Money can't buy happiness, but it certainly makes misery easier to deal with.

I laughed out loud.

It may seem obsessive, but when you plan and prepare for four months it's hard not to get eager and anxious as the big day approaches. I went to the gym for my normal workout, mostly to burn off some nervous energy. I've checked the forecast 48 times today. I've stretched, hydrated and speculated on the best location for my bike in the transition area (it's first-come, first-served for transition spots).
The race organizers sent out an email today, and because of the increased size of the field they've changed the start. We'll be sent off in waves with 3-4 minutes in between each. The men will be sent off first, divided into two separate groups based on age, then the women in the same manner. This is both good news and bad news. Because I have 20+ years on the next oldest competitor from Pathway and am therefore in the second group of men, I don't have to worry about getting passed by any of them during any of the three stages. However, I do now need to worry about getting passed by one of our gals from church. How humiliating will that be?! A mother of two pre-schoolers who hasn't had time to train because she's been chasing a toddler and wiping runny noses says, "Hey, Pastor...looking good!" as she goes sprinting by me at the 1-mile mark.
I may go in disguise.
The Kinneys are hosting a pre-race carb dinner at their house tomorrow evening for all the Pathway competitors. Baked ziti, salad and smack talk.
This really is going to be fun, especially because we've got a group doing it together - a fun group of people who will laugh before, during and after.

My surgeon's office called today to see if it would OK if they moved the date for the surgery a week further into December - the 16th instead of the 9th.
"Uhm, I was really looking forward to having the surgery as soon as possible so I could get on the other side of it."
She seemed surprised by that reaction. After some hemming and hawing (where did that expression come from?? Sewing and sailing?) she said she could probably move someone else. She said she was scheduling O.R. slots today and I should go ahead and plan on the 9th. Good!

Tanya Hollander was sentenced today to one year of probation for her role in the prostitution ring that eventually forced NY Governor Eliot Spitzer to resign. Ms. Hollander was the one who took phone calls and arranged the "dates" for clients, some of whom paid over $5,000 to the "escort service" for a single appointment.
Next month Ms. Hollander will be given an award as Outstanding Salesperson for 2007. Can you imagine $5,000 for services rendered??

I spent most of the day working on the curriculum. I'm doing a final (?) edit on the Leader's Guide for the first year. Every time I go through it - this is the third edit - I find more things that need changing. Makes me worry that no matter how many edits I do it will need another.
And I go back and forth on commas. I've had one editor tell me I grossly overuse commas, putting them in where they're not needed and don't belong. I've had another editor (and these are both trained and skilled people whose opinions I respect) tell me my writing is unusual for the paucity of commas. And they were talking about the same piece of writing!
Near as I can tell the use of commas is part rules and part personal style. I think I know the rules but I'm never sure. For example, should there be a comma after the word "tell" two sentences back? Or before the word "but" in the next sentence?
The proper use of commas gives me pause.

This Sunday is the fourth and final week of the series we promoted in our mailing piece. I've been asked if the effort was worthwhile. I firmly believe it was. At the very least, the people in over 10,000 homes now know that Pathway Bible Church exists. We were virtually unknown prior to the mailing. We've also had response to the piece. Jose came the first week and a young couple came last Sunday. Will they return? Don't know, but there's a better chance that they will than if we hadn't done the mailing. And who will now think of Pathway a month from now, six months from now, or whenever it is that something in their life (Someone) causes them to think about the need to go to a Bible church?
It's nice to look forward to Sunday. I always do. But added to that anticipation is wondering what visitors we'll have this week. The mailing has created that anticipation.