Josh Simmons' Weblog

No Song

josimmons — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:57:49 +0000

I just need to rant for a minute…

So I am enjoying a nice Sunday of fun, friends, and football but it has been marred by NBC. Yes, I said it. I am watching the Steelers/Browns game and I keep seeing ads for NBC programming. I mentioned a while ago my feelings on NBC’s decision to make a made-for-tv movie based on the old Knightrider show. They decided to use a mustang….buhhhhhh. If that’s not sacreligious enough, thay have decided to remake the show with same stupid mustang…and based on the ads, horrific writing and acting. This poses a question; is it better to burn out than to fade away. The original series burn out (usually), but because of the money-driven execs who seem to think that it’s a good idea to continually remake old shows as well as turn them into bad movies, these classic icons are barely even being allowed to fade away. They are ressurected, dragged through the mud, and then remembered not for the great creations they once were, but for the horrible hybrid monsters they have become. All that to say, stop remaking classics. If you must (possibly you feel divinely inspired), stick to the original recipe…have some historical integrity.

Half-time is over, back to the game…

“I Can’t See my Way, I Feel Blind on my Feet…”

josimmons — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:12:32 +0000

Well, I’m back. For those of you who have been vigilant in your checkups to see if i have updated, your persistance is now rewarded. I have considered many times this summer writing a post, but i was never really sure about anything to say, and other times i was just so stinking tired that I would have rather done nothing than to come up with a clever post for everyone to read. i was working 16 hours a day for half of the summer, and I’m told I was quite the sour-puss while I was doing it. Now here I sit on the eve of my first day back to classes with no job. Ahhhh, the irony. I am not sure that i am supposed to work this semester, and i am leaving it up to God where i go next. He knows that my goal and aspiration is ministry, and that all other jobs are just passing [wasting] time. i hope that He has a place for me, and fits me in there soon.

This summer has been uneventful and monotonous; which also fueled my lack of posting. However, Jon and I have embarked on an interesting journey together. I used to buy, fix and sell cars to make a living/extra cash. I found an opportunity to continue that, and it is ideal for Jon’s aspiration to learn about vehicle repair, so we have a little project sitting in my driveway that should be completed in the next couple of weeks.

I am ashamed to admit that I just passed the 1500 mile mark on my bike. I was working so much that I never had time to ride, and when I did, i wanted to just sit and do nothing. So sucky. But I am glad to say that i have been on it almost everyday since this past Saturday, and I will be making the trip out to Lansing tomorrow with the wind (and bugs) in my face. I would say in my hair, but I haven’t had that in quite a few months…unless you count the goatee. i signed up for the Roadbed longriders competition, but I fear that i will be coming in dead last unless I get in some serious riding in the next two months, which I hope to do; last years winner had over 14,000 miles for the summer. I don’t think I’ll be breaking any records this year.

Anyway, nothing too interesting for my much anticipated and glorious return to the online blogging world. I guess I’ll get back to Spongebob and then hit the hay; I have an early morning…

josimmons — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:28:37 +0000

Why am I back here?

No lyric

josimmons — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:42:32 +0000

Interview at Skytron today. Pray and wish me luck.

“…can’t even think of a word that rhymes…”

josimmons — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:20:34 +0000

School is finally done. No more classes, no more exams…now I can look forward to a summer of 80 hours a week, which is stressful but so much will be paid off. It’s a beautiful thing. And speaking of beautiful things, I have joined our family’s club and I now own a nice little John Deere tractor. Complete with mulching deck, plow and chains for the winter. So nice. I would like to post more, but I want to enjoy my first day off by doing nothing.

The last lyric was from Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.”

On to nothingness…

“If you ever plan to motor west…”

josimmons — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:35:35 +0000

I have to say that I am extremely excited for the new Batman movie. It just looks sweet.

This is my second-to-last CT class, and that I am geeked about. I am going to have to try extra hard to remember to update, but maybe I can start doing it more than twice a week.

I am already having issues with Facebook…namely that people I don’t or barely know are asking to be my “friends.” This is only one of the many issues I have with these internet communities, but I am not surprised at all that it only took a week for the crap to start. A note to Mom Cook; you are indeed cool, but perhaps its because you don’t have a Facebook like the other parents.

This weekend was filled with activities, starting with Thursday when I rode the shadow out to my brother’s house. For those of you who don’t know, he lives just off of Gun Lake. It was a beautiful drive; I took Kalamazoo down past Wayland and jumped over to Patterson and went on down…gorgeous. Friday after work I bought beer for the first time in a long time; it was tough to decide between Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and Corona, but in the end I went with Corona because it is a nice warm/hot weather beer, especially for working on cars/bikes/etc. Ironically, the next morning was 40 degrees, great weather for Cherry Wheat. Anyway, Jon came over to help work on a truck, but we ended up playing video games because I couldn’t find anything wrong with the truck. On that note, I have been driving the thing all weekend and still can’t get it to act up. After games, I joined the wife at the in-laws and helped my father-in-law re-plank his deck…good times. On that note, I love nephews. They wanted to help, so I was able to facilitate that by giving them a dime for every old nail they found on the ground. They were kept busy, the yard was kept safe for play, and I was only out 3 bucks. Life is good. Later that day, Kate and I went to dinner together and then joined the Hatters and company at the pub for a birthday celebration. Creepy old lady in crotchless panties…buhhhhh. Nightmare material for life. Oh, and then Sunday morning I was ordained.

I am not going to publish my bucket list, but I will post one thing on it. I want to travel Route 66 on my bike. Travel from the end of it north through Cali, Oregon and Washington, and come back across the northern states. And so, a tribute…

Last title lyric was from Bon Jovi: Wanted Dead or Alive

Off to read other blogs…

“Sometimes I sleep, sometimes its not for days…”

josimmons — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:10:45 +0000

To start off this post, because I said I would:

Things I would rather be doing than writing my exegesis paper;
1. Sleeping
2. Sleeping
3. Watching the Simpsons or King of the Hill
4. Sleeping
5. Sleeping

To address the current situation…yes, I do have a Facebook now. However, KNOW THIS; its only because either Facebook or MySpace was required for a job I’m looking at getting, and it was the lesser of two evils.

Man, I gotta say I just don’t feel much like blogging…I feel more like commenting, so I think I’ll do that…

“…Head out on steel horses, with wheels and we ride…”

josimmons — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:30:18 +0000

I have decided that it is prudent to give the answer to the title lyrics on the next post. Props to James Pahl for attempting my last lyric, but alas he was incorrect. The lyric was from AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”

Most of you know how much I love cars. I have loved cars nearly all my life, but there is something I have loved even longer…motorcycles. I have many times advocated the benefits and pleasures of those 2-wheeled dream machines. I have realized the theraputic side of riding as well. Yesterday was the first day that I rode the Shadow out to Lansing. I was in a bad mood because I have started getting a cold (make that gotten a cold) and I hate them. I survived through my wife having one and everyone at work…and I ended up getting it from my nephew, and I only spent 2 hours with him. Anyway, I got this cold and I was just very tired and grumpy, and to top it all off I had left my cell phone at work the night before and there was no way I was riding out to Lansing without it. It was cooler and I wasn’t sure it would be a good idea to ride out, but I did it anyway. I blasted down the road, instantly feeling better about being me. Everyone should own a bike and ride it…so nice.

On a side note, to commemorate my first trip to Lansing, I also ran out of gas. I did not know exactly how big the tank was, and I found out it was just a little to small. I only ended up having to push it for like 1/2 mile but I learned good things. I can get approx 200 miles out of a tank. I averaged 58 mpg….oh yes, averaged; regular driving city/highway. It is a beautiful thing. Just to throw this out to anyone who is looking at cutting costs…to complete all of my required driving in one month this is the cost of the bike versus even my now smaller car.

Bike = $406.00/month                         Car = $521.00/month
gas – 240                                              gas – 500
ins – 33                                                ins – 21
pymnt – 133                                         no pymnt

Unbelievable! Even with the monthly payment on the bike, rounding up for costs on the bike and down on the car, it is still $115 per month cheaper to own and drive the bike. That would cover summer monthly utility costs…or even satallite tv with a DVR…just a little food for thought. Just think if you already owned the bike outright…

WotD: Clash (verb) – to conflict; disagree: (of juxtaposed colors) to be offensive to the eye.
Thanks to D. Cameron for inspiring this with a mauve, striped shirt and brown pants.

Back to class…

P.S. I love NyQuil, but the coma is dangerous. Two days in a row now that I have slept through my alarm for half an hour.

“…Nobody’s gonna slow me down…

josimmons — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:21:32 +0000

Ahhhh yes…

Life is so good! Friday at 1pm the bike came home. And oh, what a glorious ride. Seriously, more comfortable than any car I have ever driven. And the best part…0 miles; well, not anymore. I have put almost 100 miles on it since I got it. This is good, because the wife and I are joining the Roadbed Longriders competition. It is a contest to see who rides the most miles between April 1 and Oct. 31 and there are 4 categories: Retired, Working Stiff, Ladies, and back seater. It should be great. There is also a H-D dealer contest, wherein they want to see who can visit the most of the 30+ HD dealerships in Michigan and provide photo evidence. I am considering doing that one too. I pretty much never want to be out of the seat. It is soooo glorious.

The toughest week of the spring semester is over, and I am not sure what the aftermath will bring, but I do know that it has taken a toll on me. I was bored on Sunday…like painfully bored, because I was so high-strung for the past two weeks that with nothing pressing that had to be done, I couldn’t find anything to do…mostly. I have a few more papers to do, but nothing extreme. Plus, there is exam week, but I only have 2 to study for.

As a tribute to Hatter, here is one of a couple of lists that I intend to post:
Fun things to do in a car…

1. Drive inversely to the posted speed limit (53 in a 35, etc.)
2. Eat food that requires a plate, knife, fork, etc.
3. (During summer) Pull up to a stop light with the windows up, lip syncing to non-existent music. Roll the windows down if the car next to you has theirs down and continue to silently jam.
4. Pull up at a stop light and glance cautiously at the car next to you. If they make eye-contact; scream, roll up the windows/lock the doors, and do your best to hide.
5. At a stop light, talk to air fresheners hanging from your rearview mirror. Kiss them and pet them lovingly.
6. If you can pull it off, stick your wndow Garfield on the steering wheel and stick yourself to the side window.

WotD: Deceivious (adj.) – the characteristic of being deceitful and devious, all rolled up into one frustrated outburst. This term can only be attributed to ridiculously good-looking, albeit sometimes pesty, husbands.

Back to class, and daydreaming…

“…exploding seems like a definite possibility to me…”

josimmons — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:24:27 +0000

I must say that although I love school, I hate April/May in the spring semester. Even more so as a senior. The weather is finally getting decent, there are a ton of fun things to do outside and with friends…and EVERY dang paper/test/project/presentation is due for every class within one week of each other. Add that to a job that has now made it mandatory to stay until freight is finished and you get the equation of my life during the final parts of spring semester:

tons of crap due + job that thinks they own you = bed @ 2:45 am / alarm at 5:45 am < somebody please shoot me in the face (can you spot Christian College math when you see it?)

I must say that a result of this severe lack of sleep is that I find myself able to focus on one thing for an extended period of time…but only if it’s a daydream. For instance, for about 35 miles of the trip today I was reminiscing about my late teenage years. This was spurred on by a Nickelback song where the lyrics go:

I’ll ask polite if the devil needs a ride/Because the angel on my right ain’t hanging out with me tonight.

I can’t tell you how many times in my younger years this describes a situation I found myself in.

Wow, I am so tired I am zoning out from this post to listen to Cameron. I think I’m done for today…