Sit Down, Batman!

I went to see "The Dark Knight" over the weekend. I rarely will pay big bucks to see any movie, but the reviews had been so solid so I thought why not? Plus, I went during the day to save two dollars which satisified my cheapskate tendencies.

The movie was really good, but that's not why I'm posting today. I felt the need to share something that amused me. Here's the wording on the back of the ticket stub:

The Management reserves the right to refuse admission, by refunding purchase price, and to determine when and where its holder may sit.

I'm not sure why this struck me as so funny. I guess I just imagined going into a theater and standing there waiting for someone in management to come in and let you know it was ok to sit down.

Roller Coaster Rides

Don't get me wrong, I do love roller coasters. Granted, my father tried to scar me for life by forcing my brother and I to ride "The Beast" at King's Island when we were barely tall enough to legally ride. As I got older though, I enjoyed riding roller coasters. In fact, "The Beast" is my all-time favorite ride.

Then there's this roller coaster ride called Life. Not as much fun at times. The ups, downs, twists and turns. Sometimes you don't see them coming.

When I last left you, the family was rejoicing at our newly-repaired van. The morning after that post, we loaded up to begin the return journey home. Ten minutes later we were on the side of I-440 westbound, our van deciding it didn't want to go home yet. The events over the next 24 hours consisted of many phone calls, a tow to a local Pepboys where I now know several guys on a 1st name basis (here's a shout out for Dave & Tim!) and my wallet feeling much, much lighter.

Yet again, I praise God for taking care of us. Christian friends/family saw that our immediate needs were met. We spent time with lots of folks we don't get to see often. And our family now has a few extra memories which we'll reflect on for years to come.

Brake Pads and Clams

The family and I have been on the road for the past week, which is a risk-taking adventure considering the state of our vehicles. We pulled into Nashville a couple of days ago to the disturbing sound of something going on....we diagnosed that it might be brake-related, not that I know much about automotive repairs, but the rumbling we heard took place when I hit the brakes (I'm a proud graduate of the School of Logic!).

Well, I should have addressed this problem yesterday. Which means if you're following along, that I didn't. Today, we go out to get something to drink and pass by a service station that is open--large advertisements stating their expertise in brake repairs. My conscience, who I sometimes refer to as my wife, thought this would be a good opportunity to have our van looked at by a mechanic. We pull in and discover that there is a mechanic on duty who wasn't scheduled to come in, but had chosen to spend his holiday at the shop. We get immediate attention to our problem--another worker there said it had been "dead," unlike any other day.

The mechanic was able to determine we had a few immediate needs, including front brakes. From talking to him, we discovered his wife had the same exact make/model of van. To make the long story short, 356 clams later (and yes, we do pay for our car repairs using actual clams), we're good to go.

What did I take from this experience -- just another reminder that the Lord is good!