• I didn't have to wear pants all week long.
• The Price is Right!
• Jeopardy!
• Judge Joe Mathis!
• The People's Court!
• Scouring the Internet for paying jobs
• Feeling a bit sorry for myself

All this has been replaced by
• Having to actually shower, shave and wear pants more than one day a week!
• Actually being chained to a desk for hours at a time. Insanity!
• People looking for me to contribute something meaningful. Whaddupwiddat?
• Money in the bank, baby!

For the contract job I'm working, I had to fill out some forms, rename my firstborn and take a drug test. Easy peasy, of course. But it's funny ... at the clinic waiting for my "turn" I wondered how many other people really had to pee. I mean, that's the only preparation you're really expected to do ... produce some liquid gold up to the black line on the cup. I'll tell you, at the risk of TMI, that I'm an over-achiever when it comes to the black line. I always go above and beyond! Gross!

Happy holiday, people. Go fourth and celebrate. Just be careful not to end up looking like this:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 4: 6-7 (NIV)

Last night, I also found these:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
- Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
- Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

This is bringing me much peace, and I know God is in control and will get us through this. Studying the Bible has been much more helpful and joyful than finding a good job lead on CareerBuilder, although I'm doing that, too!

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

- Matthew 6: 27, 33 (NIV)

I need to put down the stress sandwich and eat more of the above. Things will work out. I am highly capable of something besides obsessively checking job postings, my e-mail and the mailbox. Here's why things should be looking up in the near future:

• They have to.

• I've started marketing my photo services and will continue to work on it. I don't know if I ever showed you guys the new logo, either, but it's on the site.

• Family is most important.

• In another week, I'll be keeping the Riblet with me at home three days a way (unless I find a full-time job). This is actually going to be good: he and I will get to spend gobs of time together.

• Garage sale. Sell our crummy stuff to unsuspecting patrons. Score: a little cash. Bonus: less clutter!

• Plasma: Who needs it anyway?

• I've applied to a bunch of jobs, but need to be patient! Someone will hire me. I can do lots of stuff, smell pretty good (after a shower) and have a lovely singing voice.

• Faith, T-bone. It's what separates humans from squirrels.

• Finding a decent job is hard. I've cast my resume in all directions, found some good prospects, but have gotten only a few nibbles so far. Patience is hard when the savings account is dropping like a (*insert mildly dirty reference about something here*). I've even started applying for retail jobs. Ack! Good help is hard to find? Pick me! I'm over here!

• I hate garage sales, but it will be good practice for my likely retail job. Ack!

• Never thought I'd not have a job. This is a real first for me. I've always jumped from one job to the next, safety net below, leftover vacation pay in hand. No such luck this time.

• Whine. Whine. Whine.

• "So You Think You Can Dance" is the best show on television. Right after "The Price is Right" and "Jeopardy." I've even come to like Drew Carey on TPIR (don't tell Bob, he might spay/neuter me).

• I heart my new grill. I can cook lots of meat all at one time. It will definitely come in handy when we're living in a box down by the river.

• Faith. It's easy to say and spell, but sometimes so hard to live!

What's up with you?

Yes, it's true. I am a Breakfast Champion. I could eat breakfast foods for every meal. Like my lovely wife, a favorite thing to do is go to a restaurant for breakfast (that is, when I have a job).

I'll let you in on the most important secrets to making french toast. If you, for some reason, don't like french toast? It's simply because you haven't had mine!

• Start with good bread. My favorite is sourdough, but nobody else in the fam likes it so we've usually got some kind of genero wheat bread on hand.

• Let the bread get a little old. Soft, fresh bread might be good for anything else, but you want something firmer and able to survive swimming in the batter.

• Use "good" eggs. Unless you live on a chicken farm, where eggs are as fresh as they can be, get some of the organic or branded eggs that at least have some extra goodness in them. I use two eggs to make the batter richer.

• Use whole milk. Preferably fresh. An alternative is to use part buttermilk, which adds some tang. I beat the two eggs and add enough milk to make the batter a pale yellowish color.

• Here's the peace day resistance (I'd say that in French but I don't know how to spell it). Add a splash of vanilla extract (real or imitation). Not too much, or it will overpower your toast. Not too little, or there's no point. Mixed it in.

• Put your bread in the batter and let it sit for at least have a minute. Flip it in the batter to ensure an even coating. You want the bread to soak up some of the batter.

• Cook it through. That means put your stove on a medium setting so that it won't brown before the middle is cooked (an uncooked middle leads to mush, and nobody likes that).

• Top with your favorite whatever. Of course, my french toast is so awesome it needs no topping. Bone appa teat.

In the meantime, I've been cooking lots of pancakes, doing lots of laundry and riding my bicycle a little more. If I could get paid for all those things I'd be set.

I have also more or less updated my photography Web site. It's a constant process of trying to make it better, and it helps to have additional images being added to my portfolio to boost the look even more. I long ago ditched my original logo and now have something a little more professional looking. Also had real business cards printed. Now I just got to get my name out there.

Speaking of "graduating," the Cutlet had his pre-kindergarten graduation ceremony this week. Yikes, they really do grow up so fast!

Why the world needs to hire me as a consultant
Sometimes I wonder what a "consultant" really does, but lately there's been a medication advertised on TV that makes me wonder: Did nobody say the name of the drug out loud before committing to it?

It's called AciPhex, and is an anti-heartburn/acid reflux pill. It is apparently pronounced "Ass Effects." Clearly, it should also target the side effects that, uh, follow eating something unsavory.

What's up with you?

• I quit my job. Well, I gave three weeks' notice last week. I won't go into much about it here, but work became a situation I could no longer thrive in. Scary part? This is the first time I am leaving a job without having another lined up. Party on!

• My former boss bought me a new grill, I think because he felt bad. He's out of a job, too.

• The Cutlet (5 years old) now takes showers instead of baths.

• I don't believe in karma, but I also don't believe in coincidences. We bought a guy's dinner at Chili's a few weeks ago ... anonymously ... just because we felt like it. Last week, someone did the exact same thing for my entire family.

• The Riblet is talking now! Most of it is blah blah blah but every once in a while he'll throw in an "all gone!" or "bye bye!" or "daddy, go get me some eats!"

• I bought some new pants. This is especially relevant considering the job interviews I'll probably be going on.

• Yes, I've considered trying to build a photography business to sustain us, but I was hoping to build it gradually (like when I didn't have to use proceeds to buy groceries but could upgrade my equipment).

• "Upgrade my equipment" isn't meant to sound dirty. But it does!

• Bad things can happen in life, and it's not always a comfort to hear this when they do happen, but God is in control. Trust me, it's a good thing.

Little Z was born with a "rosebud," or hand without separated fingers. That was quite a shock the day she was born, but the news has only been positive since. The bones in her hand are developed, and she can use it fairly well. But to give her the most normal life possible, she is scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday (April 23) to take the first step in forming a more normal hand with separate fingers.

I found this picture frame on the trash (with a really old picture in it). She's wearing her Easter dress.

My family has a tradition of making the babies wear sailor suits. We're freaks, but at least we love the sea.

Peekaboo!

An old fence makes a great scene-setter.

This is the downtown area of the town where my sister's family and my parents live. It's where I went to high school and did most of my growing up. Just another little Texas town that's growing too big too fast.

And the obligatory Texas Bluebonnet Picture. This is something that many families do to their kids ... plop 'em down in a patch of flowers. Bluebonnets tend to grow on grassy hills near freeways, though, so it's good to be careful. This was a secluded patch off the main road and she enjoyed it. One thing she does is pick stuff up off the ground, grin widely and say "Ewwwwwwwwww." Funny kid!

I think my wife was a lot more excited about me upgrading to a Crackberry than I was.

"We can e-mail each other without computers!"

"You can store all your important dates, like photography gigs in there! And my birthday! And our anniversary!"

"Maybe you won't keep leaving your phone at home now."

I do admit I've already scouted a cool case for it to protect it when I drop it or throw it against a wall. One from this company. I have a case I ordered a few years ago for my iPod Shuffle that is actually water-proof.

My old phone still worked, and it was a cute little slider. I didn't have to press a button to accept a call, I'd just coolly slide it open and say something stoic like, "Talk to me." Those days are over. I'm not really sure how to answer a call yet with the new one, but stay tuned.

Nemo on line 1!

I've got three weddings booked for the year so far, and am hoping to get more portrait work in the next few months. I continue to tweak my other Web site, gather photo equipment and hone my (lack of) skills. I'll put it out there again that if anyone in the Dallas-Fort Worth area wants a family portrait, kid portrait, high school senior portrait or is getting married, or knows somebody getting married, don't be afraid to recommend the ol' T-bone. For blog readers, I'll give you a deal.

I decided a long time ago not to advertise on craigslist, though, because of the professional stigma (my prices aren't low enough anyhow), but I find no shame in plugging myself here! People who want photo services on there tend to want them for almost nothing. My time (especially away from my own family) is valuable, so I can't give that away. There's never enough time as it is.

Hi, T-bone!

It's been almost a month since my last blog. Been busy living the content, taking photos, having a new driveway poured, plotting my next move. The usual.

*silence*

And I picked up 40 delegates in the Texas presidential primary!

*silence*

Yeah, you got me. Not quite old enough to run. Maybe next time.

*silence*

Tough room!

I have to remember passwords for:
• Two e-mails at work
• Two personal e-mails at home
• My voicemail system at work
• The program at work where I put in my hours worked for the week (even though I'm salaried)
• Password for online bank access
• Different passwords to pay four credit cards, the phone bill and the mortgage online
• Different passwords to access retail accounts to buy things at various online sites
• Password to access the photography forum I subscribe to
• Don't get me started on sign-on names, which are different for several of these!

Then there are just the everyday numbers:
• Social Security number (known it for years, but don't use it often to not have to think about it)
• Phone numbers (esp. those not programmed in my cell phone)
• Driver's license number
• Work number and fax to tell to other people
• Code to open up the garage at home without a key
• Combination for the lock on the double gate leading to our back yard
• Numbers I can't even remember needing until it's too late!

I need a new cell phone. Maybe more of a PDA. Yeah, that will make life *easier*!!!!!