I've been tagged...

John tagged me. I decided to participate for once.

• My Childhood Ambition: Cowboy, pilot, animator
  
• My Fondest Memory: Hard to choose: The month in Australia after I got married was great.
• My Favorite Retreat: A walk, preferably in a good park, but roads will do (as long as there's not much traffic).
  
• My Wildest Dream: Being a great story teller in animation, illustration, or novels. (can't decide which to do)
  
• My Biggest Challenge: Being a proactive leader in my home
  
• My Alarm Clock is: Lime-green battery powered Timex indiglo with a four minute snooze, given to me by Ellen on our first date.
  
• My Perfect Day: A fall day of hiking in the blue ridge mountains with my wife, followed by a nice dinner at a restaurant.
  
• My First Job was: mowing grass
  
• My Most Decadent Indulgence: Buying Half-Life2. (I haven't given in yet...)
  
• My Inspiration: I'm not very inspired...
  
• My New Years Resolution: None yet.
  
• My Ideal Companion: my wife, Ellen
  
• My Favorite Color: Blue.
• The Last Book I Read: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (that's the last one I completed)
• How many Books did I read in 2006: I don't keep track, but probably 10-15.
  
• My Ideal Home Would be: Adobe finished straw-bale construction with a flat roof that opens through french doors to my bedroom. Preferably in a beautiful location.
• I am Expert at: making mashed potatoes (so I'm told)
  
• My Funniest Joke: Did I tell you about the book I wrote? The ten most humble men in the world and how I taught the other nine.
• My favorite Animal: Cats, any rodent or lagomorph as long as it has a weapon
• My favorite Breakfast: Eggs over easy, with hash browns and bacon
• My Favorite Snack: sour cream and onion potato chips
  
• My Favorite NEW TV Show: Lost
• My Couch: Green, with uncomfortable fold out bed. Paid for it by removing from the house of the previous owner.
  
• Your Greatest Fear: I don't worry about things much...
  
• Your favorite Entertainer: ?
• Your Favorite Meat & Veggie: Chicken and steamed broccoli
  
• Worst Person in the World: Bill Clinton. Can't stand that guy.
  

December

I haven't posted anything since my glorious conclusion to the first phase of my novel. (see post below) I do plan to post my novel at some point. I know that it needs much revision before it will be complete. I have sent it out privately to a few people to get some feedback on. And I'll probably read it myself in a week or two and see what I think of it. Then maybe I'll try to revise it to make it ready for the general populace.

The last two days of November were big days. On the 29th I finished the novel, and on the 30th I finished my last day as a car salesman. Already that job that occupied the vast majority of my waking hours for five months seems like an old memory. On the 4th I started a new job working in the workshop of a manufacturing company. Instead of selling cars, I started drilling holes of various sizes in pieces of metal. All day long. Ten hours a day... but only 4 days per week! The reality of a three-day weekend every week floods over me like happy sunshine (in liquid form, of course, or it couldn't flood).

The advantage of that, is that I have every Friday available to work on getting over to Croatia! I have a day to call pastors and schedule meetings, and a day to work on my presentation, or study, or whatever I need to do. (and then still have a weekend afterward!) This new job is a wonderful fit, and I'm thankful that God used a man from my church to provide it for me. I can now provide for my family, see my wife more than occasionally, and get ready for the mission field.

Now all I have to do is get to it!