For once, the Super Bowl games was worth watching. Usually, I just watch it for the half time show and the commercials. And, while I didn’t have a favorite team, it was a fun, action packed game.

In the past, Super Bowls have been totally boring. Usually, both teams play a conservative game until the fourth quarter and then they try some spectacular plays as the clock runs out. But not this game. It was action packed from the first kick.

Who knows, maybe this will be the start of a new trend where the teams play as if it were the championship game.

Valentines Day is always very stressful in the office for me. First, I have to decide if I am going to buy candy for the women in the office. Then I have to decide on who gets candy and who doesn’t. And, should I buy cards instead?

This year, I was too busy and too distracted to worry about Valentines Day so I didn’t do anything for the women in the office. After all, it is not like the women ever do anything for me on Valentines Day.

So, on Friday morning, I just get settled into my office when a woman walks in with a big smile on her face and thanks me for the candy that was left in her office. Now, I feel trapped. First, because I didn’t leave any candy and second because I was perceived as a person who would leave candy. Embarrassed, I told the woman that I didn’t leave her the candy.

Next, I stepped into the office of another female co-worker to drop off a paper. Her hours are different from mine and wouldn’t arrive until later. I noticed that two people had left boxes of candy in her office. Since there didn’t appear to be any cards attached, I figured that I would probably be viewed as a suspect. Sure enough, when she arrived, she stopped by my office to thank me for the candy.

At this point in time, I am feeling rather low. I guess next year, I will have to make a point of buying candy for the women in the office.  The holidays are always so stressful.

Journal 07/18/00  A vision in  prayer.

Since the grotto cave seemed to be a focus, I decided to visit the grotto immediately. I apparently have some control over the visions but not very much.

So, I found myself in the grotto cave again. I look behind me and I see the passage way that I came through earlier but I don’t see anything else other than rocks.

I look at the throne and see that the skeleton is back on the throne. Since he is back, at least I think it is a he, I decide to engage the skeleton in a dialog to find out what he is all about. After all, he didn’t seem threatening.

I ask him what he wants but he doesn’t say any thing. I wonder if he can talk so I ask him. His head rotates around several times slowly. I assume that to be a “no”.

He extends his arm towards me and I wonder if he is reaching out to me. But, I realize that he is pointing to something behind me. I turn and see a small opening in the back of the grotto.

He wants me to go into the hole. I am apprehensive but told him he could go first.

We descend downward, part climbing and part sliding. At times, I am falling but at a very slow rate of speed. Finally, we land at the bottom and it is very dark.

I wonder if the throne is going to appear again or what is going to happen since it is very dark. I wonder if this is some sort of prison for souls. It is so very dark.

Suddenly, I realize that there is a river flowing through this cavern. There is some sort of boat there and we get into it and start floating down the river.

The river takes us into a tunnel and I realize that we are headed for a waterfall. For some reason, I am not worried about going over the falls. We gradually descend to the bottom where there is a pool of water.

I look back at the water fall and it is beautiful. It is not a massive waterfall. It cascade gently down the rocks.

I ask Mr. Skeleton, as I call him, what is next? We dock the boat and get out. He points to another opening at the side of the cavern and I begin to wonder is this is just going to be a cave tour. So, I follow him into the next chamber.

When I enter the chamber, I see something large and golden. At first I think that it is the throne, but then I realize that it is a casket of some sort.

I wonder if this is the burial chamber of some great Egyptian king. And, I wonder what this has to do with my cave tour.

Suddenly, I realize that this is not burial casket, it is the Ark of the Covenant!

So, what have I learned? Well, the Ark of the Covenant is hidden in a grotto in a mountain range off of a vast grassy range which I presume to be the Plain of Jordan.

At this point, I am exhausted and over whelmed with everything.

I received an email today saying that I am now “linkedin” with someones account. This isn’t the first time that I have been “linkedin”. Others have me “linkedin”.

And, for the most part, I don’t mind being “linkedin”. It is just that I don’t know what I am supposed to do with it. I don’t want to be rude, but if it requires me to do something, I don’t really have the time for it.

Meijer’s (regional grocery chain) has Russet potatoes on sale. Two 5 pound bags for $5. Of course, right next to the display they have 10 pound bags of Russet potatoes on sale for $1.79.

Now, if I needed potatoes, it would seem to me that it would be better to buy the 10 pound bag for $1.79 than the two 5 pound bags for $5. In fact, even if I only needed five pounds of potatoes, it would be cheaper to buy the 10 pound bag for $1.79 than one of the 5 pound bags for $2.50.

Sometimes I wonder if people are really that stupid. But then again, I know the answer.

While most large cities have problems controlling their pigeon population, New York city has problems controlling their parrot population. Green parrots to be exact.

It seems a few years ago, some green parrot escaped from a pet store and adapted to the climate. Now, the green parrot populatios is in the hundreds if not thousands.

The problem with the parrots is their nests. They are huge running several feet high and wide. Plus, they like to build them on power transformers because they are warm. Unfortunately, these nest catch on fire and damage the power equipment which then causes neighborhood blackouts.

So far, they city has tried removing the nests, but the birds just rebuild. And, they have tried mechanical owls but the birds ignore them.

Maybe they should try using some falcons. That is what Lansing does to control their pigeons.

The other day when I was getting ready to go grocery shopping, Kathy told me to buy some cinnamon raisin bread. Since I remember the sweet spicy taste as a child, I decided that cinnamon raisin bread would be nice for a change.

Now Meijer’s (regional grocery chain) has two different areas for bread. The first area is the sliced bread isle. In this isle, all of the bread is mass produced, sliced and then bagged. And since this isle offers the greatest selection, I decided to start there.

First up were the whites. There were the butter tops and the crumb tops, and the sandwich loafs. (The sandwich loafs offered square slices. I guess it is easier to make sandwiches with them.) But, in spite of there different offerings, all of the whites taste the same to me.

Next up were the wheats. Honey wheat, light wheat, dark wheat but no cinnamon raisin bread. After the wheats came the multi grains. Three grain, five grain, seven grain. Ever notice how the grains always seem to be odd numbered? Still no cinnamon raisin bread.

Deli breads any one? Light rye, dark rye, pumpernickel. I buy these breads when ever it get the craving for a ham and swiss on rye. Of course, I am the only one that appreciates them so I get the eat the whole loaf.

Just when I think that I am out of luck, I spy the raisin breads, right next to the bagels. Wonderful! But wait, they have raisin bread and they have cinnamon bread but no cinnamon raisin bread. Drat! Maybe they don’t make cinnamon raisin bread any more.

Before giving up, I decided to try the specialty baking section. In the section, most of the breads are whole loafs and not sliced. Plus, it is not massed produced like the bread in the bread isle. Croissants, French loafs, dinner rolls and cinnamon raisin bread. Yes!

I hope it is worth the effort.

Our steam iron quit working the other day. While it still irons, it no longer steams. So, I was instructed to purchase a new one.

When I arrived at Meijer’s (regional grocery chain), I thought that I could just swing by the household section and grab one. But a quick check of the small appliance section was fruitless. Humm, maybe with the vacuum cleaners. Nope. TVs? Not likely. Maybe they no longer carry steam irons.

Certain that the irons had to be in the household section , I began cruising the isles. If I could find the ironing boards, the irons would probably be next to them. Suddenly, as I rounded the corner, there they were, the steam irons.

Now, while they had about a dozen steam irons to choose from, they were all crammed together on a shelf maybe 5 feet long. It certainly was not a tidy display like the toaster ovens in the appliance section, but they were, none the less, the steam irons.

They had some that came in neon designer colors. They were interesting but I couldn’t find any in stock. Besides, no one is going to see it any way.

Some models had digital controls for precise heat. Precise heat? I use two setting, cotton and polyester so digital controls would be a waste for me.

One model in particular had digital controls and came with its own carrying case. I guess the case was so that you could transport it to ironing contests. It was in stock for $29.95. Great! No wait, that was $129.95. I guess that is why it was in stock.

Since it was becoming impossible to match the display models with what was in stock, I decided to use a different approach. Instead of looking at the displays first, I started looking at what was in stock and then looking for the display model.

Finally, I found one for $24.95. No designer colors, no digital display, just a plain ordinary steam iron. Mission accomplished.

Journal 07/14/00  A vision in prayer.

Visiting the Throne Room was pretty much the same as in the past few visits only this time, we went spiraling down into the ground. At first I was concerned that I needed to take leave but I waited. Ultimately, we ended up in the cavern that I had visited the other day. At least I had the throne with me.

I saw an ad on TV this morning. It was comparing a Chevy with a Toyota. After the comparison, the ad stated that the Toyota would go farther on a tank of gas but with the Chevy, you would meet more interesting people.

Well, for starters, I would assume that since the millage on a tank of gas is less, you would need to stop more often for gas. Thus, you would meet more interesting people. But, I am not sure that I would want to meet more “interesting people”.

Aren’t prisons full of interesting people?