September 19: Feeling Like a Failure, Meetings, Amen

Last night, I watched the Emmy Awards, hosted by Jane Lynch.  Frankly, I didn't think the show was all that good.  The comedy bits weren't that funny, and Lynch seemed a little forced in her attempt to be Billy Crystal (or, at the very least, David Letterman).  As the night wore on, I thought about how difficult it must be to lose an award on national television.  It's one thing if you know you don't stand a snowball's chance in Tahiti when you walk down the red carpet, but showing up with even a glimmer of hope would be agonizing.  And then you have to sit there for three hours after your failure, applauding for other people.  That pretty much defines the word "suck."

It's easy to feel like a failure in the world today.  The economy is in the toilet.  Unemployment is out-of-control.  House sales are down.  Steve Jobs quit Apple.  And, at the moment, in my household, we are down to one income.  Mine.  I work two jobs, and I know I'm really lucky to have those two jobs.  However, even with my jobs, we are having a difficult time paying bills.  Each time I get a paycheck, it's spent the next day.  The little nest egg my wife and I had built up in our bank account is getting littler by the second.

I don't want you to feel sorry for me.  I know I'm a really lucky guy.  It's a matter of me appreciating what I have instead of what I want.  I may have to get up at 4:15 every morning.  I may have to work until 5 p.m.  I may have to attend tedious church meetings tonight.  I may only have nine followers on my blog.  I may have to eat hamburger helper for dinner tonight.  All those things aren't punishments.  They're blessings, and I give thinks for them.  All my big, fat, hairy, annoying, exhausting blessings.

Can Saint Marty get an "Amen"?

Even Jane Lynch can fail.

September 18: Another Weekend Shot in the Ass, New Cartoon

The weekend is almost over.  As usual, I didn't get half as much accomplished as I wanted to get accomplished.  However, I always shoot for the moon, and I usually end up hitting the garage.  Oh, well.

I don't have a lot of time tonight to post.  I have to be at a local assisted living facility to sing for a prayer service.  I was asked to do it this morning by one of the members of the praise band in which I play keyboard.  I would have to be, like, the worst, humpbacked bastard of a person to say "no" to the request.  Therefore, I will be singing "Amazing Grace" in about 40 minutes.

The rest of the evening, I'm planning to watch as much of the Emmy Awards as I can.  It depends on my kids and how tired I am.  I love Jane Lynch, however, so this should be a pretty good show.

Saint Marty has a new cartoon for you.  Think of it as his tribute to Charles Schulz.

The Confessions of Saint Marty