September 19: Not a Humbacked Bastard, Birthday List, Lots of Work

I am not a humpbacked bastard today.  I went to the assisted living facility and sang "Amazing Grace."  I found the setting and the message really moving.  It's always inspiring to be around people who are worshipping God because of love instead of a sense of obligation.  I went there with a feeling of obligation and came away feeling more than a little transformed by the people who were present and the message that was delivered.

At the bottom of this post, I am including my annual birthday list.  I have been creating birthday lists for myself since I was in the fifth or sixth grade.  Of course, my lists have expanded and become more refined as I have matured (and become more refined).  My birthday is October 5, so if any of my disciples wants to send me a token of adoration/admiration/love/guilt/bribery (I'll take gifts for any reason), just pick something off the list.  There are only 17 more shopping days until the anniversary of my birth.  Not much time to plan your festivities for the big day--baking the Saint Marty's Day cookies, decorating the Saint Marty's Day tree, planning the office Saint Marty's Day party, organizing the Saint Marty's Day programs at school, scheduling the Saint Marty's Day worship services at church.  So much to do.

I have tons of work to accomplish today.  I've got to create a writing assignment for my Good Books class.  I have to type up minutes and create an agenda for a church meeting tonight.  Grade quizzes.  Read books.  I have no reason to be bored.

Saint Marty needs to strap on the old feed bag and then get to work.

SAINT MARTY'S BIRTHDAY LIST 2011

1.         iPad2 ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

2.         Blank journals--Moleskine—lined ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼  (I’m out.  I really need these.)

3.         The Pulitzer Prize in Poetry ☼☼☼☼☼

4.         The Nobel Prize in Literature ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

5.         New pens

6.         Movie passes to Country Village Cinemas☼☼☼☼☼

7.         Movie passes to GKC Theaters☼☼☼☼☼

8.         One-week trip to London

9.         Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs ($8.97 on Amazon)

10.       Axe Body Wash

11.       The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure ($14.91 on Amazon)

12.       Saint Monica by Mary Biddinger ($9.00 on Amazon)

13.       A new house (with sale of old house) ☼☼☼☼☼

14.       The Story of Charlotte’s Web by Michael Sims ($14.36 on Amazon)

15.       The Paris Review Interview, Vols. 1-4 by The Paris Review ($40.95 on Amazon) ☼

16.       Shopgirl DVD with Steve Martin ($9.99 on Amazon)

17.        A Writing Kind of Day:  Poems for Young Poets by Ralph Fletcher ($9.95 on Amazon)

18.       New Running Shoes

19.       Nice cologne

20.       New jeans

21.        Refill black ink cartridges for Waterman fountain pen (Office Max)

22.       Plowing for the winter ☼☼☼☼

23.       The Christmas Companion with Garrison Keillor, Audio CD ($16.47 on Amazon) ☼☼☼

☼   Indicates preferred gift

Ok, it's not me in the picture, but this is really funny!