Won't Blog for Food

Many years ago, fresh out of college and still unemployed, I spent a day standing at one of the busiest intersections in Oklahoma City holding a sign that read "Will work for state fair tickets." That gig paid me $40 if I recall, and did draw some media attention, which was the state fair's purpose for having me do it, anyway.

A friend of mine and one of my loyal readers suggested I add a "tip jar" to my blog, where visitors/readers can reward me with pictures of dead presidents through my PayPal account. I'm flattered that she thinks I'm good enough to get paid for what I offer here, I'm just not convinced I agree. Besides, it raises a lot of issues.

If I blog for cash, I blog what sells, not necessarily what I want to say. I already get paid to write, albeit in another forum. And this is the one place I can say what I want without having some "editor" -- to use the term loosely -- coming in behind me and messing with my work.

So I don't think I'll be adding a link to my PayPal account anytime soon, though I'm smart enough to reserve the right to change my mind down the line, especially to raise money for specific causes, like the Norske Nook Pie Fund, for example.
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Was shopping in the hardware section at Wal-Mart the other day and found some adhesive bandages there made from duct tape. Pretty sweet. They were on clearance, so I got several packages. They'll be great -- and manly -- for use at camp.
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They're not exactly the tools of great price, but they're not cheap, either. So when I thought I had lost not one, but both of my Leatherman tools recently, I tore up the bedroom looking for them. Best I could figure, I left the Crunch in the glove box of a car I sold months ago. And I believed the Wave was left at the preacher's retreat. As fate would have it, I found both of them last weekend. The Crunch was in my dad's tool box; the Wave was hidden in the suitcase I took to the retreat.

That's good news for me, but not so good news for my friend Monica Hosler, who works for the president of the Leatherman Tool Group. She just about had me convinced I need a Surge, one of the newer models. Oh well. It's not like they won't get more money from me in time. Leatherman is releasing a new line of knives, not tools, and I reckon I'll "need" one of those down the line.
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Jerry Falwell was a no-show at the Oklahoma Baptist Convention this week, so I didn't get to hear him speak. But popular Baptist author John MacArthur was there, and gave a great presentation on prayer. J Mac has written a set of commentaries, has his own study Bible, and has written a slew of other books. He's on my list of authors to read now.
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Hope you're enjoying 40 Days of Free Indeed. I know I am. And I think I've remembered to change the song every day so far. Of course, writing that probably jinxes it.