MichaelDLilly.com

Do you ever get specific lines of things stuck in your head?  For the last couple days I have had a line stuck in my head from “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood” by William Cowper.  The line is this:

When this poor lisping stammering tongue, lies silent in the grave… Then in a nobler sweeter song, I’ll sing thy power to save.

I really enjoy that song, though at face value it would appear morbid, if one takes the time to understand the words it is truly beautiful.  Whenever we sing this at church, this line just gets me every time and tends to stick with me for a while.

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After work I went promptly to the hardware store and bought some pest juice and sprayed the hell out of the perimeter of my home.  About an hour later I walked outside and enjoyed the fact nothing was crawling

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I found this spawn of Satan hatching little ones before attempting to lay siege to my house.  The animals are against us my friends.  I suggest you sharpen your skills and get ready, you never know when they’ll come after you next.

Did I mention Di is deathly afraid of spiders?

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The last few weeks Noel has spoke on a indicators in your life that your focus was not where it was supposed to be (God).  One of the major indicators that he spoke of was contentment ( do you obsess over something, or are to totally cool if God took that thing away too).

Last night I was putting a window shaker style ac unit in my bedroom because I’m content not paying to replace my broken central air unit when something quite challenging happened to me.  You see, my wife and I strive to be somewhat of a minimalist, I just don’t want to accumulate junk in my life.  My bedroom consists of two night stands, two lamps, a bed, and a dresser.  Nothing else goes in my bedroom, because I don’t need anything else in my bedroom.  My family purchased Di and I a very nice dresser for a wedding gift, heirloom quality, good stuff…  Well, while being VERY careful trying to manage this ac unit, and being quite annoyed that it was dripping water every turn I made, I snagged this dresser with a corner of the ac unit.

I was instantly bummed that I had just hurt something that I liked, I was more frustrated that I hurt something Diana really liked.  I was bummed, but not in anyway tormented, but I was a little concerned what my bride would have to say…  And much to my liking, she shrugged and said “its all just stuff.”  This is not to say that we don’t care, and that she wasn’t disappointed, but more that we where not willing to let this be a “BIG” deal.

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The IISD, were I work, had to cut budget this year, and axed 32 positions.  Given that we are union the pin action from the cuts is not pretty, and the individuals being bumped were notified today.

Today was more like a morgue than a school…  One of my best friends got bumped.  The way the bumps are working is really out is going to make life pretty difficult around there…

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SOOO close to buying this bad boy today.  Best buy has a couple on hand in Okemos.  I will probably be buying one on Sunday as it is the “reward zone” customer day or something like that.  So I figure I can run on in then and get double reward points on it

At this point I’m gunning to get the updated processor and better ISO capabilities, plus having a spare camera is never a bad idea.  From there I’ll be spending my flow in lenses to get things rolling.  Once the hobby is kinda paying for itself, then I get more agressive on getting into a pro level body instead of a pro-am body.

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I’ve been in a funk for a couple months….paritlaly work related, partially me just getting run down and disillusioned.  This video kinda sumed up how I’ve felt and actually how it impacted the ol’photog hobby…

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Di and I took some time this evening to check out the new submissions to the Riv Gallery. The submissions this time, to me, where a little less impressive than the last round, but there where a handful that are REALLY good. I think Kristie is doing a great job with the task of finding / recruiting / sifting through submissions to come up with a fantastic display.

It was funny I had a handful of people ask where my photo was, but my story was pretty well rehearsed by now. The gallery theme this round was pretty intimidating which probably shows my inexperience as far as art goes… I only had one idea that I really liked, but the opportunity to shoot that idea never presented itself. SO, I will just keep it locked up and maybe it will fit into a theme for the future.

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I’m working on transitioning my site to a new web host. Yippee.

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Pour one down for my iPhone…  *sniffle*

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Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
the day my iPhone died

He was singing,
“bye-bye, miss american pie.”
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, “this’ll be the day that I die.
“this’ll be the day that I die.”

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d used the iPhone months before,
But the man there said the iPhone wouldn’t play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
the day my iPhone died.

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