What does a triscuit have three of that a biscuit has two of?

The art of subtle persuasion.
(click to enlarge)

If my value as a person is measured relative to today's productivity I'm worth the equivalent of a used Kleenex.

I spent too long working on the inner tie rod ends this morning. I started taking a series of precise measurements so I can put everything back together with the same dimensions. Then I carefully removed all the cotter pins, castle nuts and bolt locks. But after all of that, and try as I might, I could NOT get the tie rod ends to break loose. I tried all the delicate, refined solutions without success. 

After lunch I went over to Harbor Freight, bought a cheap Chinese-made tool nicknamed a pickle fork for $6, came home and BEAT on those things with my that tool and my framing hammer. It weren't purdy but they're loose! Tomorrow morning I'll remove them and install the new ones. 

Here is a page with some pretty impressive before/after pics from the Japanese tsunami. They should be proud of the progress they've made.

I didn't post last night because I was tired on the inside and Michael Vick was putting a beat-down on Dallas. I stayed up all the way to 9:00!

I realized driving into church yesterday morning why I was so stressed out about that sermon. Because I am by nature a teacher I find yesterday's sermon genre especially difficult. Give me a passage of Scripture with important Greek words or complex theological principles and I'm all over it. Ask me to preach empathically (and biblically) to people's problems and I feel inadequate. In the former - expository preaching - the text under consideration defines not just the content but the flow. In life situation preaching the content should still be biblical but it comes from a variety of passages that need to be selected and arranged according to the preacher's understanding of what will work best for meeting needs. 

I'd much rather Paul or Peter write my sermon for me. 

Pam and I have been married for 40 years. Kim Kardashian made it 72 days. OK, that's close.

I really like that people at Pathway don't take themselves or their pastor too seriously. There's some trash talking going on in anticipation of Friday night's kart racing and it's fun to rag on each other. It indicates a level of comfort and security. 

The people are the best part!

Note: that's one of things I also like about our family, but we put any Pathway ragging to shame. Trust me. You should have heard lunch yesterday. 

I got a free drink card from Starbucks for my birthday. I need to find one close by and time for a leisurely visit. What should I order??

The Miami Dolphins have yet to win a game this season. The Indianapolis Colts are also winless. The team with the worst record gets first pick in the next year's draft and everyone agrees the top draft choice will be the outstanding QB Andrew Luck from Standford. The Colts are bad because Peyton Manning is out for the year with a neck injury. Nobody seems to know if he'll ever be back. Miami is just bad all over, including a Jr. High level QB. Some of their fans have started a campaign with a slogan encouraging continued failure - "Suck for Luck."

I don't know about the allegations re. Herman Cain and sexual harassment. He says they're baseless and he was unaware of any settlement. More than one firm has settled rather than enter into a public fight even when they know they'd win. But I am surprised no one has drawn parallels with the accusations made against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. His phrase, "high tech lynching" instantly entered our political lexicon. 

I need to get up and do something before Pam comes home. I'm going to put up hooks in the coat closet for her to hang her purses on instead of setting them in various placees around the house. Maybe I'll get out my stud finder and see where the hooks should go. Or I could add water to the lily pond to compensate for what gets lost through evaporation. Either of those will sufficiently tax my energy levels and justify my existence for the day.