Dear Kinko's, You are the professionals, not me. If I say I need copies of something with a cover and x amount of inside pages, to me - the unprofessional - that means a booklet. If that could mean anything else, I didn't think about it. So the normal response, you being the professional, would be to ask me to clarify. In other words, don't quote me for $180 when you actually want to charge me $600. Thank you LifeWay Print Services for doing the EXACT SAME JOB for $240. You rule. And work on your customer service, Kinko's. Raising your voice and arguing with a customer is not the optimal way to retain business. I called simply asking "what are my options" because I realized that YOU messed up and quoted me wrong. It was you who, during the conversation, said you would honor the quote, then quoted me three different prices for the same job within the course of the conversation. Ugh. You messed up. Don't email me back after the conversation to continue to say I'm wrong. I didn't realize I had to know all your language and terms and secret handshakes in order to get something printed. I didn't need that lingo for LifeWay Print Services. They, it seems, actually appreciate new business. And are nice. So again, thank you LifeWay Print Services for saving the day and giving me one less thing to stress about. And thank you Kinko's for giving me one more example of terrible customer service to use for an example.

so... i signed up for lj because Ash keeps her journal on here and figured I might want to post a comment on her journal every now and then. i haven't posted on my own site for ages, because I've been living life. It's a strange thing to have so little free time. I wake up around 5:30... take care of the dogs... go to work until 4... Ash is usually at the house by 5... she leaves around 10... i'm in bed by 10:30. This happens every weekday except Thursday, when I try to spend time with the guys and work on any freelance projects I have at night. This is a stark juxtaposition to my previous life, where in I did nothing. I would go to work around 9-10, leave around 6pm and do nothing at night. Ashley has been wonderful in being patient as I adjust to this much more active life, though every moment has been enjoyable. Life seems so better when you have someone to share even the mundane experiences with. Two are better than one, yes. I think I'm fading out on the online journalling. While I find it important to communicate with friends, my friend base has shifted dramatically in the past year or so. Whereas my desire to journal was born out of the fact that so many of my friends lived so far away, I've managed to be much more socialable and Ashley and I have developed several solid friendships with people in our lives. I wish I could communicate more with old friends from college and such, but I understand/accept the cyclical nature of life. When the time is ripe. I miss Stefan, James, Thorny, Andy, Aubrey, Stephie, Luke/Brittany, Doug and so on and so forth... but have been blessed with Shawn, Thomas, Mike, Andy, Adam, Gabe, Tam, Dan, Aaron, Marion, Christie, Morgan and so on and so forth. It's amazing how people ebb and flow in and out of life. On the horizon lies potential for some great friendships... Ben and Laurie, Matt, Ashley's Amanda and Allison... Life's tides bring so many lonely days and so many days with too large a crowd. It's a beautiful thing to have someone walking along side you. I guess that's where I'll stop for now.

So last weekend Deli went on a grand adventure for a return visit to Chicago. She's been there before, so when she first got there she was a bit bored... just sitting around a hotel. Of course, the had to go lounging around and fall asleep on my book bag... Deli's not a shy one, however... and she decided no trip to Chicago would be right without some quality deep-dish pizza. Jalepenos, garlic and sausage make for a good snack. But there was one thing that simply had to be done for Deli; her first trip to the elusive Chicago Apple Store. It really seemed to be more of a hang out than a store. Since she was there she figured she'd learn from the pros and watch a little video in their theatre: And then, the computer just her size... She needs one of her own... ask me how you can help! Of course, she's a bargain hunter and found the referbs... mm... cheap apple swag... Such big steps for such a little girl. She got tired quick. What does Apple put on their in-store iPods? Deli's favorite vocal stud, Nick Cave, of course! She really just wanted to hang around and listen to music... Of course, after such a grand adventure she rested all the way to the hotel on the "L." OK, Deli... time to say goodbye to Chi-Town! We'll be back in August!  

yes, i'm in the Apple store in Chicago. Pictures to come soon.

Christmas this year... was different, to say the least. The first Christmas without a mother. It brings a very real sense of her being gone. It's always easier to just react to things as if I didn't call her that day or I forgot to tell her something. But when its only three people exchanging gifts and you know there's supposed to be four... it can't be denied. The saddest part was my father not having anything to open on Christmas day. I hate to admit that I hadn't even thought about it. I don't know that he got hardly anything that he truly wanted for Christmas (material-wise; I know that what he rally wanted was just the three of us to be together). This is also the longest I've been without Ashley since she moved to Nashville. That's been tougher than I thought it might - especially being at my house and not seeing her there. She definately lights up the room and makes the house more cozy. I've enjoyed getting to play video games and get work done and personal reflection and all that happens when one's alone... but I do miss her and look forward to her return. Its been quite the year of transition. The passing of my mother, the beginning of my relationship with Ashley and my dad informing me he'll be remarrying in January. My sister no long claims to believe in Christ (let alone follow him) and instead is expecting to be reincarnated. I went from planning to officiate my sister's wedding to telling her that dad won't be mad at her for ending her engagment. I seem to have lost someone I thought was one of my best friends because I expressed my thoughts on a topic that was dear and life-changing to me. My church has become like family to me and I've actually enjoyed being sociable. I have a pastor I can call a friend and express my doubts and concerns with without getting rhetorical sunday-school answers. I fluxuate with loving my job and seeking a new one. I have lots of debt. So this was Christmas, and it's the first pause I've had in months. Before Ash came into my life this year, I felt like the majority of the time I was on pause; content to be a hermit in my room at home playing silly games and not venturing out. It's amazing how having a wonderul, incredible woman can make you desire to be a stronger, better man. It makes you realize that if you're going to waste away a day, it's much more meaningful and enjoyable to waste it away with someone else. I can't be mad at my dad for wanting companionship. I can't be mad at him for deciding that life is better when you have someone to share it with than when you don't. It's just all so very soon. My dad didn't wrap the gifts for Carmen until Christmas evening (she wasn't coming until the morning after). He saw Christmas as the ending of one season of life and the day after the beginning of a new one, with Carmen. This remarriage... its so confusing to me on a romantic level. Yes, I understand his desire for companionship. But I've always seen my parents in a (as far as I know) healthy, loving relationship. I know my dad loved her. I guess its different for him... in so many ways (because I didn't see her every day) mom still doesn't quite seem to be gone. For him, he goes to bed alone every night after having a wife for so many years. Being alone is on the forefront of his mind. It just is hard to imagine carrying on after the death of a wife. There's so many things I've yet to experience... being engaged... the marriage ceremony... honeymoon... children... moving together... vacations... and, inevitable death... that I can't wrap my mind around what it must be like for him to desire another woman. It still seems wrong somehow in my mind... but I imagine that it's because I'm not him. I'm not there and I'm ok with an empty bed because I've had one for 24 years. So this was Christmas, the time of birth for my Saviour Jesus Christ and a time of birth for a new life for my dad. Christ bless him, Sister Wisdom guide him and God give him a good life. And help me deal with it.

isn't it great when you hear a song you hadn't heard in a while... and a rush of memories come flooding into your mind... and it seems like it's from another world, another life... someone else's perhaps... and then you think "no, no, that's me. that was my life. i was there. that moment exists forever in the recesses of my mind. it was true and there." it's a good feeling, it is.