Happy Birthday, Leslie, and Song of the Week

Leslie's birthday is Friday the 22nd so I decided to dedicate this week's song to her. Who need's Casey Kasem when you have a blog? It's Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are", seen in this video in his 1977 glory days.
I love my wife.
You can leave your birthday wishes for her in the comments section.

"Just the Way You Are"

Don't go changing to try and please me,
You never let me down before,
Don't imagine you're too familiar,
And I don't see you anymore.

I could not leave you in times of trouble,
We never could have come this far,
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times,
I'll take you just the way you are.

Don't go trying some new fashion,
Don't change the color of your hair,
You always have my unspoken passion,
Although I might not seem to care.

I don't want clever conversation,
I never want to work that hard,
I just want someone that I can talk to,
I want you just the way you are.

I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew,
What will it take till you believe in me,
The way that I believe in you?

I said I love you, and that's forever,
And this I promise from the heart,
I couldn't love you any better,
I love you just the way you are.

my Y chromosome kicked in

I didn’t celebrate MLK day the way it should be celebrated (see MLK Day 2009), but it was a good day anyway. The sonogram confirmed that we are having a boy. I already knew that (see Nov 30th’s post), but not everyone believed me. West Huckaby Brown is his name.
West for The West. The idea of open spaces, room to be and become. For all of those (including many of our great-grandparents) who left what they knew to go to a place they had never seen with the faith and hope that something better was there to be had.
Huckaby is my paternal grandmother’s maiden name.
You can call him West, or Huck, or W.H. I guess I’ll have to wait until he gets here to settle on one.

I’m still working. I didn’t think I would last this long without being furloughed, but it’s looking like I may not be cut off after all. Thanks be to the Lord.

Leslie and I went to see Avatar in 3-D last night. The 3-D part was neat, but I thought it was just an okay movie. As we watched, I was continually reminded of what a great movie Dances with Wolves was and still is. Same plot, much better movie, even without 3-D.

The girls are leaving for Amarillo tomorrow. I might go fishing.

I haven’t decided on this week’s song yet, but I’ll post it tomorrow.

Via con Dios.

Song of the Week

This weeks song is Merle Haggard’s “The Way I Am” performed by Jamey Johnson, one of my favorite artists out there right now. I think he’s the Willie Nelson of the 21st century in that he’s written more hits for other people than he’s had himself and will likely never go mainstream, but will be the guy everyone else wishes they could be. He’s at the top of my list of people I’d like to see live.
This song has been on my mind for the past few weeks, sort of a theme song for my current life and employment situation.

“The Way I Am”

Wish I was down on some blue bayou,
With a bamboo cane stuck in the sand.
But the road I'm on, don't seem to go there,
So I just dream, keep on bein' the way I am.
Wish I enjoyed what makes my living,
Did what I do with a willin' hand.
Some would run, but that ain't like me.
So I just dream and keep on bein' the way I am.

The way I am, don't fit my shackles.
The way I am, reality.
I can almost see that bobber dancin',
So I just dream, keep on bein' the way I am.

...and here's what's going on today...

Georgia got up early this morning and we made muffins for breakfast. They were from a mix labeled wild berry muffins, but she dropped the berry part and it makes me laugh to hear her telling her sisters and mother that she made Wild Muffins.

We are almost a week into January and I still have a job. Hopefully I’ll be able to hang on for another week or two. That would leave just 6 weeks until March, after which I shouldn’t have to worry about holding a job for the rest of my career.
I think we’ve made the decision that I am just going to stay here during the time I am furloughed. I turned in my application to substitute teach with the Belton ISD, and should start doing that next week on days I don’t work at the railroad.
I’m feeling less stressed about this situation today, in the midst of it, than I was a month ago knowing it was coming. I know there have been people praying for us. Thank you, in particular, to Bill and Joyce Roberts, Irv and LouAnn White, and that old man I met at the Cracker Barrel in Ft Worth. “The prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Right on, St. James.

Rush will be back on the radio today after being off for a couple of weeks for his holiday trip to Hawaii. I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say about recent events.

For any of you that haven’t heard, global warming turned out to be a myth. I told you so. It’s supposed to freeze tonight and not get back above freezing until Saturday afternoon. Coldest period for our area in at least 10 years. If any of you are still in the tank with AlGore, adjusting your lingo to “man made climate change”, you are a moron.

Jones is going to celebrate her 5th birthday on Sunday. We asked her if she’d like to have a surprise party. She said she would so we are going to surprise her at the Burger King in Belton next Thursday at 2:15. You’re all invited.

One of the best lines Willie ever wrote: “Walking is better than running away, and crawling ain’t no good at all.”