An Update

Today I decided to go back and visit NewSpring. I'm so glad I did. The 2 hour roundtrip drive was definately worth it. I can't believe how well the church is doing. Today's service was sort of a reflection time on the past year and how much God has blessed the church and the community with. Attendance now is hovering around 7,200 people every Sunday. When I started NewSpring back in 2003 I'm wanting to say it was around 2,500 or so? That growth is amazing in just 4 years. This past Christmas Eve they had over 12,500 people at 6 different services.

I love that church and it's one of the things I really miss from South Carolina. I miss my family most though.

I had a good time being back. I'll leave to go back to Michigan on the 1st. I guess I'm ready to go back. I like being with family, but I miss my routine. It feels weird just not having work, or no routine. It makes you feel sort of weird after a while.

Paul and Matt were able to come over and we played about 7 solid hours of Smash Brothers and Mario Kart which is always so much fun. If Melee provided this many hours of entertainment Brawl should be even better.

Walter is growing up so fast, but like a typical young thing (child, dog, whatever) he knows how to manipulate already. Not in a bad way but a bratty sort of way sometimes. He's cute when he does it though, unlike some kids who are just obnoxious and deserved to be spanked. Walter and Bear will be playing, and as soon as Bears gets Walter in a position where he can't move, or is not in control, he will yelp/scream very loudly, just to get a human to say "Beeear, stop!". He knows it. Now we just don't do anything and Walter keeps going back for more. Walter overall though is wonderful. He's crate trained, house trained, and knows how to sit on command and he's 12 weeks old now.

I guess that's about it. I haven't been posting because, well, it's vacation and I've been lazy. No routine, remember?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas. Walter got a nice Clemson sweater for Christmas. It's a little too large for him now, but he looks so cute in it. All Walter's Christmas presents are back in Michigan from me. He got a new crate, a new bed, and dishes.

I got Super Mario Galaxy for Christmas. Dawn and I also got Guitar Hero 3. I got some nice clothes and some gift cards also.

Matt Sr. and I went to see "I am Legend" the night before last. It was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. It was a lot scarier than I thought it would be. I'm suprised it got a PG13 rating and not R. It was very good though.

Well, I'm going to get back to being lazy. Bye.

Taking it Easy

I'm back in South Carolina, taking it easy. It only took me 10.5 hours to drive back from Michigan. The ride was not bad at all. My Saturn achieved very good gas mileage, around 39 mpg. That's one thing I still love about the car. That and the fact that it has plastic door panels.

Tomorrow I turn 24, on the 24th. Weird.

Walter was so happy to see me. I was worried he might have forgotten me, but as soon as I stepped in the door he ran up to me, I grabbed him in my arms and he was wagging his tail and kissing me. He remembered me. We get along beautifully.

What About Taxes?

Tomorrow I head back to South Carolina for Christmas. I'm only working for half a day, then driving back. I'm looking forward to seeing family and Walter.

Work is very boring this week. It's basically dead. I think just my boss and I are left this week. There's not a lot to do, so today I just surfed on the internet and learned how to fill out a 1040 form so I can do my taxes myself this next year. So I got something out of work today.

Evaluation

Today I had my year end review at work. It went better than I expected. We were evaluated on each goal and performance area as "below, meets, or exceeds". As my boss was going through them he was covering up the one below it on the sheet as we went through, like a school teacher does on an overhead so they can keep your attention. Most of my scores were "exceeds" with a few "meets" scattered in there. The areas that were scored as "meets" were things like "fills out and turns in timesheet on time". You kind of either do that, or you don't, so I'm not sure how you'd get "exceed" unless you turned it in with a Reeses cup stabled to it, or something.

My overall ranking was "excellent". There is one higher called "oustanding" but my manager said he has never seen an "oustanding" before, so that must be hard to get. He said I'm doing better than he had envisioned I would in 6 months and said I'm taking on more responsibility than he had originally planned for me.

Overall it was a good review and it's a nice end to the year and my 6 months there on a positive note. I'm looking forward to taking a break for a while too. I can't wait to see Walter again (and family too).

Big Snow

We got pounded last night here, and I'm pretty sure even native Michiganers agree. It normally does not fall all at once like this, from what I've been told. It stopped snowing around 2:00 PM today after snowing since about 11:00 PM last night. All said and done there was over a foot on the ground this morning. I took a walk outside today to take some pictures. Have a look:

Snow and Walter

It's finally snowing hard here. There is supposed to be between 6 and 10 inches on the ground tomorrow. It looks great, I really love it when it snows.

Look at our 36 hour weather forcast:
Last night I paid a lot of bills, balanced my checkbook, and made this video of Walter.

Enjoy!

Show Me, Don't Tell Me

I have learned I am definately a visual learner. If I try to do something that I have never done before, by only reading it, I usually cannot do it. I have to see it done, and then I can follow along. I don't mean taking tests, or academics, because I can read instructions. Let me give you two specific examples:

1) How to tie a tie
2) Origami

Matt Jr. started a tradition of sorts by folding money into shapes for my graduation present. He folded a little dress shirt (with a collar!). So I knew I had to fold money for him, to continue. I looked up money origami online and saw a really cool Star of David shape, and I wanted to do that. Well that was too hard. Then I saw a butterfly, and that didn't look too bad. Well it was too hard too. So then I decided to watch someone do it, so I could do it. Hello Youtube.

This lovely lady named Lisa showed me how to make a neat animal for Matt's graduation present. She even had nice classical music on in the background, and parakeets churping, and a soothing voice that said "fold, fold, fold" and it was very calming. She was fast, but I could keep up I just listened, watched, and folded and kept saying "I can do this, I can do this". It turned out well, so Matt, when you get your graduation gift...effort was put into that. Just so you know. Now, for the tie. This is hard. I had to watch a video over and over, about 5 times to tie a tie. This is hard, especially when you're LOOKING at someone doing it, instead of being the person doing the tying. So, I need to see something, not read it. For origami and a tie, atleast.

Dr. Muhammad

I had to go back to the doctor today for my post physical review, and get written permission to use the gym at work. My appointment was at 4:15, so I had to leave work early. I get there, pay my co-pay from last time, and this time, and sit down. Then I go back, do the weight, blood pressure, and wait for the doctor.

He finally comes in, shuts the door, and gives me this downward look and says "What happened...you had an appointment at 4:15, didn't you"? I said "yes..." and he said "Do you know what time it is now"? I said "No" and he said "well you checked in at 4:34, that's late, I had to see someone else first". Then he asked "well what happened"? I was thinking "this is a joke right, a doctor complaining about someone being late? Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black? I just said "well, sorry". Then after he checked breathing, he went over to the computer and pulled up my profile. He pointed to the screen and said "see, it says you were supposed to be here at 4:15". Like I was contradicting him. And I had to pay money to hear him say everything was fine like I knew he would? That's a rip off, I'm not going back unless I'm sick. The yearly physical stuff is not for me.

Ballooning

I'm getting fat. I thought initially I might just be bloated in the morning, and feel fat. Because during the day I don't feel so fat. Well my pants are getting harder and harder to put on. This morning was really bad. I just took them off and said outloud "David you have to do something about that". I think I'm eating way too much Cinnamon Toast Crunch (Target brand for $1.87) because it's cheap, and it's good, and for some reason I eat a lot of it. I eat other things too that aren't so bad, like apples and drink a lot of orange juice. Another culprit is the weather. It's too cold to do stuff outside, so I'm going to use the gym at work. The main culprit though is me, being lazy. For example I played Nintendo for 2.5 hours tonight. That's a long time. I need to be more disciplined with my health.

The Subaru visit went well. Yesterday was the technical center tour and today was a plant tour in Lapeer, about 1.5 hrs north of here. They seemed impressed and all went well, so I was happy.

I have my performance review at work on the 18th, and that will be where my boss and I review my goals and find out if I met them, or didn't, and just go through my overall performance. Then, in early January, we have a merit increase (raise) meeting. That would ne nice.

That's about it I guess. This weather now is stupid, because it's hovering around 34 degrees and raining. So there's no snow, just cold wet rain. I like it much better when it's colder and we get snow. Snow is better than rain.

Oh So Chic

Subaru's visit went well today. My boss said I did a good job presenting so I was happy with that. The best part of them coming though: eating gelato at dinner!

It's Been A While

I realized I haven't posted since Wednesday, that's a while. I have been pretty busy.

Thursday I cleaned my apartment since I realized I was staying here (I decided not to clean for 2 weeks while I didn't know if I was moving). Friday I went to Fenton to visit Erica. She cut my hair then we ate some dinner. Last night I went to an "Ugly Sweater" Christmas party a guy from work was hosting. In order to go, you had to wear one of those tacky - teacher like Christmas sweaters with candy canes, snowmen, or reindeer on it. I found a red one at the Salvation army that said "Noel" and had Comet, the reindeer on it. It was ugly. Katey came with me and it was pretty fun. The guy who hosted it was in a fraternity, so it was a lot of his fraternity brothers in a group, then people we work with, so we stayed with the people we work with. He had Guitar Hero out so we were playing that. I would really like to get that for my Wii eventually but it's so hard to find.

Church was really good today. The message was about how to talk to people that aren't Believers...about being a believer. It was very beneficial and helpful. After church I went to IKEA to get a few things (like a shower caddy). Then I went to Meijer to get some OJ and apples. Now I'm back home taking it easy, because it's cold outside and it's fun to be inside where it's warm. I think I'm going to play Super Paper Mario soon.

Today on the way home from church I saw a Ford Flex on the interstate, with manufacturer plates on it. Behind it was a Ford truck, and in front of it was a Lincoln, both with manufacturer plates. The Ford Flex will be sold in 2008 as a 2009 model. It was interesting because I'm designing the stabilizer link that will be used on this car/van/Scion thing. Here's a picture:

I'm proud of myself, because I've been really tight with my spending (i.e. a cheapskate) because I want my Honda Civic by June 2008 and I'm saving every bit I can. Then, I want a house.

Tomorrow people from Subaru our touring our building so I have been busy coordinating that this past week. I have my presenation ready and I will present tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Weather Report

Weather.com right now says the temperature in Novi is 13F, but with windchill it feels like 5F. It doesn't really feel bad though. You wouldn't want to stay out in it, but I can handle it. Your hands get really cold, really fast so gloves are a must. I think it hasn't been above 32F since last Sunday.

Yo No Comprendo

From CNN.com

God on Money and in Pledge

I don't understand. Is it really that big of an issue? I think this country has more important issues the Supreme Court needs to spend their time on.

Muzik

Two posts in one day, oh my.

I hear this song a lot on the radio here. Now I just realized it's because she's Canadian and the 2 of the stations I listen to are in Canada. They give their bands credit. Except Nickelback, nobody wants to hear that excuse for a band. Alanis Morisette and Avril Lavigne are real Canadians.

This song makes me want to smash somthing. I heard them interview her on TV and she said "My music...is light, and just makes you feel sunny". Yuck. She and Sophie B. Hawkins need to have a sleep over and roll in each other's mushiness.

You Were Wrong, I Knew it all Along

It's amazing what happens when you skip the pee-ons and go to the management about your problems (oh, I mean, when you can speak to them, that is).

I got a phone call from the regional manager of my apartment complex this morning. He left me a voicemail at work saying he had a solution for me. I called him back and he said "How would you like to just stay in your current apartment, on your current lease, and I'll give you permission to keep your dog there". Excellent. I told him that would be perfect and he said he was sorry for my trouble and he hoped this would work.

They're writing an addendum to my lease that says I'm allowed to have Walter here, but if there are more than 3 complaints, then I'll have to switch buildings. If THAT happens, I still won't have to pay the $300 transfer fee either. So hopefully there isn't some creepy homebody that keeps tabs on everyone and reports people. This worked out well though.

I'm going to the leasing office tomorrow to sign my addendum and I feel like looking at the girl who gave me a hard time and saying "Gosh Kara, I bet you wish you would have just listened to me and gave me what I wanted in the first place so your manager didn't embarass you, huh?". I wouldn't say that, I'll be nice, but she needs to check herself before she starts making decisions.

I did my treadmill exercise test today so I can get permission to use the gym at work. That was annoying. It took me about 30 minutes but I got to leave work a little early to do it.

Ohhh I'm so glad Walter will be back here with me and I don't have to move. And I got what I wanted (deserved).

Lots of Material

It warmed up here to 40 so the precipitation is now rain instead of snow. I don't like that because it turned the snow to slush and the roads are all wet. I'm ready for more snow.

Today I watched Planes, Traines, and Automobiles with Katey and Erica after church. I love that movie so much. The humor is the best.

I talked to many people today. Kiki was first. Her knee is better. Then I talked to Gina. Then I talked to Heather. Then I talked to Linda. When I am in South Carolina for Christmas/New Year's I will see a lot of family (I found out today). Heather will be there, and Gina, and Robert, and Linda, and Gene, and Zahara.

Super Paper Mario is a REALLY good video game. It's my favorite so far in the "Paper Mario" series. I like them in this order: Super Paper Mario>Paper Mario>Paper Mario 2 The Thousand Year Door. I really hope they make a Pikin 3 for Wii. I want to get Super Mario Galaxy next, it looks really good.

There's a movie on the Sci Fi channel called "Tin Man" and it's some Wizard of Oz knockoff that I thought would be really good from the previews, but I'm 11 minutes into it and it doesn't hold my attention. It's got that "mid-evil crap" element to it like Lord of the Rings or Gladiator. Not my style.

Well I guess that's it, I go back to work tomorrow. There's an all employee meeting in the morning so that will be a good way to get through a Monday morning.

A Reward

The cold weather has finally paid off. A nice snow is falling outside and it looks really pretty. I like how the snow here sticks to the roads. It seemed in South Carolina it would never stick to the road. I actually really like the snow. If it's going to be cold, I would rather have it snow than be the dry, windy cold. I like it cold and snowing better.

It's fun too being "guaranteed" to get snow. It's just going to happen. In South Carolina it was a waiting/guessing game and usually disappointing. What Michigan considers a "light snow shower" on the news is what South Carolina calls "Winter Storm 2007". It's such a big contrast.

Today I went Christmas shopping, only to realize I don't know what to get...for anybody. So, I didn't buy anything.

I am really really ready for a new car. My Saturn is past that point where you care about it and try to correct the little things. Last night my "low coolant" light came on, but it was way too cold to try to look for any leaks. The reservoir was full, so oh well. Today the stupid "service engine soon" light came on and the car starting shaking and surging a little. I was thinking "keep it up, I'll dump you faster than you can imagine" and then it stopped. My suspension sounds like an old hotel bed. It squeeks and pops over all the bumps. June 2008 is my target date for my Atomic Blue Honda Civic LX. I can't wait.

I will be 24 in 23 more days.