I thrive on chaos… change doesn’t bother me.  When things are always the same, I tend to get bored.  That said, I’m convinced that there are some things you shouldn’t voluntarily change.

I’ve always used Old Spice deodorant.  It matches my Old Spice aftershave.  I don’t have to worry about the scents clashing. I like that.  While I was in and out of the hospital late last year though, they kept giving travel-sized deodorant sticks.  I don’t remember what they were but they were ok.  When I got out of the hospital I kept using them because I had a bagful of them.  Earlier this month I finally ran out. 

I went to the grocery store intending to pick up my old stand by, Old Spice.  But wait, something new on the shelf!  Oooh… deodorant with *dragons* on the label!  Yes, I’m a sucker for dragons. So I bought it. Big mistake…

Oh it smelled fine, but it totally screwed up my showering routine. See there is a process in place that I use.  Brush teeth, shower, dry off, apply Lectric Shave pre-shave lotion, apply deodorant while that dries for a few seconds, then shave and clean ears. The new deodorant didn’t play well.  You see, the pre-shave is designed to *reduce friction* so you don’t get razor burn. This makes your fingers a little slick. And I could not get the danged cap off the deodorant! Never had this problem with the hospital deodorant or Old Spice, but this new stuff had an impossible cap design.

I finally got so frustrated I chucked it and went and bought a new stick of Old Spice. Harmony has returned to my shower experience. There are some things, you shouldn’t muck around with…

I swear I’m going to kill myself in my own kitchen at this rate.  I’ve been wearing socks around the house and there is a slick spot right at the entrance that I seem to hit every time I walk in there. It’s just a matter of time before I break my neck!

I’ve been spending more time in the kitchen recently.  I’m really starting to enjoy cooking more. It has driven home how inadequately stocked my kitchen is however.  I have what I imagine is a typical bachelor’s suite of cooking tools.  A motley collection of hand-me-downs and mismatched pieces. I should probably invest in replacements, once I figure out what to buy. Tips? Suggestions?

I made a nice homemade chili for the kids and I while they were over this past weekend. Even baked corn muffins to go with. MMMmmm… I expected to have left overs for myself. I wound up with enough to have a bowl for lunch today.  I may have to double the recipe next time. *sigh*

I’m actually somewhat excited about Christmas this year… that’s a change for me. The last few years I’ve been fairly disinterested come the holidays. As a result, I’ve been putting together my playlist of Christmas music. I have my favorites but I always like to check out new music for the season. Especially new takes on classic songs.

Why am I posting about this? Well, I like to share my mixes. I’ve done a couple of CD exchanges this year but I don’t really have the energy for that. Instead, I’m just going to offer that if you’d like a copy of my mix disk leave a comment to this post indicating so. Be sure to fill in your e-mail address so I can contact you to get your preferred mailing address. If you want to send one back with your favorite holiday music that’s great, but you’re under no obligation!

I’ve been watching movies with my daughter this weekend… we went out Friday night to see “Flushed Away” and we also watched “Nanny McPhee” on DVD this weekend. Both movies turned out be be surprisingly good. Very creative and entertaining even on an adult level.

When I’m spending time with my daughter, I often wind up watching or listening to things that are… ahem… outside my normal range. She is a total pre-teen girl so I get my fill of the movies, TV shows and music that you might imagine. I don’t mind the movies and TV shows so much, but the music is another story.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a good pop hit with catchy lyrics or a good beat.  Unfortunately it just seems like so many of the bands that are targeted at her demographic are created by marketing departments based more on and ability to sell instead of anything like, oh say… talent.

Honestly, this band may not be any different but they have at least one song that managed to hook me.  We were watching Disney Channel tonight (Suite Life with Zack and Cody… don’t tell anyone, but I secretly like it… shhhhh) and a video came on for the new single by a band called Everlife. 

They’re another one of Disney’s seemingly endless army of boy and girl bands. This one features three sisters. This is the only song I’ve heard so I can’t vouch for the rest of their catalogue.  I liked the beat on this one but it was mostly the message I appreciated. Have a listen, you might like it too…

Am I the only one that changes eating habits for each season? There are all kinds of things I do differently in Fall/Winter vs Spring/Summer.  Take for example the humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Simple right? Two slices of bread, peanut butter, jelly.  Except once cold weather hits I inevitably toast the bread first.  Never do that in warm weather.  Likewise with grilled sandwiches, not in Summer but Fall, you bet.  Soup… cold weather food, not so much when the temperatures are comfortable.

Am I strange?

I’ve been feeling so under the weather lately that I haven’t even left the house. This evening, lack of supplies finally forced me to the grocery store.  I’m a late night grocery shopping kind of guy.  I prefer to go when there are fewer people.  I don’t like crowds much.

Lately, we’ve had torrential rains and substantial flooding in parts of the Puget Sound.  Fortunately I live on a hill, no flooding worries for me. Also fortunate, it wasn’t raining tonight when I went to the store.  The moon was so beautiful shining through the clouds. After putting away the groceries I grabbed my camera and tripod and snapped a few shots.

If you are an ST.N refugee aimlessly wandering the web looking for motorcycling sustinance, wander no more… a temporary forum is up and running to get us through until the mothership is back online.

Go here, and rejoice: http://www.farkledup.com/

Updated: They registered a new domain name for the ST.N stand-in forum

Despite the cryptic nature of my last post (I just really liked the song, heard it in an episode of the Jericho TV series) and my general disappearance from the blog scene, I have not abandoned my blog or my bloggy friends. 

Live is busy and strange at the moment.  I’m dealing with some health issues I thought were behind me and generally feeling a lack of creative drive these days. This will pass, and I’m still reading your blogs even if I can’t motivate myself to comment as often as in the past.

Just like ships, we float through each other’s lives
Through the waters of beauty and grace
We will one day dock at the same port
And give rest to our weary legs
There is a light placed up in the sky
Like the stained glass, time slows down
I wish I could sleep, I wish I could dream
I love the sound of my feet against these empty streets
I saw the whole town burn down
I’m walking away
Nothing stays, these feelings have wings
Our arms outstretched, we are soaring

Ships by Umbrellas