UT won against Georgia. Good game. It’s nice to be on the winning side every once and a while.
Saw Phi, Jeremy, and Ryan V. at the game. It’s a small world after all, ya know.
We were able to successfully sneak into the game using Scott’s ID. We are at terror threat orange, which I guess means cops will frisk you going into the venue, and check my camera bag. Yet they don’t bother checking IDs for accuracy. Al Quaida could’ve sneaked in. But it wasn’t mean to be.
Scott played in the pep band while the rest of us stayed in the stands. We had pretty good seats. We had an obnoxious guy behind us. Spewing profanities. Every other word. I’ve seen guys like this before. They may be able to talk the talk, but they can’t walk the walk. When the going gets tough, you’ll see them cowering in the corner.
The cheerleaders always looked for a reason to throw t-shirts into the crowd. 3 pointers. Slam dunks. Whatever. Some came really near me. Todd even caught one.
Fan support was good. And they were ugly toward the other team in a funny sort of way. While we were waiting in line to get in, some of the crowd booed at any fan who happened to be wearing Georgia Bulldog red. And at the start of the game, the fans yelled “Sucks!” after each of the Georgia player was introduced, all the while holding up newspapers pretending not to care.
Tonight we saw “8 Mile,” translated to “12.8 Kilometer” in the international markets. Somewhat autobiographical story of a up and coming rap star trying to make it big, while living with his mom in a trailer park. I found there’s a whole subculture of people which I hadn’t been aware of. This group’s idea of fun on a Friday night is to hear rappers dis each other using their best “Your momma” jokes in an arena. So that was the point of the story. Watching Eminem trying to make it big.
Something about this movie made me want to slap these characters and tell them to go to trade school or a community college or something. Get out of the ghetto and get a job.
So tomorrow is church services and then a long drive home. Long in that my tape player keeps messing up. Getting too hot for the tape adaptor. Something is wrong with it, and I plan on letting Volkswagen take a look at it when I get a chance.

The only bad part about visiting UT is that my sleeping schedule gets all out of whack. We stayed up til about 2AM CST last night. I now understand why Todd almost always writes in his journal entry after midnight. That’s when things actually start winding down and you can actually get some work done around here. Crazy I know. Even crazier is how some people go to class on a regular basis with 3 or 4 hours of sleep. I couldn’t learn like that. Maybe I was a weenie who always went to sleep at around midnight. Come to think of it, at Lipscomb almost everyone went to sleep at around midnight or 1AM. There was nothing else to do. I was never on a wild floor that stayed up really late.
I helped Josh, Scott’s roommate get his webpage up and running. Looks good, especially if you have the Eurostile font. Otherwise, it just might look goofy.
I’m gonna try to get some good pics of the basketball game. Scott says this Georgia game and the Florida game are the biggest basketball games all year. I’m sure there will be a big crowd there.
I saw something really unique here. A Papa John’s restaurant with a dinning area. We are talking tables and chairs. Never had seen that before. In Nashville all the PJ’s are carry out only. It would be very strange to hear “Dine In?” being asked at a PJ’s.
So anyways UT is a nice place, but I wouldn’t want to go to college here. Everything seems to big. I’ve visited here a couple of times, yet I still haven’t seen the whole campus.
Scott and company seem to have kept the same friends from high school (i.e. all of these people seem to be from Mt. Juliet). I guess it’s hard to branch out and meet new people. Maybe at UT you seem to be just a number and it’s hard to find people with the same interests or something.
Scott seemed very interested in the Mt. Juliet church discussion board. Made up his own username and everything. “Let’s see how much damage I can do” was his rallying cry as he posted the message “Scott’s new topic” late last night.
Anyways we slept in and have to get in line for UT’s game a few hours before the game starts. So time to get ready… Time to go, kids.

Hello from Knoxville. During the drive up here, the snow views from the plateau was tremendeous. Snow on the trees, although I could tell there wasn’t too much of it; maybe an inch at the very most. Todd is sick but on medication. Scott is studying for organic chemistry on a Friday night since he slept through 2 of his classes this week. Bummer. Word on the street is that we’ll be seeing “The Ring” at the dollar movie theater tonight. I’ve seen it before, full price. But it is good enough to see again, even if it is a dollar.
UT vs. Georgia game is tomorrow. Planning on going. I’ve never been to a UT Basketball game before, so that should be fun.
Everyone here thinks I’m younger than what I really am. Samantha, Scott’s friend, guessed I was 22. Ha. You can fool some of the people some of the time….
So I’m in Scott’s apartment where there are 4 computers setup. Seems like some kind of mini-lab. Why anyone would need that much processing power… Well I guess everyone has their own little reason for having their own computer. Maybe it’s so we can all store our mp3s on seperate drives. Scott’s roommates, HG is playing some type of shoot-em-up game while Josh is doing travel research. He tells me he is going to study abroad in either Ireland, Hungary, Malta, or Australia during the fall semester. Sounds like fun.
Lipscomb had a study abroad program in Vienna. Everyone always thought it was a huge deal and people would wait outside the doors to wait for the sign up sheets to be posted. I never had a desire to study aboard. When I go on vacation, I’m ready to come home after 7 days. Thankyouverymuch.

So I went skiing this weekend with a group from Highland Heights church of Christ in Smyrna. I know them from visiting Short Mountain Bible Camp.
We left the church building at promptly 5:45PM Friday. They’ve set a precidence there. If you aren’t on time, you get left. Everyone knows this and arrives promptly.
HH has this huge Greyhound bus which they use on big trips like this. This model is one from 1988. The ride is pretty smooth. The bus is in good condition, although the mini-televisions (which are located up above every few seats) don’t work.
This whole trip was sorta deja vu for me, having been up there just a week before. Stayed at the same hotel and skied at the same place.
You could tell it was a holiday weekend. The ski lift lines and lodge was really crowded. A friend and I found a ski lift that wasn’t crowded at all and began to ski those hills almost exclusively. While we were there it started snowing. Eventually I had to break out the goggles I had borrowed.
The snow kept on and eventually those in charge got cold feet (literally) about a bus going down the hill from Paoli. So we decided to leave early. After several minutes of unsuccessfully trying to get the bus started, it eventually started. This was to be a foreshadowing of what was to come.
Getting back to the hotel, many of us played cards and other timewasters until the midnight curfew. We also explored the hotel and found some really interesting rooms full of old furniture in need of repair. There was some kind of fraternity/sorority dance going on in the room next door to our group meeting room. So no one wanted to stay in there.
We saw many different types of people in the hotel, from prom-dressed people to skiers coming in from the slopes. Some of the skiers even wore the rental boots and had the rented skis with them. The skis were clearly marked “Paoli Peaks rental.” I figured they were going back the next day and didn’t want to wait in line again. However I doubt that Paoli would have taken kindly to people taking their rental equipment back to the hotel with them.
There were church groups there from Tullahoma and Springfield, TN. Many had charter buses with them. It is amazing the number of Tennesseans which were staying in the hotel.
Sunday morning we worshipped in the group room which just a few hours before had been next door to the dance hall. I thought that we might have had some problems with literally back to back worship services (there was a Baptist church group meeting right next door to us), yet we didn’t have a problem since the worship services weren’t going on at the same time.
After worship, it was revealed to us that we were having bus troubles. We were told to expect a new bus at about 4PM. So we pretty much sat around and wasted more time until our bus arrived at 8:30PM. Not sure why it took so long. Glenn, HH’s youth minister, was going around apologizing for all this trouble. I told him it wasn’t anything he could do anything about (foresee it happening), so there was no need to apologize.
On the road we stopped at a McDonald’s/Gas Station somewhere in between Louisville and Elizabethtown. Normally I usually try to stay away from restaurants attached to gas stations. I don’t know why. I just figured the food would probably smell like gas or something.
We got back to Smyrna at 12:45 this morning. I finally got back home to MJ at around 1:45AM.
Glenn is the master negotiator. He was able to get a ski trip for a total of $82…and food was included in that price. We got breakfast in the mornings, Pizza Saturday night, and fried chicken Sunday for lunch. I don’t know how he does it. I asked him about it. He said he used to be a buyer and he was used to talking a seller down to a more reasonable price.

Why waste another entry? I’m back from skiing. I have mixed feeling about it. Much of which I’ll explain later after I sleep on it. Take care.

So what am I supposed to be doing? Looking for a job? Should I be calling up people asking for handouts? “Do you have any jobs today?” I sound like Wimpy the hamburger guy. “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
My resume is out there. Setting in some HR person’s filing cabinet. Never to see the light of day until the economy gets better and someone needs somebody to analyze their data.
The official slogan of my church’s webpage is going to be “The best church webpage you’ve never seen.” That’s right. No one ever views it. While churches like Memorial Church of Christ (mcoc.org) pay thousands of dollars for someone to put up a webpage…which doesn’t even look all that good…..I do it for free…it looks pretty decent….and there’s no recognition for it.
So I’ve been thinking about this ski trip. The past two times I’ve been able to avoid riding in a van full of teenagers. In 2001 I drove myself and John Pedigo. Last year I rode with Doug in “ole blue” full of luggage. “Ole blue” is our nickname for the church’s old 1989 Ford van. Doug probably enjoyed the company. I enjoyed the quietness. Ole blue’s creature comforts are lacking. It had an AM radio for quite a while before Ronnie Travis finally put in a FM tape player in it. But then again the van’s stereo speakers are terribly lacking. It’s almost not even worth it to have a great radio without decent speakers to play it on. The seats in ole blue provide no head support.
It definitely won’t be the end of the world if I have to ride (or drive) a van full of teens to Paoli. It could be much much worse. I would just like to avoid the teenie bopper music that the middle school girls always bring along. Blah. These people have no concept of real music. Brainwashed into thinking P Diddy is good music because “MTV said so.”
So I’m hoping to find a nice quiet Blazer to ride on. Maybe I should get with Tony Eakes to see if there’s an extra seat.
Oh yeah. That problem with overloading the church vans during the lock-in? Completely imagined. I spoke to people in each of the vans and found that no one, as far as they could tell, rode in anyone’s lap during the duration of the trip. So that’s like hearing someone saying “The sky is green,” and then a 2nd person going to those powers that be and saying “I heard the sky was green.” I love it when people perceive rumors as truth, then attempt to stir up trouble with it.

I have this rough textured ski mask which I have always taken along skiing. The mask itself has some sentimental memories to it because I used it during my later elementary years when I went sledding. Since it is rough textured, it tends to rub against my forehead and in general make it dry. So I guess I’ll need to get a better hat. Maybe I’ll go out later on to a sporting goods store. I’ve thought about getting a better ski jacket. I’m using a hand-me-down jacket from my brother-in-law. I’d probably get another ski jacket, if I knew fashion trends wouldn’t change in a week or so. I could pick out a cool looking jacket, only to find out that particular jacket color is now out of style.
Then again, why should I spend alot of money for ski equipment just for Paoli. I should probably wait for a big trip out west before I spend any money.
While I was skiing, for a short time, a news helicopter from WLKY (Louisville CBS Affliliate) hovered overhead. I scoured the WLKY website, but didn’t see a trace of news about Paoli. Must have been for those brief human interest stories or weather clip (“Look, people are skiing at Paoli, now back to the weather”).
Some of the kids at church have actually started using the online discussion board. Maybe it will get some good discussion going.
Shelton Peeler has done a good job trying to get new pictures on Scottsville’s webpage. One thing I found when I was at the PM service at Scottsville last Sunday, was that the congregation tends to be a closeknit group of people. The kids (even teenagers) drew names and exchanged gifts that evening. Even some of the adults were getting gifts. We couldn’t possibly do that at Mt. Juliet. Our Christmas parties are broken up into Sunday School classes and other similar groups. We couldn’t have a congregation-wide Christmas party because it would be just too big.

I can’t believe it. I skied for a grand total of $21. That included equipment rental, lift pass, and lunch. Lunch was a hotdog, plain potato chips and a very small glass of cola. I’ve paid as much as $50 to ski before (not counting the hotel stay). Al Pedigo, our trip organizer, is the master negotiator. The trip started off being $50/person. Later it was down to $39…and then even later it got down to $21 with the special 1978 prices. For some reason Al is usually able to get us a free lunch with the fee.
Snow conditions could have been better. There were patches of mud in places. One of the last hills on the family trail was closed due to not having enough snow. The rest of the family trail itself was slushy due to being used so much. The blues and black diamonds were much better. Icy in spots but still decent. The bunny slopes were very crowded. I later found out that there was a special deal going on for $10 for skiing only the bunny slopes.
Brian Dyer skied with these really short skis with no poles. Patrick, John’s friend, snowboarded. Brian, Patrick, John Pedigo, Matt Blevins, and I pretty much skied together for much of the day. We were all pretty much the same ability level. We did have to wait on Patrick sometimes since he was not adept at snowboarding. But he got better as time when on.
At the end of the day, Stephen Allen hurt his tailbone trying to jump on the Jurassic Park trail. It was his first trip skiing and was trying something way above his skiing ability. His parents may not let him ski again, which is a real shame.
On the way up and back, Mark Ross, Scottsville’s own optometrist, drove. His 7 year old, Conner, was sorta mischievous during the trip, but overall a good kid.
On the way back we stopped at a very peculiar Pilot gas station. Inside it has a Taco Bell and Subway restaurant. I remember being there before. Very strange. I believe there is some stipulation that says Taco Bell has to serve Pepsi products. However at this gas station only Coke products were available at the fountain. They also had a internet kiosk which sold internet access for 25 cents a minute.
I stayed at the Pedigo’s house last night. I was much too tired for the 90 minute drive home. The first night, I set up a webpage for John. John didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it.
On the way back this morning, I stopped by Taylor Christian Camp. It was very strange to see the trees without any leaves on it. Dead. I must have seen 3 U.S. postmen on the way back to Mt. Juliet. All with their flashing white Starsky and Hutch lights on the top of their vehicles. Guess Christmas is almost here and they were finishing up their deliveries.

So I’m going skiing with Scottsville church of Christ on Christmas Eve Eve (December 23). All for around $50. There’s a definite difference in the ski trip with Scottsville and the ski trip with MJ. Scottsville just about has to beg people to go; goes the cheap way and has an excellent time. By contrast MJ’s way consists of paying as much as possible for skiing at a substandard ski resort and has to make limitations on who can go. We always have to pay more because we’re MJ and we want to pay more for our convenience of a nice comfy bed at a historical hotel. This mentality also bleeds over to participation at summer camp. Some parents wouldn’t even think about sending their kid to summer camp if there wasn’t a pool to swim in, and an air conditioned cabin. Nevermind the spiritual uplifting that summer camp provides. Give me my pool!
You might be saying to yourself, is the only thing that would make you happy is skiing in North Carolina? In a word: yes. I wouldn’t mind paying $100-125 for a lift ticket, rental, and room in Boone. Paying that much in Paoli is silly. We’re paying expensive prices and not getting a good ski resort. Then again, after the ski trip is over I always tell myself…”hmmm…maybe Paoli isn’t such a bad place after all.” I mean I do get to go skiing, which is more than most Alabamans can say.
The Pedigo’s are nice people. I call them up out of the blue and ask to go skiing with them. In turn they give me a place to stay so I wouldn’t have to get up at an unearthly hour in order to leave at 6:30AM from Scottsville. I guess they consider me their unofficial youth minister in absentia…either that or a good friend of the congregation.
Then again, Shelton Peeler, Scottsville’s minister, does a good job of keeping everyone informed through the bulletin. If he hadn’t put it in the church bulletin, I doubt I would have known about the ski trip and would have missed out on going. Their former minister, Ethan, might not have bothered with the ski trip announcement. Instead putting in silly church oriented cartoons or his favorite quote from Cody, Wyoming’s church bulletin.
Speaking of bulletins, I get the feeling that David Shannon secretly hates putting together the church bulletin. I mean putting together a bulletin is not exactly jump-up-and-down excitement. He spices it up with flowery language and hopes no one sees that his overly abundant font choices and large borders are there as filler space. Certainly if the church bulletin were to suddenly vanish, we’d have some very angry shut-ins. (“Shut-ins” – is that really a scriptual word? Seems so negative in today’s politically correct context). And I would notice the vanished bulletin since I look for who’s on the front cover and what Phil has planned for the youth. Otherwise I don’t really read the amature “From Shepherd to Sheep” column or the redundant “Family News” since I know it will be read word-for-word Sunday morning in the announcements. The pictures of the new baptisees are cool and provides fodder for mothers who put together scrap books for their children. “Honey, I saved the church bulletin with your picture in it from when you were baptized. Oh how sweet. Let’s have a good cry now.”
Did you know McDonald’s in Japan serves up hot dogs on their breakfast menu? Random fact. There was no charge for that bit of useless information. So if you are ever in Osaka and it’s breakfast time, try that Japanese hot dog for the cultural experience.

Lots of people do stupid things at times. Today I did something which could be considered stupid to some people. I drove to Alabama to buy a rare CD released by a radio station. Cullman, Alabama, to be exact. The CD was some acoustic radio performances by some of my favorite bands. You could only buy them in the greater Birmingham area. Blockbuster carried them. At first I was thinking I was looking for a Blockbuster Music store, but it was the regular ole video store.
Cullman is small town about an hour outside of Birmingham. I thought it was about as big as Lebanon….maybe Cookeville. There’s a shopping center with a Sears and Peebles stores among a few others. There’s not really a town square. The town is large enough to have a 4 lane road through the main part of it. It was my first time to Cullman and most likely my last.
On my way to Bama, I had lunch with a friend of mine near Columbia, TN. He is a minister to a small rural congregation in a small community nearby. We ate lunch at the community’s only restaurant. The hotdog bun was a bit stale, but the price was reasonable.
Afterwards we took some food to a shut in. We stayed for a few minutes. She is an older lady and has lupus which doesn’t let her get out of the house very much. Apparently her daughters don’t take time to make sure she has food, so she relies on church members to get her food. I felt sorry for her since she leads a very lonely life. Made me think that I should put more time visiting shut-ins from my own church.
I am beginning the process to convert this site over to Movable Type. So you might see some changes over the next few days. Hopefully the entire changeover will be seamless.