Katdish.net

If you read my Friday twitter posts (and who doesn’t?), then you have no doubt seen me RT a certain @asilannax. We first crossed paths way back on Stuff Chrisians Like. But unlike me, she doesn’t feel the need to comment when there’s nothing to add to the conversation. As you will see from the following post, Anna-Lisa is like me, only much younger and funnier. So, enough of me, here’s Anna-Lisa:

When Kathy first asked me to write a blog post for her, my first thoughts were “Wait, write something longer than 140 characters? Is that even possible?” Needless to say, I’m a bit of a Twitter addict, but branching out is good, right?

Okay, now that the “What I First Thought Of When Bestowed With The Honor Of Guest Blogging For “ paragraph is out of the way, we can get on to the topic at hand! I have decided to write about How To Be Popular On The Internet. I realize this makes me sound arrogant and self-important, but then I thought about the movie Remember The Titans. Imagine if their chant was “We are the Titans, the kinda okay Titans! We are the Titans, the slightly talented Titans!” No one would have cared about that movie. That movie would have sucked.

This post will mainly focus on Twitter, since that is my area of expertise, but it can be applied to most areas of the internet as well.

Step One:
What level of popular do you prefer?

The first thing to discern is which level of popular you want to be. Do you want to be a famous individual on your own, by your own humor, efforts, talent, and hard work or play off the mistakes of others?

The answer is always the latter. If you chose the former, you have no business being on the internet. You probably already have a steady job and should be answering e-mail from your iPhone or something right now. Get off of here, the Internet doesn’t want you.

I’m obviously making a joke here, but seriously, internet popularity is easier if you just latch onto some kind of bandwagon and either support it or mock the daylights out of it. Observe American Idol, tons of people use Idol to makes lots of friends and set up websites and gossip about how they “can’t BELIEVE she chose that song last night. It didn’t fit her vocal ability at ALL.” Or, you can choose the road I travel, (AKA The Road Of Awesome!) and use the internet to make fun of Paula’s boobs and Randy’s less than eloquent vocabulary.

There’s also the youtube approach, in which you have one thing that makes you popular for a month or so, before you fade out of existence forever. Forever being until someone’s grandmother finds you by some hole in the internet and forwards around to everyone in her e-mail contact list. When your grandmother e-mails you something, understand that it has officially cycled the entire internet. Please, don’t forward it. (This includes: Charlie bit my finger, any video of a baby laughing, something disastrous and/or unexpected happening at a wedding, any video involving an animal falling off of, or into, an object, or a video with an animal and some sort of skateboard) Rule Of Thumb: If it looks like it could be on America’s Funniest Home Videos, the internet has already seen it. On America’s Funniest Home Videos. But I digress.

Step Two:
Gaining friends

The only way to gain friends is to make your ACTUAL friends join your latest obsession and feed off of them. It’s like luring a tiger into a box with a chicken wing and then eating the tiger. Oh, that might be too offensive for PETA members. It’s like luring a tiger into a box with some tofu burgers and then eating the tiger.

It’s actually nothing like that at all, I just wanted to find an excuse to throw a tiger in this blog post somewhere. *High fives self*

Step Three:
Participate in stupid actions

Have you ever considering setting yourself on fire while jumping off of a five story building onto a trampoline into a pool? Quick, grab a friend and a video camera and go do it!* Is your house on fire? QUICK, tweet about it first! Hopefully everyone will forward your stupidity around the internet until you are famous….for….being stupid. Well, no one said fame didn’t come with a price.

*Anna-Lisa and Katdish cannot be held accountable for any injuries sustained from following this advice. (Bonus tip: don’t do anything just because someone on the internet told you that their cousin’s best friend’s grandmother’s aunt’s dog did it and they TOTALLY turned out fine.)

Step Four:
Purchase an animal

Despite what you might thing, animals bring about the best entertainment on the internet. A dog chasing his tail or a cat falling into an aquarium, while overdone, is also incredibly amusing. Or suppose you find yourself alone on a Friday night, a simple tweet about “sitting alone. On a Friday night :(” will not gain you friends. You will be laughed at. However, if you buy a cute kitten and write about how you “have a smoking hot date, and the only thing he asks of you is that you change his litter box” BANG! You are suddenly funny and endearing in your loneliness. Now, hopefully your new kitten likes to snuggle, because you’ll probably still end up crying yourself to sleep each night.

Step Five:
Be famous before the internet

The best, most guaranteed way of being famous on the internet? Do something awesome before you make your appearance on the internet. Be hilarious like Ellen Degeneres. Be hot like Megan Fox. (Good luck!) Start a cult like Oprah. The possibilities are literally endless!
(Please also note that I am in no way famous online, I just enjoy stalking people that are.)

For more from Anna-Lisa in 140 characters or less, follow her on the twitter: @asilannax
For more from Anna-Lisa in blog form, you can find her at Not that You Care, But…

Okay, yes. It snowed in Houston last week. Old news. It’s all gone but the memories. More twitter caroling and whatnot. Also, I received an multiple recipient email with approximately 3,500 responses in the span of 20 minutes. Hence the exploding head tweet…

The best of me (or not) on the twitter:
@PuriChristos Cuz you ain’t been nothin’ but bad.

@PuriChristos So, I’m gettin’ nuttin’ for Christmas Mommy and Daddy are mad. I’m gettin’ nuttin’ for Christmas

@PuriChristos I did a dance on Mommy’s plants Climbed a tree and tore my pants Filled the sugar bowl with ants Somebody snitched on me.

@sarahmsalter @br8kthru Well, best I can figure, @weightwhat broke spades w/some kind of bodily function tweet. Am I right?

@br8kthru @sarahmsalter @weightwhat @redclaydiaries I don’t even want to know what y’all are talking about…

RT @stretchmarkmama: @prodigaljohn Are you like eight feet tall? http://twitpic.com/sxhh7 //If by “8′ tall” you mean “No”, then yes.

So, did you hear? I’m a “powerful internet tornado” (snort!): http://bit.ly/4xVMtk

@sarahmsalter I have no problem w/dollar store, I’m just anti-crap. I hate it when someone says, “Look! This was only $1” if it’s not needed

@marni71 @sarahmsalter (Slowly shaking my head in disapproval…)

@redclaydiaries You know what works for that? A recipe. Written down. (in reply to redclaydiaries @katdish Thank you. It always takes me 1 batch to remember how to make fudge. ADD is a b****)

@marni71 Don’t forget to dust the antlers before you decorate. ( in reply to marni71 @redclaydiaries @katdish @CandySteele @SBeeCreations Good morning ladies. I’m transforming my office into a Christmas wonderland.)

@PeterPollock It’s mad at me for dissing it on the twitter. ( in reply to PeterPollock Intense Debate is having HUGE problems on my blog today. Don’t give up though. Better to have 2 comments the same from you than none!)

@redclaydiaries Oh, well that sounds disgusting. (in reply to redclaydiaries @katdish U might like my first batch. More grainy than fudgey.)

@gyoung9751 I am now following your lovely wife, @Janet52young

22 entries on the #tendollarchallenge. Awesome…http://bit.ly/57RPbq

@PuriChristos I just don’t like the idea of having comments rated. Just bugs me

@redclaydiaries You know what? I don’t like fudge. Too fudgey…

@muchl8r , et. al. – Why I hate The Prayer Cross commercial: http://bit.ly/79YF42

@muchl8r Yesh! My day was going very well. But now that Prayer Cross commercial is on and I want to punch someone in the neck.

@bryanallain Oh, I’m all up in that

RT @bryanallain: KILLER DEAL at Amazon right now on ALL 190 episodes of Seinfeld on DVD – $84.99 (from $250.99) http://bit.ly/7Op7yg

@PuriChristos Yet another reason I hate intense debate.

@billycoffey Sigh. I know. If it wasn’t for the heated garage, I don’t know what I would have done. (in reply to billycoffey @katdish I can’t believe your car even started in those temperatures.)

@billycoffey I know. It’s horrid… (in reply to billycoffey @katdish You poor thing.)

@CandySteele @buzzbyannies @billycoffey It’s a chilly 37 here. I drove my daughter to the bus stop.

@kenworley What a bunch wet blankets… (in reply to kenworley @katdish Good morning. I don’t think the other people in the office would like it if I wore fuzzy pj this morning.)

Good Morning Twitter! It’s looking like a fuzzy pj sort of morning!

Super Cool Pastor/Church Planter/Twitter Snob Vince Antonucci is doing something awesome, you should check it out http://bit.ly/C64Ol

“We have absolute verification that our suspect lives here. His phone no. is on this pizza box”~Dog the Bounty Hunter

@charliewetzel you ARE a mean one Mr. Grinch!

Behold! Whoville at night!

@llbarkat Tell you what, next time I’m in NY, I’ll buy you a venti and one of those fancy muffins. (in reply to llbarkat @katdish you can’t leave. I’m waiting for my coffee. 🙂

Okay, people! Gotta go paint a laundry room today. For money. I’ll have to enrich all your lives later…

RT @pagan43: @billycoffey Cheese and wine go well together. Do not let them abuse you ! //Oh, he loves it…

@redclaydiaries Don’t forget your snuggie… (in reply to redclaydiaries Spending the day out. Which means I’m fully dressed. In clothes. That match. And wearing shoes. U wouldn’t recognize me)

RT @HeatheroftheEO: @billycoffey Yes, no more Mr. Whiney Whinerton. Rain Shmain 🙂

@billycoffey Sorry, have I not called you that before? My bad… (in reply to billycoffey @katdish Now you’re calling me cheesy?!)

RT @sarahmsalter: @billycoffey A casserole is a complex, but often comforting mixture. I think that fits. //& cheesy – don’t forget cheesy

@gyoung9751 I know…we’re weather wussies. (in reply to gyoung9751 @katdish When we lived in Houston, it snowed once – 1/2 inch. Paralyzed the city.)

RT @mabeswife: RT: @JeffAbram: Hate cannot run out hate, only love can do that. – Martin Luther King @quotme

@MattTCoNP @buzzbyannies Shaddup

“You are a human casserole, Mr. Coffey.” – @candysteele http://bit.ly/5eIzuw

@gyoung9751 Well, not if you live in St. Louis. That’s big news in SE Texas.

The lovely & talented @JeanneDamoff wrote a very nice post where she calls me “adorably incorrigible” http://bit.ly/7bWlBp

@TheBloggess You’re a little too far southeast. Been to West Texas lately? (in reply to TheBloggess Also? Horny toads. Where have all the horny toads gone? I can only assume they’re with the tumbleweeds.)

@billycoffey Well you’ve all heard the storyAbout Rudolph and his nose Well I’ll tell you a Christmas tell That never has been told

@pagan43 Um…ewh. (in reply to pagan43 @katdish Weiner Poopie is waaaay funnnnee. Not like Rotweiler Poopie, which has buttons,fabric scraps and all manner of debris. KC)

@bryanallain I think you just like typing weiner poopie.

RT @bryanallain Weiner Poopie http://bit.ly/81DDg8

@llbarkat A client asked me how much I would charge her to paint all the woodwork in her house. I quoted her a million dollars.

@marni71 My mom buys me clothes for Christmas. She wraps them in the hanging bag w/the hangers still on them. (in reply to marni71 @makeadiff21 What is this “wrap” of which you speak. If it doesn’t fit in a gift bag, I don’t buy it.)

@marni71 Ugh! (in reply to marni71 @sarahmsalter @katdish @billycoffey @makeadiff21 Good Morning! There are 17 shopping days left until Christmas. You’re welcome.)

Safety warning! Do NOT eat the new ZHU ZHU pets toy. Thank GOODNESS I read that…

@BridgetChumbley Now I’ve got that song in my head. Anticipay,yay,tion is making me wait…

RT @BridgetChumbley: New Post: One Word at a Time…’Anticipation’ http://bit.ly/8pvLl4

Oh GAAAA!!! Joel Osteen is on my tv! Where’s the remote?

RT @CarolynHoyt: What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use things instead of using people and loving things.

@CandySteele No, sigh…it’s all gone. I can’t believe you didn’t choose to bless that guy with whole milk & a pack of smokes!

RT @Brian_Russell: Saw a license plate on a Corvette that said “RT THIS”. You, sir, are a nerd.

@CandySteele I’ll tell her after she stops crying about what you said.

@CandySteele Are you dissing my daughter’s snowman? Do you want to make her cry or something?

@PuriChristos Yes. It’s about 2 feet high. I’ve NEVER seen this much snow in Houston, & it’s still coming down.

@redclaydiaries I think @charliewetzels tweet is a TWSS comment waiting to happen.

Can I sub in watermelons? #randomemailquotes

Deep breath…AHEM. #followfriday @myapronstrings & mucho thanks for the $10 Challenge button design http://bit.ly/57RPbq

@redclaydiaries What you need is a good coconut bra #randomemailquotes

@billycoffey Don’t you start with me… (in reply to billycoffey @sarahmsalter Oh, @katdish doesn’t pay any attention to me anymore. I keep her too busy.)

Dear Twitter, If you don’t hear back from me today, it’s because my head exploded. Love, katdish

I just found out school is letting out early because of weather conditions. Okay, seriously? Michigan is laughing at us.

RT @jewda4: taking the road less traveled is generally a wise move, except in heavy snow with a 4-cyl car

Nooo! RT @Helenatrandom: Here’s a secret about me….Sometimes I get carried away and go a little overboard. Shhh…Don’t tell anyone.

RT @PeterPollock: Follow @billycoffey He’s written the best fiction novel of 2010! #followfriday
@Helenatrandom Ah, yes…thank goodness for Al Gore (in reply to Helenatrandom @katdish It must be the fault of………….GLOBAL WARMING!!!!!!!)

It’s snowing in Houston!

@sarahmsalter Mmmm…..monkey!

Sorry/You’re Welcome

Awhile back I wrote a silly little post entitled The ABC’s of crap in my purse where I mentioned that since the purse was a gift from my generous sister, I really had no idea how much it cost. That is, until I dripped white paint (occupational hazard) and went shopping to find its replacement. I was quite shocked at the price and decided that I could live with a little spot of white on the otherwise brown leather bag. Besides, the more I looked at it, the more I convinced myself a little imperfection added character to that otherwise high brow handbag.

And then another thought occurred to me. A question, to be more specific: Does the price of the gift matter? Would I have been more careful with that gift had I understood its value?

To find out where this particular rabbit trail took me, read the rest of the story over at my friend Peter’s place, Rediscovering the Church

“How we view people is half of how we love them.” – Koffijah

If you live in a metropolitan area, chances are you have seen your share of panhandlers. For years I did what many people do when at a red light where a homeless person has staked their claim. I stared straight ahead and pretended not to see. But pretending not to see them doesn’t make them any less there. This post is not about the hows and whys of people living on the streets. It’s meant to be about loving people without judging them. That’s what I attempted to do this past Monday…

Last Wednesday I shared my first attempt at the Ten Dollar Challenge. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, and the results were not exactly what I expected. This week wasn’t much different, although I will say it was more personally gratifying.

I had a couple of ideas, both involving the five pre-packaged, banana nut muffins that sat in my pantry. I will probably attempt the other idea next week, but for this week I decided I would put together care packages, drive down the access road of I-10, and hand them out the first five homeless people I spotted. Sadly, finding five homeless people within 20 miles of my upper middle class neighborhood is quite an easy task.

The package included a muffin, banana, chocolate milk, a small amount of money and a note that said the following:

I don’t know if it was choice or circumstance that brought you to this corner, but for the purposes of this note it matters not.

I just wanted you to know that on a day when perhaps 100 cars or more will pass you by and pretend you’re not there, there is at least one person who sees you, and there is a God who loves you.

I know this isn’t much, but if nothing else I hope it brightens your day a little bit.

God bless,

Anonymous

Yeah, I know…I’m not usually a fan of Anonymous, but in this case I thought it was appropriate.

Like I mentioned, finding homeless folks in this town is not a difficult task. They can be found under most overpasses that are heavily traveled. And while my task was not difficult, it wasn’t as easy as I had thought (hoped) it would be, because if I was traveling east, rest assured the person I wanted to bless was standing on the opposite side of the overpass facing west or vice-versa.

Every. Single. Time.

That’s okay. I think that was God’s way of letting me know He expected me to put forth a little effort in the endeavor.

The first man I gave a bag to gave me the standard smile and “God bless you”, then immediately walked behind a pillar to inspect the contents of the bag. What happened next was my blessing. I watched him read the note. He then waved at me with what seemed a genuine smile to replace the practiced one. I waved, returned the smile and drove away.

The next man was young (mid to late 20’s is my guess). I suspect he was just passing through town, escaping from colder climates north. His first reaction was the same as the first man’s — he walked behind a pillar to inspect the contents. His next reaction was quite different however. Instead of smiling and waving, he bent down and put both hands over his face. He remained like that for at least as long as I could see him in my rear view mirror. Whether in tears, in prayer or something else, I’ll never know…

My next attempt was a woman sitting under an underpass holding a plastic Target bag. She didn’t look like she lived on the streets. She looked as if she was waiting for a ride. (Which is incredibly dangerous, but I digress.) I tried to give her a bag, but she waved me off and said, “Merry Christmas, in case I don’t see you before then!” She could have taken the bag, she chose not to. Perhaps hoping that someone who was more in need would get it instead. That made me smile.

Next came a seasoned veteran of the streets. He took his bag, thanked me and returned to his stoop.

Two bags left.

What I thought would be a two for one stop turned out to be much more. The two men standing at the intersection accepted the bags happily with a “Praise Jesus!” and a “Hallelujah!” Turns out, they were not homeless men at all. They were passing out flyers and raising money for a non-profit organization that “helps recovering addicts and homeless men and women restore their lives through the Word of God.” According to their flyer, they provide free counseling, transitional housing, food and clothing. If this is a legitimate organization, I can think of no better way to express my gratitude than providing these two volunteers with a little snack and some pocket change.

It was a fairly painless process for me to provide a few folks with a snack and a note. To address the reasons why someone is on the streets in the first place can be an overwhelming, thankless, heartbreaking endeavor. May God bless their ministry.

To read more Ten Dollar Blessing stories, visit What I Learned Today. Just click on the gift box, peeps!

As I mentioned on Saturday, we had a pretty significant snowfall last Friday. I received a pre-recorded phone call from the school district informing parents that students would be released early due to inclement weather. I was expecting this. Folks in this neck of the woods drive big trucks and SUVs, but we’re pretty clueless when it comes to how to drive in snow and ice. I was also expecting my kids to be very excited about being able to play in the snow.

Both kids soon bounded through the door–my 12 year old son more excited about getting out of school early than the reason behind it, but my daughter? She couldn’t wait to get back outside and play in the white stuff.

Soon enough the three of us made our way to the backyard. After a brief snowball fight, my son found his way to the swing set. Content to be an observer rather than a participant, he simply enjoyed the blanket of white and the cold while listening to tunes on his ipod.

At this point in the story I could wax poetic about how I reveled in the opportunity to trod through the snow with my 8 year old daughter and experience the rare and magical experience. Instead I’ll be honest and tell you it was cold out there. I had things to do inside. The early dismissal forced me out of my regularly scheduled programming. Basically, I wanted my day back.

And then I caught a glimpse of what my daughter was experiencing and suddenly none of those other things mattered. Because what she had found in the snow-covered lawn was joy — pure, unadulterated, unapologetic, incredibly contagious joy.

So I cheered her on while she made a snow angel, helped her wrap up some snow in tin foil and stored it in the freezer for safe keeping.

We rolled three balls of snow together to make a snowman. We raided the kitchen together to find a carrot nose and raisin eyes. She cheered me on while I clipped a stray branch from an oak tree for arms, even after I got a face full of wet snow for my trouble.

By the end of the following day the snow had been replaced by drizzling rain and the snowman was a shadow of his former self. But even though the snow had melted the memories will remain.

I’ve often wondered where that magic of childhood goes once we’re introduced to the realities of this world. I’ve wondered if it simply abandons us or if it merely sleeps somewhere inside our hidden places. I’m still not sure if it’s either or none. But I am sure of this–we don’t have a say in growing older. But we sure do have a say in growing up.

The thing about living at the foot of a mountain is that it’s often windy. Sometimes it’s little more than a gentle breeze that will tousle your hair. Other times it’s enough to make you pull your ball cap down a little tighter. And then there are the winds that don’t simply blow but rage. Like the ones last Wednesday.

I was outside the next morning surveying the damage, which wasn’t all together bad. The only things out of place were a few of the Christmas decorations—two bows that had found their way into the rose bushes, a strand of lights that had been blown from the tree, and a toppled Nativity scene.

The bows and lights were simple enough, though I had to impale my thumb on a thorn and smack myself in the face with a tree branch in order to set aright what the wind had blown askew. Mary, Joseph, a wise man, and a shepherd had dog piled the holy child to shield him from harm.

I stood the shepherd up first, brushing away a few leaves and a clump of mud. Then the wise man, then Joseph, and finally Mary. Then I stooped down to brush off little Emmanuel.

Halfway into my crouch, I stopped. In a strange act of contortion I didn’t believe was possible, I both furrowed my brow and bulged my eyes at the sight before me. Because there, right there where the swaddled babe was supposed to be, was nothing.

The rusty gears in my head began to lurch and churn, the results of which seemed to be subtle variations of one question—And what’s that mean?

And what’s that mean? The dog pile didn’t work.

And what’s that mean? My Baby Jesus is gone.

And what’s that mean? Uh-oh.

I stood up and looked around. Nothing. Looked under the truck and around the corner of the house and in the neighbor’s yard and by the creek. Nothing.

A chill ran down my spine that could have either been panic or the last remnants of the cold December wind the night before. How could we have Christmas without the Baby Jesus? What now?

I entertained a brief thought that I should call in and take the day off (“Jesus is MISSING!” I would say). But I didn’t. I wasn’t worried. After all, I’d found the real one. Surely I could find a plastic one, too.

Surely. Maybe. Well, hopefully.

I didn’t get much done that day; I was paid more for eight hours of worry and dread than actual work. My children were ignorant of the situation for obvious reasons. A missing Baby Jesus would bring the sort of panic that children display in tears and snot. Which meant I would have to find him before they knew he was missing.

I went home that afternoon and searched the entire neighborhood. I knocked on doors (“Have you found Jesus?” I asked, and received many wonderful answers. And one that was not so wonderful). I made phone calls. I drove, and when that didn’t work I walked. I even resorted to calling out His name—“Jesus?” “JESUS??”

Still? Nothing.

I had given up and begun preparing my failed-father speech to the family when I spotted a hunk of plastic beneath an evergreen tree. I’d be lying if I said there was a golden ray of light shining down upon it, but it sure felt that way. I sprinted over to the tree, pulled back a dangling branch, and lo and behold, there he lay in peaceful plastic slumber.

My Baby Jesus is back where he belongs now, safely tucked just under the living room window with ma and pa watching over him. And also two carefully placed stakes holding him in place.

I just checked on him. Still there. But a thought came to my mind as I peered through the curtains—shouldn’t I be more mindful of where the real Jesus is than my plastic one? Shouldn’t I make sure that He, too, is right beside me? And in those times when I find He isn’t, shouldn’t I go looking for Him with the same sense of purpose and urgency that I did with a simple Christmas decoration?

Yes, I think. Very much so.

Because the winds rage not just outside my window, but inside my heart, too. They howl doubt and blow jealousy. They gust fear. And while those winds can never blow Jesus away from me, they’ve been known upon occasion to blow me away from Him.

***

To read more from Billy Coffey, visit him at at his website and follow him on the twitter at @billycoffey.

A brief update on the snowfall from yesterday’s post:

Yeah…I think that was the extent of our white Christmas. Frosty – may he rest in peace.

I was bummed out that President Obama’s speech preempted the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Oh, I know I could have rented it, but it’s just not the same. I remember looking forward to watching it every year growing up, and while I can’t bring you the show in its entirety, here’s the true meaning of Christmas as told by everyone’s favorite blanket toting Peanuts character, Linus:

I’ll be doing some Christmas shopping this week. This year I intend to do much more praying and a lot less stressing about the perfect gift for those on my list. Because as Linus eluded to, we’ve already been offered the best gift of all. If we’ve accepted the gift, that’s certainly cause for rejoicing this Christmas.

And speaking of gifts, have you taken the Ten Dollar Challenge yet? (And yes, I’m going to shamelessly promote this all month long – just saying.)

Earlier this week, I watched the weatherman with mild amusement as he predicted snow for Friday. You see, I live in Houston, Texas. I’ve lived here for over 30 years. I’ve seen snow (the kind that sticks to the ground) a total of 3 or 4 times, and I’ve NEVER seen snow like I saw yesterday. It’s sort of a big deal…

I’ve got a blog post stewing in my busy little mind about my experiences in the snow, but since it’s Saturday I thought I’d just share some pictures for now.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend — snow or no snow. I’m hoping to get out early tomorrow and enjoy what’s left of the snow before the weather remembers that whole global warming thing…

This week @HelenatRandom came up with the fabulous idea of Twitter Caroling, which frankly took about two or three emails for me to grasp what the heck she was talking about — I’m sort of dumb sometimes. Anyhoo, it was a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. Helen is like our random, cheery cruise director on the twitter. I even got serenaded by the beautiful, classic Christmas favorite, “Grandma got run over by a reindeer.” Appropriate, don’t you think?

Got my Christmas lights and yard art up, too. Overall a very productive week on and off the twitter.

So, here’s the best of me (or not) on the twitter:

@sarahmsalter That’s why I use symbols like @$$ (in reply to sarahmsalter @katdish I try to keep it rated-PG.)

@sarahmsalter Or a wise something… (in reply to sarahmsalter @billycoffey A search party to find baby Jesus… Well, that must make you a wise man. Or at least a wise guy.)

Yard art envy http://twitpic.com/rzydo

@JodyHedlund Yeah, hold out as long as you can. When my kids gave up naps I was like, “Well NOW when am I supposed to take a shower?”

@JodyHedlund Wait…your 4 year old still takes naps? Lucky!

@redclaydiaries Well, after the baby Jesus at McDonalds comment, I wouldn’t be so sure.

@redclaydiaries Is there lightning in the greater Georgia area? Think I might stay inside if I were you…

@redclaydiaries Dang, you beat me to the breaking wind comment…

@PuriChristos Uh, huh…got my link didn’t I? (in reply to PuriChristos For lazy people like @katdish you can get to NickGeek.com using this short url http://is.gd/5asvB)

@PuriChristos You should provide a link.

@kenworley It’s sort of an ongoing conversation, Ken (in reply to kenworley @katdish are you talking to your-self again.)

Yesh! 2 loads away from completing the laundry! What’s that?…Is everything folded and put away?…Oh, shut up.

@indymavs Good for you! I just pulled 4 paper towels, a gum wrapper & a pen out of one load of jeans. (in reply to indymavs @katdish mine are typically trash-free)

Oh, okay…So @prodigaljohn gets Little Drummer Boy, @stacyasmallSFL get Emmanuel, and I get Grandma got run over by a Reindeer? Nice…

@br8kthru You’re like a weird combination of Michael Scott and Joey from “Friends”.

Laundry Day Survey: Do all menfolk use their pockets as tiny trash receptacles, or is it just my household?

@bryanallain Today? Oh, enriching lives thru the power of social media and laundry. (in reply to bryanallain @katdish good morning to you as well. what’s on tap for today?)

@stacyasmallSFL In ancient times did’st give the LawIn cloud, & majesty and awe. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Okay, my friends. I gotta get some sleep! Goodnight all! And goodnight @HerbieGookins, wherever you are!

@weightwhat Dang! I was trying to beat you to the TWSS!

@sarahmsalter TWSS

@sarahmsalter You’re gonna hook up with Mr. Linky in the morning? And…..

RT @human3rror: Wow. Fire in the apple store. Kicked out by fire marshals. //WHAT DID YOU DO???

RT @weightwhat: Me thinks that @billycoffey doth protest too much. // I concur…

RT @billycoffey: Came home to find my wife playing the Kenny G Christmas CD. I suddenly hate this time of year

@weightwhat Sweat pants. (in reply to weightwhat I’m going to Sonic for the 1st time. Any recommendations?)

@HeatherSunseri Sorry. @helenatrandom was having TWS – twitter withdrawl syndrome. Not to be confused with TWSS.

This is a test.

@TAnneAdams Writers always see the glass half empty, huh? With a chip and a lipstick stain on the side.

RT @TAnneAdams: SO strange not have a word count hanging over your head. Although, I’m sure edits will find a fresh way to stress me out.

RT @kelli1227: Black Friday observation: wearing Crocs and a Snuggie at Macys after lunch is not cool. Really.

My weaknesses? Well, I oversleep and call in sick a lot. #NotToSayOnJobInterview

RT @InkPanther: I love starting fires. #NotToSayOnJobInterview

RT @marni71: Seriously! Who let’s Bruce Springsteen record Christmas music? It sounds like he’s having a colonoscopy when he sings…

RT @marni71: @katdish So now you’re a lunch menu pharisee as well? // No, I just don’t eat fish out of a can.

RT @marni71: @Helenatrandom I know! Spray cheese does sound good. Especially with @pagan43’s potted meat and saltines. //VURP!

OMGoogle, what a geek: RT @PuriChristos: at 12:42 and 10 seconds my binary clock makes a really cool arrow pointing up.

@redclaydiaries Oh, don’t worry. It’s just my imaginary friend Steph trying to steal our yard art.( in reply to redclaydiaries RT @katdish: @redclaydiaries It would make baby Jesus happy. http://twitpic.com/rl778 //Mommy, what’s that scary shadow on my curtains?)

And of course sweet baby Jesus. http://twitpic.com/rixat

Exhibit B http://twitpic.com/rix58

Exhibit A http://twitpic.com/rix1t

@marni71 I’m katdish. That’s what I do… (in reply to marni71 @sarahmsalter I think it counts! Don’t ask @katdish since she’s being a Christmas decoration pharisee)

@marni71 Well don’t hurt yourself going all out. (in reply to marni71 @katdish @redclaydiaries we’re gonna put a green light bulb in the porch light and red ones in the landscape lights and calling it a day.)

@redclaydiaries Oh, you’re just getting back from vacation. I’ll sit in judgment of you mid-week.

@redclaydiaries Hey there Steph! Did you hear I already have my Christmas lights up?

@marni71 Shaddup… (in reply to marni71 @katdish Today is Monday. Did your kids miss school? Nice parenting…)

@marni71 I’m okay now. Last night I thought today was Monday. Kinda freaked me out.

Hello Twitter! Miss me? I’ve been putting up my Christmas lights and yard art so that I can sit in judgment of those of you who haven’t.

My daughter gives my sister a Thanksgiving makeover. I am grateful my sister is not on the Twitter.

Clearly, the cows are terrified. http://twitpic.com/rc5zn

@JanetOber 6 months ago if you googled “katdish” I didn’t show up for a few pages. Shameless self promotion is a rare and beautiful thing.

If you google “katdish” you will find a web designer by the same name. A fact that @peterpollock no doubt finds hilarious.

And again, sorry/you’re welcome!

Yesterday I shared my first attempt at Billy Coffey’s ten dollar challenge . It didn’t exactly work out the way I had planned, but I was still able to buy a couple cups of coffee for some unsuspecting people.

Last night while we were setting up for praise team practice, I was talking to Jeff (senior pastor/worship leader) about my attempt at an anonymous act of kindness and how it didn’t go as expected. I went on to remark how genuinely surprised the employee I spoke with was that I would do such a thing and how I was genuinely surprised that he was surprised.

“Surely people buy other folks coffee all the time, right”, I said. “No. They really don’t”, Jeff said. He went on to say that in all the time he did that type of work, he saw someone pay for a total stranger’s order maybe four times. “Really?”, I said. “Really. Friends will buy friends a cup of coffee without much thought. People just don’t pay for total strangers”, he said.

It truly surprised me that this is such a rare occurrence. Why do you suppose that is? It’s such an easy, painless thing to do. As Christians, we should be looking for opportunities to love people, not because we’re supposed to, but out of gratitude for the love He has lavished on us. It doesn’t have to cost money, just a small investment of time and effort.

The first time I saw the following commercial, I thought it was cool — right up until the very end when you figure out it’s an ad for an insurance company — that sort of bummed me out.

Are random acts of kindness so rare these days that we need to be reminded to do them by an insurance company? I dunno, just seems sort of sad to me.

So here’s my challenge (I know, I’m very demanding here lately): Do something today for which you expect absolutely no recognition for. Someone once said character is what you do when no one is looking. What type of character are you?

And speaking of characters, find out who Billy Coffey met during his own personal ten dollar challenge over at The Christmas Change.