Saturday, December 15, 2012

So this is Austin...

My brother sent me this food report

Food report: Stuffed Turkey.... Roasted garlic mash & salad w/ creamy balsamic dressing. ;}:o

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A-Ring-A-Ding-Ding!!!



Happy birthday, Francis Albert... You did it YOUR WAY!!!

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Smilin' and dialin'...

So while I was chatting my day away on the phone, extolling the virtues of the product I rep, I was also using my downtime to look at the house I want to buy for Camp Shoehead 2.0, and doing some more research into the environs of Ranger TX, my (fingers crossed) soon-to-be new hometown.  I looked at pictures of the oil boom, and scoped out the surrounding towns and highways. I really want this to happen, so I'll be praying a lot. (And saving money, too! Every ramen noodle I eat from now on is going toward the Camp Shoehead 2.0 cause!)
We also decorated our pod. There are five of us phone agents working on the campaign, and all of the campaigns in our company are in a competition for the best decorations. I wish I could take a picture, but since I work at a call center, we can't have out phones on the production floor. But our pod kicks ass, and I think we're gonna win!
Calling different companies on the phone all day gets somewhat repetitive. I can't tell you how many companies ask you to "Please pay attention, because our options have changed..." Really?  There must've been some kind of revolution in phone directory menus I never heard about. My options never changed. I feel ripped off.  Or how about this classic gem—"Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line and you'll be answered by the next available attendant..."  Fun stuff!  I also wonder why people (especially receptionists) feel they can be rude to you, just because you're making a sales call. I mean, I'm not calling families in the middle of dinner to push a satellite TV service.  I'm calling businesses during regular business hours.  Don't they too, have goods and services to market?  If you're not interested, fine. I make over 100 calls a day. I will move on. But what did your rudeness just accomplish? It's crazy.
Anyway, so the new purpose for this whole thing is to get Camp Shoehead 2.0 off the grlound. That will be my writing sanctuary and my workout camp. And my dogs have a nice fenced-in yard to run around in! It's a dream...

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

We all deserve friends like this !!

I got this in an email from my mom, and it totally made me tear up; but it's beautiful!

After losing his parents, this 3 year old orangutan was so depressed he wouldn't eat and didn't respond to any medical treatments. The veterinarians thought he would surely die from sadness.
The zoo keepers found an old sick dog on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived and took the dog to the animal treatment center. The dog arrived at the same time the orangutan was there being treated...
The 2 lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since.
The orangutan found a new reason to live and each always tries his best to be a good companion to his new found friend.
They are together 24 hours a day in all their activities.
They live in Northern California where swimming is their favorite past time, although Roscoe (the orangutan)
is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend's help to swim.
Together they have discovered the joy and laughter in life and the value of friendship.
They have found more than a friendly shoulder to lean on.

Reminds me how wonderful friendship can be.

Long Live Friendship!!!!!!!
I don't know... some say life is too short, others say it is too long, but I know that nothing that we do makes sense if we don't touch the hearts of others... while it lasts!
May you always have Love to Share, Health to Spare, And Friends who Care.....even if they are a little hairy at times.

My latest gig...

So, for those that care, I've been working the last few weeks for a temp-to-hire job, and it's actually pretty cool. (OK, it just doesn't suck like the toy helicopter or the mop-selling jobs) What I'm doing now is working a call center job doing pre-sales for a software company. It's not bad—I generate leads all day. No selling, no commission, no hassles…  Just verify and qualify warm leads from a database, and send them to sales department. It's just kinda funny—I represent a software company and their products, but I secretly work for a call center, but I'm actually employed by a temp agency.  It's like I've got three layers of separation between me and the public I deal with. Secret Shoehead, that's me. So the money is actually pretty good, and I can put every ounce of energy into my writing, my Herbalife, my getting in shape, and my Camp Shoehead 2.0…

Monday, December 03, 2012

A short one...

Not a stellar day, but I did help a neighbor kid with her algebra homework. I totally forgot that I like algebra. I think I'll pick up an algebra workbook, just to hone my math and problem-solving skills. I'm really focusing on Camp Shoehead 2.0! I believe it'll be a totally doable plan! I might even get involved with local politics; maybe even run for mayor! The possibilities are endless! Otherwise, a quiet day... I think I do need one of these, though.

Sunday, December 02, 2012

Christmas Outreach

Today was a pretty busy day for your ol' pal Shooey. My church, Northwest Fellowship, had our Christmas Family Dinner and Community Outreach tonight. It was a great time, and not only did we get to celebrate and hang out with our church friends, but we invited people from the community and some of Austin's homeless people to eat with us, and enjoy the festivities. My role, in all this, was the emcee of the Christmas production. My character was actually scripted as the "Credible Host" and I had a couple of bits with the "Comical Host". It really was a great time, and the show went off absolutely 98% without hitch or glitch.  I was actually sorry it was over.  One thing tonight's experience impacted me with, is how much I miss live theater. I'm primarily a film guy. I love being on set, working with the cameras, doing cool stuff, and take after take of intense acting. But—after tonight, I realize how much I miss the excitement and energy of live theater. I think I'll insert myself back into theater world. Austin is a great town for it.
Another thing I really was impacted by was my heart for the homeless. Tonight I was drawn to three young people—"Sideshow", "Phoenix" and a girl who called herself "Toxic"—who lived in a homeless camp that my ministry feeds. They couldn't have been more than 22 or 23, but probably younger.  I took an instant like to these three, and made sure they got enough food and felt loved and wanted there. After they told me their names, they tripped out when I introduced myself as "Shoehead".  They even stayed behind and helped us stack up chairs and clean up. I plan to visit them, and help them as best I can, especially during the winter months.
So that was my weekend. Tomorrow, I go back to work. Oh, yeah... I haven't blogged in a while. I'll tell you about my new job, and bring you back to speed about what your ol' pal Shooey has been up to recently.
In the meantime, hasta tamale!

Cajun Pizza joint, off McNeil & 183

Cajun pizza

Very sad and forlorn...

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Today certainly was a lazy day!

I overslept this morning, until about 10am. It was kind of a drag, because I was supposed to go to a meeting of the prison ministry I'm involved with. I've been fending off this allergic-kinda stuffy nose/sore throat thingie for about 10 days now, but it finally went into my chest a little bit this morning. The rest of the day has been an exercise in laziness (Is that an oxymoron, or what?) I did manage to speak with the Realtor® about the Camp Shoehead 2.0 plan that I'm putting in place, and things are looking good on that front. I ran errands and paid some bills—which is productive, if unfulfilling.
My self-imposed exile from Facebook is seeming to generate curiosity and concern from my friends. That honestly wasn't the intent of the hiatus. I have several reasons for going dark on FB for a spell, which I've been formulating the blog in my head for three week. I'll put that as a new post; perhaps tomorrow. But I believe discovering the house in Ranger and following through with Camp Shoehead 2.0 has something to do with my FB blackout. I'll explore that one a bit later.
Tonight, I rehearse our Christmas Dinner Show at the church. I'm the "Credible Host" who plays against the "Comical Host". We've been working on our bits, and it's coming along pretty well, I must say!
Until next time, my awesome readers...