Special Fruit Salad

Just experimenting tonight with a new dessert. It's my Special Fruit Salad.

Watermelon, Honeydew Melon, Kiwi Fruit, Blueberries, Peaches, Strawberries. Nummy!

Try it, you'll like it.

---Jeff

Weight Loss Much?

As a new member of First Day, took my first photo shoot with them in August of 2006.
I weighed roughly 203 lbs. Very opportune time to see me at my heaviest. Icky, to say the least.

Smiling, but hating all of that extra weight. For the next few years, I was yo-yo-ing down to 172, up to 195, down to 169, up to 180, down to 175, etc. Finally, when we got back from Panama a couple of months ago, I had gotten back up to 189. I think the analog scale was off, because I bought a digital scale when I got down to 175 on the analog scale and the digital scale showed me at 178.

I've spent the last two weeks between 177 and 178 at a plateau that my body refused to budge from. However, on this past Friday, I weighed in at 174. Since a couple of people noticed I'd lost some weight, I thought I'd take a picture of myself today to see if one could see a difference.

By the way, if anyone wants to know how I did it, I didn't go to Health Corps or even the Harding gym. I've been moved inside the plant at Road Systems and the past month has been excruciatingly hot. Working in a commercial cargo trailer putting in flooring. Using an air drill, impact wrench and sledge hammer--not to mention just getting in and out of the trailer--have given me both strength training and endurance/cardio training.

I'm planning on getting down to 160 lbs, which was my boot camp weight.

Pray for me. I'll need it. (Yeesh!)

---Jeff

Jack Tatum R.I.P.

I remember as a child wanting to play like Jack Tatum. So much so, in fact, that I wore his number when I played organized football for the first time.

Not much to do but to raise a glass to toast in his honor.

May you rest in peace, Jack.


http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/20234/ronnie-lott-pays-tribute-to-jack-tatum

http://www.knbr.com/portals/3/podcasts/fitzbrooks/0727lott.mp3

http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2010/07/27/more-tatum-reaction/

---Jeff

What's This?

I saw this bug in the parking lot at Road Systems today.

Anyone know what this might be?

---Jeff

I Love You In Every Way (Rough Draft)

I've had a song kind of germinating in my mind for several years, and it finally decided it wanted to hit the page. It came from studying Koine--Biblical Greek.

The Greeks had many words for love, three of which are in the New Testament. In this song I use all three: Agape, Phileo and Eros, along with Storge which isn't found in the New Testament, but was a fairly common word in that culture.

Agape is Godly unconditional love. Phileo is brotherly love--which is how the city of Philidelphia got its name. Eros is the love that you'd find between honeymooners. Storge is the love between family members.

Here goes:

Agape
To love without condition
Is loving by God's grace
When I see you with this love
I see you with His face

I wanna tell you -- you should know
You know that I love you -- this is how
I agape you, I phileo you, I eros you, I storge you
If you don't quite understand, well then I'll make it plain
I love you in every way

Phileo
A brotherhood of lovers
A sisterhood of faith
A friendship grows before you
Beside me is your place

I wanna tell you -- you should know
You know that I love you -- this is how
I agape you, I phileo you, I eros you, I storge you
If you don't quite understand, well then I'll make it plain
I love you in every way

Eros
Serious the pledge I make
To give you my whole life
Serious the pledge between
A husband and a wife

I wanna tell you -- you should know
You know that I love you -- this is how
I agape you, I phileo you, I eros you, I storge you
If you don't quite understand, well then I'll make it plain
I love you in every way

Storge
Turning to the future
And gazing joyfully
To think that you and I'll
Become a loving family

I wanna tell you -- you should know
You know that I love you -- this is how
I agape you, I phileo you, I eros you, I storge you
If it sounds like Greek to you, well then I'll make it plain
I love you in every way

---Jeff

The Piper's Song

I wrote a song 13 years ago called "The Piper's Song."

Jeff Kreh and I got together and arranged it in instrumental format with my lead vocal, then we recorded it a cappella with Kreh singing the lead for the Variety Show album. I had lost this original arrangement, but I just found it again while cleaning the house.

I hope you like it!

A cappella version

Instrumental version

The Piper's Song

Play that Piper's song
Over land and sea
Call the wayward home
From their foggy dream

My inner man the Piper sees
Watching my heart, it's all very clear
Clutching my bag of favored things
Unto my chest and keeping it near

I cannot hide my jaded eyes
Pride dripping through the words that I say
Scoffing and laughing all through the night
Standing alone all through the day

Play that Piper's song
Over land and sea
Call the wayward home
From their foggy dream

Hearing the drone of the Piper call
Casting my cares unto the wind
Dropping my pride before the fall
Seeking the way my soul to send

Play that Piper's song
Over land and sea
Call the wayward home
From their foggy dream

Floating alone, I'm out to sea
Listening for the Piper's song
Out from the shore, I can hear it ring
Guiding me home where I belong

Play that Piper's song
Over land and sea
Call the wayward home
From their foggy dream

---Jeff

Saturday? Nay! Caturday!

Snow Day!

The yard.

Dead basil. Awwwwwwww...

The car gots a blankey. Yay!

---Jeff

The Best Day Of My Life

I just finished writing this a li'l bit ago--Jeff Kreh and I arranged it and recorded the rough edit last night.

It's called "The Best Day Of My Life."

You can listen to it on Soundclicks.com.

From up in those hills
They came one cloudy night
Destroyers all, they jumped down for a fight.

With poison pen
And forked tongues aflame
A character assassination game.

And the shills
I hear them thundering
"You know you're ill!
Why don't you lay down and die?"
I've had my fill
And with my Holy Friend
I'm gonna' make today
The best day of my life

I've got some skills
Out with a motley band
A nasty brew can swelter out of hand

But I can't tell
If they're satisfied
With filthy ships sinking out of pride

And the shills
I hear them thundering
"You know you're ill!
Why don't you lay down and die?"
I've had my fill
And with my Holy Friend
I'm gonna' make today
The best day of my life

I'll bend my will
Avoid the hucksters' game
Of candied hearts provoking haughty names

I hand my soul
To You, my Friend
I won't walk alone; a changing story's end

And the shills
I hear them thundering
"You know you're ill!
Why don't you lay down and die?"
I've had my fill
And with my Holy Friend
I'm gonna' make today
The best day of my life

---Jeff