(Thursday addendum:  I'm done with this entry now, although I'm sure the day shift vs night shift thing will reappear in my ramblings in the near future.)

(Monday addendum: I keep rambling on and on in this entry.  I'm not done with it yet, so feel free to not read it until I note that I'm done up here.  This was such a huge event in my life, that I keep finding additional boring points to write about.  I'm sure I'll exhaust the topic to my satisfaction within a day or so.)

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail10.html  An awesome online cartoon, check it out.

I think I promised this entry like 7 months ago, but the sunlight has been distracting me.

As most of you know, I have been a "night person" all of my life.  Even as a kid, I loved staying up late and absolutely hated to wake up in the mornings.  I was really good at convincing my mom that I was awake, only to jump back in bed as soon as she turned her back.  I was rarely early to school or the bus.  I was also adept at dreaming that I was getting ready for school.  My mom would wake me up, then come back minutes later yelling to wake up, and I would swear that I had already had breakfast, brushed my teeth, changed clothes, etc

I've always been a fan of late night movies and TV, and have no clue what this "Today" show is that people talk about.  (Speaking of late night TV, I loved Carson, never like Leno, loved Letterman early on when he was good, and haven't watched SNL in 20 years.)  I always used to say that my perfect life if I didn't have to work would be being awake until 0300 or later and sleeping until noon.  The only day that I would force myself to wake up early was Saturday of course, for cartoons.  I won't date myself (that is for Saturday nights) and tell you which cartoons I watched, but yes, they were in color.

So when I started working at the hospital, I gravitated to the night shift.  I started on days for a few months, then went to part time evenings as I worked thru school, and the first full time opening was on night shift.  It took a little while to get used to working all night, but once I got used to it, I thought that there would be no going back.  I loved the people on nights, the less traffic for my commutes, and being able to sleep all day and not feel guilty.  And even outside of work, I became a total night person.  I would do everything possible to not make appointments or commitments before noon, and learned where all the 24 hour grocery stores were.  Even on my days off I would often be up all night.  I could get a lot done with no distractions.  I seriously thought that I would always be a night person.  I actually thought that even if I wanted to, I could never be a successful day person.  I was just so ingrained in might shift, that I feared that my body would never accept a change to the evil day side.

But I started to change my life a year or two ago, as I've talked about a bit in my testimony entries from months ago.  I always had some issues with night shift, and was finally getting to a point where I was wondering if I could make a change.

My biggest problem with night shift was how it hampered me from "having a life".  As much as I hated to admit it, life is geared to the 9-5 clones.  Almost all meeting, parties, concerts, etc are geared to them.  Anyone working shift work (like almost all of us in the medical field with our 12 hour shifts, weekends and holidays,  evenings and nights) has a difficult time with committing to weekly meetings, concerts, and parties.  How can I commit to a Monday meeting when I work every other Monday?  Can I go to that concert?  Let me see if I'm working.  Thanksgiving with family?  Sorry, I have to work that holiday.  But a 9-5 clone has no such worries.  They are off every night, every weekend, every holiday.  Dinner with friends after they get off work?  Sorry, 50/50 chance that I'm working.  Of course, switching to days would not totally fix this problem for me.  I'd still have to deal with working some weekends and holidays.  But I could commit to a lot more than if I stayed on nights. 

So back in January or so, I found out that there would be an opening on day shift coming up in May.  This would be a rare opportunity for me to easily slide into a day shift slot.  I spent more time thinking and praying about this decision than any previous quandary, save struggles with a certain romantic relationship.

My little list of pros and cons was this:

Cons

1. I'd have to start waking up at 0500 (I only use military time by the way, that is 5 AM, the entire world really needs to just use military time and get rid of that silly AM and PM stuff).
   
2. I would see a lot less of my night shift friends, some of which I'd had for years and years, and 2 of whom are on my short list of future groomsmen if ever necessary.
   
3. I'd have to wake up at 0500.

People tried to tell me that there were two more negatives, that it would be busier on days, and that I wouldn't like the day shift people, particularly the admin types.  But I didn't put any weight into those arguments.  I had worked enough days in my career there to know that the difference between days and nights was not as great as people like to claim.  Night shift can get busy, and the fewer people being there makes less work take just as long to finish.  And I knew that I would like the day shift people, even the admin types.

Pros

1. I could commit to weekly meetings, especially Bible studies, which I have really missed since going to nights.
   
2. I would never have to say no to a concert (almost all of these are at night).
   
3. I would never have to say no to friends going out for dinner after work.
   
4. I would be probably be healthier, having a more regular eating and sleeping cycle.
   
5. I could go to church every week (as long as the church had night services for when I worked Sundays).

I quickly concluded that the positives far outweighed the negatives.  And my supervisor assured me that I could go back to nights if  I needed to (I would tell people that I'd be back to nights if, "it didn't take".) .  The decision was easy, after 15+ years of being a vampire, I was going to go to day shift.

I was afraid, very afraid actually.  My body was so used to nights, I had no clue if I could ever really sleep at night, or if my brain would function in the morning. 

I worried for nothing.  My body got used to days immediately.  I have now been working days for 8 months with no ill effects (unless you want to blame my bad writing on daylight).  I recently heard someone say that they read a study, and it takes an average human body 2 months to get used to switching to a night shift schedule, but only two days to get used to day shift.  I believe it now, although I never would have hoped for such a quick adjustment beforehand.  I feared that it would take months or years to really get used to it.  But now, I feel great waking up early, and even sometimes wake up at 0500 or 0600 on my days off.

I think that back on night shift I would sleep an average of 8-9 hours a day.  My routine was to go to bed right after work, usually being asleep by 0900, if not 0730.  I'd then sleep until 1500 or even 1730 sometimes.  And then on my days off I'd be more likely to go to bed before sunrise, and get even more sleep.  But now on day shift, I probably average 6 -8 hours a day.  I'm usually in bed by 2200 or 0000 at the latest, and sleep until 0500.  I tend to sleep in on my days off, but I'm sure that I still average no more than 8 hours a day, maybe as few as 6 or 7.

I never thought that I'd ever get used to waking up so early, I was so opposed to the thought of day shift as recently as 9 months ago.  But somehow, it happened quickly and easily.

I can't take credit for the change, I have to give the credit to God.  He answered my prayers and let my body make the adjustment.  I needed this change so much.  I am so much more productive now.  I have done more this past eight months than in any year of my life.  In the past, I'd spend my days sleeping and my nights either working or doing nothing of importance.  I'd spend way too much time watching television or movies, or just sleeping. 

I'm so much more productive on day shift.  I see my family more, I have been able to commit to more activities (softball, Bible studies, church, dating), and it is easier to commit to daily devotionals with a more set schedule.

I'm not saying that working night shift is 'bad'.  It is definitely possible to lead a fully productive and happy life while being on night shift.  But for me, I needed the change.  The total shift from night mode to day mode helped me make a total shift in some other areas of my life.  I am far from where I need to be (which is a fully devoted follower of Christ), but I am closer now than where I was back in my night shift life.

guess what...this is a placeholder....might not have time after party tonight to post, but I will fill in the blank by Monday.... ok, Monday update so far is just the pictures below... Thursday update: finished up the entry, more pictures at the Table Talk website below

I obviously need a little bit of practice with my camera, and/or the optional hardware flash, but a couple of them aren't too bad, considering the lighting I guess.

This was the first annual (?) Table Talk Christmas Party.  I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive going to the party.  I had no idea how many people were going to show up, and I was worried that there would be ten or fewer of us there, all sitting in a group making small talk.

Party talk is my least favorite thing in the world, besides spiders.  I am horrible at dinner party type conversation.  I absolutely fear sitting or standing around trying to make polite conversation.  I honestly think that I have little to add to most 'normal' conversations.  I don't watch the news, so I can not carry a conversation on current events.  I feel uncomfortable discussing my faith most of the time, so those conversations are awkward too, and this would have been the place for them to come up.  I have a poor memory, so I feel lost in conversations involving politics or history.  Perhaps my biggest problem with this type of endeavor is my problem remembering people's names.  I can go to a party and be introduced to 6 people at a table, and immediately forget all of their names.  I seriously have a big problem with names.  There are people that I've worked with for years that I can not name.  I'm sure that it is a mental handicap to some degree, and I am not kidding.  One of the reasons that I may like Table Talk so much is that we wear nametags (thanks Lance!).  I'll leave this topic for now and get back to the party.

I worried for nothing.  We had an excellent turnout, with probably more people showing up than we have on an average Tuesday.  And almost all of my favorite TableTalkers were there also. 

I deployed my usual party behavior, constantly moving, trying to briefly talk to everyone but never having to get into a real conversation, and eating much too much.

Madeleine has a beautiful home not too far from me in Herndon.  She, Red, and others did a fantastic job in preparing the incredible turkey meal.  Abby and Jazz were delightful co-hosts.  I had a wonderful time and could have stayed for hours more.

I am really enjoying this group of friends.  A smaller Bible Study is perfect for me, as I find large groups such as Frontline or Soul Purpose to be intimidating.

More pictures from the party can be found here http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MBCTableTalk/

I'm ________ __ ___.   Fill in the blanks and win a prize.

(Not the answer, but..) I'm caught up now.  After being 'behind' in my blogging for part of October and all of November, I am finally caught up.  One of my New Year's Resolutions (which will be made public here of course) will be to not let my "placeholder" entries stay blank for more than a day or three.  Any more time than that and I find that I forget what I meant to write about.

So again, feel free to go back over the last month or two and see what I've added.

I still may add a few pictures and titles to my old entries, and I'm always adding comments on old stuff, but I won't be adding any verbiage (or, if you prefer, verbage, http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=verbage ) to the existing entries.

Thanks for bearing with me.....both of you.

Our text at the Bible Study tonight was 1 John 5:1-12.  I'll concentrate on verses 4-5 here.

for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

We talked a lot about what 'overcoming the world' is.  I see it as having victory over sin.  As Christians, we are no longer part of the world.  We are different, and our lives should be different.  Everyone who knows us should know that there is something special about us.  The worldly pattern of self-serving sin should be absent from our lives.  We overcome sin by being obedient to God.  And that obedience is not a burden, because once we're saved we have the spirit of God in us.  What more do we need than that?

A quick way to sum up First John (which was written to ward off a hedonistic heresy spreading through the church) would be to say that the key is faith in Jesus being the Son of God, and from that faith we will naturally have obedience, a Godly lifestyle, and proper relationships.

I think we still have a week or two left in this study, and I'm anxious to see how the group sums things up.

Soul Purpose lesson - Hosea

At Soul Purpose later that night, we continued our study of the minor prophets.  We covered the first two and a half chapters of Hosea tonight.

One thing that is striking the incredible forgiveness of God.  Time and again, Israel sinned, but God kept giving them chances.

Hosea had amazing faith.  He followed the Lord's instruction and married an adulterous wife.  He let the Lord name their children (well, possibly only one was his, the other two may have been fathered by his wife's lovers) names that roughly meant, "massacre", "not loved", and "not God's people". 

We referenced Hebrews 11:24-26, By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

It is similar for us.  We must choose to give up the short term pleasures of the world (80 or so years max) for eternal life with God.

To apply this book to our lives, we could talk about spiritual adultery.  We often put something ahead of God in our lives.  It might be our career, a hobby, or the affection of another person.  We must be content that God is all that we need, that He will provide us with what we need.  If we ever reach a point where we feel that He has drifted away from us, it is probably we that have moved, not Him.  Are we letting the world influence us and draw us away from where we need to be?

James 4:4 says, You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

I'm not trying to preach to anyone besides myself by the way.  I'm just writing down what I learn to help me remember and practice it.  My next entry will probably be another light humor piece.

My sister and I were both working yesterday (one of the downsides of the healthcare or public service industry is having to work nights and holidays sometimes), so my parents were nice enough to delay or family get together until today.  Don't feel bad for any of us, we all had the traditional meal yesterday also (my parents with my cousins in Westminster Maryland, my sister at her police station, me at the hospital, and then my sister and I again at her friend Dana's home with her family).

My parents, Pam, Anthony, Jaime, Sheba, Kimba and I enjoyed a traditional meal of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn, and pumpkin pie.  I've probably forgotten at least one side dish or appetizer.

I think we've seen pictures of all the players involved except for the below two.

Sheba is one of my favorite cats ever.  In addition to her beautiful markings (it is almost a perfectly straight line down the middle of her face) and softness, she plays fetch (but only with 2 liter bottle tops).  She doesn't like her new roommate yet, but we're hopeful that the white lion will calm down and become her gentle friend.

Thanks to Mom, Dad, and Pam for doing almost all of the buying, cooking, prep, and cleanup.  I only provided the 'wine' (sparkling apple cider) and crackers.  I guess they know my strengths and decided to keep me out of the meal preparation process.

I am good at food destruction however...

I listened to this CD on the way to work this morning, but it may be the last non-Christmas CD I listen to until next year.  I have a TON of Christmas CDs, and have this silly tradition where I pull them all out on Thanksgiving and only listen to them the rest of the year.  My co-workers are already trying to change their schedules so as to avoid me.

In keeping with the season, I have also changed my background song.  It is the 77s (of course) covering Run Rudolph Run.  I'm biased obviously, but I think that it is a darn good cover, perhaps their best cover, although Nobody's Fault but Mine from the Drowning With Land in Sight CD is hard to top.

I'm sure many of you will be surprised, but I've actually written in my blog today.  In fact, I may have written more today than I ever have.  Not much on today's entry obviously, but I have finally gone back and filled in a lot of my blank entry placeholders.

So feel free to go back over the last 3 weeks or so and enjoy (I hope).  I still have several more spots to fill in, but I just wanted to give my (4 or so) readers a head start before I finish up.

I've also added some pictures to some really old entries and many titles since Xanga has now added that feature.

I'm not sure where the rest of my pictures from Wales are, but here is the castle we stayed at.  One day next year I'll find that CD and write more about my trip.

Soul Purpose - Habakkuk

Again we studied a minor prophet tonight, covering all of this dialogue between God and the prophet, similar to the book of Jonah in that regard.  It is important to remember that the prophets, and all the writers of the Bible, were people just like us, see 1 Kings 19:3-4 for an example.

The frustration that Habakkuk has with God in the first chapter can be had by us today, or can be paralleled by some other complaint, perhaps our singleness, or a health problem, or financial woe.  God uses trials to help us grow.  See Hebrews 12:7-11, Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  Another somber reminder is in 2 Timothy 3:12.

Habakkuk's question of "why?" is not answered directly, but instead He revels Himself.  The answer to the question of "why?" is "Who".

Some great references here are Job 38:1-5, Romans 9:20-21, and Isaiah 55:8-9.

We summarized with three points.

• God has plans, and they probably aren't our plans.  We won't always understand them.
  
• God disciplines those He loves.
  
• God wants us to live by faith.

I went to my first Redskin game this year today.  The food was mediocre, the game stunk, the seats weren't my favorite (I actually prefer sitting higher up so as to see the action across the whole field.  We were 20 or so rows up at one end zone and you can't really follow the action when it is at the other red zone, or see the receivers routes as well on the whole field, but I digress...), and it was a bit chilly, but I had a fantastic time.  And I owe that solely to my company that day. 

I tried to take some action shots and videos, but below is the best I could do.

This is the burst mode on my camera, where it takes 4 pictures in a second or so.  I'd like to say that this was the beginnings of the winning touchdown pass, but I'm pretty sure that this was just one of Brunell's many incompletions that day.  We stayed close and had a chance at the end, but the Redskins keep finding ways to lose lately.

oh my......