940 miles

It's been a long week for me, and I'm pretty tired right now, but I wanted to sit down and write about this past weekend.
Last friday, after lunch with Mary Carla, I left Nashville and started a long drive North. Seven and a half hours later (eight and a half if you count the time change) I arrived in South Bend, IN at the apartment of my wonderful friends Sweets and Eileen Dimino. It's always great to see them...whether I told them at the time or not, they're in my top ten people of all time list. The next morning, while Sweets was recovering from his night shift at the hospital, I drove over to my alma mater to spend too much money at the bookstore. Then is was over to Saint Mary's College to get some pictures for MC and a present for her too. In the process of taking the pictures I managed to lock my keys in my car. Big thanks to Bob, of SMC Security, for his skillful work with wedges and a big stick. After that little fiasco, I went back to meet Sweets for lunch. Good pinball, good wings, good conversation. Then I got the official tour of the Diminos' new house in NW SB (not to be confused with near NW). I'm really happy for those two. Sweets Jr. (or little Nate, or whatever they want to call him...if it's a him) is gonna have a great house to move into in a couple months when he gets here. I helped Sweets break in his new $75...$70...$40 fussball table. He won the first one, I won the second, and we'll save the tie-breaker for my next visit. Then it was back to the apartment where we met back up with Eileen, who despite the baby in her belly, was very complimentary about the dinner I cooked for them.
That night I got to hear the Notre Dame Glee Club's spring concert. It's still very exciting since I still know half the guys in the group. Got to see fellow '03 graduate Jesse Miller too. The concert itself was really good...Thomas Tallis' Lamentations of Jeremiah is one of my favorites and Shenandoah, Spanish Ladies, and Quigley's Danny Boy...and it's always a thrill to go up there with the alumni now. But the real highlight was seeing so many of my old friends. My big little brother John Siegwarth sang the solo in Beautiful Savior, which was the only solo I ever sang in an official concert in my four years. Karl Wahoske, who seems to be filling my old position of Vice-President admirably, had a great solo for a great Undertones act and a great announcement. Gabe Torres' Old Time Religion made me want to get up and dance in the aisle and he's still got a smile as big as Texas. Mr. President, Paul Sifuentes has always been one of my favorites, despite what some might call a cocky attitude. J-Lau, Madrid, T-Rich, Swampy, Javi, Schreck, DuVall, Pogge, Sprigg, Steve Smith...good to see them all. And thanks to Lockhart for plugging my cell phone in for me during the concert...fortunately I didn't ever need it on the drive that night, but it's nice to know it's there. I didn't get to talk to everybody I wanted to, but it was still a good night.
It really made me miss some of my other favorite clubbers. If your name is Pete Bell, Aaron Trulley, Derek Podolny, Zach Gustafson, Mike Diamond, Ryan McLaughlin, Christopher Lux, Chistopher Cooper, Phil Trible, Jeff Holmes, Corey Kelly, Jim Krueger, Tommy Prall, Brian South, or Shane McIlheney, and if you ever read this little e-journal...well, just know that whatever else you did, you made an impression, and I miss you guys. Jon, Sweets, you're not on that list, 'cause you already know it...I hope.
Anyway, enough of that, after the concert I hit the road again, this time heading south for West Terre Haute. It was a short night, but I had a nice breakfast with mom and dad before church and I got to see most of my old Sunday School class that morning. They're good kids, and I was glad to see that those months with me as their teacher didn't mess them up too much. After church we went out to lunch with some friends at Pizza Hut. Lots of fun again, and my wonderful sister even made the drive from Indianapolis, and then all the way out to the north end of town to see me.
As an interesting side note...there was a dude in the booth at Pizza Hut with a full glass of beer and an empty pitcher in front of him, and he was passed out since before we got there till after we left. Sunday afternoon, passed out in a Pizza Hut booth. It's time to admit you have a problem, buddy.
Not a lot of time at home...not enough for mom ;)...and then back on the road to Nashville. Finally after 940 miles (according to MapQuest) I was back with Mary Carla. It was a really great weekend, but it was really exhausting.
And I'm too tired to think of a fitting end to this novel.

famous people I've met so far

Yesterday at work, a guy came up to me and asked, "do you have luggage?" I said, yes, and gave him directions to the luggage department, then I asked him, "By the way, do you sing for Jars of Clay?" And he said, "yeah," and then I shook his hand and introduced myself and he introduced himself as Dan and I was very cool and told him I was looking forward to their new album and how I got to hear them play a few of their new songs. I was much more articulate than the first time I met a famous person at work. Here's my list so far...

Steven Curtis Chapman
George Jones
Darrell Waltrip
Dan Haseltine

if you have to work a crap job just to make money while you're looking for a good job, you might as well work a crap job where you get to meet famous people.

/* Sorry if I wasn't clear and my celebrities are too B-list for some of you. Here's a quick guide...
SCC: Christian music artist
GJ: Country music legend
DW: NASCAR
DH: Jars of Clay
I hope that clears up any confusion among you. */

Winter in the South

The Civil War took place over 4 winters and only 3 summers.

There were 200 car accidents and 100 school closings in the Nashville area today because of snow. The news called it a white-out. All I know is that this morning we had what Hoosiers like to call a "dusting," and last night it wasn't quite "snowing"...only "flurries."

200 car accidents.

100 school closings.

The Civil War took place over 4 winters and only 3 summers.

Needless to say...

Let me set the scene.
There's a girl, who has married a boy. One night they're sitting at home when there's a knock at the door. When the girl answers the door, a young man shoots at her with a plastic b-b gun, then he runs away. The girl and the boy are both, understandably, upset. Once they've calmed down a bit, the girl describes the incident in her Instant Messenger away message. The next morning, as I'm compulsively checking away messages on my buddy list, I read about it. One phrase sticks out to me..."Needless to say, [boy] was really upset." A blog ensues.

"Needless to say..." always catches my attention. Why do people use this phrase? I can think of two reasons. First, they think you don't know about whatever is is that doesn't need to be said. Second, they know you must know. Regardless of what the speaker says, in both cases there is a need, or a perceived need, to say...something.

In the first, the need is the listener's. The speaker has some vital piece of information that they feel, for some reason, you need. Now the speaker's motivation for sharing this information could vary. Maybe they only have your best interests in mind and want to subtely pass the information to you without pointing out that you don't already have it, thereby allowing you save face. Or perhaps they are only trying to point out how much more than you they know. They don't think you need the information contained in the statement following "needless to say...", they think you need to be reminded that they know more than you. This is not done with your best interests in mind, nor will it allow you save face.

In the second case the need is the speaker's. They know you must know but still they have some deep seated need to remind you. This is the case of the girl in the example of the IM away message. If something like that happens, of course the people involved are going to be upset. This girl though, feels the need to remind you that she does, in fact, have a husband and he, in fact, does live up to his husbandly expectations of being upset when his wife is shot with b-b's.

Closely akin to "needless to say..." is "it goes without saying..." Whenever I hear "it goes without saying..." I think, "I wish it had gone without saying, but you can't seem to stop bringing it up!" I can't remember if I thought of that clever retort on my own, or if I heard it in a movie. If you recognize it, feel free to take my ego down a notch and tell me where it comes from. Needless to say, my ego could probably use it.