So there I was, singing away on some hymn like I usually do, glad that it had four verses ’cause that meant that I could try to sing all four parts (not at once, although some claim I try that too), when a thought crossed my mind:

I have a somewhat strange request to make. I have an online acquaintance that I’ve never met face-to-face (who goes by exmearden), who is having cancer surgery tomorrow. (A tumor in the heart.) I would request any who would to say a prayer or send a good thought her way. More info in this story. …

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OK — I thought this was pretty funny, and actually might even be accurate. If you get tired of correcting people who call you a “nerd” when actually you’re a geek, just send them to this link:

http://www.greatwhitesnark.com/2010/03/25/difference-between-nerd-dork-and-geek-explained-in-a-venn-diagram

And here’s the diagram:

Just finished The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. It’s a book about the struggle to create art, to live to our higher calling, and to be and become what we are intended to be. And it has entered a very select category for me: Books That Changed My Life.

If you think that’s hyperbole, think again. Pressfield nails three concepts that any artist — indeed, any human — struggles with daily:

Story currently on the rec list at Daily Kos entitled “My nephew arrived safely after being outed & kicked out of school.” It’s a heart-breaking story of teenage cruelty and adult betrayal, with some grace and love mixed in. Go read it, and then tell me you think gays are getting all the privileges these …

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I’ve long been a weather addict. When I was about 10 my parents got me a home weather station, and I predicted the weather to our family all that summer. Got pretty good at it, too … though predicting summer weather is pretty easy in Knoxville.

It’s winter weather in The Ville that is a real challenge, and John Belski does it as well as anyone. So, I was excited to stumble across his blog last year. It’s an excellent resource if you like knowing the behind-the-scenes info — he lays out the various models and explains his thinking on the forecast in clear, understandable prose. Plus, there are a number of regular commenters that keep things lively; some are amateur weather people like me, so they like to debate and discuss the possibilities. All in all a great site to visit. Make the jump for the URL and another couple of weather sites to know about.

Now that I’ve got your attention, let me say first of all that what follows is written by a man — a man who is not a scientist, not a doctor, and not a woman. I do not face the threat of breast cancer with the same level of immediacy that a woman does. I do not have to diagnose it, and I don’t do research on it.

Nevertheless, I have to ask: Why in the world would you stop doing a self-exam that is quick, free, and saves lives?

On my way north – driving to Green Bay for the week – stopover in one of my fav cities, Chicago. Up early, drove downtown, parked at Millenium Park, then took off walking the Magnificent Mile. Here’s some pix from my phone:

You come out of the underground parking garage, and right off the bat you get to see interesting architecture like this:

I’m dealing with the beginning of the flu, it appears — headache, body aches, fever. No sore throat, no drainage, no stomach (yet), so probably not H1N1. But, still no fun.

Here are a few random thoughts while I take a break from doing work for the office: