700--100 Words

If you found yourself on Jeopardy and the question was: “700”, how would you answer.

If you’re smart, you might answer it is the sum of 4 consecutive primes (167+173+179+181).

You might say it’s a Harshad number. (A Harshad number is an integer that’s divisible by the sum of its digits.)

You might answer it’s the tints of color in the rainbow the human eye can distinguish.

If you are spiritual, you might say it’s a number used 5 times in the Bible.

But, if you’re really smart, you’d say it’s the number of blog posts written by Steve Heartsill!

Random--100 Words

Random.

I’ll admit it.

My blog is quite random. I know.

It’s rather intentional that way.

One day I’m talking about mayonnaise.

The next, I’ll be talking about the resurrection.

It’s my blog.

Solely run by me.

Written by me.

Reflecting me.

Just be thankful you don’t live in my mind!

Thoughts pop into my mind all day and night. While in the midst of conversation, reading, or just living. Thoughts that need to be expressed. Almost as if they are about to literally jump out of my mouth onto the computer screen.

Accept it for what it is.

Random.

A Blog About Nothing

Seinfeld was a show about nothing.

Really. Nothing. Just every day life for New Yorkers. Places to eat. Walking down the street. Work. Friendships. Strange people coming in their lives.

Jerry Seinfield and his real life friends became very rich talking about nothing.

Today's blog will be much like that. I doubt, though, that I'll get rich from this blog. Nice thought. Wishful thinking maybe. But, not going to happen. Too bad. I could use a little wealth about now.

Lately, I've been thinking about a few things. Here are my random thoughts.

Have you ever noticed that there's always one co-worker who keeps asking and asking and asking if a project is being handled the right way. And, no matter how many times you say yes, you can count on that person asking at least a hundred dozen more times if it is being handled correctly.

Have you ever noticed the guy in the beat up old car that rides your bumper trying to get around you, has no where to go if he/she does get around you, because traffic is backed up in both lanes. You know that person? It's almost tempting to slam on your brakes and let him run into your back bumper, until, that is, you realize he has no insurance!

Have you ever noticed that you call your doctor a week in advance and schedule an appointment, show up 15 minutes early to make sure you aren't late for your appointment, only to have to sit and wait for 30 minutes as your doctor meets with a drug rep who came with no advanced calling and is giving out freebies to the entire office staff and talking about going golfing at the beach. Wonderful medicial system we have! Next time I go to the doctor, I'm taking a nice set of golf balls as a present. That and my $20 co-pay.

Have you ever noticed that when you are having medical issues and people find out, they are more than happy to share with you stories about every other person they know who has the same problems as you. They don't mind sharing the details either. The other person was REALLY sick. Or, the other person spent weeks in the hospital. Or, the other person died! And, people wonder why I keep my medical issues to myself for the most part.

Have you ever wondered why Monday-Friday the weather is absolutely beautiful and then on Saturday and Sunday is rains. Sure seems to be our pattern these days in Alabama. Wonder if I can shift my work week to Saturday-Wednesday?

Have you ever wondered why your car breaks down the week after you pay it off or the warranty expires. Is there a switch in the car's computer that the car company activates knowing that you'll have to come in and have it repaired. And, why is it, when you take the car in for something to be repaired, they always find something else to fix.

Have you ever considered life. Just when you think you have it all figured out, something goes totally crazy. Totally out of control. Totally blindsides you. And, it hits hard. And often. And from all sides.

Maybe it is just me. Maybe those are just my thoughts and no one else has ever had any of them.

Thanks for stopping by today. Come back again. Next time, I'll try to write about something!

Monday Morning

Hello!

Thanks for stopping by.

As you read this I am, well, I don't really know when you will be reading this. If it is December 15, and after 8:00 AM, I am at the hospital having a heart cath performed on me.

I suppose you could be reading this at 1:00 AM on December 15, and hopefully, I am sleeping, even though there's a good chance I am tossing and turning in my bed.

But, then again, you may have stumbled upon my blog on April 12, 2009, and my strong hope is that you will find a few hundreds more posts added since this one posted on December 15!

So, for whatever reason and on whatever day, I'm glad you stopped by my blog site. I don't really know why I blog, well, I have a few ideas of why and what I hope to accomplish. To be honest with you, most days I just like sharing a story or two that will make you laugh, smile, think, or simply want to respond back with a comment or two.

While I may not always understand my purpose in blogging, I do know this about my blog, I love networking with all kinds of people who stop by. Some comment, most do not. Either way is fine with me, even though I really do like chatting with those who comment.

Today, there probably won't be much chatting on my side, at least not on my blog. This morning, I'm heading off to the hospital to have my heart cath (I'm getting old, I've already said that). The doctor said it would happen around 10:00 AM, Central Time. If you are a Christ follower, a prayer would be appreciated, nothing too long, the Lord has many more important things to do today, so just a short one will be fine and appreciated.

I hope to be back home tonight and if my wife will let me hold our laptop for a few minutes, I'll jot a note to you and let you know how I've done. If she won't, well, it will be later before I can communicate. Tonya is rather short, but she really packs a punch!

So, nothing I have shared today will make you smile or laugh or probably even think. But, maybe for just a moment, we shared a moment of our journey together. Our life. Ourselves. Just a piece.

Hopefully, I'll be back shortly. Just being myself. And, enjoying life.

See you.

Either here or There!

My One and Only

Well, today is a historic day around the Heartsill household. It is a day I never saw coming! I really didn't. I was completely surprised by this day. And yet, at the same time, I am so very honored to be alive to see it. Normally, you are dead and gone before something like this happens to you.

Just this afternoon, at 1:00 PM Eastern time, I accepted the award that you see pictured to the left. My GREAT blogger friend Heidi awarded the prize to me (I won't mention the fact that she also awarded like a million other prizes, and that Bill and I had to beg to get something--but, I am getting off subject here).

My acceptance speech is located in her comment section. As you have a moment, please click on the link above and read her blog post and my comment. As you do so, you'll be helping me overcome my competition for another month and be in line for another award--if and when she presents another one.

Folks, I need your help. The revolution has begun and it shouldn't stop now. Click on Heidi's link and be sure to let her know you came because of my suggestion.

Thanks for your help!

Steve

Prohibition Day

The symbol to the left is call a Prohibition Symbol. Honest, it is! I'm not sure why. Maybe I should have taken the time to research it a little more, but I'm not going to do that today. If any reader wants to take the time to research it and to share with our readers, that would be greatly appreciated. But, for now, just know that it is a prohibition symbol or sign.

The point today is not the meaning behind the symbol. The point today is what I am not going to do. Today, I am not going to spend time on the computer reading blogs or commenting on my own blog. I'm having a "No Computer Day." So, should you feel led to comment here today, please be nice. If you chose not to be nice, I'll simply delete your comment tomorrow. And, the great thing about Sitemeter (that little counter at the bottom right of my page) is that I will know who was being naughty and who was being nice! (And, I'm not above telling Santa!) I think some blog readers forget that every time they log on to a blog site, it is being recorded. I know who visits my site, for the most part, on any given day, all by the IP address left behind.

Well, today is "No Computer Day." It's not a national event, it is just my own personal decision to unplug for the day. I have a terrible habit of staying connected. I don't know what drives me to do that, but I have that urge to keep up, to know what is happening, and to see what others have said.

I made the decision this past week to disconnect more often. I've started by not reading my email at night. After a very frustrating email on Monday night, that literally woke me up at 2:00 AM and would not let me go back to sleep, I decided enough was enough. Well, in truth, I can't blame the email or the person who sent it. The email didn't keep me awake, I allowed the email to keep me awake for most of the night.

I won't do that again! I've told the people I work with not to expect an email reply after I leave in the afternoons. And, I'm telling you here, if you email me after quitting time, you'll hear back from me first thing in the morning.

Now, I'm still going to blog and facebook from home. Those things are not work. They are for fun and relaxation. So, don't be surprised if you comment on my blog at 7:00 PM to see me respond within a few minutes. As my wife grades papers, I'd rather be blogging than to be watching TV.

Just don't expect those things today.

Anyway, it is Sunday.

My computer needs a rest, a day off. Afterall, who even reads blogs on Sunday? I know a few of you do--you are kind of like the group of people who go to Sunday night worship! The cream of the crop! Now, if you are reading this on Monday, you are still good--but the cream rose to the top yesterday! :)

Have a great day today. May the King be real to you in all that you do for Him today!

And, thanks. Thanks for reading. Thanks for commenting. Thanks for the sense of family and community when I come here.

I'll be interested to see tomorrow who visited my site today!

Happy Prohibition Sign Day!

Heart Attack

Monday, October 13, 2008, will go down in my life as "one of those days." Do you know the kind I'm taking about? It will be like the day the space shuttle exploded and Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered. While the history books will not note any thing significant to October 13, 2008, me and my family will.

My son's daycare was closed on Monday, so I took off work to be with him. We were having a great day. We had gone grocery shopping at Wally World. We had done a few "honey-do" list items. Evan had taken two good naps that morning and was getting ready for his next nap, probably to come around 2:00 PM.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to his 2:00 PM nap. At 1:30 PM, I began experiencing pain in my chest unlike anything I've ever felt in my life. Within a couple of minutes, I knew beyond a shadow of doubt what was happening--I was having a heart attack.

Needless to say, the last few days have been weird days. I am finally at home this morning and am feeling pretty good, considering where I've been the last few days.

In the weeks ahead, I have no doubt that I'll fill in the details of what all took place. Let's just say that I'm okay and the doctor has given me a fairly good report.

Some of you knew a little of what was happening...others just thought I'd given up on blogging! So much for your wishful thinking! :)

If you knew what was happening and prayed, thank you! God pulled all of the pieces of the puzzle together for me and caused miracle after miracle to take place during the entire process. What do you do with an 8-month old, when you are alone with him, and having a heart attack? Thankfully, God took care of that for us.

If you are just now reading about this, and are a praying person, I'd appreciate any and all prayers. If you would, please keep my wife, Tonya, in your prayers. She has the difficult task of dealing with me for the next few days! That's not going to be an easy job!

I'll be back blogging soon. I'm kind of grounded to the house until Monday, when I hope to return to work.

Steve

Drumroll Please...

Last Thursday, I asked our readers to share which blogs they must read each day. You know the ones. The ones you can’t miss, if you do, your day just isn’t complete.

I wasn’t surprised by most of the blogs, some of which I read every day as well. A few of the blogs I had never heard of.

Take a moment if you have time and check out these blogs that came highly recommended from fellow readers of this blog:

www.ragamuffinsoul.com

www.flowerdust.net

http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/

www.texasinafrica.blogspot.com/

www.kevinbussey.com/

www.rickboyne.com

http://www.outsidethebox.blogspot.com/

http://withoutwax.tv/

www.bernardshuford.com

Do you have any further recommendations? I’m always looking for new sites, especially those that mean a lot to you.

And, don’t forget to click on the sites on my blogroll. In my opinion, those are some of the best on the Net!

Thursday's Question of the Day

Besides this blog (of course), what blog is your favorite one to read every day? I'm talking about the one that if you don't read it, your day wouldn't be complete.

Old What's His Name

I am a numbers person. Always have been. Probably always will be. I like to track numbers. I like to study numbers. I like to see how things change from week to week, month to month, and year to year. Call it weird wiring if you want to. But, that’s how I’m wired.

One of the blogs that I enjoy reading belongs to Heidi. From time to time, Heidi shares a little about who visits her blog, how often, etc. I was very proud that in a recent month, the most referrers to her blog came from my blog! Well, since I enjoy reading her blog so much that may not really have been such an honor—many of those referrers were probably from me personally!

Anyway, I decided to check my site (for the first time since I started it on April 26). What I found was interesting, at least for a numbers geek. All of these numbers are as of yesterday, just in case you are keeping track!

I have had 1,143 comments shared on my site! I am appreciative for each and every comment made. I really am. To be honest, I’ve come to think of many of the commentors as friends—isn’t that weird!

The most commented upon post was about my son—The Smallest Brave—on July 23. I received 35 comments that day.

The second most commented upon post was the one I wrote about the house that burned down, leaving an image of “the Virgin Mary” on the wall (August 25). That post received 24 comments.

The third most commented upon post was a tie—Paging Dr. Smith (July 22) and the BBQ Song (August 29)—they both had 23 comments.

The words that brought the most people to my site? Well, I was shocked! “The Most Expensive Hamburger in the World!” People, apparently, around the world care about that kind of thing.

86.45% of people visiting my site come from the US. 5.63% come from Canada—I think they all came to read my continuing saga about the found feet in British Columbia.

The people who visit my site most often come from Alabama, Texas, then Florida.
The most referrals to date: Well, my blogger buddy Bill!

And, to keep everything in perspective, my Technorati ranking currently is 597,370. I guess that’s not too bad considering how many blogs are out there and the fact that I’ve only been blogging since late April. But, man, do I have a long way to go to reach number 1. I don’t think I’ll ever break the 500,000 rank! But, who cares! I just write to write and to offer a few thoughts on the day.

Okay, enough numbers for one day, if there is such a thing. I don’t want to bore the few people who regularly check out my blog—whether on purpose or simply by hitting “Next Blog” at the top of Blogspot.com!