I just realized that this blog has been live for over a year and I have never written anything on my About Me page. How embarrassing. It turns out that finding the words to describe myself to you is more difficult than I thought. Rather than racking my brain for just the right autobiographical paragraph, I think it’ll be more interesting if my readers learn about me from those who already know me.
I invite you, friends, family, and random acquaintances of Michael Gray, to help write my bio. In 100 words or less, tell my readers one or two juicy tidbits of information that you think they need to know in order to fully appreciate the man behind this blog. It can be funny, embarrassing, touching, or completely over-the-top — as long as it’s honest. The way I see it, if I claim that my blog is uncensored, then I have to let the truth come to the surface whether it hurts or not. I just hope it won’t hurt too badly.
Please leave your 100-words-or-less bio in the comments section below and I will transfer it to my About Me page as soon as possible. Also, if you would be so kind to send me a photo of yourself (and a link to your own blog/website if you wish), I would like to publish your pic next to your comment. Just send it to my email.
Thanks!
Some things in life seem like no big deal at the moment, but end up causing some complications down the line. This could easily become one of those things. Oh well, we can at least have a laugh about it now…
This is an incredible short film (about 20 minutes). If you haven’t got time to watch this now, be sure to come back when you have the chance to watch the entire thing. Very well done.
Everyone who truly loves Christmas also loves to see neighborhoods decked-out in true holiday spirit. As we walk/drive/sleigh through each year’s winter wonderland of lights, we see homes with decorations that fill us so full of Christmas Spirit that we could swear we are one carol away from bursting.
Every season, Heidi and I make it a point to take a few evening walks around our neighborhood and check out the Christmas lights. A number of years ago, we started talking about the specific things we liked and the things we didn’t like about the decorations we saw, and eventually we came up with an unofficial scoring process. This year, we decided to make our scoring method “official” and share it with the world. Get your free scorecard, and start judging your neighbors’ yuletide prowess tonight:
Obviously, this is meant as fun way to look at one of America’s favorite holiday past times, so don’t come Grinchin’ to me if you see something on the deductions list that you make a yearly part of your holiday decor ( unnecessary blinkage will always be a deduction). If you think of something that I have omitted, please leave a comment and I’ll see about adding it to next year’s scorecard.
Merry Christmas!
Dear CNN, I am writing this letter to inform you that penguins are not people, and to let you know that running news stories about penguins and talking about them as if they were the Kowalskis next door is assinine. Furthermore, trying to compare a pair of male Magellanic Penguins to a gay human couple in an attempt to show how natural it is to be gay is a bit of a slap in the face to homosexuals. Besides, the analogy totally backfired. Can we get back to the real news, please?
On my last birthday (October 11), Heidi bought me the entire first season of 24. Now, after about nine months and 168 hours in front of our television, we can finally say that we have caught up to the current season. What a great show!
Normally, Heidi and I aren’t big TV watchers, but this series is addicting. For years, I have known that 24 would be the sort of show that I could get into, but I hate getting involved in the middle of a series when I don’t know the whole story. With 24 covering one day’s worth of action, I wasn’t about to start somewhere in the middle — and I certainly didn’t want to start by watching season three. We had to see it from the beginning.
Our key phrase for this show became, “You’ve got to be freaking kidding me!” because that is the reaction we had at the end of just about every episode. The script is well-written, the characters are well-played, and the makers of 24 have no problem throwing curve balls that flip the story on its head and back again. Though this classifies as a “better late than never” situation, I’m glad that we decided to become part of the 24 crowd.
I think now that Heidi and I will have much more free time on our hands, I’ll gather up the half dozen or so books that I have been meaning to read and enjoy a form of entertainment that doesn’t require a remote control.
I wonder how many books I could read in 168 hours…
Yesterday, I voluntarily allowed a stranger to stick a metal Slurpee straw needle into the bend of my right arm and extract approximately 10% of my blood supply. For me, this is a big step in overcoming one of my fears because the idea of allowing someone to take a bagful of blood from my body through a large needle is not something I look favorably upon. Needles are a definite phobia of mine.
As it happens, my wife is on a first name basis with most of the vampires personnel at the United Blood Services donation center in Goodyear, AZ because she goes so frequently to give blood. After her last visit, she decided that I should participate in the blood-letting donation process, so she ever-so-generously scheduled an appointment for me. There’s nothing like getting up in the morning and having your wife greet you with a kiss and an, “Oh, I forgot to tell you that I signed you up to give blood. Your appointment is today at 1:15.”
Naturally, I tried to weasel my way out of it, but Heidi guilted me into going convinced me to go by reminding me that my giving blood could mean another chance at life for some poor soul in some hospital somewhere. Eventually I decided I should just man-up and do it.
So I did.
To be honest, it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The new donation facility in Goodyear is very nice and the staff are all remarkably personable. After they ask you a list of simple-to-answer questions like, “Have you ever paid to have sex with a man from Sierra-Leone?”, they sit you in a reclining chair that would be perfect for watching a Cardinals game, and gently slide the needle in your arm while you squeeze and release a section of PVC pipe in your hand. In all honesty, you can barely feel a thing.
After about 15 minutes, they let you relax in their canteen area where you are free to replenish your strength by sipping on free Capri-Suns and munching on Famous Amos cookies. Not a bad deal.
As I sat there for my mandatory 20 minute rest period, I wondered what percentage of people have ever even darkened the door of a blood donation center. The pandemic fear of needles alone probably keeps a large portion of the population away, but what about everyone else? I figured that this question gave me a perfect opportunity to try out my new blog poll widget. Weigh in won’t you?
Loading ...And since we’re on the subject, why don’t you take a few minutes to find the blood donation facility in your area and schedule an appointment for yourself? If you are one of the weenies like me individuals who won’t go because you hate needles, I challenge you to face your fear for the sake of someone else’s well-being. I promise that it’s not as bad as you think. If you do decide to schedule an appointment, I’d appreciate it if you leave me a comment letting me know.
Here’s wishing you a fabulous phlebotomy!
As part of a recent process of brainstorming various ways that I could earn a bit of extra money this Christmas, I thought up a t-shirt idea, designed it, and then published it on CafePress.com, an online company that specializes in custom-printed clothing. Here’s my final design:
If you or someone you know is a political junkie (or just likes wearing cool, custom-made t-shirts), please pass along this link along to them. I earn a small amount of profit for each item sold, and that money will definitely be helpful in paying Harrison’s final adoption fees (December 19 is the official date!). Any additional traffic you can drive to www.cafepress.com/the2grays will be much-appreciated!
Happy shopping!
