my mom.

All that said, I am also responsible for making sure we honor and remember my wife.  My daughter has no idea what it's like to have a mother, so I try to help her figure it out.  She gets understandably sad when she realizes what she's missing, though that's not my goal in telling her.  It's just our reality.  Between Melody and my mother-in-law, I feel like I need to make sure they both have a special day, and that's not a whole lot fun for me, necessarily.

I don't mean to be an Eeyore, but Mother's Day just isn't a nice day.  All it does is remind me that I'm not married, that my daughter no longer has a mom, that my mother-in-law no longer has a daughter, and my mother doesn't get to have the kind of day she deserves.

Anyway, Happy Mother's Day to mom, mom-in-law, to my wife, and to all other's who are able to celebrate with a meal out and spend time with their loved ones.  Best wishes & blessings to Moms everywhere.

The Ultimate Gift

I just watched a pretty good movie called THE ULTIMATE GIFT.  It was recommended to me by my pastor, and I purchased it several months ago.  I decided to watch it tonight.

At first, I was afraid it was going to be predictable, and the script was just a bit too hokey.  But then the movie took a turn and got very interesting.  As it went along, I became invested in the characters.  And while it was a fascinating exploration in human nature, I did have a problem with the way things were tied up at the end.  But the ultimate message is great.

James Garner stars as a very rich guy and grandfather who dies and leaves a large inheritance to his family.  They are all spoiled by their wealth, and are completely selfish.  Their arrogance is despicable, in fact, and they all fight with each other.  They expect to inherit a significant portion of Garner's estate, and when that doesn't happen, they're angry.  But one grandson, Jason, is targeted with perhaps improving himself and becoming worthy of the grandfather's inheritance, and he is tested.  He wants nothing to do with it or his grandfather, happy to live off of the trust that was set up after his father's death, but he becomes intrigued and begins to accept the "challenge".  After each test, or "gift", he is rewarded and given the next test.  As I mentioned, it is somewhat predictable, but there is a payoff, and it is in the Jason's relationship with a young girl that changes his life.  The tests, or gifts, are:

The Gift of Work
The Gift of Money
The Gift of Friends
The Gift of Learning
The Gift of Problems
The Gift of Family
The Gift of Laughter
The Gift of Dreams
The Gift of Giving
The Gift of Gratitude
The Gift of a Day
The Gift of Love

The movie has several emotional moments that impact the young man in incredible ways, but it has a nice ending.  My only issue with it is the way it uses money as a way of creating happiness.  Most people probably cannot identify with much of what the young man is dealing with, since he was born into a family of wealth and has never had to worry about money until he is tested.  Jason undergoes a somewhat realistic transformation.  But it still was just a bit too convenient to the plot, in my mind.  But it was entertaining.  Check it out, if you get the chance.

***

I had a lonely afternoon after taking my daughter up to visit my in-laws and join her grandmother for a "Ladies Tea" at their church.  I came home in a steady rain, and crashed with Faithful Pup Scout and watched the remainder of the NFL Draft.  I ended up snoozing on the couch and completely lost track of the time.  I woke up much too late to attend church, and was really disappointed.  I had been looking forward to Mark's Mother's Day message after receiving his announcement earlier this week about his topic.  Tomorrow, I had planned to go back to my in-laws church, where my mother-in-law is delivering the message (for Mother's Day), and to bring my daughter home after.  It should be fun.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the Moms out there... I hope you are given a wonderful day!

Sports and Dating

I'm very frustrated with my Pittsburgh Penguins.  They had a chance to clinch their second round playoff series versus the New York Rangers, at home, but were instead blown out, 5-1.  They still hold a 3 games to 2 lead in the series, and can clinch it on Sunday, but it's frustrating to see them blow an opportunity like that.  After struggling in the first round versus Columbus, I don't feel very good about their long-term chances in the playoffs, even after they dominated the Rangers for most of the series until last night.

***

The Steelers, who are in the middle of this year's NFL Draft, continue to confound everyone by drafting players that don't solve their perceived greatest needs:  a cornerback and a wide receiver. They took a very good linebacker, Ryan Shazier, from Ohio State, who definitely will fill a need, likely taking the spot that Larry Foote had before being let go.  In the second round, they took a monster of a defensive lineman, Stephon Tuitt, from Notre Dame.  He, too, fills a need after the Steelers lost a couple of free agents on the line.  But CB is a bit weak, with an aging Ike Taylor, the suspect Cortez Allen, and much maligned William Gay the only veterans there.  It was hoped that the Steelers would take a CB earlier, but now it appears they'll end up getting a developmental pick that likely won't help much this year.  Their third pick, Dri Archer, from Kent St., is a speedster running back, who it seems Tomlin likes having on the roster.  He's had one almost every season, and none have worked out, the latest being La'Rod Stephens-Howling, who blew out his knee last year before the season even started.  He's a little guy, so it remains to be seen whether he will be able to hold up to playing in the NFL.  I'm hoping the Steelers can get some hidden gems in the remaining rounds of today's draft.

***

While eating dinner with Miss M on Thursday, a group of women walked by and after seeing the food on our plates, immediately came over to us to ask what we were eating.  It was kind of humorous.  It got worse, though, while two of the women were talking to Miss M, the third asked specifically what I was eating, and I drew a blank and told her, "placenta".  The incredulous look on her face told me I said something wrong, so I said, "Well, I might be pronouncing it wrong..."  She chuckled, and Miss M, who heard this conversation, spoke up and said, "Polenta."  I'm pretty sure my face turned a shade of red only seen on Mars.

***

After saying goodnight, it still seemed early, so I took the top off the Jeep and cruised over to the Mall area in SW.  It was very relaxing.  It was a beautiful night, and traffic was light, and DC really is an incredible place.  It was a nice drive home, though I spent the whole time wondering what Miss M thought of me and whether we might see each other again.  We did end up exchanging emails last night, and she told me she would like to get together again.  So, we'll see.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

A First Date

What a beautiful evening!  I went on a first date with Miss M, a wonderful young lady who I met on an online dating site.  She saw my profile and contacted me, stating that she saw that my faith was important to me, something not said by many people on that site.  Compared to many of the women who have contacted me, I was impressed with her kindness and beautiful smile, which was on display in every picture on her profile.  We spent a week exchanging emails and getting to know each other.  I admit to not being convinced we were a great match, but I thought she was certainly worth getting to know, and we made plans to get together.

I was a little slow in making plans, mostly since I tend to not rush into things.  Interestingly, she didn't want to wait, and admitted to being impatient in wanting to see me.  We made plans to get together this week.  Today was that day.

One issue I have is that she lives in Washington, DC, in Capitol Hill.  That certainly isn't convenient for dating.  It actually took me about 35 minutes to get to the restaurant she recommended we meet at, Lavagna, near Eastern Market.  I was early, but it took me about 20 minutes to find a parking space, which ended up being about two blocks from the restaurant.  I arrived before her, and the hostess/server seated me at a table outside.  It was such a nice evening.  Miss M arrived within minutes after I sat down.  She was a bit out of breath since she was afraid she would be late and she ran part of the way.

She's gorgeous.  And cute.  She has curly brown hair, she appears to be very fit, she has a furrowed brow which gives her face so much character, and her smile is contagious.  But it was her beautiful blue eyes that stood out to me.  I kept getting lost in them.  I know that sounds like a line, but I'm being sincere.

I thought we got along great, and I believe the attraction is mutual.  We talked about a lot of different things, though I regret that much of what I had to say likely made little sense.  I kept confusing my words, and I just don't know what she really thinks.  I just kept getting flustered.

The night was way too short.  My parking meter had a max of two hours, so I didn't have much choice.  I said goodnight, and we hugged.  We were going in opposite directions, so we didn't even get to walk together.  I'm looking forward to seeing her again, and it sounded like she is interested, too.  We'll see what happens.

Have a great evening, everyone!

Grace Adventures Day Camp

I've told this story a few times before, but I can't help mentioning again how wonderful the young people are who lead and run the Grace Adventures Day Camp at Grace Community Church in Fulton, MD.  The camp begins their 5-week run on June 30 this year.  Please check out their website for more information:  GRACE

When my daughter, Melody, finished Kindergarten, I decided to look into the camp. I didn't know much about it except that it was at our church, and that it would help me by giving Melody a place to go while I was at work.  The hours are actually identical to her school hours.  It was perfect.

She was a little bit worried about the whole thing, but after her first day, she was excited and looked forward to it.  That first year, her counselors made such an impression on her, she still stays in touch with them to this day.  She talked about the counselors more than her friends and camp-mates.  It wasn't just the attention they gave her, which was important for a little girl who doesn't have a mom in her life; it was the fact that they treated her as if she was important to them, and, as Christ-followers, they have such an influence on her, showing her Christ's love through their actions.  How awesome is that?

This continued every summer (she's finishing up fourth grade this year), and while many of the same faces are there year after year, there are many new ones, and they come in with the same mission as the ones before, and the kids love them.  My supposedly introverted little girl became this outgoing socialite due to the way the counselors and young adults treated her and talked to her.  They became such a positive, Christ-centered influence on all of the kids, and they talked to them at their level, earning their trust and providing so much fun for them.  These young leaders walked the walk, too.  You could see Christ working through them.

Something else happened, too.  These young ladies had a big influence on me, as well.  My daughter's introvertedness is come by honestly, since I'm much the same.  I didn't know what to make of the attention they gave to Melody, but there was a carry over.  They obviously loved on her to the point that she talked about them constantly, and as a result, they felt comfortable enough to treat me much the same.  I'm a recovering widower who, at times, felt lost and alone trying to care for my young daughter, and these young ladies provided me with support in the form of that love for Melody and that filled me with confidence.  I don't know if they know this, but that made such a difference in me as a single parent.  By bringing out my daughter's personality, it opened up my relationship with her that much more.  And I became invested in the camp's success as a result.

The camp regularly held fund-raisers for their scholarship program, and they began inviting Melody to be a part of these efforts.  Each year, they had a breakfast at the Applebee's in Columbia, and Melody was permitted to serve with them.  By including her, they included me, and I got to know these women personally.  They are now my friends.  And I will do whatever I can to support each of them to be a success.

The hardest thing about being a part of such a well run and well staffed group like the one that runs Grace's camp is that, because these young women are establishing themselves in their chosen careers, they just can't continue to work with the camp, so there's an inevitable changeover in staff and counselors each year.  Thankfully, because they have set the bar pretty high, those that come after them carry on the tradition of sharing Christ's love in their relationships with the campers.  It's wonderful to see.

I wish I could do more for these wonderful young people and for the camp.  I wish I had more time to volunteer with them.  I will try to be available when they need support, whether it's putting together an outdoor play area or supporting their scholarship program, or joining them at their weekly fund-raising nights at the Johns Hopkins Road Chick-Fil-A, because, ultimately, it's all about the kids, and my daughter is one who benefits.  But what is happening at this camp each summer is special, and if you are looking for a place for your children this summer to have fun, be loved, and be worn out each day, please look at Grace Adventures Day Camp.  It runs for five weeks beginning June 30.  It's a great place because the people running it are great.

Shout out and much appreciation to Misses Michelle, Amy, Cree, Grace, Sarah, Erin, Caitlin, and so many others.  Thank you!

#HoCoBlogs #HoCoFaith

Top Down Beautiful

What a beautiful day we had today!  I really hated being stuck in an office, especially being able to see just how great the weather was from my office window.  When work ended, I quickly went out to my Jeep and took the front roof panels off so that I could experience it fully.

When I decided that I wanted a Jeep Wrangler, I wanted that experience of putting the top down and feeling the air on my face as I was driving down the road.  I thought it would be different from my little car, my Mazda 2-seater, which is a blast to drive, too.  But being in a much larger vehicle and still having that freedom that accompanies a convertible would be different in my mind, and offer a distinct experience.  So with the warmer weather, the top came off.  And it WAS very different from the little Mazda.  The wind in my face was much stronger than anything I've experienced in the Mazda.  It's almost too much.  The angle that the wind hits me is significantly greater, and I've found that it's preferable to keep the windows up when the top is off.  I'm just a bit disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, however.  I still love it.  It drives much differently than my Mazda, and I love having such a great distinction.  It's not very often that you can own two vehicles that are so different.  I'm thinking, at some point, that I'll invest in a soft top that I can use during the warmer months, and perhaps being able to put the whole roof down will diminish the amount of air that is forced in the cabin currently.  We'll see.

So I'm off to bed.  For whatever reason this week, I'm having trouble getting to sleep despite how tired I am.  I can barely keep my eyes open.  I think it also may be the excitement over the young lady I'm planning to see on Thursday.

So have a great evening, everyone!

First Impressions

I had my first phone conversation with my match, Miss M, and she continues to impress me.  She already appears to match every one of my preferences, but I feel like we really connected.

It has been a little while since my last date, so I'm finding it interesting just how nervous I was leading up to our phone call.  I actually started trying to come up with excuses as to why I might not be able to call her tonight.  Ridiculous, eh?  My daughter and I went out with my in-laws for dinner, and I knew I was going to be cutting it close getting home in time to call her at 8, as we planned.  In fact, we arrived home right at 8.

So I was nervous when I called her.  I'm an introvert through and through, but I was really chatty early on in our call.  She noticed.  In fact, she suggested that I was way off in my assessment that I'm an introvert.  I told her that I've changed a bit over the years since entering management, which requires me to be a little bit out-going.  My chattiness was directly related to my nervousness, though.  Fortunately, she likes to talk, and I'm glad she likes to talk, and I'd like to think the conversation evened out as it went along.  She's very easy to talk to, and I had no problem opening up to her.  She shared a lot with me, too.

So where is this going?  It still way too early to tell.  We haven't met face to face, yet.  Maybe things will be different after that.  Maybe I won't match her physical "requirements".  I know we've seen pictures of each other, and I know there's a little bit of physical chemistry.  She is a very attractive young lady.  She told me that she was attracted to me (or at least my profile).  We'll see if that holds true.

I thanked her for reaching out to me.  She said my profile appeared on her daily matches, so she decided to show her interest by contacting me, and I'm glad she did.

The only red flag so far is the fact that she went to Duke.  As a Maryland grad, that's tough to stomach, but it's not a deal breaker.  I think we'll be okay.

Stay tuned for more updates!  Have a good evening, everyone!

Match Prospect

I mentioned last week that I was finally finding some good news from the dating site I'm on.  I've found a match!  She seems really nice, and she's got a great smile.  I think she's cute.  She really fits everything that I've asked for in a match on my profile.  I just need to make sure that what I've asked for is what I actually want.  Yeah, I know, I'm being too picky now.

We've been getting along great so far.  Our email exchanges have been full of information about each other, and we're asking lots of questions and providing answers.  She said, though, that she prefers sharing more in person, to see whether there's a spark and chemistry.  I don't have any problem with that.... I'm just not as anxious to rush into anything.

I think I'm still stuck in the eHarmony-style of communicating, where you go back and forth, step by step, through a process before you ever meet.  Whereas with match, you go at whatever pace you want.  So I've been content to get to know her through communicating via email.  I'm a writer first, and since it has been a little while since my last date, I'm a little apprehensive about meeting in person, but I truly am not dragging my feet.  She is VERY anxious to meet me, however.  She made that clear in an email this evening.  She seems very much like she knows what she wants.  She was polite about it, but now the pressure is on.  I'm worried her expectations may be too high.

I'm just an average guy.  My faith is very important to me.  My daughter is very important to me.  I've got a lot of emotional baggage, too.  Stress from work has made a mess of me, and I still struggle with bouts of depression and grief.  I'm not in the best of shape, physically.  I've never felt older (except that I get that I am older than I've ever been right now).  I worry about bringing that kind of stuff with me into a relationship.

Maybe that's my problem.  I know that the longer I go without meeting her, the more chance I'll find something "wrong" with her.  I need to move forward sooner than later.  I've still got a lot of questions, though.

I am attracted to her.  She is a Christian.  She appears to be a person of high character and confidence.  She is an extrovert.  Though not a sports fan, she says she can put up with my "passionate fanaticism".  She seems very happy with herself and with her life, though she appears to be marriage minded.  I've laid it all out on the table for her to see, and she hasn't blinked yet.  So I'm likely overreacting.  I'm worried she may actually like me.

So things are moving along.  I'm still getting pinged on the site by women who do not come close to fitting my profile, including one who wrote to me a few weeks ago, and after I turned her down, proceeded to write me again the other day.  I think she forgot we've already been through this.  My membership only has another 2 months, then I'm going to quit.  Six months is a long time to be a member without a date, though if it works out with the current prospect, then it will be worth it.

Stay tuned!  I'm sure there's more to come....

Have a great week ahead, everyone!

Weekend Excitement

The blog took a night off last night as my daughter and I went to the Bengie's Drive-in.  We saw a couple of movies we both wanted to see, MUPPETS MOST WANTED and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER.  Both were pretty good, and I'll provide a review another time.

Today was Free Comic Book Day, which takes place annually on the first Saturday in May.  Many comics publishers create special comics just for the day, and comic book stores provide them free to those who shop at their stores.  I started participating about 5 years ago with my daughter, Melody, who is a voracious reader and is constantly reading books, and loves comic books, too.  We went to Big Planet Comics in College Park, across from the University of Maryland.  The writer (Grace Ellis) and artist (Brooke Allen) for the comic "Lumberjanes", about a bunch of girls at a summer camp and monsters, were on hand to autograph the book and meet comics readers.  Melody was a little shy, but we talked to them and they were very kind enough to sign her books.  They were really nice and made Melody feel important, which made me happy.  We stopped for lunch around the corner at the original Ledo's Restaurant, which was deeeeee-licious!  Still number one on my list of best pizzas.

Next was Melody's school's annual carnival, and we had a good time there.  My parents joined us, and Melody had a blast playing games and meeting up with some of her friends.  Ms. P, one of Melody's favorite teachers (and mine!) was there, too, among others, and it was nice to chat with her.  She's about half my age, but, wow, if she was older...  I believe she got married last year, but Melody didn't think so.  We never did see her finger to be able to confirm it, and I didn't want to ask.  She's an awesome young lady, and a very good teacher.  Melody got a lot of nice prizes from the games she played, and after a few hours of fun, we said goodbye to Grammy and Pap and we headed home.

After a short break, we went to our church, Grace Community, for the Saturday evening service.  Pastor Mitchel gave us a great message, and it had me thinking about how it impacts me.  He gave us a great quote (and I can't recall who he got it from), but it was, "Social media is the junk food of the soul," which refers to the empty satisfaction things like Facebook provides to people with little interaction with other people "in person", instead of virtually, and he discussed the importance of community, referring to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 - "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  This has been one of my favorite passages ever since my wife, Teresa, and I performed a sketch on Easter Sunday that included these verses.  Mitchel shared the story of a guy who, upon getting excited about having a couple of hundred "friends" on Facebook, he invited them all to meet him at an area bar for a little get-together, and no one showed up!  Anyway, Mitchel's parting suggestion to develop relationships and be present, play together, serve together, and pray together is great advice.

So now it's off to bed!  Have a great evening, everyone!

Conflict in the Workplace

I wanted so much to go to the Pirates-Orioles game today.  At the beginning of the week, looking at the schedule versus the weather, it didn't look so good.  The Bucs and O's were due to play a pair of games on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the forecast was for rain.  As we saw over the past several days, we didn't just get rain.  We got a monsoon!  I felt a bit like Noah yesterday.  Anyway, with the rain came postponements, and the Os and Bucs ultimately decided to play a doubleheader today, since it was an off-day for both teams.  It was gorgeous outside, and I kept thinking how much fun it would be to take off early and head up to Camden Yards and catch the games.

Alas, I'm just a bit too responsible about my job, and we had a few issues that cropped up today at the office that required my attention.  There was just so chance for a game, let alone an early departure.

Work was a bear today.  I was assigned to an additional team of workers at our other facility, in addition to my 80 employees in Silver Spring, back in October.  It was a challenge, to be polite.  I struggled greatly trying to find my way with them.  They are a much more blue-collar workforce, which is different from my typical white-collar Feds, so I couldn't really identify with them.  I also misconstrued what my role was to be with them.  I thought I needed to work towards making their jobs better, knowing the work would be phased out over the next year or two, and when I wasn't able to do that, partly due to their resistance and issues beyond our control, I found myself becoming more and more stressed over the situation, to the point that it was having a negative effect on my health.  My boss recognized this, and she determined that perhaps my personality might not be suited to that particular workforce.  So, after I practically threw up all over her and she had to talk me in off the ledge, she made a switch.  I was angry at first, since I felt like I had failed, and that doesn't sit well with me, but after a great weekend free of stress and some great sleep, I bought into the idea.  My former boss was assigned to that team instead, and I'm now in a position to help him get up to speed.  However.....

Several weeks ago there was an incident between a couple of employees over there, with one alleging that he was harassed by the other.  I've never encountered a situation like this before.  I had to do an investigation, and I ended up finding that there was no basis to the accusation, despite the one employee adamantly stating that he was being targeted.  Following the investigation, I concluded that there was no issue, and after discussing the situation with the union rep, he agreed that if the one employee talked to the other about their issues, it would likely lead to a happy ending.  I discussed this with the accused and he agreed to talk to the accuser, and I closed the whole issue.  Well, today it blew up again, with all parties, including the union rep, claiming I never resolved the issue.  I thought I had gotten away from the issues and the stress and all, and I was dragged back in.  I had to resolve it, even if I had concluded that it was already resolved.  So I met with all of the parties.  After a lengthy, sometimes ugly discussion, I finally got through to the accuser and the two guys shook hands, hugged, and I felt a sense of relief.  I hesitate to say that it's completely finished, but it better be.  I'm tired.

Have a great evening, everyone!

By the way, the Os beat up on the Bucs in the first game, but the Bucs came out hitting in the 2nd game.  It's 2-0 in the 4th.  Wish I could stay up to watch it.  I'm really tired.....