Patrick Barden - Plinky Answers

A Change I Should Make

2012-02-12T12:24:29-06:00

I could lose weight. I know I need to, and know what I need to do. However i lack motivation and to quote a song, "My Give A D**m is busted". I know I would be happier because I would be able to do so many of the things I have wanted to do but had to sit ou.

How I'd Give Away $1 Million

2012-02-06T11:39:39-06:00

Tardis

First, the tithe. Ten percent to my church and another to my best friend.B.
I'd take about a quarter of it and split it between family and close friends. Then I would load up a bus with all the kids at church and we would hit the largest Toys R Us I could find. I would set aside some for when we have fundraisers at church or members go on mission trips. Then K and i would go to Europe and visit places from Doctor Who. And if by any chance any is left, I would have the biggest Christmas ever.

I smell rain, and it smells wonderful.

2012-02-04T10:42:20-06:00

Light Rain

Moe than I want to admit sometimes. If it rains for any length of time, I get very mellow and sleepy. Rain is napping weather. I even use a recording of a thunderstorm to help me sleep.

It may sound odd, but I can "smell" rain. I don't think it is so much an odor as being sensitive to the changes in the ionization of the air. I breathe better and easier when the level is higher and it goes up when it is gonna rain. Even odder is that rain can have two "smells". A good rain smells clean and sharp, while sometimes it smells off.and kinda muggy.

For some reason, snow is pretty for about a day, then it swiftly becomes depressing. When it snows I know that I won't see anyone for awhile and I get lonely.

Sunny weather does't really effect me one way or the other. Living in in the south, it gets really humid so I just stay inside as much as possible to avoid the icky feelings that the humidity causes.

What Makes Me Cry

2012-02-02T11:21:30-06:00

Rain in Muzahimiyah, Saudi Arabia

Sad movies. Happy endings. Anything with cute animals. Feeling left out. Being lonely. Certain songs. Pictures of my mom and dad. People living ways that they don't have to and doing things that hurt them and others. Actually a lot of things make me cry.

I have this thing I call a "Rainy Season". I got it from a song by the same title. In the song the singer talks about how sometimes you just need to cry for no reason. It just bubbles up and then passes. I do this maybe once every 3 to 4 months. It last about 2 to 3 days. During the rainy season, I cry on and off, with no reason. It seems crazy but when it is over I feel great and much happier.

Probaby the oddest thing that make me cry is the movie "Snoopy Come Home". I've tried ever since I was a kid to watch it and always get so upset that I have to stop. When I was a kid I would nearly hyperventilate crying so hard. I haven't tried in years and probably won't try again.

My Earliest Memory

2010-08-27T13:33:37-06:00

House side layers

Standing by the side of the road, holding my dad's hand and watching men put white siding on our new house.

Some like it mild

2010-03-28T12:52:08-06:00

I love flavor. I like things that are spicy, however to me there is a difference between spicy and hot. Spicy is all about flavor and the complex mixtures of various tastes. Hot is just temperature. It's an issue of pain and why would I want my food to hurt me. So go right ahead and sear your taste buds off. I'll be over here enjoying the sweet, spicy, salty, taste of flavor.

I'll browse for books at Half Price Books

2010-03-19T13:15:08-06:00

It's not very big, the shelves are crowded and books are piled on top of piles. You could easily get lost in it for hours. But the main reason for going it that you can get brand new books for as much as 90% off. I bought about 10 books the last time I went and paid less that $30 for them. Some of the books were valued at $50 or more.

Email? Check!, Sugar? Double Check! Read? Triple Check!

2010-03-16T14:42:10-06:00

Check my email
Being at home alone most of the time, my email is my main means of being in contact with my family, friends, and the world.

Check my blood sugar
I have to take being diabetic seriously. Growing up I always heard people talking about having a "touch of sugar" and people would shrug it off. I know better and I can't just hope it will go away.

Read
I can't imagine going a day without reading for pleasure or to learn something. I have been reading since I was 2 years old. Books have been my friends, comforters, teachers, and more.

Susan, can I come play again?

2010-03-07T12:59:00-06:00

I really miss my sister Susan. Wen i was around 12 or so she moved to Idaho. A few years ago she moved to Alaska. I had not seen her for almost 30 years. I did get to go see her about a year and a half ago. I had so much fun that i wish i could go back and see her again.

The world's ending! Let's go to Megiddo

2010-03-05T09:58:12-06:00

As a Christian I believe that the end of the world will begin with the battle of Armageddon. As such the end of the world will start in the hill country outside of Jerusalem called the Hars Megiddo.

If Jesus is coming back to kick evil butt and take names, i wanna be there.

Sloppy joes aka Spoon Burgers remind me of my dad.

2010-02-28T13:13:19-06:00

Sloppy Joe "homemade"

Sloppy Joes remind me of my dad. He made the best sloppy joes and he never used canned stuff. He would mix his own sauce and it was so good I almost always ate myself sick. As long as there was some left, i would keep going. My dad was an awesome cook and I loved to watch him and later help him. Oh, but never called them Sloppy Joes. He called them Spoon Burgers.

Bojangles meets my greasiest need.

2010-02-22T10:14:52-06:00

Spicy fried Chicken, fries so covered in seasoning they are almost red. Juicy, with more flavor that any other three recipes, you just can't beat them.

What I wish I had learned a long time ago.

2010-02-20T12:16:31-06:00

Being handy. As a kid with poor sight, I was never encouraged or allowed to pd anything with tools. So I was in my mid 20's before i was ever even allowed to touch a hammer or try to fix anything.

I never really tried anything until my pastor at that time told me he would only help me with something after I had tried and failed to do it myself. I hated him at first and thought he was a big bully. But very quickly I realized he was giving me the education I should have had a a small child and preteen.

The big surprise for me was that I turned out to be pretty good at it. I usually try most minor fixes myself now and as often as not I fix it myself and that give me a lot of reason to be proud of myself.

I'm a follower (but only for the right leader)

2010-02-16T10:31:23-06:00

For years I craved being the one out front. I wanted the be the guy in charge. However whenever i got my way I almost always was miserable.

My philosophy is this. i choose a leader I can get behind, then I make myself available to do whatever he needs me to do to help him succeed. I can't do a lot, but if I can answer a phone, type a letter, mind the office or whatever, so that he or she can do what they have been trained and called to do, that is all I need.

Oh, it's the Life of the Owl for me!

2010-02-11T08:09:53-06:00

My tendency to be a night owl began quite a number of years ago.

My mom's health became very bad and it seemed that more and more I had to be right there. I did not dare start something that I could not drop immediately if I was needed. I quickly learned that the only time I could have to myself was after she went to bed. So as soon as she was settled for the night, I went straight for the books I wanted to read, the art projects I wanted to work on or just cuddling up and thinking. By the time she went into the nursing home I had developed a habit and so night time became my time to just be me and do my own thing.

A few years back I started to retrain myself to more normal hours, them I got a new neighbor. She was very needy for attention and so my days were once more filled with constant interruptions preventing me from settling down and getting much done. So back to the night owl gig I went.

So on an average day I go to bed anywhere from 2 to 4 in the morning. Sometimes if I am reading a good book, I will forget altogether until sunrise. Either way I am rarely still asleep past 10 in the morning. The only exception is I always go to bed as close to midnight as possible on Saturdays so I can be up at 7 for church on Sundays.

"L" no? I can do it if I want to!

2010-02-10T10:20:04-06:00

I tried to write a short story without using a certain consonant. I did at best a moderate job. However, can you do better? I think not, but there is often hope in these things. So here is to your success. Break an appendage.

Howdy neighbor

2010-01-26T10:54:18-06:00

On a good day I despise her.

I'm downsizing, but I have to keep my books

2010-01-25T08:49:03-06:00

My books
As long as I have my books, I will never be completely bored.

My computer
Keeps me in touch with the world around me.

My recliner
Best napping spot ever.

A tour through my memory: the Old Town Square

2010-01-21T09:41:43-06:00

I miss the old town square. We have a town square but it is not the same. The square use to be the center of everything in town. If you went anywhere to buy something, or just to hang out, the square was the place to go.

Entering from the side of town closest to where I lived, first stop was Woolworth. I'd go in and while mom and dad talked to the ladies at the front, I would look at the toys and then go back to the rear where the pets were. Birds and fish of all kinds. I loved to look at the fish.

Around the corner past a few other shops we came to Roses. It was a huge shop with a second floor that as kids we loved to run up and down the stairs. The big draw for Roses was the popcorn and sodas. Other than that it was mostly clothes which only parents cared about.

Moving along we had Pools. Pools was cool because it was one store in three buildings. You had the women's clothes store, the men's store and them a whole third building for shoes. Getting shoes from Pools was a big deal as they were very fancy and quite expensive.

Swinging around the corner you pass the fountain. It was a pretty fountain but half the time it was not running. Seems everytime they got it going well someone would dump washing powder in it and they would have to shut it down and clean it again. But when it was running and the lights were on, it was a joy to watch. In the summer you could sit on the granite benches, drink a soda, eat a sandwich or snack and enjoy a nice breeze as it blew through the fountain and cooled things down.

Moving across you came to Ward's Pharmacy. Ward's was my favorite. All kinds of odds and ends and best of all, a real soda fountain with the stools, the soda jerk, and even booths. You could get a soda, or one of the specialty drinks such as Lemon Sours, Pink Mules, and such. You could get an ice cream cone, a sundae, or even other snacks. And they had the best comic book section. I would go every Thursday for the new delivery, and the owner, Mr. Ward, would let me open the package to get first shot at the comics. I always felt daring, because the same package also contained the "under the counter" magazines. The ones I was not supposed to know about or be old enough to see. I never peeked. And Mr. Ward was always full of stories. He would pull out albums and show me pictures of when the town square was only a couple stores on one side and three open fields.

Finally you came to Gallant Belks. Oh I loved going into Belks. I loved to look at the different sections. Mens, womens, accessories, decor, and they had an elevator. They had a real elevator. It went all the way up to the second floor and down to the basement. You've probably heard the term, "bargain basement"? Well Belks had one. The basement contained the toys, and displays of sales items. I remember going to a "midnite madness" sale. Standing around the door, crushed by others who were trying to see through the door and pick items that they wanted to rush to. My mom and I planned our attack and had our goals in site. At midnight the doors were opened and everyone ran for the items they wanted. For about 2 hours it was sheer, enjoyable madness. Getting a suit from Belks was a big deal. I was not a huge fan of suits, but I wore my Belks suit as if I was going to walk a red carpet and accept an award.

So that was my trip around the old square. Woolworth is gone. Roses is gone. The town hall is still there but is now the court house. The old hotel is now an insurance office. Wards is still there and they still have the best Pink Mules. Belks is now a music store, a Christian book store and a Pizza shoppe. It's much nicer with the lovely lamps, the trees, benches and stuff everywhere, but it is not my old square. it's nice, but not the same. It's never quite the same.

Cool water will help a headache

2010-01-19T09:12:34-06:00

Cool ... clean ... water!

I usually drink a lot of cool water. If I can get it I eat something like watermelon or similar high water content food.

not really sure why, but some theories are that headaches have a connection to dehydration. All i know is that i usually feel a lot better rather quickly.

And it does not hurt that it is impossible to be stressed while eating watermelon.

I get around by Hitching

2010-01-17T13:03:09-06:00

Can't drive, don't walk much. So when I want to go, I call my friends and ask for a ride. If i get one, good, I go do what I need to. If i can't find a ride, I just wait and try another time.

Me and my blanky, keeping to real and real warm.

2010-01-14T11:26:47-06:00

Blanky

Soft warm clothes, my favorite blanket, my teddy bear for a pillow and a good book.

A good breakfast better include a ride to the Ingles Deli

2010-01-11T09:04:00-06:00

The follow breakfast is what I get every time I go to the Ingles Deli. And all that food is under $4. Yummy!

Eggs
2 scrambled, 3 if I am really hungry

Grits
I'm a southerner, you have to eat grits. It's the law.

Ham
Breakfast is about the only time other than the holidays I can indulge my love of ham.

Sausage
Preferably patties, instead of links. Patties fit in biscuits, links fall out to easily.

Biscuite
Got to have some place to stick the sausage.

The Head Quarters will do your 'do right

2010-01-08T09:19:37-06:00

A good haircut, and lost of gossip. This is a very old fashioned shop where everyone knows everyones business. You sit, you listen, you laugh. Good Times!

The Red Monstrosity has got to go (someday).

2010-01-05T13:29:03-06:00

The Red Monstrosity
It's a huge, heavy bright red storage unit. It takes up a ton of room and is mostly full of junk. Main reason I still have it, is it is so heavy it takes 6 people to lift and that is with the drawers out.

Coffee Table
It's kinda wore out and tends to lean a little.

My Christmas Tree
Only because I have had it for about 8 years and would like to have a new one.

I'll spend more time at Blue Frog Arts this year

2010-01-03T14:28:58-06:00

Blue Frog is a PYOP shop. You go in, pick an item from the shelves and start painting. It's fun, creative and social. I had the chance to go yesterday and it was the most fun I have had in ages. They also offer classes in other art forms so there is plenty to do and learn and try.

2009! A year of hunting and finding.

2009-12-31T15:11:10-06:00

Hunting for a new pastor
It took a year, and it is still not a done deal, but while hunting we learned a lot about ourselves and now I think we are ready for a new leader to step in and take charge.

Joining a gym
If anyone had told me how much being part of a gym would change my life I would have laughed. The biggest change for me was realizing just how much I like the feeling of a good work out.

What a beautiful ice unicorn sculpture

2009-12-30T10:58:23-06:00

Unicorn Dreams

A unicorn. I love unicorns. But not one of the pretty, my little pony unicorns. I want a real, muscled, warrior unicorn reared up and ready to kick butt and take names.

I could handle a cemetary across the street

2009-12-28T10:13:31-06:00

Cemeteries are usually quiet, so no noisy neighbors. The dead don't scare me, it's the living you have to be worried about. Dead people only kill you in the movies, live people are a lot more dangerous.

A fake dirty diaper is a "gag" gift to remember

2009-12-25T11:02:48-06:00

We had this one family in our church and they always did the same "gag" gift. It was always a big box and inside would be the fake dirty diaper. They would glue a diaper in the bottom. Then they would paint a fake mess of coffee grounds, and iodine in the middle. You would think people would catch on, but there was always someone new who did not know and none of us who did were going to tell or we might get stuck with it.