breaking things

i was doing some reading and there was presented a question that begged my attention. i have long thought on this topic previously but to no end. basically what draws us, with our differences, together?

i cant speak for everyone nor do i believe it to be universal truth. but in my own investigations i have concluded:

1. while people with similar personalities obviously have similar interests in common, they also have similar flaws in common.

2. people with incongruent personalities, despite their difference in expression or analyzation, tend to compliment one another in areas where flaws exist.

i believe the scope is larger than just personality. it is the person at their base.

basically i give you two categories, things that fit together and things that go together.

on the level of personalities, you have a picture of like personalities "going" together, and unlike personalities "fitting" together.

in the first case the two appear exactly the same. each being particularly strong in the same areas a through f. the lettering representing desirable attributes of a person.

in the second the two are polar opposites. seemingly incongruent.

however when comparing the two sets as a pair rather than individually in comparison to each other you find that the results are reverse.

the before incongruent set when aligned in their respective categorical results make up more of a complete and well rounded set where as the other are even more disproportionately staggered.

alone, each person shows categories in which they excel and those which they fall well short. none are well balanced.

furthermore in the case of persons in relation to one another the "go" together category is even more strong in those areas with common traits while falling even shorter in their weaknesses.

there is the saying "opposites attract". and i believe there is some truth to this thinking. while you may be more likely to enjoy someone for the things you have in common than the things you dont. it is the person opposite from yourself who is going to be stronger and more experienced in your areas of weakness.therefore complimenting you.

as for the persons at their base, i will suggest to you that regardless of the labels we give ourselves, we are each complicated and intense reactive individuals. each with an entirely unique perspective that no one on this earth shares or can comprehend. and while we all show certain tendencies, our potential is not finite. God can and will use us to what ever effect necessary as he sees fit. and you will surely find in godly relationships, marriage to be sure, fruitful gains regardless of personality. but he created some to be feet and some to be hands. and we all will work together as one.

Sold!

today is officially auction day. every saturday is auction day. not because its the only day that auctions take place round these parts but because its the only day i am able to go to auction and still it is only on occasion due to busy schedules and lack of dispensable income.

i have a friend that introduced me to auctions. it all started one saturday morning while we were supposed to be doing some volunteering at the church for various repair projects and on our way to the parts store he suggested we "drop by" (i say drop by becasue we must have been ther at least several hours) a nearby estate sale and see whats goin down.

from that moment on i was hooked. this was no garage sale, this was no gently used scratch and dent sale with still largely overpriced items, this was everyday household stuff in good condition that goes to the highest bidder. have you ever visited someones house and thought to yourself " wow thats cool" "i need me one a dim"..? well, in this case you can actually have it, you only have to be willing to pay more than the next guy to get it. and in some cases the money is raised for charitable purposes and your finding something you need actually benefits those in need of more basic things.

but even more than the auction i have found that the friend is a huge part if my enjoyment. in fact i wouldnt consider going if i knew he couldnt be there. he makes me laugh and imparts his wisdom in very savory morsels of humor. this guy is the best story teller hands down. let me tell you....well i just did.

i have learned a lot from him about being a christian and a father. and i always look forward to the next chance to just hangout and eat together. something else we share in common. cooking and eating.

i am not very flattering with words but in this small way i hope to impress upon you my value of his person and our friendship. even though i could never actually tell him this in person, as he is to manly and would probably feel uncomfortable with such a display of affection. after all he doesnt even drink out of a straw :^)

drum roll please!

and now with out further adieu, i give you .... lion tattoo. (wild cheering in the background)

so there it is. its a done deal and theres no turning back. i am very satisfied with the results and the entire process for that matter. i had a rather pleasant time in the tattoo chair and the pain was nothing to speak of.

so far i have had no discomfort except for the ignorant application of cocoa butter with shea lotion i applied thinking that it constituted the "any hand lotion will do" remark that was given me. apparently NOT any hand lotion will do and in fact this kind feels like the flesh is being eaten off your body when applied to fresh wounds. it hurt worse than getting the thing itself.

so anyway. it is a lion. it kinda sorta represents Christ to me. (revelation 5:5) and in a more specific and meaningful sense it is something someone helped me relate to which ultimately gives me daily inspiration concerning my presence here and my destination. i will wear it proudly and fully enjoy the transition from non tattooed citizen to tattooed citizen.

probably wont be getting any in the near future. but the experience has been fulfilling and i should not expect that i would be hesitant if ever the enticement to decorate myself returns.

so long for now

mattitude

there goes the neighborhood

so i finally gave my boys a mohawk a couple of weeks ago. from time to time the eldest would ask and i would humor the idea. once i even agreed and then between getting my clippers ready and actually cutting his hair i somehow forgot and had to break the news. "dude, i forgot" i said. "what?" he said sounding wounded. yeah it was too late. but we got through it.

so the point is i also got a shorter version of the hawk for a whole in the spirit of fun experience. (which i have already posted both theirs and mine) but it was not intended to last. first i was sure that my boss would be displeased and second i didnt realize my wife would actually like it and encourage its continued presence.

a few days later after watching a friend being ruthlessly attacked by temporary tattoos, i agreed to wear one myself because it just looked like so much fun.

inevitably the classic tattoos and christians discussion followed. Mrs. Floyd already has a beautiful tattoo. as do many of our friends. from time to time i have played with the idea of getting one but i never committed to any thing and didnt feel strongly either way.

basically where i stand is as follows. the passage in leviticus deals with pagan worship. in the surrounding text it mentions things like trimming your beard and cutting the hair around your temples, as well as eating kosher food. many christians today eat lots of stuff forbidden in the law and dont think twice about shaving or getting a haircut. yet they dont consider these actions to be offensive or taboo. i think it basically comes down to two issues. why are you getting it and will it cause a christian brother to stumble.

i dont buy the body is a temple argument. i can understand living with habits that discourage a healthy body or mind, such as smoking, abusing alcohol and drugs, eating poorly, pornography, etc. but choosing to draw on your self (temporarily or permanently) something that is enjoyable or meaningful is hardly disgraceful or pagan worship.

the romans 14 issue is what concerns me most. i have to believe that having a tattoo will surely be seen as good by some and bad by others. it really not even a matter of opinion.

the thing i find interesting is that more than likely those offended will be "christians" or simply conservative people. those that may find it alluring will likely be like minded believers or lost people with whom i will have this new affection in common. i am not by any means getting a tattoo for the express purpose of glorifying God. but i do look forward to the opportunity to share my witness with those who it appeals to as it has particular meaning to my new life.

im diggin the mohawk, and at 430 today i will be undergoing the tattooing process. caution to the wind and that stuff. i am really enjoying myself, and not felling guilty for it.

thanks to everyone for inspiration and encouragement. stay tuned for the results. i will post pictures promptly.

Armed and Dangerous

Before you read any further this is totally in its entirety a TMI blog. so if your feeling like not knowing more than yo need to this is a good place stop. :)

I am terribly overworked. i know there are a great many of people who were previously employed and who now would be grateful for any work especially in great abundance, but i cant help but complain about the insane amount of jobs and their "importance". recently i have had four jobs overlap and require attention on a daily basis. this means that i need to be present and productive at each and attempt to stay on schedule. as a result i am sleep deprived, exhausted, and easily strained which hinders further my ability to balance this work and perform well.

BUT, i did have monday off. and i spent a large portion of it with fun loving friends and made the most of the free time we had there. gas station pizza is always a hit. i cant explain to you just how surprisingly tasty and satisfying pizza from the gas station is. but in a word... WOW. its not the best pizza you have ever had. but it soars above these chain restaurants and their ridiculous prices.

also the setting is perfect. plenty of room for the kids to run, make noise and explore to the extent of their imaginations.

the highlight for me though was something i would have never thought could be so invigorating. if i had known the effect it would have on me i would have rushed at the chance to do it much sooner and more frequently.

below is a picture of Mrs. Floyd trying her hand with a mossburg 500 20gauge with 2 and 3/4 in rifled deer slugs. and then the oh so famous Glock 40.

so in just a few days i have began to question random men and try to understand what exactly it is about a woman with a gun that is just so right.

while i will exclude the details of a majority of responses( try to keep it pg 13) i will tell you the most popular opinion is sex appeal.

now how in the world we (men) find women handling deadly weapons physically alluring i can never know. but something about it just screams sex.

another more thoughtful opinion suggested the authority was appealing. women are usually on the receiving end of authority. and men tend to be less submissive. yet somehow a woman holding a gun and having the potential for exerting her authority over you leads men to in some twisted way beg for the opportunity to be forced to do something that her dangerousness demands. so while im not into the whole bondage thing i can still relate to the idea of having an assertive and powerful lover whos every will demands submission. as she is holding a gun.

so anyway. what ever it is. and in what ever freaky way. all i know is big powerful guns that on their own bring thrill and excitement, are exponentially more thrilling and exciting when my sexy wife is the one handling them.

Mrs. Floyd... you go on witch ya bad self. cause D@MN!

roll over beethoven

well im not apologizing for my selfishness as of late. but i will say that i am surrounded by people who are too good to me and thank God for his grace and for life that i am not deserving of. i have lifted spirits no doubt to some loving kindness and words of wisdom. reality is still heavy but the way i feel inside is calm and collected. not that crazy stuff.

thanks for everything yous whos names shall not be mentioned.you all know who you are.

well today i brings you tales of the sad broken coworker whos ailments are never ending and ever worsening. this year a record of over three weeks unscheduled time off has been tallied. and hes still employed. is this crazy? i mean dont get me wrong i dont want the guy to loose his job, actually i rather enjoy working with him. its just amazing to me that this is even possible.

when i was employed previously for others i was given points, and warnings and reprimands and such, for tardiness. let alone unexcused absences. (which is a whole other miracle which we wont elaborate on.... but i have been given more than my fair share of tolerance for tardiness-thanks greg) but just not showing up at all is a real show stopper. even worse is the "cough,cough, hey(sounding weak and wounded) do you need me today?" which before i get going i will say, why even ask if your not intending to come in any way? cause what like the boss is gonna say yah man we kinda need you here today, and then your like, oh, ok, i guess i will be there after all....riiiight.

so yeah, the real crazy part is hes not even sick. sure maybe he doesnt feel good, but definitely not cant come to work sick.

well how do you know? you might ask. what if he is sick. your just being insensitive. well i wont disagree with you there.

insensitive is my middle name. ask my wife. i am learning to do better when it comes to realizing emotional and rational thinking are not congruent. that feeling a certain way has nothing to do with reality. i experience it myself but i try to deny it until it slams down on me like a nine pound hammer rendering my senseless and curled up in a ball under the table.

but when it comes to work. LEAVE YOUR FEELINGS AT HOME. you are not my wife, you are not my kids, you are not someone i want to talk to about your owies and heartache. you have a job to do same as me and unless you are incapable of breathing you need to man up and getrdun.

working with nausea and diarrhea are not my fondest memories at work. but there were periods between such events that i accomplished great deals of work that needed to be done and may not have gotten done had i not shown up. so what if you cut your finger half off. it only takes an hour or so to stitch it up. get some pain meds and a bite to eat and youve still got a full day ahead of you. before i go to work... which i never feel like doing(seriously why would want to leave the company of my family)... i plan on illness, injury, and working late. anything on that list manages to find itself absent in my day and im all the more happy.

just so you understand what we are dealing with here i will tell you briefly the events that have taken place the last few days and i am not exaggerating.

thursday coworker arrives with elastic wrap on wrist and com plains of swelling and pain. he removes wrap to reveal to me two completely normal wrists and says "look at how big it is compared to the other one." to which i respond "which one is it?"

from that point on most of the crawling carrying doing anything work related work was left to me. to avoid injuring further painfully swollen not swollen wrist.

friday we work in less than sanitary conditions and the one armed bandit assisted me as i crawled around in it. interestingly enough when i saw him saturday, he was the one that was sick, he claimed.

which was the set up.

monday morning like clockwork he phone the boss and said his throat hurt so bad he couldnt touch it.....



What does that even mean!


who touches their throat and what relevance does it have to coming in to work you lazy bum.

so tuesday of course he did not come to work. why? because he was going to the doctor. the walkin clinic doctor. why tuesday and not monday? great question.

so wednesday he did arrive to work but not with any enthusiasm as you might imagine. thats the system. act sick, miss work, come back to work, dont work while trying to get sympathy for a sickness you didnt have that you are currently trying to convince us you did have by your lousy display of acting sick.

so the most interesting part is yet to come.

today his problem is not his throat. the doctor didnt think he had strep and didnt think he needed testing. just threw some antibiotics at it and said "if it isnt a virus this should kill it." see, im not the only insensitive one.

yah, so now that theres no reasonable explanation for missing work what does one do but up the ante. the following is again not exaggeration.

"look, i cant blink my eye" blink blink." see, eye can blink this one but the other one wont blink" blink blink.

i question" so you cant close your eye?"

"well, if i close this eye i can shut the other one. but if i just try to blink, (which is the action of shutting your eye) i cant blink this one." blink blink.

"well....thats weird" what else could i say. LIAR!

but that would just be mean.

so then later on he looks at me and says " i cant even smile with this side of my face (same side as the eye that "wont" blink) see, -smiles with half of his face"

"yeah dude i think my polio is coming back"

at the time i did not mention it but what he meant was bells palsy which is something he claims to have had as a youngin, and i wont deny it.

but still its funny that HE doesnt know what it is and i do and he never had polio as he did not contract the poliomyelitis viral illness and did not become paralyzed as a result.

so after a good six hour work day he went home 2o'clock to get ready for his 330o'clock doctors appointment. at which he hopes to get steroids for his condition which is what the gave him for his lasts episode that was either lime disease or multiple sclerosis. it was a toss up between the two. ???? but any who it was neither. go figure. but they did give him some steroids for his eye that was hurt. not to be confused with the eye that is currently "not" blinking but is shutting when the other one shuts.

but i think that he forgot that the steroids was for that and not for the polio... i mean bells palsy. my bad. i know which diseases i have. dont patronize me!

well, its a five year long story of crazy illness and missing persons but i dont have the energy.

i did stay home with my family tonight and i so need to. except for the shopping outing for middle guy and smallish guy whos birthdays it is this weekend. 1 and 3. thanks again to josh for her making that possible. mucho too mucho.

feelin good. like a latin man should.

a change of pace

the dark clouds still hover overhead. glimpses of light break through the darkness revealing calm peaceful skies beyond what my eyes can see. the weather here is often fair, even better still from time to time. but when it rains it pours. like a hurricane making landfall, the rain and wind and destruction in its path is devastating. there are no warnings, and no time for preparations. just waiting it out and holding with all my might hoping to see the light of day. but the storm continues. it seems to grow with intensity. ive been through it before. it will pass. i will survive. i will pick up the pieces. i will keep hoping. i will learn. i will be stronger. but still it remains. i fear that despite the calm that waits ahead, it will return again. taking me by surprise and leaving me defenseless against its awesome fury yet again. i will cherish every moment of peace until then.

i want to be fun and exciting. i want to tell wildly exaggerated stories that make you roll on the floor. i dont want you sobbing into your sleeves and losing sleep over me. so next time intend to stop this incessant whining that has become my blog.

i miss you mrs floyd. i hope to return to you shortly. your slightly less than stable superman.

Me.