Ads

In attempt to make some extra money, I have let corporate America invade my seldom used blog in the hope that thousands of people will somehow start reading this blog and randomly clicking on the ads which in turn will give me a nickel. Or something like that. I'm going to attempt to write more (I've never said that before huh, and somehow advertise this blog so more people check it out and read it)and before I know it I'm going to be a millionaire, all paid in nickels :)So thank you for clicking on the ads and in a small way helping me promote capitalism!

Twitter killed my blog.

Since my discovery of Twitter, this blog has fallen into obscurity. I will not commit to revitalizing it, I will not claim to write more in 2010. But this is a blog and I never know when I'll write so who know's what's in store for the next year. Please feel free to join the Twitter community, I'm there often. (www.twitter.com/adamansel) Hope 2009 has been good to you and I hope 2010 is even better. I'm expecting adventure.

Allergies

Our apartment is getting it's yearly inspection today to make sure we aren't housing dogs, making counterfit money, burning holes in the carpet, and other fun things like that. So last night we did some major cleaning to make sure the place looked respectable. It is absolutely, perfectly clean right now so hopefully they come by today because if they postpone their visit until tomorrow it might already be looking dirty again. Anyway, all that cleaning stirred up some dust and now today I am a sneezing mess. The last sneeze almost blew out my ear drums. On my drive to work I sneezed 8 times in a row, I'm quite surprised I didn't veer off into a tree or another car. When I go outside my nose clears up and I can actually breathe, but as soon as I'm indoors, my nose fills up with gunk and my head starts to build pressure like I'm going underwater. I'm not complaining, it's quite exciting and makes the day interesting that's for sure. Maybe I'll get the world record for most amount of sneezes in a day or most tissues used in a 24 hour time period!

27th again, already...

It's been over a month since my last post. Whoops. So much for writing more regularly. It's not that I haven't had anything to write about, there have been a few times I actually opened up a new blog and just didn't feel like writing. So I didn't. But today I feel like writing something, I'm just not sure what. I don't want to ramble, yet I don't want to remain quiet.
I've been thinking about Africa a lot lately. I miss living there, I miss the people, the kids, the food, waking up to the sun rising over Lake Victoria, and going to bed with rain pouring on the tin roof sounding like maching gun fire. I look forward to the day Jenny and I can move back there. That will be a good day.
I know God has us here now.
But I'm pretty sure that one day God will take us back there to stay.
Hopefully we can at least visit this year.
I've forgotten how it feels to be living under an equatorial sun.
I've forgotten the smells, and faces, and names.
Every day in Africa was an adventure in one way or another. I thrive there.
I look forward to experiencing it with Jenny. Being there together. Having a home with lots of kids running around. Shifah, Rashid, Shamim, Martin, all helping out. Eating rolex and fries with a Coke late at night.
One day.

As March Closes

This year is flying by. Where has January, February, and March gone? What? April is here already. But that's the way life goes, speeding past us like a bullet train while we stand at the station and watch. That gets me thinking about the vastness of eternity. Eternity is going to be a long time. I'm not sure if we'll keep track of days and years anymore, or even time. It won't even matter. Right now while we're watching the bullet train of time fly by we're also speeding towards an inevitable ending. But once eternity dawns on us that's over. Of course eternity could be forever wonderful living in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus or it could be beyond words separated from Him forever. Time won't matter anymore. We'll just be - forever. One place or another.
I'm not sure what got me writing about this, it's just on my mind. I'm so grateful, thankful, speechless that the wonderful love of Jesus saved me, forgave me, restored me. I want others to know that same love, I want you to know that same love if you don't already. The love of an almighty God, the creator of all, who knows you and calls you His own.
So April approaches: springtime, flowers, blue skies, warmer weather. Don't waste too much time worrying about the bullet train passing. Jump on, live every day so it matters. Live with purpose because our time here is short and eternity is long and once we're there we can't change what we did while we were here. Live well, live for Jesus.

Maryland

The whirlwind has settled down. Jenny and I took a fast, busy, trip back to my home town of Cumberland for the weekend. Some highlights: a red-eye flight with a stop in Vegas (played $2 in the slots, lost $2 in the slots), riding a tractor and chasing cows, jumping in a cold canal to grab some worm/snake/parasite thing, a concert, Cracker Barrel, and the worst movie of all time (The Day the Earth Stood Still). It's always interesting going home and seeing how some things change and some things stay the same. The farm looks the same. Same barn almost falling over. Same house I grew up in. Same small town. Saw some friends from back in the day, but we've all grown up. It's fun remembering the good times, but life has separated a lot of us, and a lot has happened since then. But seeing them brought back the last few years of high school, youth group, and those last few moments before adult hood. It was good to come back to California. It was good to ride up the PCH past Neptune's Net and see the moonlight on the Pacific. It felt good to step back into our apartment, to lie in our bed. It's interesting how life and people change, it feels like you stay the same and everything else revolves and changes, but that's how it is for everyone. To each individual, they are stationary and everything else moves.

Leaving on a jet plane

Jenny and I are leaving this evening for Maryland, on a jet plane. We have a layover in Las Vegas, so maybe I'll get lucky with the slots and come back much wealthier. 3 days from now we'll be on another jet plane coming back home.

Been a long time coming

So I've decided to re-vamp the look of the blog. I know, I know, I haven't written in like 3 months. And I'm sure everyone has been anxiously holding their breath waiting for the next post. I don't want to be one of those people who start a blog and then never write anything. I like to write, I enjoy writing, it's nice to share stories and life with those of you who choose to actually read this blog. So I'm going to try to be diligent and write more often.
Enough of that stuff.
It's March already. The first seven months of marriage have flown by. Jenny and I are heading to Maryland this coming week. Just a 3 day trip. A quick lay-over in Vegas, maybe we'll win big.
Just a quick mention of the Beta clan. We have 7 at the moment, Sirius Black, Yao, Gypsy Tears, Messiah, Bruin, Beautiful, and Baby S, but tomorrow morning we'll be adding a new member to the clan... Two years ago Jenny and I went to France with some friends and we're having a reunion tomorrow so we're going to go in search of a red, blue, whitish Beta in honor of the French flag. He's already named - Francoise.
A few weeks ago we looked into breeding Beta's. Thought it might be fun, and it would be, but unfortunately it could produce up to 500 babies who all have to be kept individually and that's just not going to happen, so that dream went up in smoke for now.
Enough of the Beta talk.
Please keep checking beck, I'm going to try to be faithful, and you can post remarks to keep me in check!

New Additions

It's been awhile since the last post. A lot has happened. My wife and I went to Mexico for a mission trip with our church, we went to Las Vegas and Death Valley and the one and only Blue Steel - the greatest fish of them all - died. It was a sad day, but we had a quick recovery and went to the story and bought another Beta - Gypsy Tears. Gypsy is definitely one of our prettier fish. Anyway, I have to go - finals time.

5k's and Birthdays

I'm 28 today. This is to clear everything up for those of you who thought I was actually turning 40. But it is just around the corner. I was supposed to run a 5k a few weeks ago but wasn't able to so last night I unofficially ran it on my own. The next step is an 8k in November than from there time will only tell. Anyway, I was thinking of all the places I've spent my last few birthdays and I realized what an amazing, blessed life I've been able to live so far. I've seen so many places, met so many interesting people, and I'm married to an amazing woman. I definitely don't have anything to complain about. God has been so good to me and has allowed me to be a part of His greater plan in such a unique way and I am so thankful. To Him be all the glory! I was just praying on my drive to work that this next year would be a year of growing in Him, loving His word even more, that I would learn to be more patient, serving, and loving. That I would be faithful to the things He has called me to. That I would be an excellent, loving husband. That this next year would truly bring glory to God. Based on my erratic placements for the last few birthdays, I have no idea where I'll be next year. Maybe I'll still be in California, maybe Uganda again, maybe somewhere completely different like Alaska or Ethiopia. I am so thankful for all of you, my friends who have played such a valuable part in my life and of shaping who I am today. Thanks for everything. And a special thanks to Jenny, our first birthday celebration together, I look forward to many more together, I love you.
So, here's to 28 years of life, and here I come 40!

There's no Sunshine when you're gone

I am writing to tell you about the sad and untimely death of one of our Betas. Sunshine Daisy couldn't hold on any longer and was flushed away into eternity earlier this morning. Sunshine Daisy was one of our crown-tailed Beta's who we welcomed into our family a few short months ago. Rest in peace.

Marriage and Jury Duty

Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our two month anniversary! It seemed like the weeks leading up to the wedding crept by so slowly and then as soon as we said, "I do," life went into fast forward. I love being married, I have an amazing wife and getting to wake up next to her and eat dinner with her is great. 

I'm at jury duty right now, and I was planning on writing some more about married life and also about jury duty life but we've been called to convene so I'm off to see if I get selected.

Our Beta Club

I thought I would introduce you to our family of Beta's.

Our very first Beta was Beautiful, who lived in a big tank with a lot of small fish who liked to nip his tail so he recently moved to a solitary tank which he seems to like much more.

The next Beta is Messiah. He is the holiest of our Beta's.

The crazy fish who I previously wrote about, who survived a fall and had a miraculous recovery was always known as The Other Fish, but after his miracle we named him Yao. We want to get another Beta and name it Ming.

We recently acquired two more Beta's, but unlike all the others, which our fancy tailed, these ones are crowned tailed so they are smaller and very different looking.

The first is named in honor of the wonderful Harry Potter character, none other than: Sirius Black!

And the interestingly named - Sunshine Daisy...

And last but not least, the grandfather of them all, the Beta of Beta's, the big man, the fighter, conquerer and master of all Beta's - the one and only - Blue Steel!

That's all of them. We'll keep you updated if we add any more to the family!

Dodger Dogs

On Friday night I faithfully made the trek to Dodger Stadium to watch the boys in blue play. Last year I was able to go to a bunch of games, but this game marked only the third one I went to this whole season. Unfortunately the highlight of the game wasn't an amazing scoreline getting us one win closer to the postseason, but rather, was the Dodger dog and Gordon Birsch garlic fries. Unlike the Dodgers, they always leave you satisfied. But I am holding out hope that with 6 games to play and a 2.5 lead over Arizona, the Dodgers will make the playoffs and who knows, maybe I'll get to one of those games.

Fight Club

The experts all say that if you put two male beta's in the same tank they'll fight to the death. I've never actually seen it happen so I honestly don't know if it's true, but I believe them. Two of our tanks are divided in half by a plastic wall that separates the two fish, they flare up and spook each other out but they can't hurt each other. That is until one of them learned to jump. The other night I was doing dishes and my wife shouted, I looked over and two of our Beta's - Blue Steel and Yao were in the same side of the tank and trouble was brewing. I quickly grabbed the tank and brought it over to the sink where I attempted to fish either of them out. In my haste I caught Yao in a spoon but he fell off into the sink. So he was saved from Blue Steel but not from me. We put him in a tank by himself and for a few days he just kind of floated there. We honestly thought his time had come. But, one day he was swimming around and now I'm happy to report he is healthy and back in good shape. For now though, he's still enjoying a tank to himself.

Scranton

Yesterday a few co-workers and myself took a trip to Van Nuys/Scranton to see where they film The Office. It was pretty cool seeing the actual building they use, complete with all the office workers cars parked out front. Even Michael Scott's reserved spot was there.. They were filming next door on a sound stage so we didn't get to see any action. Maybe next time. It was blazing hot though and it really made me appreciate the scenes when the cast has to pretend that it's winter in Pennsylvania.

First things first

I thought I'd start this blog up simply to write about things that happen in life or to simply jot down ideas.
I like beta fish. My wife and I have a growing collection, we're up to six at the moment. You should get one, every one should. Just don't let the males swim together, it might not turn out so well.