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08/22/2006

It's late August and I really should be back at school

Or at least my kids are. Youngest started Kindergarten yesterday. First day is traditionally a half-day just about everywhere, and our district is no exception. Some school districts have half-day kindergarten, but not ours. They go all day.

I went to work a little late to get the obligatory first-day photos. Happy, upbeat, fun are all words I'd use to describe Youngest's mood. I wasn't there when she came home, having gone to work and all. Wonderful Wife could tell that things weren't quite copacetic when the kids got off the bus. There is the instant uncertainty - "Should I be worried?" "Did something happen at school?" "Is she sick?". A quick check of the forehead revealed we had a little inferno on our hands. Clear liquids, STAT! 100 MG Tylenol ASAP! Monitor body temperature.

She's been a trooper, that little one. Basically happy even though she's hot enough to melt microchips. Or Dell laptop batteries supplied by Sony. We're keeping the fluids and fever reducers going. Appetite is good. Energy not too bad.

You love your kids, you know, and you'd trade places with them in a heartbeat when they're sick.

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07/03/2006

I've gone geek!

If you've noticed the tape on my glasses lately, don't be alarmed. I've gone over to the geek side, but it's not contagious.

It all started back in April when we got our new laptop (a Dell E1505). Having a laptop without a wireless network seemed almost pointless in this day and age, so we decided to go ahead and get DSL. To make the DSL work, I needed a NIC (Network Interface Card, or Ethernet Card) for the desktop. While I was picking up the NIC, I decided to spring for some extra RAM, since we've been running an anemic 96MB for 7 years. You know how they tell you that more RAM is better? They were right!

So I installed the NIC and the RAM - and it worked! I was so proud of myself. Then I hooked up the new AT&T/Yahoo DSL Gateway. I walked through all the steps of setting up a wireless network and voila! We're surfing the web on the sofa! Too cool.

Ah, but a true geek can't stop there. Inherent in the geek gene is a sixth sense that says "But it can do more." So I needed to set up file and print sharing (much harder than the internet connection). After playing with this for a week, I went ahead and bought a Windows XP SP2 upgrade for the desktop (it helped that I read that Win98 would not be supported beyond July 11, and that it was on sale for about 2/3 off) and installed that Saturday night.

So now I've got two machines, both with WinXP SP2. But I can't connect to the internet on the desktop. After an hour or so of troubleshooting, I called AT&T support. Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! Let it be declared and proclaimed that AT&T has worthwhile technical support. At 9:00 on a Sunday night, I got a message that I should try turning off the router and the computer and turning them back on. That didn't help, but I called again and talked to Dave. He walked me through some of the steps I've already tried, and finally, we ended up staring rather disgustedly at a corrupt network stack. Fortunately, the problem was as simple as uninstalling the NIC driver and re-booting the computer. XP found and ran the correct driver on startup.

Up-Armored Vue
Eldest brought her best friend home from church last night. They had a great time, and were well-behaved to boot. In a morning of guilty pleasure, I took Eldest, her guest, and Youngest to the park (What's that you say? Why wasn't I at work on a Monday? BONUS HOLIDAY!) The girls played while I read and enjoyed the sunshine.

Finally, it was time to take our guest home at about 3:00 this afternoon. In our neck of the woods, we just about need body armor to go outside around July 4th, for fear that a stray bottle rocket might impact our vital parts. As I backed out of the garage, I wished I had up-armored the SUV.

My Walter-Mitty daydreams aside, the trip was pretty uneventful. In a senior moment, I missed the exit off the freeway, which meant I took the kids to that town with a strange name. Which worked out, actually, since Youngest had just fallen asleep and she got a bonus 15 minutes to nap.

And you can't beat that, can you?

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06/07/2006

What do...

What do a giant, inflatable obstacle course, a pound of super-sour gummi worms, fake "rubys" and all you can eat picnic food have in common?

They were all part of my very busy day. Also part of the annual picnic at work.

So what have you been up to?

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05/20/2006

Can't keep a good kid down

You know your kids are growing up when they start to mow the lawn for you.

Eldest did just that this morning. Actually, she mowed the front lawn. I mowed the back, which is pretty much a slope in one direction or another. She also pulled weeds and ran the vacuum cleaner after cleaning her guinea pig cage (a weekly task).

It was a good day. Wonderful Wife had to work, so the girls and I were on our own. The day started a little cool - but still warmer than we've grown accustomed to. It's been a cool May, for which I am grateful. I keep telling anyone that will listen "I would rather have it sixty-five than ninety-five". I stand by that statement.

Youngest graduated from Pre-K last night. We're telling her she can call herself a kindergartner. She was so thrilled to be graduating that she could hardly sleep. The graduating class was small - just five little scholars - but they were an enthusiastic group.

I haven't been reading blogs much. I guess that contributes to my lack of posting. On the other hand, I guess I get more done. Fair trade.

I'm using Google Desktop on my work PC and new (home) notebook. I like it. Searches are fast because of the indexing the program does automatically. Plus, the software searches program files, cached internet files, e-mail, the whole nine yards. That's pretty cool.

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04/19/2006

Back online

I'm a travellin' man, that's what I am. Spring is my heavy travel time, but I shouldn't complain. Heavy travel in my job means I go out of town maybe three times in three months. I've been to Mount Vernon, OH (see this post), Chicago/Kankakee/Bourbonnais (those of you who are familiar with the Nazarene higher education network might be detecting a pattern here) and Nampa, ID.

Typically, these are recruiting trips and I travel alone, as I did to Mount Vernon and Nampa. The trip to Chicago combined recruiting and an educational conference, the Human Capital Summit and my boss and I traveled together.

Oh, and I forgot the road trip. Here's how this interesting side trip worked out. I flew to Nampa on Tuesday the 11th, and flew back Wednesday night, getting to bed about 1:00 Thursday morning. We pulled out at 6:30 for a 3-hour drive to Omaha, where we went to a baseball game. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, with light breezes and warm temperatures. Plus, I always enjoy watching the Royals win. Unfortunately, we were watching the Omaha Royals, the AAA team for the KC franchise. Seems Omaha is the only team bearing that name doing any winning these days.

We stayed at the Omaha Marriott Thursday night. I know what you're thinking. Wow! Must be nice to stay at the Marriott. Yep. It is. Usually, we stay at a Comfort/Sleep Inn or similar chain. I got a super price on the Marriott room from Priceline - we paid $50 for a $189 a night room! Okay, I think they put us in the smallest room they had, and it was right next to the ice machine and elevator. On the other hand, it was very comfy and we didn't have to drag the luggage all over. Plus, we would have probably paid $80 or 90 for a Comfort Inn room.

Friday saw us checking out and heading for the zoo. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo has a fantastic reputation, with good reason. Most of the best attractions are indoors, in climate-controlled environments. They're close to the main entrance, and you really don't get too worn out taking in the sites. Plus, they have a great menagerie. About six types of tiger, eight or ten gorillas (scientific name: "Gorilla gorilla gorilla" - no, really), an aquarium, desert dome and jungle habitats, and more. We had a great time. I highly recommend this zoo. I'm also glad that the former Henry Doorly curator/director (or whatever they call him) is now the head of the KC Zoo. We need the help.

After the zoo, it was another three hour drive home. We wished we had taken an extra night, but after watching the weather later that weekend, were glad we didn't. Seems some nasty weather broke out in the I-29 corridor Saturday evening, with tornados, hail, and high winds. I'm glad we were home, where things were quiet.

Well, I've taken enough of your time. For those of you who are family, check your e-mail for an invite to see our Omaha photos.

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03/21/2006

Aw! Come on!

Can't a guy get a break?

This town gets snow like a desert gets sharks!

The weather prognosticators were predicting up to eight inches of great white fluffy stuff starting Monday and into today. Guess what? We got a dusting!

Winter in KC is an emotional tug-of-war for me. On the one hand, I want it to snow. The prognosticators extraordinare predict snow - indeed, hype as though they were selling the stuff. Then what happens? It blows by north, south, east, or west. And I'm left without any snow.

On the other hand, even the dusting we did get slows traffic. Not to a crawl, but to a nice, manageable 50 mph.

Remind me again why I live here?

Thanks for putting up with my tirade. I almost feel better now.

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03/17/2006

Travel blog

Note: This post was typed on my Palm Tungsten C on 3/9/06, but was trapped inside the device by an errant password and my aversion to re-typing.

Seventeen years ago last Thursday, I sat, sweaty palms and dry mouth, just a few feet from where I sit now. Across the table sat the lovely, gracious and talented woman who would one day become my wife. I think she was as nervous as I. As I recall, we both had sandwiches. It was our first date.

I'm in the finest dining establishment in beautiful, historic downtown Mount Vernon, OH. In a few minutes, I'll finish my Ham Stacker and vegetable beef soup and stroll the sidewalks of memory lane. I'll pass the accounting firm where Wonderful Wife worked when we married, the menswear shop where we rented the tuxes for the wedding, the jeweler where we bought our rings (someday I'll upgrade that diamond dust), the bank where we first opened a joint account, the florist where we bought the flowers for the wedding.

It's later now. My tour of downtown revealed that the menswear shop is now Sips, a coffee shop with a kickin' espresso. The jeweler is still there, as are the accounting firm and the bank. Many of the other shops have converted into antique stores. The theater is closed down, replaced by a multi-plex on the outskirts of town, right next to my hotel, in fact.

I stopped in Sips, in part to inquire as to the past history and confirm my suspicion that it once sold men's clothing, in part to get a cup of something warm (hence the afforementioned kickin' espresso). One of the things I like about Mt. Vernon is that every restaurant, every coffee shop can be a meeting place for the town's leadership. On a simliar trip years ago, I enjoyed my scrambled eggs and bacon while eavesdropping on some of the town's elders at the large table nearby. This night, there was a group of church leaders discussing outreach strategy.

People complain about Mount Vernon's remoteness. For me, that's part of the charm. Give me a stable, insular society any day.

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01/28/2006

Airplanes and Acrobats

So let's see... what have we been up to?

I've been very busy at work. It's that time of year for annual employee benefit statements, which means hours and hours and hours and - well you get the point - of data entry. Mind-numbingly complicated and overwhelming spreadsheets and a mail merge that I hope works just one more time. Next year, I'm going to start with a consolidated database. I sure am.

In the midst of the mess, I took a vacation day Thursday. I had a day left over from '05 that I had to take by 1/31 or lose, and Eldest was going on a field trip, so along I went.

And where did we go? Glad you asked. Whiteman Air Force Base, Knob Noster, MO, home of the world's only fleet of B-2 Bombers (didn't see any. Well, there was the wooden model in a display case at McDonalds. Does that count?). We had fun. We didn't get hurt, but we still had fun (You out there, Sis? For the rest of you, that's an inside joke.)

For me, the most amazing part of the installation was the de-commissioned Minuteman launch control site we toured. Besides being really fascinating, it was the only time we got off the bus except to eat. Where was I? Oh, the control site... buried 60' underground, cased in concrete and steel and secured behind an eight-ton and a six-ton blast door was a pill. Take a giant concrete and steel Contac capsule, dump the medicine out, and put some 707 pilot's chairs in it, and you have Mission Control. You should also suspend it from huge springs in case "the big one" hits directly overhead. You wouldn't want the vacuum tubes in the computer to get busted, would you?

So what was so amazing about the vacuum tubes? How about the fact that this dinosaur-age (in computer terms) stuff worked! That there was multiple redundancies both of security and of ability integrated throughout the system in a way to keep our country secure against MAD. It just boggles the mind.

Last night (Friday) we had tickets to see the Red Panda Acrobats at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. I was a little disappointed that there were only two acrobats (and one didn't do any handstands, etc.). On the other hand (on which the main performer, Wayne Huey, was standing), the tricks they did perform were pretty amazing. The girls were enthralled. Okay, I enjoyed it.

After, dessert at Winstead's on the Plaza. I've got a cute kid story. We were ready to order. The waitress was going around the table, taking our requests and when she got to Youngest, the little tyke spoke up and said "Me and my father are going to share a Brownie Sundae."

Way too cute. If you don't see it, I guess you had to be there. Wish you could be.

That's all for now. Long, long day ahead.

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01/15/2006

Life in the city

The schuss of the blades on ice; the laughter and excited jabbering of kids and parents; the pounding of the jackhammer. Jackhammer? What's that doing here? Read on, o guest, to learn more.

One of the advantages of living in the city is the wide variety of activities available. Like most people, we probably under-use the ammenities around us. When we do take time to smell the roses, it is an exciting adventure. Friday's adventure took us to the Ice Terrace at Crown Center, Hallmark's downtown shopping mall.

So, with a lot of excitement that I left work early on Friday. Parked out front was our red Saturn, encapsulating my family world. As I walked out the front door from work, the blue sky and stiff breezes told me this was going to be fun.

Pushing off to the north, the car almost found its way to the parking garage by itself. A left, a right, another left, and we were looking for a parallel set of yellow lines with no vehicular transportation device wedged between them. The girls were incredibly excited and were ready to start on our adventure. But first, we had to refuel, so we headed to Fritz's. Some might call the blend of Americana and model railroads kitsch, but the kids don't care. When you pick up the phone to order your lunch (hamburgers, too small; chicken nuggets, rather like cardboard) or watch the model train deliver your meal via hydraulic tray lift, they are all eyeballs and chatter.

Lunch over, we headed across the street. The afforementioned jackhammer and company had taken over the courtyard area between Crown Center and the Ice Terrace, so we were following the plywood signs touting "This way ot the Ice Terrace >". Unfortunately, the high winds had knocked several of the diminutive guides flatter than the Kansas prairie. Fortunately, we were close enough to pick our way from marker to marker to our destination.

And so it was that we spent two plus hours in the chill air. The kids had a blast, I didn't break anything, and we all had a good time. My only regret is that you can't ice skate when it's warm.

Then, home (okay, we stopped to wash the car on the way, since Youngest dropped off to sleep almost as soon as the car started moving) for dinner. Later, we watched Go Figure on the Disney Channel. A kid's girl's movie with all the standard features - fish out of water, sibling rivalries, cliques and youthful dreams. It was a fun ending to a day of skating.

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01/10/2006

In the still of the morning

I squeeze quietly through the partly opened door in the pre-dawn darkness, careful not to bash a toe or kick a discarded toy, I gaze in wonder at the sleeping form as I go to one knee. "C___", wake up, honey. It's daddy. Do you want to get up for breakfast or do you want to go back to sleep?" I whisper, my loyalties torn between what I know she'll say and what I think is probably best for her.

Each morning, the answer is the same: she rolls over, grabs her blue blankie, cloaking herself as she silently follows me down the hall, to cocoon herself on the sofa while I prepare the morning meal. Later, the tray in my hands as I head for the stairs, I notice she had returned - in the near dark - to snatch her favorite pillows from the bed. Few words are exchanged, but I smile. She is glad to be with me, and I with her. It's a guilty pleasure, to be sure. I know she needs her sleep, but at least this acquiescence to her demands for my time means she will see me off to work. Perhaps she'll nap later...

After breakfast, the dishes returned to the sink, I make for the bath to brush and make my final adjustments before I head for work. She follows me, disappearing without a sound to retrieve yet another treasure from her room. I marvel at how silently she moves, her slight form scarcely rustling the air as she passes. Another smile. I am blessed. She will give multiple hugs and kisses as I pass through the front door, pausing to wave as she sees me off from the living room window. I've packed another treasure in my memory, and she, I hope, in hers.

Thank You, God.

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01/07/2006

Saturday afternoon

I'm at work now. Saturday afternoon and I'm in the office. What gives?

It's that time of year - annual pension statements, benefits summaries, insurance reconciliations, and we're training a new Administrative Assistant. She's learning fast, but with so much to do, I had to come in to help keep up with the pace. Once the inflow of paperwork exceeds the outflow, you find yourself in danger of suffocation.

Eldest is with me. She's working on a book report in our "Training Room" just ten feet from my office. Other than that, the building is quiet except for the hum of the air handlers and the click of the keyboard. Anyone that worked today is probably long gone by now.

We took down the Christmas decorations this morning. Wonderful Wife likes to have them down on New Year's weekend. She finds it depressing to leave them up. I find it depressing to take them down so soon. Today went well and I'm glad to have it (almost) done.

Well, I came to work, so work I must.

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One cube, or two? Three? Four?

Let's see. What have we been up to? Much of the usual, I guess. Work, work, work.

I did enjoy a total of eight days off over the holidays. Work four days, off five. Work three days, off four. Work four days, off two. Then back to normal, whatever that is.

Family movie night last night. We watched Valiant - the true story of an English carrier pigeon during WWII. Okay, so it wasn't true. But they did use carrier pigeons. Good movie. Unbelievably incredible CGI. There's one or two scenes where a pyromaniac French Resistance mouse goes saboteur with kitchen matches. You'd think the screen was on fire. So cool.

We were having trouble with reception on the lower channel numbers on our cable for a long time. Some days it would be better than others,  but never as good as it should be. Wonderful Wife called the cable company and they sent someone out. When the repairman arrived, he asked "Now, which set is giving you trouble?" to which WW replied "We only have the one." Pregnant pause. "I guess that's pretty unusual these days." And I guess it is.

We were explaining to the girls why we have one TV. Allow me to enumerate:

1. It keeps us from watching too much TV (We watch it too much as it is. Can't imagine what we'd do if we had more than one)
2. It helps us learn to compromise and get along with one another (I know, I know, a lot of people get a second or third TV so their kids will get along by not fighting. We just think they need to learn something more than how to avoid human contact at all costs)
3. It's a little cheaper - either you pay for cable on additional sets, or you pay a fine when you get caught, or you pay later...

My big bro and two sis' will remember that our TV died when I was about six and we went mostly without for the next ten to twelve years. Okay, there was the set my brother rented and snuck up the back stairs into his room. And the neighbor's TV, and the console set that showed up in the Living Room for some reason when I was about 14. That would be 1976. I remember watching the Flyer's Stanley Cup series with my dad and the horribly snowy picture that kept going in and out. I don't remember for sure if the Flyers won the cup that year or not. I do remember being blown away several years later while watching hockey and realizing they had a puck finder. Too cool.

Did growing up without TV scar me? Probably not. It did affect how I grew up and what I did with my time. I thought I was pretty unusual in that whenever I was near a TV, I HAD TO WATCH IT!!!!!!!!! Now that I have kids of my own and a TV too, I realize that isn't too unusual.

Oh! Gotta go! Doodlebops is on!

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12/31/2005

From Christmas to New Year's Eve

It's been a busy holiday season, but a good one. I enjoyed having five days off for Christmas and now three for New Year's weekend. With Christmas being on a Sunday, it made for an interesting schedule. Saturday afternoon we had a very late lunch with the Incredible In-laws. That night, we had Christmas Eve service, with the Wonderful Wife playing flute in the orchestra and Eldest singing. I was out directing traffic in the parking lot (comfortably warm thanks to my new 4-in-1 parka). After church, it was back to the in-laws for dinner then home. The girls get to open one present on Christmas Eve, then it was off to bed before the jolly old elf comes.

Sunday morning. Christmas day was bright and unseasonably warm. Up at the crack of dawn, the girls went through their stockings first. We tortured them - I mean developed their character - by making them wait until after church and Christmas dinner before they got the chance to dive into their big pile of gifts. Sunday afternoon was a flurry of wrapping paper and gift boxes and photographs and leftovers and other yummy treats to boot.

The rest of the time runs together, blurred by aging memories and a lack of distinctly different memories. The most joy for Wonderful Wife and I came, as it should, from watching our progeny gaze in wonder at the treasures they unwrapped.

I wish I had new thoughts to share on the significance of Christmas. I feel like I don't have anything new to share, and maybe that is my downfall as a blogger.

It's not new, but I do have a thought. Christmas - the real message of Christmas - is indescribably, unspeakably good news for all people everywhere. For most of us in the U.S., the message is either so old or so blurred by competing voices and layers of unrelated traditions that we get no more than a brief reflection of the real thing.

The angel told Joseph his fiance, Mary, "will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21, NIV

We forget - or fail to recognize - that we are in trouble - seriously at risk - and we need to be rescued. And when we hear that a Rescuer has come, we just don't recognize what that means. I know. I've been there. For twenty years I heard the message. I went to church for years. I participated in the rituals and education experiences. But I never made it personal. God was offering me the one thing I needed more than anything else, and I wouldn't accept the gift or the "strings" I saw attached.

I've tried, unsuccessfully, to reconstruct the changes in my thinking that brought me to the point where I could accept the gift. The only insight I can offer here is that I was seeking God as hard as I could. I was reading the Bible every day and praying for help. It was at the point where I was in greatest need that I found the greatest answer. And yet, none of this was of my own strength or initiative. It was all through God's grace.

May God's grace be with you this Christmas season, and may He lead you to the greatest Gift. Your path will be different from mine. Your revelation will come differently than it did for me. My prayer is that it will come and that you will see it for what it is - the answer to your greatest need.

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12/23/2005

Did I mention we had snow?

We had a little snow Dec. 7. I measured 10.5 inches at our house, which I think is the most we've had in one shot in our nearly 11 years in KC. Needless to say, the town shut down. While I was shoveling, I noticed the neighbor running a snowblower and got just a teeny-tiny bit jealous. Of course, I didn't need one of these jobbies, with a 412 HP 454 big-block engine. Tim the Toolman Taylor would have been proud! Oh, and if you really think you need one, go here.

Thanks to my big brother-in-law for the link.

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12/07/2005

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

I love snow. Delicate, white crystals of infinite variety fall silently, smothering everything in a cotton ball reality.

It's snowing today, in fact. Fine, tiny, very cold flakes are right now interlocking one to another in the streets and sidewalks of Kansas City. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, if you ask me.

But this town can't handle it. The weatherpersons go ballistic at the slightest hint of frozen precipitation. "Stay tuned for news of a major winter storm, coming up after the break!" is the hallmark of KC TV weather reports. Of course, what you consider a major winter storm and what I consider a major winter storm are probably two completely different things. And my Wonderful Wife and her hardy northern family have another concept altogether.

Out here in Cowtown, if we get an inch or two, they close schools and shut down businesses. Back home, growing up, they might not have even reported it. Of course, times have changed. People are more litigious, hence schools and businesses are more cautious. It's a shame, really, because I think the challenge of a little snow makes us stronger. There's the shoveling, and the dealing with the slop, and the cold and the overcoats and the boots and school closings. Yes, they are all inconvenient. Yes, they make life miserable for some. But for most of us, it is a minor inconvenience that challenges us to dig a little deeper and find a little more goodness so we can respond properly when we walk through the slush to do our Christmas shopping or pick up stamps at the post office.

So I say, if you find yourself slogging through slop on your way to the car, just remember, it could be worse. It could be 110 in the shade!

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12/03/2005

'Tis the season

Winter is here in Kansas City. The fall was unusually warm, which means it wasn't too bad. In the last week or so, we've endured highs near seventy day, followed by tornadoes, purused by snow and much cooler temperatures.

Such is the weather in Kansas City. As the saying goes "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute. It'll change."

Youngest had a cold most of the week, which migrated into her eardrums, making her incredibly lethargic, cranky, and irritable as a sick bat. She's on the mend now, and it's a joy to see her laughing and joking again.

Christmas party at the boss' last night. The kids were invited, as the boss has two boys, ages 10 and 8 (the girls are 10 and 5). They enjoyed the playmates. We enjoyed the food and fellowship and came home too late. As a result, I'm too tired, too bleary-eyed, and too hungry to write well.

So there. That's my excuse.

The girls are watching "Lord of the Beans" - Veggie Tales' version of "The Lord of the Rings". It's well done and funny, but it's funnier to those who have read the books or seen the movies. I guess that's one of the common threads among good children's cartoons. They appeal to children at a basic level, but there are layers of humor that charm the parents can enjoy.

Hunger. Cravings. Thirst. Must have coffee. Must eat...

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11/29/2005

Being smart . . . or being right?

Have you ever noticed that being smart doesn't make someone right? I consider myself pretty bright, but I know I'm not always right. On the other hand, I've met people that I'm sure are quite a bit brighter and more educated than I am and I don't always think they're right.

Why is that?

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11/22/2005

Just another post

My apologies to my regular readers and huge flock of fans. I get about 20 hits a day and I know you're all dying to know what is up.

Did another video project for church - this one on adoption (November is National Adoption Month). It was more than twice as long as the last one. I was pretty happy with the results, but I have some new things I'd like to try. Also did a video for work for a chapel service. Took that one from start to finish in less than two very busy days, so I was a little drained by the time I was done.

Friday was a vacation day. WW and I took Youngest to Pre-K, then off to get our ears lowered, followed closely by brunch at Atlanta Bread Company. ABC offers free Wi-Fi, but I'm having all kinds of trouble making that work with my Palm. Then some Christmas shopping for out-of-towners, and back to pick up Youngest. The unseasonably warm afternoon found me reducing a yard full of leaves to one blower/vac bag.

Back to work. More later.

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11/09/2005

Would you like a piece of pie?

I had a Preschool Committee meeting at church last night, which disrupted dinner and other plans. The Incredible In-laws kept the girls, since Wonderful Wife worked. Arriving at the II's shortly after 7:00, my plan was to get the kids home and ready for bed. When I found out they had been making a chocolate pudding pie, I decided to let them finish their project.

The crust had to cool, and the pudding condense, so we were watching Pocahontas II on the Disney Channel. I was amazed at the animation. When Pocahontas and her escort climbed into a carriage, the cartoon vehicle shifted on it's springs with the tread of their feet and returned to it's level aspect as they took their seats. Incredibly realistic!

But I digress. When the pie was done, Eldest and I were on the couch. Youngest was helping Grandma serve. "Would you like some pie?" drifted from the kitchen. "Just a very small piece." was my reply.

"A_____, would you like a big piece of pie, or one like Daddy wants?" Youngest asked her big sister.

Too cute.

By the way, if I tell too many tales on my kids, or brag too much on the little things, let me know. It won't change anything though.

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11/07/2005

Over the weekend

Whew! It's Monday. I needed to get back to work so I'd have some time to rest.

Friday night, we went to Blockbuster and picked up some videos. Youngest picked Barbie in Swan Lake - one of the computer-animated fairy tales starring America's plastic princess. The story is based on the opera and, not being an opera fan, I found it an interesting tale. The animation - well, let's just say it's fits the main character well.

After the kids went to bed, Wonderful Wife and I watched Batman Begins. My favorite part was the training session on the ice. Negative elements included the scarecrow and some of the ethical justifications for Bruce Wayne's actions.

Saturday, Eldest went to see Grandma and Grandpa, who were babysitting their pastor's one-year old daughter. Eldest was glad to help. WW had to work in the afternoon, and Youngest and I headed off to church after lunch so our Music & Worship Arts pastor could move the video I've been working on to his PowerBook and burn it to a DVD. Then home for a nap. Saturday night, WW and I watched The Terminal. It's amazing how Tom Hanks can carry a movie - not that the rest of the cast was hollow as a box of straws - they weren't bad. It's just that Kip/Forrest/Castaway/Victor does such a fantastic job (yes, I do remember when Tom Hanks had a lead role in a TV sitcom. Guess I'm getting old). A memorable movie we both enjoyed.

Sunday, church, then home for football - I mean lunch, then Chiefs vs. the Hated Raiders. Woo-hoo! What a finish! I had an Usher's meeting a church at 5:00. Basically uneventful. We had the Mid-America Nazarene University touring choir at church Sunday night, so the Incredible In-laws joined us in the pew. After, we had pizza at their house. Then home, kids to bed, and my Old House on video.

Oh, a cute kid story. The girls had watched something about spiders on video Saturday. Youngest had to tell us about the three kinds of spiders - those that build nests, "trap door" spiders, and those that wrap their prey and save it for lunch. Well, the girls got to playing the spider and the fly while we sat around and chatted. Pretty soon, a ruckus ensued. Eldest was complaining that Youngest had bitten her. A little bit of investigation and we figured out that Youngest had been the spider and Eldest the fly.

"Honey, we don't bite our sister even if we're playing spider." my Wonderful Wife chided.

"And besides, she doesn't taste good." I threw in my two cents worth.

"Yes she does. She tastes like chocolate and vanilla!" was the unexpected reply.

What do you say to that? We all got a good laugh. No biting incidents since (fingers crossed).

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11/03/2005

Lunchtime

I don't usually do this, but I'm eating lunch in the office today, as opposed to the cafeteria. I've been working on a video project for church to show this Sunday, and I was short on time. I've got all the video shot, and now I'm editing it in iMovie on a borrowed PowerBook G4 (formerly property of Josh, our former Children's Pastor, now a missionary in Argentina, currently under the care of Kris, our current Children's Pastor, who loaned it to me).

Anyway, the iMac is very cool, even though this one is long in the tooth and looks like it was drop-kicked through the goalposts of life.

So I'm making a copy of the video on the hard-drive and it's taking like 10 minutes, so I go to some blogs I found yesterday. Two of our programmers are blogging - I won't divulge their names without their permission, but guys, if you read this, drop a comment and I'll blogroll your site(s). One of them has been blogging the minutes of their staff meeting - with a real humorous touch. I haven't laughed so hard reading a blog since I discovered Lileks.

Well, the video has copied, so back to work. Later.

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10/30/2005

Having a thought

There was a TV character - I don't remember the show - that used to say "Oh! Oh! I'm having a thought!" Then there were Binky and the Brain on Animaniacs. Brain would say "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Binky?" and Binky would say something dopy like "Yes, Brain, but I don't know if anyone would buy sardine salami." Brain would retort with a "No, Binky! I'm thinking about how to take over the world." If you've never seen the show, it was a hoot. Two lab rats - one made incredibly intelligent - the other not so much - tried to take over the world in each episode.

I'm not thinking about how to take over the world. That's so overdone. But I have wondered how we think.

Have you ever wondered what makes a thought? Where does an idea come from? I know enough of the science to be dangerous. Neurotransmitters transmit. Synapses fire and information is carried from point A to point B in the human brain. But where does a thought come from? Is it a chemical process? Or is it electrical? Or is it something else entirely?

And what about the will? Is there some part of the brain dedicated to the exercise of individual willpower? Does some cluster of cells specialize in having it my way? And is that individuality encoded in DNA? I think maybe not, since we can change our preferences, you know what I mean?

Okay, I'm back. What? You didn't notice I left? Had to get ready for church. Then there was the going away/slash 4-year-old birthday party for the Thompsons, friends from church that are moving to Ohio to pastor. Then home for the Chiefs' game (Sometimes you feel so sad.) then quizzing for Eldest, back home to pick up Wonderful Wifey and Youngest, church, where we had a piano concert featuring some uber-talented guy we'd never heard of, then Wendy's for dinner - at least in part because of the Muzak - 70's and 80's classic rock.

Now I'm back. And where was I?

Oh yes. Thinking. I was thinking that thoughts probably aren't encoded in DNA, because that would mean we were just like totally programmed at conception, and that doesn't make sense.

Maybe I'm the only one that thinks much about this. I googled the phrase "where do thoughts come from?" and got some gobbledy-gook that didn't seem to address the subject.

So I'm going to have to leave this idea to germinate. Maybe it will take root. Maybe some day in the future I'll be driving along, minding my own business, and understanding will come to me. Then again, maybe not. I'll have to think about it. I'll be sure to ask "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

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10/22/2005

Life's Little Embarassing Moments

In the sacred space of St. Eleanor's Catholic Church one Sunday morning, I saw a prime example of just how embarassing children can be. I was probably in first or second grade. Our family friends, the Mr. Jims (for more about the Mr. Jims, see here) had come to visit. I don't know if they were regular churchgoers, but they went to Mass with us this particular morning.

Little Jimmy, who was about my age, sat quietly beside his sister through most of the service. But somewhere in the rites of the morning, I guess his mind wandered. Suddenly, he was brought back into sharp focus when people started getting up to go forward for Communion. Caught off guard and apparently a little concerned, Jimmy's young voice echoed off the masonry walls like a carnival barker at a funeral service.

"Where's everybody going?"

He was promptly shushed by mom and dad, of course. Why, you just don't speak out loud during Mass! Espescially during Communion. Everyone knows that. Don't they?

Our Youngest has been having trouble adjusting to all the changes in her life. At four, she started Pre-K in September, right about the same time she started a new Sunday school class and a new Caravan (Christian scouting, like Awanas) class. I guess she'd had enough, because for the past three weeks or so, she's been coming to morning worship and Sunday school with us. And I'm okay with that. If she's never in church, how will she ever learn to behave in church?

So the other day I get up to take offering. Typically, we do this in the middle of the service, right after prayer time. But this day, we were taking offering at the end of the service. So when I got up to get the plate and take my place, Youngest ran out after me. Suddenly, I had a forty-pound growth on my left leg. I also had an audience of folks who had noticed the flurry of activity.

So I picked her up, carried her back to her seat and told her to stay there. Which she did.

Time was, I would have been mortified by the attention. "Oh, no! Everyone's looking at me." I guess I'm learning not to overreact. At least I hope so.

Kids will be kids and we need to remember that even good kids will get it wrong once in awhile. I mean, if good parents can blow it occasionally, how can we expect our kids to be perfect?

I'm blessed by my kids, and hope I'm living up to the trust the Father has placed in me.

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A quiet evening at home

We spent a quiet evening at home last night. Pizza and wings for dinner, then Friday night NFL action in front of the fireplace.

Who would have thought that the Chiefs could beat Miami in Miami when they traveled on the same day they played? No NFL team has ever played on their travel day before. It's one of the reasons I like Dick Vermeil - the man has a great heart. When the team found out that they were going to fly and play on the same day, he told them "They couldn't have picked a better team to send down there and play well". I think he inspired his team to great optimism and great confidence in a tough situation.

Of course, the team will be working on some skills in the next week. Trent Green threw an interception and was sacked at least once. The secondary was inconsistent in tackling. Missed tackles are still giving ground to the opponents. Gunther is working on that and I think we'll see continued improvement. On the positive side, the offensive line did a better than expected job opening holes for Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson. The defensive line held against the run. There has been enough improvement in the team overall that I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

So those are my Chiefs observations for today. Y'all come back now, ya hea?

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10/21/2005

Too busy not to multi-task

Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum has a very thoughtful post on the rat race. When did our culture drive us to such an insane pace of life, and why did we let it? Do we really like being stressed and stretched way out of shape?

On the other hand, I have to ask if there are still people in America that take a slower pace. I'm not just talking about the Amish, but about plain, simple folk. If we step out of our suburban, corporate world, who will we meet? Will we run across people who still do one thing at a time and do it well? Or has this disease spread through the whole of society and infected us all?

For those who feel like they just can't handle any more, Jesus has some good words. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." There is so much more grace available than most of us make use of. Is it time for you to find rest in Jesus?

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10/20/2005

Why oh why?

Matt the blogger from Zimmerzblogz mentioned yesterday that I haven't posted anything in awhile. I've been incredibly busy, but I should at least try to put up something that says I'm incredibly busy and won't be posting much, but here's a link to something I enjoyed. And I'll try to do better about that. Not posting leads to guilt and I've got enough important things to feel guilty about so I won't feel guilty about not posting. If I post, great. If I don't post, that's okay too.

We're on The Quest at work [full disclosure: we published it]. This week, we're reading about purity. Purity is one of those subjects that makes a lot of followers of Jesus feel guilty. The author, Frank Moore, makes the point that he's not throwing us a big ball of guilt.

I don't have any magic words that will make feelings of guilt go away, but it's good to be reminded that forgiveness trumps guilt every time.

So that's it for now. More later.

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10/05/2005

Wishes and ponderings

I am not one to make grandiose New Years' resolutions, but I am starting to think maybe I should. The more of my life I live, the less I have left, so I'm thinking about some things I would like to say I accomplished.

I'd like to be better read, but I'm not sure exactly what that means. Do I have to read the Brothers K? Or all the works of Tolstoy? Do I have to actually read them, or can I listen to the books on tape? What about Wesley's Works? Or Bangs-Wynkoop's "A Theology of Love"? And Aristotle. I'd like to read his stuff in Greek. I took four semesters of Greek in college but haven't used it in years.

I'd also like to be well-traveled. What does that entail? I'd like to go to Italy and spend a month there. Or six. During the last Winter Olympics, I came up with a plan that would have gotten me there. I was going to join the US Curling team (there is a local curling club). Then I realized I'd spend all my time competing and wouldn't get to enjoy the continent and decided to find another way to get there. Besides, I've never curled.

When I say I'd like to travel, I mean I'd like to live like a native. Drive like an Italian. Talk like an Italian. Eat stuff with olive oil like an Italian. I'd like to go to Sechuan and speak Cantonese or Mandarin. Or Sechuaneze. But I'm not sure I can handle goat's-eye soup.

Then there's Australia, where I'd like to sail under canvas past the Sydney Opera House, my Wonderful Wife at my side, to feel the rise and fall of the deck beneath my feet, taste the salt on my lips, feel the sweet sea breeze on my face. I'd like to race through Sydney Harbor in a speedboat, hear the throb of the engines and feel the smash of the hull in the waves. I want to dive the Great Barrier Reef and watch the dolphins play in the waves while an octopus squirts away in a cloud to vanish behind a screen of coral. I want to parachute through the thick heat onto Ayers' Rock and watch a dingo chase a wallaby across the outback. I'd have to overcome my fear of heights, but other people have done it. Overcome their fear of heights, I mean. I don't know if anyone has ever parachuted onto Ayers' Rock.

I would like to own a 4,000 square foot home with 300 acres, mostly treed, with paths through the woods and streams and a colonade of sycamores framed by redbuds and Bradford pears, with a wide front porch where friends I trust show up at sunrise on a Saturday and say "You ready to get some pheasant?" and I can come home to my four fireplaces and 60" DLP monitor with satellite TV and TIVO and fold-away flat panel screens in the kitchen and laundry and high-speed internet and media pcs and laptops all around; where the Wonderful Wife and I can sit in the terraced patio drinking cappuccino on almost-too-cool mornings while we have devotions together and then, later, listen to the crickets at night after the kids go to bed.

I want to have a guest home where families that need a second chance can live while they get their act together; where they can be nurtured and mentored and encouraged, until they emerge like a Monarch butterfly from the crysalis, ready to begin their flight anew.

I want to run a retreat center for burned-out pastors and pastors that have been burned so they can swim in the endless ocean of God's great grace as the Balm of Gilead heals the wounds of their souls.

I'd like to make $200 million a year and give 90% to the church and to be able to help anyone I can as wisely as I can. We could live on what was left after taxes.

My sister has horses. I'd like to pack into the back country of Montana or Wyoming. Just me, my horse, a 30-06 and a fishing rod. I'd like to watch the sun rise over Nag's Head and set over Pike's Peak. Not necessarily in the same day, mind you. I'd like to hike a notch in New Mexico with my brother, looking for deer or elk. I'd like to ride bikes through quaint New England villages with my Eldest and find the church you always see in those calendar photos.

I'd like to go to Pass Christian, Mississippi and help people rebuild their lives. I'd like to help the families displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita put their lives back together.

I'd like to find the good, perfect, and pleasing will of God for my life - not just for a month or a year, but forever.

I want to die knowing that I really lived for Him who died for me. And the house and the retreat center and the travel and the reading won't matter. I'd rather have Jesus.

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10/03/2005

Just trying to blog

I started a post the other day about how I have high hopes for the internet's ability to improve governance, until I read about the politicos who are trying to capitalize on disasters, but when I clicked "save" the post went into gigabyte heaven.

Today I started a post in notepad (so I would be able to cut and paste it later when I had time to log into the editor) and when I synched my Palm Pilot, I skipped a step in the interest of getting out of work early, so I don't have it at home. It was about how I don't usually do New Years' Resolutions, but I'm thinking about making one for '06. A resolution to become better read. But that will have to wait while I go read ... something.

Meanwhile, you read Lileks. There will be a test later.

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09/25/2005

Parades and porches

There is a sense in which marching in a parade draws you into the community in a way that watching a parade never could. Partly this is due to the level of commitment - partly due to the level of involvement. But there is something else. When your position changes, your perspective changes. Instead of watching the people march by from the comfort of your lawn chair, you get to see the faces of friends and neighbors - some you may have forgotten.

I had the opportunity to march with Eldest in the annual Roundup Parade in our fair town on Saturday. The day started with a lukewarm mugginess and an overcast gauze of cloud cover. We parked in the drive of our friends, the Morgans, and the two of us hiked the 1/2 mile to the staging area. Wonderful Wife and Youngest would meet us near the end of the route.

I was glad to be invited along by Eldest. In years past, I've offered to walk with her, but was turned down. Now that she's approaching the critical 10th birthday (the milestone draws unfalteringly nearer and will arrive in just a week), any positive involvement on her level is a welcome opportunity to build bonds.

The roundup parade is the highlight of a weekend of carnival rides, funnel cake, and community booths. After wrapping up the forced march to the high school, we cut across town (always a challenge when the streets are shut down for the party) and picked up my car. Then it was home and a quick lunch before trotting off to the carnival rides and a stroll through town, peering into booths and chatting it up with friends. I stopped by the Army recruiter's booth and found out what I already knew: I'm too old and they don't want me. But at least I asked.

From there we decided to go here. Crescent Creek is one of those new "planned living communities" (a redundant mouthful methinks) where the traditional architecture is set in a traditional urban setting Front porches are supposed to set the scene for a know thy neighbor neighborhood. The concept reminded me of this post by Marsha Lynn. I think I understand what people are saying about the need for front porches. When we moved into our home over eight years ago, the friendly but not-too-friendly neighbors informed us that "we pretty much keep to ourselves". And so they all have. Time will tell.

Eldest spent her Sunday afternoon at the house of a friend. We usually hate when the question is sprung like a conibear trap as we squirrel out of church "Can I go to _____________'s house this afternoon? Her mom said it was okay." Of course, we're never quite sure how okay her mom really is with it. And what about her dad? Our general rule of thumb is that if you haven't made arrangements in advance, it ain't happenin'.

But today we relented.

When I met her at church this evening, her friends mom explained that the girls had been riding motorcycles in the yard. Eldest, who'd never ridden before, found that momentum is an enemy when you're on a bike. She's got a beauty of a scrape and several bruises to show for it. Other than being a little sore, she's okay and we're glad.

I'd share more but it's late, I'm tired, and I've got a very busy day tomorrow. More later.

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09/19/2005

A moment of silence

A moment of silence, please. Sparky the Beta fish has gone to fishy heaven.

We had a short memorial ceremony tonight. Said a few words over the final resting place. Then Youngest pressed the lever and Sparky went to his reward.

"Here, daddy. I drew this picture for you. This is Sparky when he was alive. You can tape it up somewhere."

Rest in peace, Sparky. You wuz a good fish.

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09/15/2005

The days roll on

A steely-gray rainy day today. It wasn't really supposed to rain - only a 20% chance according to the weathermen. Guess they earned their pay. Huh?

The languid drops measured time for us: a sprinkle; a spatter; a brief downpour; a mist. Hours passed as the vital fluids refreshed the parched soil. A harbinger of leaf-dropping chill haunts the damp air. The Wonderful Wife lights candles in the fireplace and sets a mood: warm and homey lights release a hint of vanilla scent. Warm and safe and dry, we share the comfort of home.

Eldest is in fourth grade now. She's growing into quite the young woman. Fourth graders are allowed to take music, and Eldest is taking viola. Last week, we dragged the Venerable Dirk to the high school for the orientation and instrument rescue. I am, shall we say, ignorant of the finer points of making music. The Wonderful Wife comes from a talented family, a heritage of which I am envious and for which I am grateful. The Venerable Dirk was a music teacher for years, so I felt a little better knowing I had professional backup.

We now have a viola in our home. It's a Glaesel VA27 I think. I had never heard of the brand (no surprise), but it was on the list the music teacher handed out as being acceptable. Googling the name revealed precious little. It looks like the company might have gone out of business, but there seems to be some sort of symbiotic relationship between an old German tradition and modern school orchestra instruments.

Several weeks ago, Wonderful Wife and I carted the kids downtown one Friday night to the Ringling Brothers Circus. We took cheap seats and boy were they cheap! Our perch had us looking down on the performers. All of them, even the sway-pole people artists.

This via Instapundit: a new series called "Voices From the Front" comes courtesy of the Tampa Tribune. This story is from the perspective of Maj. Bill Cowling. Ma. Cowling, in civilian life a high-school principal from Blue Springs, MO (where Eldest was born) is on a one-year tour to Mosul, where he is coordinating the hundreds of construction projects.

Major Cowling speaks:

ON THE IRAQIS:

"The Iraqi people are very motivated to improve things for themselves — at least the ones I'm around. There's Iraqi police, Iraqi army soldiers, firefighters, security forces — to me, they are the true heroes. They go out every day ... they're targets, they go to work every day. They're amazing people.

"I look back to where we were a couple of hundred years ago, writing the Constitution. Maybe it's a little bit like that. ... So for me to be able to be here and be part of the process in my own very, very small way ... I'm proud to do so.

Maj. Cowling, we're proud of you.

ON FEELING APPRECIATED:

"I was with one of the [Iraqi] government officials, and it was our second meeting and he asked me about my family and I asked about his. And, of course, I told him I missed them greatly, and he put his hand on the American flag that's on the right shoulder of my uniform and said, "Thank you for being here.' And you know, I'll always remember that. [It was like saying] "Thank you for putting your life aside, leaving home and helping me.' "

I think that says a lot, don't you? Read the whole thing.

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09/14/2005

A Day in the Park

Start with a dozen hard-working volunteers. Add about 25 full-time childcare workers. Mix in 137 pre-school aged kids. Simmer slowly in mostly cloudy conditions around 70 degrees for about 2 hours. Season with games, crafts, and laughter. Feed them hot dogs, fruit cups, and ice cream. When done, send them to the largest daycare center in the state of Missouri.

That's how I spent my day. How about you?

Boy, am I pooped!

We had a great time. Team VISION, our employee involvement committee, planned to host just 100 children from Operation Breakthrough. We ran a little thin on supplies, but the fun overflowed! I think I got some fun stains on my jeans.

"DeMarnay! Get off of him! J'aQuel, no pushing. Messiah stay in line." The steady stream of instructions and reprimands from the teachers must have exhausted them. You couldn't pay me enough to do what these ladies and men do every day. It was organized bedlam x10, but we survived.

When it was over, I found out that we had about 12 kids from New Orleans in our bunch. Refugees from Katrina with more on the way, I'm told.

I'm too bone-deep tired to write coherently, so forgive the poor syntax. I'll probably come down with a cold and give it to my whole family, but it was worth it. One of the kids gave me a hug and told me they loved me. Another one clasped my hand in his pudgy fist and wanted me to come with him to the next activity. Never seen either one of them before.

Operation Breakthrough serves some of the poorest kids in the area. Many come from single-family homes. Others live in shelters at night and come to the Center so mama can look for work. Far too many have seen drugs and murder and abuse no kid should ever see. If we gave them a little slice of love it was worth it.

Someone at the Center must have called the newspaper, because the Kansas City Star sent a "photojournalist" to cover the story. It's supposed to be in the paper on Thursday, 9.15. Go to the Star homepage and search for "Operation Breakthrough". You just might see my picture.

Update: Well, I made the paper. In the 9.15.05 Metropolitan edition of the KC Star, that's me, even though it says "Rick Day, Graphic Designer". By the way, somebody at the paper owes Rick a huge apology! He's a great guy who would give you the shirt off his back, but I don't expect him to let me abuse his good name in this way. That's Rick on the right.

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09/10/2005

How stuff works

On her first day of Pre-K, Youngest brought home a paper that Mama filled in for her. It included a list of things she wanted to learn in Pre-K. Unfortunately, I didn't save a copy before it went back to school. I remember that she said she wanted to learn about Jesus and about snow.

So I just asked her now what she wants to learn. Here's the latest list:

How puppies are made
How DVDs or movies are made
How do you make pencils?
How they make lightbulbs

I don't think they'll cover all those things in Pre-K, but I could be wrong. This kid has an insatiable curiosity for how things are made. She may be an architect. This website might help with those things she doesn't learn in school.

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09/06/2005

Pre-K Day

Like an irrepressible, inexhaustible toy, she pops up and down, back and forth, in and out of the room. Her flaxen hair, still wet from the shower, swirls as she pirouetes in the hallway, half fearful she'll be reprimanded for being out of bed, more than half too excited to contain herself.

Her words contain no fear, only anticipation. "I can't believe I start Pre-K tomorrow!" she spouts.

Neither can I, sweetie pie, neither can I!

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09/04/2005

Truly Blessed!

A personal aside among all the blogging about Katrina.

I am truly blessed!

I have a wonderful wife (happy birthday, honey!) and two fantastic kids. I have my health, my faith, my home, a great job, two cars, and every material possession I need, plus enough extra to choke a herd of wild mustangs.

The icing on the cake came at the hair place (I can't call it a beauty salon or hair dresser, and it's certainly not a barber shop) yesterday. Just had my haircut and was walking back to the kids in the waiting area. Youngest, soon to be five, propelled herself across the great gulf between us and threw herself at me in utter abandon. Scooping her little self up, we wrapped ourselves in a big hug. Right there in the hair place.

I am truly blessed!

Wonderful Wife turned 41 yesterday. I had a Dell Inspiron 6000 notebook computer on order for her. Never in my life have I spent nearly that much on my wife's birthday, but she'd been wanting one and I have access to 3 year interest free financing, so I thought we could swing this.

Then came Katrina and $3.00 per gallon gas. In the wake of the devastation, it seemed sinfully self-indulgent for me to cling to my hopes of having a new computer in the house. I really struggled with the decision. I couldn't sleep. I had trouble concentrating at work. I was feeling pressed from all sides.

So I took the matter to prayer.

To make a long story short, the order was cancelled (probably hours before it would have shipped) and I was shopping for another birthday present for the Wonderful Wife. But I was shopping with a light heart. You can't beat that with a big, fat, hairy stick.

Besides, when the price of gas comes back down and things return to something like normal, that same computer will be cheaper, faster, and more powerful. I had made some concessions in my wish list in favor of affordability. Hold out awhile and all your computing dreams may come true.

Maybe.

I'm still blessed.

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08/14/2005

Observations from the Coast

Some are born for the sea: they live for the salt spray, the wind and the waves. Others prefer the hard contact of terra firma under their Buster Browns.

I'm as much the former as the latter. That is not to say that I am not happy unless I am on the sea; for I am. Still, there is a certain satisfaction I only know when the boyant salt water lifts the deck beneath my feet.

And so I found myself plying the coastal waters off of Indian River Inlet, DE last weekend, seeking elusive prey on board my dad's small boat. We were fishing, but not too successfully. Landing a few sea robins (a weird fish if ever I've seen one) and two skates (like a small ray). We did catch two keeper sea bass. And as the photo to the port side shows, we saw some porpoises.

Okay, so saying we saw some porpoises is like looking at a cup of water and saying we saw some H2O molecules. We saw a lot of porpi(porpoises?). At one point, we parked our boat in the heart of a pod of some hundreds, playing, eating and diving around us. I took a lot more pictures than I have bandwidth, so you'll have to settle for this one for now.

From a fishing perspective, the most exciting time was when I hooked into a Thrasher (Thresher?) Shark. As soon as the line started to sing off the reel, I knew this was different than the few small sea robins and sea trout I'd hooked thus far. I set the hook and maneuvered over the rest of the "gang" to the starbord transom, where my hefty quarry went airborne. "That's a Thrasher Shark!" bellowed our rental captain, Mr. Walt. "How big?" I yelled back. "About 250 pounds, I would guess." came the reply.

Well, I knew little of Thrasher Sharks or Thresher Sharks (I think they go by both names), but I was elated. This guy was going all-out. Alas, I had neither the tackle nor the experience to pull this boy on board. In seconds, he snapped the 75# braided metal line, never to be seen again (by me, anyway).

Some random observations from my trip:

We spend a lot of money on boats that we seldom use. At any given time, 95% of the boats were in the marina.

Fishing isn't about the food anymore. We could have fed a small country for a day with what we spent to catch two fish.

Life is weird. But I can't explain that one and probably shouldn't have written it. Still, what I have written, stays written. At least for now.

 

I looked up Thrashers when I came home. Seems they circulate in coastal waters around the globe. Noted for their small mouths and long top tail lobe, they're not particularly dangerous until you try to land one. Then their tail, which is about as long as their body, becomes a lethal weapon. A Thrasher with a 10' body would have a 9' tail and weigh about 900 pounds. I understand they are superb eating.

Well, time to weigh anchor and sail off into the sunset for now.

16:50 Posted in About Life | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this

08/03/2005

Walk Like a Penguin

Friday night we took the Incredible In-laws and their neighbors, the Wonderful Wickhams to dinner at Cascone's Italian Restaurant. The occasion was the Venerable Dirk's birthday.

Saturday night the same crew (plus our two good girls) went to see March of the Penguins. If you're in the mood for a good, clean film, this could be the one. At the outset, I thought "If this is 90 minutes of penguins walking on ice, it's going to be very boring." It wasn't.

I'm a big fan of penguins, and after seeing the movie, even more so. My favorite penguin quote: If you need to walk on ice, walk like a penguin. They do it all the time.

I made that one up.

In the blog world, I hope to get time to put a little organization on this page by combining my favorite posts in a list.

Well, work calls. More later.

13:05 Posted in About Life , Film | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

07/28/2005

Where I Needed to Be

"I don't want to go to church! I need time to just sit still and talk to God!" my consciousness thundered inside me as I scanned the intersection ahead for errant or aberrant vehicle behaviors. I quickly considered my options: three blocks from church, two kids in the car with me, looking forward to Wednesday night activities. Guess I was locked in.

So I did my duty. I escorted the girls to their classroom, then meandered across the hall to the prayer and praise service, minutes from making its grand start. Getting comfortable in a chair, I tried to calm my mind, but I had too much going on, too many decisions to make. I needed answers and a quiet place to think, I thought.

Then the song leader got up and welcomed us. "Turn in your hymnal (yes, we still use hymnals - at least on Wednesday night) to hymn number 560 - 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus'.

As the piano played and we sang the familiar words "Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him; How I've proved Him o'er and o'er", I realized - this is where I need to be.

Did I get all my questions answered? Not by a long shot. Did I solve my problems? Give me a break. What I did do was re-connect with the One who would be with me through the unanswered questions, who would give me strength to live life one problem at a time. And that was enough.

Simplistic religion? Maybe. If so, that's what I need. I rather see it as a personal relationship with a living Lord who knows me and loves me as I am. That is enough.

Update:

I am posting an answer to Stephanie's question in the body of the message so I can include some links.

Stephanie:
I guess some of the things I'd look for would be:

Am I accepted as I am, yet encouraged to become more like Christ?
Do they "get it" - do they know the Living God in a vital way and believe that He wants more than anything to be personally involved in the lives of His creation?
Does the church major on the majors (evangelism, prayer, compassionate ministries)?
Are they biblical and conservative in teaching?
Do they have a passion for what they believe?
Do they provide deep biblical teaching?
Are they clear in their doctrinal teachings?
Do they provide an inquirers/new members' class?
What is their purpose?
Do they encourage lay involvement, or do they expect the leadership to do all the work?

Other factors you might consider, depending on your situation and preference, might include children's and/or youth ministries, (do they have them? do they provide adequate safeguards? opportunity for ministry involvement?) and worship style (very much an issue of preference). Are they contemporary or traditional? Do you like a liturgical church or more casual atmosphere?

These are just some suggestions. I hope they help. I would encourage Dan or Scott or Ron or Barbara to chime in with any comments.

14:00 Posted in About Life , Faith | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this

07/25/2005

Haircuts

Blogging has been light of late. I've been reading, which leaves little time for other things. So what's new?

Well, Youngest, who is 4 1/2, had been asking to get her haircut. Her blond locks were nearly to her belt if she tilted her head back. Her big sister has been sporting a shoulder-length look all summer, and Wonderful Wife has a short doo too. On our way to get trims on Saturday morning, Youngest once again asked to get hers cut short, like Mommy's.

That was fine and good, except Mommy has a style that takes curling and lots of work, which Youngest most certainly would not abide by. So while I got my #3 clippers, blend in the top, Mommy and Youngest picked out a new cut. While a big change, it does look cute, I'm sure it's cooler, and it won't take so much brushing.

But some kids don't deal with change well, and Youngest is one of them. Getting in the car after the haircut, she caught her reflection in the car window. "It looks like somebody was mad at me and cut my hair off!" she spouted.

Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any permanent emotional damage, and she hasn't mentioned it since that I'm aware of.

12:03 Posted in About Life | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

07/22/2005

Friday's on the way!

Overheard at our house on Wednesday night:

"Mama, is it Thursday?"

"No, honey. It's Wednesday."

"Wednesday? Good, because Thursday comes after Wednesday and Friday comes after Thursday. And Sissy comes home on Friday. I miss her so much."

We all do, honey. We all do. I'm glad it's Friday.

Eldest sent us a postcard from camp. On one side, it's addressed to dad. On the back, it says "Dear mom:". Guess she covered her bases.

09:35 Posted in About Life | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

07/21/2005

A "New" Car!

Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!

So goes the Mazda commercial, and so goes the Mazda.

Our trusty old blue '95 Buick Century was showing her years. We'd been talking for some time about trading her in, and I set about doing the research thing I'm driven to do. I pulled out the Consumer Reports (I'm Keeper of the CR Archives at work, he wrote proudly), googled and yahooed my way across the internet, did some math, and decided we could pay about X amount per month for a used car. I narrowed the search to a Ford Focus ('02 model year preferred) or possibly a Suzuki Aerio. I had a printout of models we could afford in my handy-dandy notebook.

We were ready to go shopping. But I wasn't ready to get serious. I hadn't cleaned up the Buick and gotten a free 7-day/300 mile quote from Carmax. I knew I couldn't do this without having all my waterfowl swimming in linear fashion across the auto-buying world.

But the weather was getting hot and the air conditioning was out in the Buick, which I drive to work every day, picking up my mother-in-law on the way. I could tough the heat, but Wonderful Wife was right - I couldn't make her mom deal with it. We agreed to take the "Bluick" to the garage and get the A/C charged. Meanwhile, we'd go across the street and check out the used Focus inventory at the Ford dealership.

So it went. Mr. Ford dealer only had two used Focus (Foci?) in stock - both older than I would have liked (Consumer Reports panned the '00 and '01 model years for reliability issues), although one of them "belonged to my niece, who only drove it to college and work". Okay. Whatever.

"Well, thanks. I'm not seeing what I'm looking for. We just got started. Maybe we'll be back later."

"Hey, let me see what else I've got in your price range. There's this '99 Mazda 626 that looks pretty good.

And it did. Zoom, zoom, zoom, like the Mazda add says. It drove pretty well too. The 125 hp 4 cylinder put out enough torque to get my attention, and that thing handled like it was on rails! The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering brings the road up to meet you then lays it out cold for your enjoyment. Plus, the baby was almost loaded. Power this and that and the other thing. We all liked it. And the mileage was good, too. Just 49,700 on the old odometer.

I had intended to do more research, prepare for a good trade-in, maybe talk the salesman down a little. But in the end, like most car shoppers, I talked myself into it. I wanted this car.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not having buyer's remorse or anything like that. I've done a little post-purchase homework (Remember, I hadn't really even looked at Mazdas, let alone the 626. My only real experience was driving my boss' car a few times.) and I think we got a great deal. Pricewise, we got a bargain, especially considering the low miles and good condition. We got a better-than-expected trade for the Buick. Consumer Reports rates the '99 626 as a best buy for a used car in it's price range.

Today I did a little more homework. I think it was on Autobytel.com, the reviews included estimated repair costs, which I put side-by-side with the Buick. Here's what I found out.

Replacement Costs	Mazda	Buick	Difference
A/C Compressor	405	555	-150
Alternator	305	195	110
Automatic Transmission or Transaxle	1030	1095	-65
Brakes	260	210	50
Constant Velocity Joints	670	535	135
Exhaust System	270	450	-180
Radiator	505	430	75
Shocks and/or Struts	440	825	-385
Timing Chain or Belt	280	350	-70
Totals	4165	4645	-480

I guess I say all that to say I feel very blessed. By nature, I want about 600x the information I need to make a decision like this. Recently, I read an article on decision-making in Fortune. The author, a former Marine officer, said they teach leaders to make decisions with 70% of the information they need and they'll make good decisions most of the time. It's a bit of advice I intend to work on. In this case, I took a chance. Some people would say I got lucky. I guess I see more to it than that.

21:34 Posted in About Life | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

07/19/2005

Summer Camp

It's a rite of passage - an annual ritual that marks the passing of time, like growth rings on a tree trunk, leaving marks deep inside. If we could see those marks, if we could read them like a carpenter reads a piece of oak, what a story they'd tell.

"This one here - that