Here’s a few things from my summer thus far…

Worked a lot

Work has continued to take up a lot of time this summer. That started before I took the break, and was actually part of the reason for the break. I’ve had slower weeks this summer, but only a couple. Most of them have remained pretty busy, usually at least a couple of nights working well after 5:00pm. On the upside, I recently had my yearly review which went very well.

Saw Josh Ritter live

It’s quite simple: if you get a chance to see Josh Ritter live, do it. Don’t hesitate. Don’t think about it, just do it. On May 9th, I went downtown to the Rev Room to see Ritter when he came to Little Rock. I became a big fan of his last year, and knew I would enjoy seeing him live. However, he was far better than I would have anticipated. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an artist who seemed to enjoy what he was doing as much as Ritter did. He seemed to be having more fun than anyone there, and he and his band put on a fantastic show. Matt posted a good review of the night, so check it out. And, again, if you have the opportunity, don’t miss Josh Ritter live.

Went to Branson

In June we spent a few days in Branson with my parents. It was great to get away from work for a few days, no matter where it was, but we had a good time in Branson and wished we’d had a little more time. The kids enjoyed swimming and we all enjoyed going to Silver Dollar City. I even got to watch a little bit of Wimbledon in the mornings. Most of all, of course, I enjoyed not being at work.

Met Scott Freeman

Like most who blog, I’ve gotten to know a number of people via the “blogosphere” despite having never met them face to face. Occasionally that opportunity presents itself, though, and while I missed Matt at the Josh Ritter concert I mentioned above, a few weeks ago I was able to meet Scott for lunch when he was here in town visiting family. It was a good time and good conversation.

Watched some great tennis

Raphael Nadal won a tournament on a hard court last week, which can only mean one thing - he now rules the tennis world. Roger Federer is still #1 in the rankings - which clearly means it’s a flawed system. But Nadal, in the eyes of everyone else, is the only #1 at this point. After annihilating Federer at the French (clay), then winning what some are calling the greatest tennis match ever in the Wimbledon (grass) final over Federer (and it was great), he’s now winning on hard courts, where he’s had less success to date. If he conquers them as well - particularly if he were to win the upcoming U.S. Open - there would be no doubts remaining. This guy may win as many as Federer and Sampras before it’s over. And he may just be one of the most humble athletes I’ve ever seen.

Made tough decisions

We decided, for several reasons that I won’t go into now, to send my daughter to public school this year instead of the private Christian school she’s been in for the past three years. It was difficult, and with school less that three weeks away, still is somewhat stressful. It’s always stressful for me when we make decisions that affect one or both of our kids. I fear what might happen if we’re making the wrong decision. But we feel it is the right one at this time and haven’t ruled out returning her to private school, even the one she is leaving, in the future. We are also in process of making another tough decision (which is all but made now), but more about that another time.

Random

Yesterday I accidentally knocked my copy of The Evangelical Universalist into our bathtub (which contained water at the time). Is that possibly a sign of some sort? (Actually, I was able to save it. It’s a bit “puffy” now and many of the pages are no longer smooth, but it’s still readable. I’m ready for chapter 3 now…)

Rush Limbaugh interested in buying NFL’s Rams - won’t this make their offense too predictable?

Duke named top men’s basketball program since 1984-85 by ESPN.com - like there could be any doubt…