Wednesday, August 3, 2011

THE MULTITASKING MYTH

This just in:

MULTITASKING DOES NOT EXIST!

Whew!  What great news!  I feel better already.  Don't you? 

Now, you may go about the remainder of your day free from the overwhelming dread of THINKING that you HAVE to talk on your cell phone, drive your SUV, bake a cake, read the latest biography of Gumby, pray for ball games, contemplate soup, catch a Gilligan's Island marathon, and design a swim suit ALL AT THE SAME TIME. 

Why?  Because...

MULTITASKING DOES NOT EXIST!

You're FREE!

I especially would like the lady who nearly rear-ended me this morning to know this exciting bit of news. 

Apparently she thought she COULD do all of the above at the same time.   She even thought she was GOOD at it.  Imagine her surprise when, after she screeched to a smoky stop, 2 inches behind my STOPPED car, when I suggested she was NOT good at it AT ALL; and that she could make BOTH of our lives better if she would simply cut the number of her "multitasks" down to just the DRIVING for the remainder of her trip? 

She claimed I was nuts.  She said she had everything under control, because she had been Multitasking.  What a relief.  She might as well have said that she had been collecting rainbows. Because like collecting rainbows...

MULTITASKING DOES NOT EXIST!


What DOES exist is bad, unfocused, dangerous, distracted driving.  What DOES exist is crappy, pointless writing, directionless, frustrating meetings, and uncompleted, never-ending projects.  

Thanks, Multitasking! 

Why be like this unfortunate, soon to be sued woman?  Why not grab onto the truth instead?  

Why not know that instead of pretending to Multitask, you can actually FOCUS on ONE task at a time, BE in the moment, and really HEAR when someone is talking to you, instead of texting someone ELSE and miss the whole conversation?  

Why not realize that you can go camping under the stars and SEE stars instead of updating your calendar on a sleeping bag?

Did you know that if you DON'T multitask you can accurately decipher the look on your poor dog's face and see that he is saying, "I haven't been let out yet today and am about to do a 'No No' on the carpet if you don't start paying attention to me," instead of, "Hellooo, Handsome!"

Amazingly, once you begin to accept the death of Multitasking you will soon find that you can STILL text, update your calendar, check in with more than one friend and do anything else you need to do because when you DON'T Multitask, each task is instantly given the proper amount of attention it needs to get done.  

Amazing.

When you don't play into the myth of Multitasking,  you can bring whatever it is you are working on to this thing called "completion", instead of having it linger on for years.  You can actually attain goals.  You can fix problems.  You can finish projects. 

"But I'm good at Multitasking," you say.

No.  You are not.

What you ARE is a poor, deluded soul, who THINKS you're getting many things done at once. This is like saying you are "good" at shopping for electric pretzels in the 4th dimension of the planet Krog.   

You are NOT.  Why?  Because electric pretzels and the planet Krog do not exist.

This will be hard for some of you to accept.  It is time you accept it.

Look at me, writing this BlermonTM.  To the untrained eye, it looks as though I type, drink coffee, and ride a pony all at the same time.

This is incorrect.  

In reality, I am only typing WHILE I'm typing. Nothing else is happening.  When I drink coffee, I STOP typing and drink coffee.  If I try to Multitask, I mess up the typing, or spill the coffee which then adds two more tasks to my day; namely: clean up the coffee and RE-type.

And I am not really RIDING the pony, I am simply ON it.  It is a miracle I haven't been thrown off yet.  As a matter of fact, I just looked up and have no idea where I am now.

Note to self: lose pony, get chair.  But not at the same time.  Why?  Because...

Well, you know. 

Sigh.

Now...doesn't that feel better?  

As together we stand and sing.

BP

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

GONE GIDGET GONE

Gidget left me the other day.

I don't mean for good.  I mean for the next couple of weeks.  


She's gone to the Preacher's Wife Summer Seminar in Ocheebobee, Oklahoma.  It's something she does every year.  I'm glad she gets to go.  It ain't easy being a PW.  Especially mine.

I know she'll have a great time there, and will no doubt come back refreshed and ready to once again shake hands at the back of the auditorium, do some sick and afflicted visits and experiment with some new Jell-o salad recipes.  

But I want you all to remember Gidget in your prayers while she's gone.  It can be kinda tough on her being away from me for such a long time.  I'm sure you all understand.  

You see, Gidget is addicted to me.  She can't get enough of me.  She can't live without me.  Can you blame her? 

I don't know who she's gonna fuss over while she's gone; laugh at, who she'll pick on, who's hair she'll re-arrange, who she'll make go for an early morning run, or who's outfit she'll re-work just as they're going out the door.  

It's a well know fact that Gidget can't start her day without telling somebody to sign some papers, take things to the Post Office and to trim certain wild hairs out of certain unreachable places. Well, good luck with that.

The Pop Tart and Cheerios breakfast I make her every morning will undoubtedly be replaced with fancy restaurant Eggs Benedict, and big city Steaks instead of grilled weenies.  Poor Gidget.

And I doubt there will be any slightly poofy stomachs handy for her to examine, sniff at derisively, and then lecture at for 20 minutes on the evils of Twinkies and the joys of sit ups.

And I don't know who's gonna get up and turn on the fan for her when she gets hot in the middle of the night, then turn OFF the fan when she gets cold 10 minutes later, then turn it back on 5 minutes after that.  I don't care how fancy the hotel is, they just don't have people to do that.  

And I'd love to hear her plan for when she wakes up from a bad dream all grumpy and scared.  I have yet to see a big, long hotel pillow hold her close and rub her head and then get her some juice with a straw.  

I don't know who she thinks she's gonna make my favorite chicken and noodles dish for.  She has no pans.

Of course, I'll do what I can to help.  While she's gone I'll be sure to not exercise, lose my keys 4 times a day, forget to eat, take off my glasses and stick 'em where I've never put them before, wear sweat pants and a dress shirt to church, stay up too late, get up too early, neglect shaving, partially bathe, leave Monopoly game parts all over the house, listen to Jazz too loud for too long, and take no notice of the day of the week.

When she comes home, she'll know she was missed.  It's the least I can do.

So pray for Gidget.  Poor thing.

And while you're at it, say a word or two for me too.

As together we stand and sing. 


BP

Monday, August 1, 2011

THOUGHT OF THE DAY #9


Here's a thought...

Hold on.  Nope.  Sorry.

I think that was gas.

My bad. Coulda sworn that was a thought.

Retitling now...

BURP OF THE DAY #1

That's better.   Well, it's not BETTER, but it IS more accurate.

As together we stand and sing.

BP

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Saturday, July 30, 2011

POEM POWER (#4)

Saturday night 
Is always so fun 
Unless you're a Preacher
Who's sermon's not done.

Aliens and Cowboys?
Or Bibles and Pews?
Another decision,
That's so hard to choose.

Should I stay in
And study and pray?
Or go into town
Buy Goobers and play?

Which do I pick?
What should I do?
A movie or Church?
Popcorn or Ruth? 

Read my concordance
Thought of Harrison Ford
Wasn't he good
Way back in Star Wars?

Then out of the blue
My brain stops hurtin'.
A movie illustration
Might pep up my sermon.

So I pack up my Bible
Assured I can swing it. 
I'll go out tonight
Tomorrow I'll wing it.

As together we stand and sing.

BP


Friday, July 29, 2011

THE BLERMON CHALLENGE (#1)


Recently someone sent me this picture...

...and submitted the challenge that I wouldn't be able to BleachTM (blog-preach) a BlermonTM (blog-sermon) about it.  

This may come as a surprise to many of you, but I'm afraid they were right.  I CAN'T Bleach a BlermonTM about it.  I can BleachTM THREE.  I've already finished the titles for them:


1.) The Parable of the Mouthy Elder Fish.

2.) When Bad Things Happen To Ugly Fish.

3.) What Would Jesus Do With THESE?

I could also make a couple of pretty cool Bible Greeting Cards out of it too.

"Missed you at the last Pot Luck Dinner..."


"Day Old Fish, Day Older You.  Happy Birthday!" 
(insert Bible fish verse)

"Congratulations on getting baptized!  Some friends who were there wanted to say hi". 

I could also do a short video/documentary called: 
 
Fishers of MEN
 Smell Better.








I wish somebody could tell me how do I do it?    I'm amazing.  I'm a BlermonTM force of nature.  A BleachingTM Wonder.

Let's eat.  Red Lobster tonight, Gidget?

As together we stand and sing.

BP 

PS: New Movie idea:

"HE AIN'T AN UGLY, DEAD FISH...
HE'S MY BROTHER."

Thursday, July 28, 2011

BP'S SERMON CHECKLIST



1.) WELCOME 
  - Visitors
  - Regular Members
  - Members who attend like Visitors.

2.) ANNOUNCEMENTS
  - The Summer Jell-o Salad Picnic is this Tuesday at noon.  We need more shaved carrots!  If you have shaved carrots or carrots that CAN be shaved, see Dottie.
  - Ladies Bible Class has been cancelled due to lack of Ladies who haven't read the book of Ruth in the last 20 years.
  -Dick and Doris Melanie have a new Lazy Boy recliner!  It is the kind with the drink holders and attachments for video games.  Dick sends thanks for all of your prayers over the years asking for the recliner.  Doris asks for your prayers for the coming years.

SERMON: 
Fish, Friends and Forgiveness

INTRODUCTION 
  a.) Funny farm story about a talking fish.
   b.) Scripture reading (TBD)
   c.) Power Point pic of me fishing in Montana (the weird hat one).

POINT #1 FRY A FISH
  a.) Sad story about a fish I killed.
  b.) Scripture of Jesus eating fish (TBD).
  c.) YouTube vid of guy frying fish and falling into the water.

POINT #2: FRY A FRIEND
  a.) Funny/scary story about a Friend I almost killed while fishing (in Idaho, not the Manitoba friend).
   b.) Make a reference to JAWS, friends, fish, people dying etc.
  c.) Show JAWS clip (long version) 
  d.) Buy new book on "How to Format A Sermon" (this is too hard).


POINT #3: FORGIVE, FORGET, FORECLOSE(ing).
  a.) Make some big point here.

  b.) Moment of silence
  c.) Tie everything together
  d.) Dog Poem: Why Dogs Make Me Cry And Fish Don't.


GIVE ALTAR CALL/INVITATION

Say...

As together we stand and sing.

BP