Spilt Wine

I started an on-line radio station. If you are interest in checking out some of my music, check it out.

A.A. quote of the week: "EGO, Edging God Out."

This Monday sucks more than normal.

I hate waking up tired and I hate waking up tired on a Monday mornings even more because it sets a bad precedence for the remainder of the week. Last night I had a hard time falling asleep. I tried reading in bed for a while; at about 11:30pm I thought I was good and ready to fall asleep. Though my eyes and body were tired, I couldn’t shut my mind off. I laid in bed for almost 20 minutes before I finally fell asleep. Just as I was approaching a comfortable sleep, I was awakened by my wife, who was fighting with the covers. Frustrated, I rolled over, pounded my pillow and attempted to again fall asleep. Sure enough, just like 30 minutes earlier, I was once again awakened as I reached REM, this time by Jacob who was crying from his crib. After I went to rescue the little guy and deliver him to Audrey, I surprisingly fell asleep quickly, not having the difficulty I had earlier. Unfortunately, my sleep was interrupted by a tapping on my arm. When my eyes opened and focused, I saw Gracie standing at my side of the bed with a smile, wanting to join the rest of the family in the bed. When I told her to get back in her own bed, she began to cry. So I gave in and lifted her up to our bed and for the fourth time in two and half hours, I tired to fall asleep. Of course the sleep arrangements did not work out, so after losing my attempt to kick Gracie out of bed, I went to go and try and find some tranquil sleep in her bed, which I found more uncomfortable than I had remembered. Nonetheless, I slept there the remainder of the night.

On top of it being a Monday morning, I woke up more tired that usual. To make things worse, while in the shower, I got soap in my eyes for the first time in 20 year or so. That’s understandable, since I was washing my face with soap. It was the toothpaste in the eye that I can’t figure out how it happen. Toothpaste in the eye is just as bad as soap, but with a cool, peppermint sensation on the eyeball.

So, the Visalia Oaks changed their name to the Visalia Rawhide today. I have to say; initially I was extremely disappointed and upset over the change. I felt the name change was insulting; first to the history of the Visalia Oaks and second, to the residents of Visalia and the fans that faithfully supported Oaks. My wrath went as far as me writing a draft to submit to the Visalia Times Delta complaining about the name change. It wasn’t going to be a very nice letter either. I also decided to call the Oaks office to get a contact name and phone number to add to my letter so that people who shared my wrath could also complain and express their disapproval. When I called the Oaks front office, I was connected with Tom Seidler, the team owner and President. Mr. Siedler explained to me the reasoning of the name change and the process the organization went through in picking the name. I was appeased to find out that the players had some say in picking the name as well as the team colors. Mr. Siedler is aware of the history of the team and has kept that in mind as he transitions the team into a new era of Visalia Baseball. Mr. Siedler was very kind, understanding and transparent with his thoughts, ideas and goals. After speaking with him, I am now at peace with the name change and actually look forward to buying a Rawhide hat and attending several games this coming year. Go Rawhides!

For those who are interested, my wife Audrey has started a blog. She is a lot better at sharing stories about the kids and our life then I am. Check it out.

I have recently taken notice to this trend of mixing sport fighting with Jesus. I know two guys who are devote Christians and they participate in Mixed Martial Arts fighting. I found it kind of weird and odd, but hey, what ever. Recently I discovered that this trend is actually pretty big. I saw a T-shirt last week that said "Jesus Never Tapped Out" For those who dont already know, tapping out is the way you surrender in a fight. Tapout is also a clothing brand for Mix Martial Arts. To top it all off, today as I was walking through Exeter, I came across this Karate Studio with the Cross posted on it sign.

I am not suggesting that Mixed Martial Arts is a sin, I just find it very odd and weird when people merge the sport with Jesus. Maybe thats because I then try to picture Jesus in my mind as some bad ass karate expert who will knock you on your ass with a round house kick to the head.

"It is impossible to meet God with sunglasses on. It is impossible to meet God without abandon, without exposing yourself, being raw."
-Bono

Chuck

Chuck is a guy who I see in my Saturday night A.A. meeting. I suspect that Chuck is homeless or lives in a shelter. Chuck may also be mentally delayed in some ways. If I remember right, I think he once shared that he had his skull fractured in the past. At times he has a hard time putting his thoughts together and other times can be a little annoying to others because of his need for attention and friendship. Chuck closed tonight's meeting with something I can appreciate. He said that he did not care what anyone in the room thought of him, but that he loved each and everyone of us because we keep him alive and sober. I like Chuck.