Random Thoughts.......

---Writer's Block is a terrible thing; and, when it occurs, there ain't nuthin' gonna get written.  It's kinda' like a slump.  You just can't get yourself properly motivated to write anything that sounds remotely interesting.  The only cure is time.

---Trains and their whistles are wonderfully enchanting and haunting.  Throughout our nights here in north Knoxville, we hear the trains as they pass through the east Tennessee darkness.  Their destinations are unknown.  Their cargo is unknown.  The tracks run about a mile from our neighborhood---just close enough for us to hear the gentle rumbling of the rails and the moaning, spectral wail of the whistles as the trains approach the Dante and Merchant's Road crossings.

Interesting observation---each engineer has his own, unique fingerprint of blowing the whistle.  Some use a series of long blasts....WOOOOOOOOOOOOO......WOOOOOOOOOOOOO.... WOOOOOOOOOOOOO........

Others use a series of short blasts....WOOO...WOOO...WOOO...

Some use a combination of the two....WOOO...WOOOOOOOOOOOO...WOOO...WOOO...

I think it would be possible to tell the identity of each engineer simply by listening to the unique series of identifying whistle blasts.

---There is a situation going on in professional football right now that has me scratching my head.  It involves Tim Tebow, the quarterback of the Denver Broncos and Denver Bronco management.

Tebow, you may recall, led the Broncos---an otherwise mediocre team---to a series of "miraculous" wins last year, and even guided the team to a playoff win over the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers.

Well, management of the Broncos is trying to replace Tebow as quarterback with legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, who is a free agent. 

Questions: 

---If the Broncos sign Manning, do they keep Tebow, the most popular player in Denver?  How do you put the most popular player on the bench?  Do you trade Tebow if you sign Manning?  How do you trade the most popular player?  What if Manning reinjures his neck, which has had 5 operations?  What if he cannot play after an injury and you have traded Tebow?  What then?

Let me insert here that I did a blog a short time back on thinking outside the box.  Denver management is obviously incapable of doing that.  If they were only able to see that improvement of their team can be spectacularly accomplished by designing an offense to complement Tebow's unique abilities, they would be unstoppable.

---Why can't anybody design elastic that will not wear out immediately in underwear?

---Had a doctor's visit yesterday.  Had to wait 45 minutes in the waiting room and then another 30 minutes in the exam room.  Doctor finally appears.  I'm not happy about the wait.  I guess when you make an appointment, it is for me, but not necessarily for HIM. 

He said he was sorry for the wait---said there was a mixup---said he should have seen me before the other patient, but made a mistake and went into the wrong exam room.  Sigh.

---My wife, Cindy, is an accomplished artist.  One of the things she does is portraits.  We decided to advertise her business in the local paper.  Yesterday, we went to the newspaper office to see about placing the ad.  I was so impressed by the newspaper staff---they were so friendly and helpful.  It's funny, I guess, but it seems so unusual that people are friendly any more.  Usually, it is like they are doing you a favor if you try to do business with them. 

---I was making myself an egg sandwich the other morning.  I had some trouble getting one of the eggs out of the carton.  Finally got it out but it slipped from my fingers and splatted on the tile floor.  I was upset.  So upset that I did the same thing with the next egg I extracted from the carton.   I knew then that it wan't gonna be a good day.

---Was reading the bible this morning and came across that admonition---"Thou shalt have no other gods before me".  

Now, be honest---what other gods do you put before Him?........  Money?  Power?  Sex?  Pornography?  Blogging?  Possessions?  Drugs? Politics?  Food? Work?  Internet?  Electronic Games?  Physical Fitness?.......