low blog week

I have neglected my blogs this week, and I am sorry, but mom is in the hospital, along with my mother-in-law hospitalized, so the resolution chart and blogs have hit a low dip....it will get better...It has to get better....look next week for fuller, funner blogs.....ok Off to work.

Idol thoughts

Thought last nights Idol was pretty good. People singing songs by their idol helped, since they couldn't use the "I just learned this song three days ago" excuse.

Everyone did pretty well I thought. But here's a few of my random notes to the contestants
Colton-- great job, and thanks for being open about your faith, I find that very refreshing.
Holly-- I think your great, and loved your song choice, forget about what Steven & Randy say.
Heejun-- you were better last night than previously, but I still have trouble understanding you sometimes, need to work on diction...also may have been "Too little, too late"
Skyler-- Don't like Miranda, and don't like you much...sorry.
Jessica-- I think you have a great voice, but last night was by far your weakest song, I couldn't get into it at all...sorry
Josh-- Your voice is great, you did fine on the song, but I kept thinking how much I liked James Durbin's version of it last season so much more.
Deandre-- sorry man, I can't dig your falsetto, sound too squeaky for me...if it were up to me, you'd be heading home.
Elise-- No one can touch Zeppelin, you shouldn't even try.
Phillip-- You sounded great, but I didn't really know the song, something more familiar would have worked better for me.

Feeling discouraged

All right, I'll admit it, my New Years resolutions Chart hit a major snag last week. Getting slapped in the face with asphalt on the side of the freeway put a kink in everything. For one thing I'm a stress eater, and all my eating resolutions went out the window as I stressed...and ate.

As for my writing, I couldn't seem to get my mind to focus. Every time I sat down to try and write, my head would start bonging and I couldn't concentrate. So for the first time this year I didn't put in my 2 hours of writing last week.

My reading also suffered, because when I put on my reading glasses, the edge of the glasses rested on the sore on my cheek. This my seem silly, but it is hard to read when you're in pain, so I only got like half an hour of reading last week.

So needless to say I'm feeling discouraged today, and hoping & praying I can get my focus back this next week and not let the resolutions spiral out of control. It is going to be a rough week of fighting back.

Turning 200

Well, this marks the 200th post in the Growing old gracefully blog. You'd think I would celebrate with a huge flashy blog filled with videos and pictures. Or maybe I could give you a huge list of ten best this or that. I could up date you on my Bucket List (haven't done that in a while) or I could do an update on the new year's resolutions (not a good week on that front...Nuff said) Or I could rant about American Idol or give you early picks for DWTS.

But I am going to do none of those things because I am tired... Sorry, sometimes as you gracefully grow old you get tired. You have weeks that knock you on your face..really, you can see the pictures on my facebook. And at the end of that week you just want to snuggle in with your wife and plop in a Harry Potter DVD and watch as far as you can before you start dozing. So that's what I'm gonna do. Catch you netx week on the other side of 200 with Idol, DWTS and general blogginess.

Rough week...again

I do not want to seem like a griper. But this yer is turning out to be a monster year. It is as if the universe is fighting against me accomplishing anything. The face dive on Monday is just the latest thing. Due to the pain from this, and the placement of the abrasions, I am having trouble reading (my glasses rest right on the cheek abrasion) and writing (my brain hurts)...gonna keep pushing through. Please pray that I will have the relief of pain I need to get things done. Also continue praying for my mother-in-law. Her prolonged hospital stay is putting a strain on our whole household. Lots of tears and frayed nerves. Thank you all for your prayers.

Also pray for mom & dad as they prepare to move to assisted living. Thanks!

So how was YOUR day?

I hope your day was better than mine. It started as a normal drive down the hill, but ended with my face grinding into the asphalt. We had a winter storm this weekend, you see, so I was driving with chains on. I stopped to take the chains off, and my tire went flat...well mostly flat. I waited till it was light and then went to change the tire I couldn't get my jack out from where it was stored in my car, but another motorist who was having his own car issues let me borrow his jack. While in the midst of changing the tire I tripped over the jack handle and kissed the asphalt. Nothing is broken, but my face is badly scraped and my lip is very swollen. I do not recommend face diving on asphalt as a fun time. ...Hope YOUR day was better.

A plea for help

I hate doing things like this, but today I really need your help. I ran into a major financial snag this week, and I want to ask for your help. We are having a major winter storm and they are calling for a lot of snow, so I had to shell out $75 for some snow chains. This put a crimp in my budget at a pivotal time for my writing. There is a contest I was hoping to enter, and the deadline is Monday, and I am a bit short on the entry fee. So what I am doing here today is a long shot, but I am asking if you might have a few dollar to spare if you could donate to help me raise the $20 entry fee. As a thank you for a donation I will send you a digital copy of some of my work. 1 story for a $1 donation, 2 for a $5, 3 for $10 or 5 for a $20 (these or word doc file, not e-book copies)

Just click on the donate buttons below to donate and leave me your eMail address and I will contact you about which story or stories you might want. Thanks, and forgive me for being so forward in asking.

To donate in any amount