Time For A New Entry

Since it's been over a month since my last blog entry, I figure it's(more than) time for a new one.

Although I often find myself composing abstract/would-be blog entries in my head, it's often very hard to actually do one. I have the time, it's the motivation I lack.

Part of it is that doing public journal/diary entries has seemed weird from the start. I'd tend to think that anything significant enough to me to bother journalling about would be sufficiently personal(if not somewhat "incriminating" or "risky" as well) that I would NOT want others reading it. Particularly not specific others and/or total strangers.

But, when I first started doing this blog, I found myself usually able to keep it away from risky things or risky details about things. A few entries required editing, but not many. And my blog was getting read and replied to by several folks, so all was ok.

But eventually, for whatever reason(s), my "audience" left - and rather abruptly too. Of my last SEVERAL blog entries, only ONE has gotten any comments, and that one only got ONE. So now, I'm unsure who's reading this, or even if anyone other than me is. Thus I'm not sure why I should bother with it if nobody else is reading it, yet I'm not sufficiently SURE that absolutely NOBODY else is reading it to start treating it like a private journal in which "anything goes" either.

We just got back from spending the weekend in EB with my folks. They now know that we're expecting #2 in August, and we told them it's ok for them to tell the Brattins - and Bill, if they talk to him before we do. We/I want to tell the Dahlmanns tho.

They're excited and pleased by our news, bu they also seem somewhat "subdued" in their reactions and response(s) to it. I'm not quite sure why, or even if they really are subdued, but they certainly seemed that way to me, and Katrina didn't disagree when I mentioned this.

Overall, the weekend went very well. One of our better ones in recent memory, in fact. It's still very difficult to really communicate or connect with Dad, but that'll prolly always be the case. While he(says he)'d never want to TELL me what to do or to DETERMINE my actions(as opposed to merely influencing them), it seems completely impossible for him to advise me within the context of his accepting the fact that I'm NOT gonna do EVERYTHING he'd do, much less do all(or even any) of it EXACTLY as he would. Thus, the ubiquetous disconnect, but one that I always think I'm far more aware of(and/or willing to grant) than he is.

We also got together with Tim & Jen, went to CCOB with them this morning, and - finally - exchanged Christmas presents. They also gave Rebekah her birthday present, since they missed her party this year.

I thought about calling Quint & Donna while we were up there, but I hadn't brought their phone #s with us. I knew they were cell phone #s, so there wasn't any point in looking them up online.

I continue to be impressed by all that goes on @CCOB. It seems like everytime we're there, a LOT more stuff is going on than last time. That church is ALWAYS growing, both in terms of auditorium size and "membership" size.

I don't think we'd go there if we lived up there, not that there's really much chance of that, or that I've any idea where we WOULD go if we lived up there. Things like their emphasis on tithing(which is nowhere near as strong or as significant as BRV's) and their policy of not letting you back into the auditorium if you leave during a service are enough to cause me to think we'd be going elsewhere if we lived up there; especially the latter of those. Which is almost too bad and really sad cuz it's a GREAT church otherwise, but considering the strong UNlikelihood of us ever living anywhere near there(much less anywhere in NJ at all), it hardly matters(or so it seems).

Needless to say, I'm still restless @CBC. I'm ok with us being there and with being a deacon, but it really doesn't seem that our misgivings about the way various things there either are or were handled is gonna change much for the better anytime soon, nor does it seem like our difficulties regarding the lack of other kids in nursery's gonna change/improve anytime soon. But, while she continues to be more than willing to agree and provide evidence and ammo everytime I get on a "bash Randy and/or CBC" kick, Katrina continues to prefer going/staying there to going and/or looking elsewhere. Iow, problem, standstill, stalemate, stagnation; PROBLEM.

It's probably good that we're there at least till the end of '05 tho. Since Kat's pregnant, stability and convenience/proximity matter at least as much as they otherwise would, if not more. But, while I'm not making any predictions, I'll be at least somewhat surprised if we stay there(or if we SHOULD stay there) much beyond that.

Of course, there's a lot to pray about here. For starters, Katrina's attitude/heart, as well as my own. And, if we were to get a car by or shortly after January '06, that would really help a lot in terms of going to another church, especially one as far away as CCDC. So, there are many ways to put the rest of our time @CBC - however long that is or may be - to good use.

We're thinking of changing cable companies. As much as I don't like big, monopolistic companies like Comcast, we're just not at all pleased with the channel selection we have with RCN, nor with their prices.

We'd probably pay about as much with Comcast as we're paying now with RCN, but we think we'd get better channels, if not more of them as well. The TV's at the laundromat are Comcast cable, so we KNOW that Comcast has at least 3 channels RCN doesn't that we'd actually WATCH if we had them; WGN, GSN, and the Hallmark Channel. Of course, if we had Comcast, we'd also get CN8, which would really help when the 6-10 Phils games that are on CN8 are on, as well as when there's a minor league bb or hockey game on there.

As it is, we both usually agree that there's NOTHING worth watching on our TV most of the time. And many of the shows we sometimes end up watching - cuz they're "the best thing on" - are probably of questionable worth or time value. Kat often has the Food Channel on almost as a "default" or just as "background"; she's not always really watching just cuz it's on, and I often put on poker or other shows that aren't really worth my time just cuz there's nothing better on. So, even if Comcast wasn't a lower bill, at least we'd get more for our money. Especially considering all the Cubs and White Sox games that are(still) on WGN!

This entry doesn't really seem to be saying much of anything. As with some(if not many, but hopefully not most) of my other entries, I have to ask myself as I read over it if I'm really all that surprised that my "audience" no longer reads(or at least no longer replies to) my blog. Of course, most of those in my "audience' also haven't added any entries to their blog(s) this YEAR, so that plays a role in their lack of response to mine as well. Methinks I'm not the only one for whom the novelty of a blog is LONG gone.