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It's raining today.
The bad news is that I don't get to go for my walk. So I can't eat candy, or at least I can't eat as much candy.

Not that I just stuff myself with such things, but if you don't burn the calories, you have to limit the intake more. Besides, I eat the sugar free Reese's cups, and low-carb Dove dark chocolate and raspberry things. The Dove things, by the way, are sweetened with sugar alcohols, which means you can't go nuts with them either, unless you need a laxative effect. If you do need a laxative some day , forget the drug store - buy a bag of these babies and go to town.

But I digress. It is raining today, and we're getting thunder with it. Down here in Houston you usually get just rain, with no thunder. Back in Wichita Falls or in Midland, you could usually count on some nice loud thunder for a soundtrack with your rain storm. In Wichita Falls, you could also count on some nice loud tornadoes too, but that's another story.



The 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls, TX

I remember a time when GA and I were hiking in the Smoky Mountains National Park, and when we were lying in our little tent, there was a thunderstorm crossing overhead. It was a wonderful experience - the sound would echo across the sky and reverberate. We just lay there enjoying the sounds for a while before we fell asleep.

I heard from the insurance company about our damage claim on the fence in our backyard. Our deductible is about $2000 so I'm supposed to find a fence company and get an estimate. If they can fix it for less, I won't file a claim, but if it's more I can file the claim. I have no idea what it will cost. If I were the hulk, I could just push it back into place and tamp the dirt down.


The Hulk, about to push my fence back where it belongs

But I'm not the Hulk, I'm more of a Captain Sloth.

And the sun just came out. If the sky turns blue, I will need to go run an errand or two.
Instead of blogging with no real point to make.

A more mature survey

This survey tries to go beyond the usual Pepsi or Coke questions you see on MySpace. Give it a try.

1) What is your favorite volunteer activity? And how did you first get involved in it?
That would be community theatre. I have always liked the idea of acting, and one day a friend (the pizza-eating Jew, by her own description) asked me to help with a murder mystery dinner that a restaurant was planning in Wichita Falls - Backstage Restaurant, it was. It mostly involved memorizing a list of points and clues that had to be presented, in addition to some lines that formed the core of the plot. I played the captain of a cruise ship, and I had fun and met some people that did shows at Backdoor Theatre. This led to an audition for I Hate Hamlet, and I didn't get the role because the director was understandably afraid to give a major role to a complete unknown with zero theatre background. Later, I tried out for Shadowlands, which had several minor roles, and I got in that, and proved that I could be relied on to show up and learn my lines and not ruin the play. After that I got major roles to play. I'm still acting, and I can't imagine giving that up. I am also still the webmaster for Backdoor.

2) Think about the people in your life that you care about the most. What attracted you to them? Good looks? Personality? Character?
I think all three contribute in any case that I can think about. A lack of the last two would probably keep me from really caring about them, but in the reverse order of the question. Lack of character will diminish someone's value in my eyes very quickly. Lack of personality will do the same. Good looks are not really a deal-breaker, but they help. On the other hand, if you're strong in character and personality, I don't care how you look. And in fact, if you look too good, that will count against you. Sorry, it's just the way it is. I can't help it.

3) How old are you by chronological age... and how "old" are you inside?
My driver's license says I'm 57. Inside, though, I'm probably about thirty, maybe 33 and a third. Sometimes, I'm 12.

4) What do you consider to be your own physical flaws?
I'm a little overweight, my eyesight is still less than perfect (even after LASIK), my hearing is less than ideal (though not too bad for 57), and I get tired sooner than I used to. I'm old. My hair is gray.

5) What do you consider to be your own character flaws? (Skip this if it's too personal).
Mmmmm. Tough one. But here goes:

• I'm far too concerned about being accepted. I have rejection issues. Even though they may not be entirely my fault, that's still a character flaw. I try to tell the truth when asked, but I think maybe I put too much effort into making it gentle.
• Sometimes I don't tell people to blow it out their ears when I should. But that's the same flaw.
• I don't like confrontation. Yep, same flaw.
• I keep lusting after Laura San Giacomo. Hey, a different flaw!

6) Name an experience that would be worth risking your life to have. Discuss if appropriate.
Walking on the moon, or a planet other than the Earth. I think I would accept even odds for that one, that is, a 50/50 chance of making it back alive.
I suppose I have risked my life to a degree while caving, but I have always insisted on good odds before taking the risk.

7) Break your life into chapters, if you can.

• Childhood.
• High School.
• College and those wild hippie days.
• My first marriage.
• The brief time after that, as a divorced father.
• My second marriage, in Wichita Falls.
• My time in Midland.
• My time in Houston (still going on).

8) When you stand before God on Judgment Day, what do you think he will say?
I'm not sure he'll say "Well done, my good and faithful servant." More likely he'll say, "Well... I guess that will have to do. You can have a small place with a cave on the property. Maybe a small garden. Just try not to track the place up with cave mud." I suppose he could say, "What were you thinking???" I hope not.

That's probably enough. Copy the questions and use them for a blog entry... then reward yourself with your favorite snack.
OK, a Reese's will do nicely.