I saw this on Drudge a few minutes ago... I wonder if they are using HP's new camera to take her pic?
We are such a vain society.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Internet Dependent / Generosity
I received a call from my wife yesterday when she could not connect to the internet. I walked her through a few of the basics, but no go. When I came home I started to troubleshoot the issue while she was making banana pancakes for dinner. I got in the office and checked the cable modem and the connect light was in a slow steady blinking state. The troubleshooting page said that meant a connectivity issued, so I started making sure all the connections were tight. A couple were not very snug, so I tightened them down a bit and rechecked. Still no internet connection. I went in and turned on the TV and guess what? The cable was out. I got on the phone and called Time-Warner and the front end message informed me that there was a large outage in 3 towns, including mine. I guess that answers my question!
The cable came back about 9 or so, but internet activity was still down until 10 or so. I guess they had not began to reset the network equipment until then.
Tuesdays are the night I disciple "Mickey" in "One to One Discipling". He is a pretty good student and I enjoy talking with him. We got into a serious discussion about giving/tithing last night that I was sure was going to be heated. While it is not my business if a person tithes or not, their motives are my concern, especially if the motives are opposed to what scripture teaches.
In Mickey's case, he has stated he wants to get "the millstone from around his neck" before he starts tithing. Both he and his wife do ok financially, but they place great importance on what they want than what God wants. I have been in the same place. I once thought that I could wait until my major debt was gone before I began tithing but I was wrong. Scripture commands believers to give God "the first fruits". It is clear that we will be blessed if we do. While God does not say he will curse us, the blessings will not flow abundantly until we give.
If everyone took the attitude Mickey has, the church would not be able to support itself. I told Mickey that we have "a millstone around our neck" as well, but we have adjusted to allow us to give 10%, save 6%, and live on the rest. Mickey told me he saves 10%, gives some (no percentage given, but I am positive it is less than 5%) and lives on the rest. He is so worried about providing for a future, he has forgotten God's challenge in the book of Malachi 3:10 -
"...Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
We have been tithing for about 5-7 years or so. It has not been easy and I was not a cheerful giver, but I have evolved into a much more generous person. Mickey tells me his wife is keeping him from tithing. I find two things wrong with that. First, as a Christian man, he is the spiritual head of his household. He should be setting the tone biblically on what is to be done.
Second, I know that his wife is much more generous than he is. When my wife goes out with her, "Sherry" (Mickey's wife) tips very well. When Mickey and I go out, he is rather frugal with the tip.
If Mickey decides to tithe or to tip generously is not my problem, it is his motivation. We are to be cheerful givers. Mickey would rather spend money on things left and right and dine out frequently than bless others. Do not get me wrong...Mickey is a great guy. He opens up his home for dinner and for get togethers all the time. He is fun to be around and will help when he can, but he has issues with money. I guess his being in debt twice in his life (both times he had to file bankruptcy) has soured him a bit. Maybe if we all keep praying, he will soften some. I know that from talking to him that is big fear. He will not admit it, but it is.
Mickey, I am gonna pray your fears away. God bless you, Brother!
The cable came back about 9 or so, but internet activity was still down until 10 or so. I guess they had not began to reset the network equipment until then.
Tuesdays are the night I disciple "Mickey" in "One to One Discipling". He is a pretty good student and I enjoy talking with him. We got into a serious discussion about giving/tithing last night that I was sure was going to be heated. While it is not my business if a person tithes or not, their motives are my concern, especially if the motives are opposed to what scripture teaches.
In Mickey's case, he has stated he wants to get "the millstone from around his neck" before he starts tithing. Both he and his wife do ok financially, but they place great importance on what they want than what God wants. I have been in the same place. I once thought that I could wait until my major debt was gone before I began tithing but I was wrong. Scripture commands believers to give God "the first fruits". It is clear that we will be blessed if we do. While God does not say he will curse us, the blessings will not flow abundantly until we give.
If everyone took the attitude Mickey has, the church would not be able to support itself. I told Mickey that we have "a millstone around our neck" as well, but we have adjusted to allow us to give 10%, save 6%, and live on the rest. Mickey told me he saves 10%, gives some (no percentage given, but I am positive it is less than 5%) and lives on the rest. He is so worried about providing for a future, he has forgotten God's challenge in the book of Malachi 3:10 -
"...Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
We have been tithing for about 5-7 years or so. It has not been easy and I was not a cheerful giver, but I have evolved into a much more generous person. Mickey tells me his wife is keeping him from tithing. I find two things wrong with that. First, as a Christian man, he is the spiritual head of his household. He should be setting the tone biblically on what is to be done.
Second, I know that his wife is much more generous than he is. When my wife goes out with her, "Sherry" (Mickey's wife) tips very well. When Mickey and I go out, he is rather frugal with the tip.
If Mickey decides to tithe or to tip generously is not my problem, it is his motivation. We are to be cheerful givers. Mickey would rather spend money on things left and right and dine out frequently than bless others. Do not get me wrong...Mickey is a great guy. He opens up his home for dinner and for get togethers all the time. He is fun to be around and will help when he can, but he has issues with money. I guess his being in debt twice in his life (both times he had to file bankruptcy) has soured him a bit. Maybe if we all keep praying, he will soften some. I know that from talking to him that is big fear. He will not admit it, but it is.
Mickey, I am gonna pray your fears away. God bless you, Brother!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Water Heater Woes
Saturday my wife tells me that their is no hot water. It is warm, but far from hot. I check it and it is lit and set where it always is, on "hot". I the turn the igniter to "pilot", turn off cold water, hook up the garden hose to the drain valve, release the pressure, and open the valve. It takes a long time, but I finally get it drained. I reverse the process and give it a couple of hours. Why did I do this? We have an 8 year old tank and during the 5 years we have lived here, we have never drained it to help get rid of the sediment.
Saturday and Sunday we have hot water. Monday evening I get the joy of bathing little man and the water is warm...not hot. Ick. Well, all I can do is check the pilot (it is on), turn it up a notch, and pray. If that does not do it...new tank time. At least we have the cash this month. Well, maybe not. I do need to get some work done to the truck (oil, trannie, rear dif fluid changes).
The cycle is never complete, is it?
Saturday and Sunday we have hot water. Monday evening I get the joy of bathing little man and the water is warm...not hot. Ick. Well, all I can do is check the pilot (it is on), turn it up a notch, and pray. If that does not do it...new tank time. At least we have the cash this month. Well, maybe not. I do need to get some work done to the truck (oil, trannie, rear dif fluid changes).
The cycle is never complete, is it?
Monday, August 28, 2006
We Have Rain
It is raining outside my office. It has been raining most of the morning. Couple that with the 77 degrees (versus the 103 we had last week) and it not a bad day.
It rained a bit yesterday as well, but today is the steady rain we need. I am sure it will cause the grass to shoot up (and I do not have a working trimmer..I have not gotten mine to the shop yet) so my borders will soon look pretty bad. That is okay, because this rain is needed.
Temps this week are supposed to be in the low to mid 90's...again that is much better than 103.
It rained a bit yesterday as well, but today is the steady rain we need. I am sure it will cause the grass to shoot up (and I do not have a working trimmer..I have not gotten mine to the shop yet) so my borders will soon look pretty bad. That is okay, because this rain is needed.
Temps this week are supposed to be in the low to mid 90's...again that is much better than 103.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Almost Back to Normal
With the weekend all but over with, it appears that life after my wife's surgery may be getting back to normal. She let me know today that she is bored out of her skull. It only took 2 weeks.
Saturday started with my wife requesting some lemon poppy seed muffins for breakfast, so I ran out to pick up some as well as some other things we could use. I filled up my truck ($2.53 a gallon) that morning since I filled up the van the previous day. The price has been dropping steadily over the past 30 days and that is refreshing.
After spending quality time with my wife over a breakfast of pastry and coffee, I let her have her bible time while I started working on my Sunday School lesson. Neither took that long and after we were finished, I started vacuuming. In the process, there were clothes to fold but instead of bothering my wife, I just took care of them while she spent some time on the PC. By the time I was finished, it was lunch time. With the vacuuming and laundry finished, all that was left was the dishes. While doing those, I asked my wife if she would like to go out to dinner and she wasted no time telling me "yes". We took it easy the rest of the day and went to dinner about 6 PM.
We stopped at TGI Friday's, which is fast becoming a new favorite. I think we have worn out most of the other affordable priced places and Friday's offers a good fun atmosphere with some good food. My wife enjoys the Jack Daniel's sauced ribs. Me, I will eat just about anything on that menu. It is all good.
After dinner, we walked off dinner at the mall. We stopped in several shops and eventually stopped in to the Cingular Wireless store to see about getting new phones. As usual, the sales staff does not want to mess with you if you are not a "new" customer. Same story at any wireless place. I will just all them Monday and see what I can have done and what is available. I already know I will have to get a new rate plan to go with my new phones. We may bump the minutes up some since we went way over our minutes this month. No worries.
Sunday was the typical Sunday School/Church/Lunch routine I have come to know and love, but this time we had "Darlene" with us. She is a sweet woman, a senior who works two jobs. It pains me to see her do that...but it is not possible for some people to survive on social security.
After lunch at Taco Bell, my wife dropped me off and I was going to watch old "Star Blazers" cartoons when my wife called me to tell me that one of the husbands of the woman who was hosting the party was sitting all by himself and asked me if I would come over...so I obliged. We sat and chatted for a while and watch some Star Trek, only to entertain a preteen boy who had never seen Trek before...what a sheltered kid! We all laughed at the corniness off the original Star Trek and before we knew it, the shower was over and it was time to go.
I came home and my wife appeared agitated, but would not tell me why. Since I could not get any info out of her, I called my mom for a weekly chat. After the call was over I walked little man and ate a light dinner.
Pretty much nothing new. Work will be busy next week, but that is the way it will be for quite some time, at least until they announce who is getting laid off.
Saturday started with my wife requesting some lemon poppy seed muffins for breakfast, so I ran out to pick up some as well as some other things we could use. I filled up my truck ($2.53 a gallon) that morning since I filled up the van the previous day. The price has been dropping steadily over the past 30 days and that is refreshing.
After spending quality time with my wife over a breakfast of pastry and coffee, I let her have her bible time while I started working on my Sunday School lesson. Neither took that long and after we were finished, I started vacuuming. In the process, there were clothes to fold but instead of bothering my wife, I just took care of them while she spent some time on the PC. By the time I was finished, it was lunch time. With the vacuuming and laundry finished, all that was left was the dishes. While doing those, I asked my wife if she would like to go out to dinner and she wasted no time telling me "yes". We took it easy the rest of the day and went to dinner about 6 PM.
We stopped at TGI Friday's, which is fast becoming a new favorite. I think we have worn out most of the other affordable priced places and Friday's offers a good fun atmosphere with some good food. My wife enjoys the Jack Daniel's sauced ribs. Me, I will eat just about anything on that menu. It is all good.
After dinner, we walked off dinner at the mall. We stopped in several shops and eventually stopped in to the Cingular Wireless store to see about getting new phones. As usual, the sales staff does not want to mess with you if you are not a "new" customer. Same story at any wireless place. I will just all them Monday and see what I can have done and what is available. I already know I will have to get a new rate plan to go with my new phones. We may bump the minutes up some since we went way over our minutes this month. No worries.
Sunday was the typical Sunday School/Church/Lunch routine I have come to know and love, but this time we had "Darlene" with us. She is a sweet woman, a senior who works two jobs. It pains me to see her do that...but it is not possible for some people to survive on social security.
After lunch at Taco Bell, my wife dropped me off and I was going to watch old "Star Blazers" cartoons when my wife called me to tell me that one of the husbands of the woman who was hosting the party was sitting all by himself and asked me if I would come over...so I obliged. We sat and chatted for a while and watch some Star Trek, only to entertain a preteen boy who had never seen Trek before...what a sheltered kid! We all laughed at the corniness off the original Star Trek and before we knew it, the shower was over and it was time to go.
I came home and my wife appeared agitated, but would not tell me why. Since I could not get any info out of her, I called my mom for a weekly chat. After the call was over I walked little man and ate a light dinner.
Pretty much nothing new. Work will be busy next week, but that is the way it will be for quite some time, at least until they announce who is getting laid off.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Michelle is Sooooo Right
A quote from her blog.
"Yoo-hoo, American feminists. Have you nothing to say about this case? Perhaps if Lina Joy were clamoring for the right to marry an atheist woman instead of a Christian man, you'd be all over it, huh?"
Don't forget the ACLU...you know how much we lurv them!
And another I just managed to read...I am sure it goes both ways but...wow.
Thanx Michelle Malkin for speaking your mind.
"Yoo-hoo, American feminists. Have you nothing to say about this case? Perhaps if Lina Joy were clamoring for the right to marry an atheist woman instead of a Christian man, you'd be all over it, huh?"
Don't forget the ACLU...you know how much we lurv them!
And another I just managed to read...I am sure it goes both ways but...wow.
Thanx Michelle Malkin for speaking your mind.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Let Me Entertain You / Out of Touch, Part 2
For only the 2nd time in as many years, we entertained last night at our home. This means a lot to me because my wife is very self conscious about the appearance of our home. She does a great job of keeping it looking great...I am very proud of her. She does however, have an issue of what other people think about our home.
You see, we live in a somewhat affluent town. The median income is something like $30,000 more than we make each year. When we lived in NC, we were above median income by 20K or so, but here we are below that median by roughly 30K. Since we are not at a level that is considered the median, we have a smaller (although well maintained) home. My wife lets that get to her. I know it is a female thing...women have values that are different than men. That is OK, because that only goes to show the wonder of God's plan for us. But, I digress.
We had our care group over last night for pizza/salad/fruit/cookies and a bible lesson. It was a wonderful gathering that my wife was comfortable with. The people are very non-judgmental and we tend to get along very well. The conversation flowed easily and there was rarely a time it lagged. Even though we come from all walks of life and from all over the US, we really have no problem finding things to talk about.
This morning I was pleased to find out that I did not miss part two of the modesty discussion on the Focus on the Family broadcast. I had feared that yesterday I missed part 2, but I found out they preempted that part to cover another issue. This made me happy because I am very much interested in what goes on with our youth. One of the coupled in our care group has a teenage daughter and I cannot help but think what she is going through today regarding issues of femininity and sexuality.
The focus today was modest dress and open communication. It is no secret that the average Christian wants their children to remain sexually pure until marriage. While many factors influence the decision to remain pure or "go with the flow" of the culture, modest dress is major one. Modesty does not just include how much skin is showing, but it also includes how mature the girl is dressing. I teen girl can be clothed from ankle to neck, but if that clothing is a sheer skin tight bodysuit...the amount of skin covered is irrelevant.
Mom's need to be involved with teen clothing choices. Showing too much skin or too many curves is an open door to poor behavior by teen boys and even poorer behavior by men with little or no self control.
One person who comes to mind that is careful about her manner of dress is AAA. She has made it a point to dress in such a way to be attractive (no, I am not a perv...men can admire beauty without being sexual about it) while maintaining modesty. IIRC, she tends to wear long dresses frequently and that speaks volumes about her character.
I respect women who watch their manner of dress...I see many women at our church who wear, tight, revealing, low cut clothing on Sunday. I feel embarrassed for their husbands. Short, tight skirts are common and I am a bit surprised that something is not being said about it. I am not being a prude, but since men have different wiring than women do, women are encouraging men to look at them. Of course, as men we don't help matters by only noticing women when they "dress to kill". I remember back before I married Mrs. Gee that I tended to notice the modest dressed women because they stood out in a crowd. You want to know what? I married one.
You see, we live in a somewhat affluent town. The median income is something like $30,000 more than we make each year. When we lived in NC, we were above median income by 20K or so, but here we are below that median by roughly 30K. Since we are not at a level that is considered the median, we have a smaller (although well maintained) home. My wife lets that get to her. I know it is a female thing...women have values that are different than men. That is OK, because that only goes to show the wonder of God's plan for us. But, I digress.
We had our care group over last night for pizza/salad/fruit/cookies and a bible lesson. It was a wonderful gathering that my wife was comfortable with. The people are very non-judgmental and we tend to get along very well. The conversation flowed easily and there was rarely a time it lagged. Even though we come from all walks of life and from all over the US, we really have no problem finding things to talk about.
This morning I was pleased to find out that I did not miss part two of the modesty discussion on the Focus on the Family broadcast. I had feared that yesterday I missed part 2, but I found out they preempted that part to cover another issue. This made me happy because I am very much interested in what goes on with our youth. One of the coupled in our care group has a teenage daughter and I cannot help but think what she is going through today regarding issues of femininity and sexuality.
The focus today was modest dress and open communication. It is no secret that the average Christian wants their children to remain sexually pure until marriage. While many factors influence the decision to remain pure or "go with the flow" of the culture, modest dress is major one. Modesty does not just include how much skin is showing, but it also includes how mature the girl is dressing. I teen girl can be clothed from ankle to neck, but if that clothing is a sheer skin tight bodysuit...the amount of skin covered is irrelevant.
Mom's need to be involved with teen clothing choices. Showing too much skin or too many curves is an open door to poor behavior by teen boys and even poorer behavior by men with little or no self control.
One person who comes to mind that is careful about her manner of dress is AAA. She has made it a point to dress in such a way to be attractive (no, I am not a perv...men can admire beauty without being sexual about it) while maintaining modesty. IIRC, she tends to wear long dresses frequently and that speaks volumes about her character.
I respect women who watch their manner of dress...I see many women at our church who wear, tight, revealing, low cut clothing on Sunday. I feel embarrassed for their husbands. Short, tight skirts are common and I am a bit surprised that something is not being said about it. I am not being a prude, but since men have different wiring than women do, women are encouraging men to look at them. Of course, as men we don't help matters by only noticing women when they "dress to kill". I remember back before I married Mrs. Gee that I tended to notice the modest dressed women because they stood out in a crowd. You want to know what? I married one.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Abnormally Slow
It has been very slow at work today. I have done some project work, but I backed off since I was told I do not have to do it myself. I have done quite a bit so far, but it is not completed. The software (while it is installed and configured) will not run and I do not know why. Well, I have an idea, but I do not want to screw anything up. Since I am not the sharpest Unix knife in the drawer, I need to play it smart.
My colleague just came by to tell me that he is terminating 1300 old UNIX accounts from out NC domain. I gave him a surprised look and he told me the got approval from the Security Mgr to fulfill the request from the Site Mgr. I am sure at least one of those accounts has data that is still being used.
This is being done because our customer has finally (after 10 years) figured out that they are wasting a lot of storage space. We get requests all the time for more space and when the data was analyzed, a large portion of it was junk, personal stuff, old data, etc. Looks like it is time to clean house.
Still nothing new on the job front. I actually do not expect to see anything for a while. My guess is that they will not "publish" a list, but tell each person individually and go from there. While I am not "worried", I am concerned that if I remain on, I will get a job that is beyond my skill set.
I was given notice that I am officially on the on-call rotation. I think that is kinda funny, since the bigger part of our group is going to be outsourced. Does that mean that we will have a smaller on call list?
My colleague just came by to tell me that he is terminating 1300 old UNIX accounts from out NC domain. I gave him a surprised look and he told me the got approval from the Security Mgr to fulfill the request from the Site Mgr. I am sure at least one of those accounts has data that is still being used.
This is being done because our customer has finally (after 10 years) figured out that they are wasting a lot of storage space. We get requests all the time for more space and when the data was analyzed, a large portion of it was junk, personal stuff, old data, etc. Looks like it is time to clean house.
Still nothing new on the job front. I actually do not expect to see anything for a while. My guess is that they will not "publish" a list, but tell each person individually and go from there. While I am not "worried", I am concerned that if I remain on, I will get a job that is beyond my skill set.
I was given notice that I am officially on the on-call rotation. I think that is kinda funny, since the bigger part of our group is going to be outsourced. Does that mean that we will have a smaller on call list?
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Wow, More Project Work / Out of Touch
As I blogged last week, we have been given notices that there will be RIF's (Reduction In Force) in about 6 weeks. We do not know *who* will be going, but we know which jobs will. With that being said, motivation to do anything has been low and we are beginning to train the people in Kuala Lumpur (KL) to do our jobs. My days have been busier...not because I am training someone to do my job, but because I have been given two project that need to be finished by August 28th. I have 6 more days to install and configure 2 pieces of software on very Unix and Linux server in the US that we support. I also have to poll every server to get a variety of information that is needed by mgmt. Although I am not smart enough to do it, I would thing it could be scripted to automate the process.
I normally do not take many breaks but then again my day is usually not overly busy. Today I am forcing myself to take some. Yesterday started the busy work and I was purely exhausted by the time I got home. After dinner, still needed to go to the store, wash dishes, walk the dogs, and take out the trash. I was not in the mood, but it had to be done. My wife could tell I was not a happy camper, but she did not ride me about it. Communication at work.
I was listening to "Focus on the Family" on KWRD 100.7 FM, Christian talk radio this morning and was very surprised at the topic. One of the guests, Leslie Ludy, was discussing some current sexual behaviors of many teens today... including Christians. What she informed the listening audience was eye opening.
It seems that many teens are using oral sex as a replacement for sexual intercourse. The behavior is starting as young as 12-13 years old and is done so the girls will feel that they are keeping their promises to their parents to remain pure. I guess I am just out of touch with today's youth since I did not know it was wide spread. I know I have heard rumors and stories that our son has told us, but I brushed it off as just a couple of "easy" and immoral girls. I did not know that it was the norm.
I really wish I could have listened to the whole broadcast. It is a three part series that continues tomorrow and Thursday. If you have a daughter, it would pay to tune in.
I normally do not take many breaks but then again my day is usually not overly busy. Today I am forcing myself to take some. Yesterday started the busy work and I was purely exhausted by the time I got home. After dinner, still needed to go to the store, wash dishes, walk the dogs, and take out the trash. I was not in the mood, but it had to be done. My wife could tell I was not a happy camper, but she did not ride me about it. Communication at work.
*** This next topic is a bit graphic, so if you are easily offended, you can just move on to the next web page. You have been warned.***
I was listening to "Focus on the Family" on KWRD 100.7 FM, Christian talk radio this morning and was very surprised at the topic. One of the guests, Leslie Ludy, was discussing some current sexual behaviors of many teens today... including Christians. What she informed the listening audience was eye opening.
It seems that many teens are using oral sex as a replacement for sexual intercourse. The behavior is starting as young as 12-13 years old and is done so the girls will feel that they are keeping their promises to their parents to remain pure. I guess I am just out of touch with today's youth since I did not know it was wide spread. I know I have heard rumors and stories that our son has told us, but I brushed it off as just a couple of "easy" and immoral girls. I did not know that it was the norm.
I really wish I could have listened to the whole broadcast. It is a three part series that continues tomorrow and Thursday. If you have a daughter, it would pay to tune in.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Rest, Please.
I am bushed. It has been a very busy 3-4 days and I could really use some time to recharge.
My wife had surgery last week (a big hooah! to all those who sent cards, e-mails, FOOD, etc) and I worked from home (Wed, Thurs, Fri) so I could take care of her. It went pretty well, but I was looking forward to the weekend.
Friday was slow for me working from home...not much going on. I am not sure why...Friday's can be pretty busy most of the time. I was happy that my wife was feeling better, even though she was still sleeping a big part of the day.
Saturday was the men's breakfast and church work day. I stayed until 12:30 or so, which was longer than most but not as long as some. I helped with chairs and tables as well as shoveling rocks. Once all that was done, I came home and vacuumed the house, washed dishes, and helped with laundry. I was tired but not so exhausted that I could not read a little.
Sunday was the celebration at church with our new name, Faith Fellowship. The overall turnout was pretty good. I stayed for service, the picture, and the sign dedication, but left after that. My son (who spent the weekend with us) and grabbed my wife a sandwich and then he and I went to CiCi's Pizza for lunch and a chat. He had a lot on his mind and was able to unload a bit. I think it did him good.
I overslept this morning but made it to work close to my regular starting time. I was only 30 minutes later than ususal. My boss was also late, coming in the same time I did. We chatted about the impending layoffs for a while and then I started my day...it was busy enough that I only had my lunch hour free. The rest of the time I was very busy. They have dropped 2 projects on me that they want finished before we get laid off. It is about 2 weeks worth of work, on top on my regular job. Since we have one guy out, we are all working more than we usually do, so it is taking longer to get things done.
My TL and I chatted a bit today and he confessed that he initially did not want me in the department. His reasons were valid so I was not offended. He then said that when he learned I was a Christian, he began to think about his attitude and then changed his mind. He then told me that even though I am not as strong as many of the others in the group, I still pull my weight and was glad that I joined the team. Wow.
I am not very stress about the layoffs. I calculated my package and if I get everything that I think I qualify for, I will have about 5.5 months (counting vacation) of pay. I hope that will be long enough to find another job. I will not worry though, because God will take care of my family.
My wife had surgery last week (a big hooah! to all those who sent cards, e-mails, FOOD, etc) and I worked from home (Wed, Thurs, Fri) so I could take care of her. It went pretty well, but I was looking forward to the weekend.
Friday was slow for me working from home...not much going on. I am not sure why...Friday's can be pretty busy most of the time. I was happy that my wife was feeling better, even though she was still sleeping a big part of the day.
Saturday was the men's breakfast and church work day. I stayed until 12:30 or so, which was longer than most but not as long as some. I helped with chairs and tables as well as shoveling rocks. Once all that was done, I came home and vacuumed the house, washed dishes, and helped with laundry. I was tired but not so exhausted that I could not read a little.
Sunday was the celebration at church with our new name, Faith Fellowship. The overall turnout was pretty good. I stayed for service, the picture, and the sign dedication, but left after that. My son (who spent the weekend with us) and grabbed my wife a sandwich and then he and I went to CiCi's Pizza for lunch and a chat. He had a lot on his mind and was able to unload a bit. I think it did him good.
I overslept this morning but made it to work close to my regular starting time. I was only 30 minutes later than ususal. My boss was also late, coming in the same time I did. We chatted about the impending layoffs for a while and then I started my day...it was busy enough that I only had my lunch hour free. The rest of the time I was very busy. They have dropped 2 projects on me that they want finished before we get laid off. It is about 2 weeks worth of work, on top on my regular job. Since we have one guy out, we are all working more than we usually do, so it is taking longer to get things done.
My TL and I chatted a bit today and he confessed that he initially did not want me in the department. His reasons were valid so I was not offended. He then said that when he learned I was a Christian, he began to think about his attitude and then changed his mind. He then told me that even though I am not as strong as many of the others in the group, I still pull my weight and was glad that I joined the team. Wow.
I am not very stress about the layoffs. I calculated my package and if I get everything that I think I qualify for, I will have about 5.5 months (counting vacation) of pay. I hope that will be long enough to find another job. I will not worry though, because God will take care of my family.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
SURPRISE (Times Three)
My second concall was a bit of a surprise...it seems that we are laying off 20 people. "Only 20" you say? That does not seem like much, does it. Considering that the 20 people are from the Windows, Unix, and LAN (Tier 1 and 2) support and the fact we only have a total of about 60 people ... that is a big number. The package / plan is supposed to be posted soon so we know what to expect. My guess is that a lot of people just are not going to care at all.
The next surprise came when some friends came over to deliver food to us. They stopped over about 7:00 or so (they called first) and brought chicken, veggies and fruit. I broke out the drinks (Fuze, bottled water, and Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade) and we chatted until 9:00 or so. At first I thought that it was a bit forward of them to invite themselves to join us for dinner (we had eaten, but I did not let them know that) but I soon realized these people cared for us and they just wanted to see us. As a matter of fact, they asked if they could stop by Wednesday to have pizza and chat. I had no problem with that at all.
The food they brought was the third delivered dinner in 2 days and more will come if I do not stop it. The outpouring of love they have shown my wife and I is incredible. The cards, calls, food, and flowers have really touched us!
The third and final surprise came at 10:00. We were watching an epi of "The 4400" when we heard a knock at the door. Two of the friends who had shown up earlier came back with a gift...a small Katana sword, sheath, and display stand. I was overwhelmed. I was not sure why he bothered until I remembered we came into my office and he noticed my full scale replicate of King Arthur's "Excaliber" and commented on it. I told him I loved swords and was hoping to collect a few, but smaller scaled ones would work better. I told him I just have not taken the time to get one. I think I mentioned I wanted a Katana, a Claymore, and a Roman Centurian sword. I had no idea he would rush out and buy me one!
The next surprise came when some friends came over to deliver food to us. They stopped over about 7:00 or so (they called first) and brought chicken, veggies and fruit. I broke out the drinks (Fuze, bottled water, and Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade) and we chatted until 9:00 or so. At first I thought that it was a bit forward of them to invite themselves to join us for dinner (we had eaten, but I did not let them know that) but I soon realized these people cared for us and they just wanted to see us. As a matter of fact, they asked if they could stop by Wednesday to have pizza and chat. I had no problem with that at all.
The food they brought was the third delivered dinner in 2 days and more will come if I do not stop it. The outpouring of love they have shown my wife and I is incredible. The cards, calls, food, and flowers have really touched us!
The third and final surprise came at 10:00. We were watching an epi of "The 4400" when we heard a knock at the door. Two of the friends who had shown up earlier came back with a gift...a small Katana sword, sheath, and display stand. I was overwhelmed. I was not sure why he bothered until I remembered we came into my office and he noticed my full scale replicate of King Arthur's "Excaliber" and commented on it. I told him I loved swords and was hoping to collect a few, but smaller scaled ones would work better. I told him I just have not taken the time to get one. I think I mentioned I wanted a Katana, a Claymore, and a Roman Centurian sword. I had no idea he would rush out and buy me one!
WFH
That stands for "Working From Home", a common acronym we use at work. I have been working from home the past couple of days (more accurately Wed, today, and tomorrow) and it has not been too bad. I guess the nice thing is that my wife has gotten some rest so I can stay mostly focused on my tasks. The reason I am working from home is to allow me to care for my wife after her surgery. She is not supposed to be doing much until she heals and knowing my wife, she will grow bored quickly and want to do things.
Yesterday was a bit chaotic, but it ended well. Today was much more evenly paced...I took care of some e-mails, did my reporting for the day, handled some account administration, attended a concall (with one more scheduled in about 30 minutes), and still was able to take care of things for my wife, including lunch. Yesterday I cooked breakfast (whole wheat pancakes) and ate light for dinner. Our meal delivery did not make it until 7ish so I was pretty hungry when it got here. It was a Mexican chicken dish that my wife makes a version of. We had it for lunch as well.
Only about 2 hours left until I can quit for the day...maybe longer if there is anything to do. Monday is shaping up to be busy (3 separate projects plus my normal work) and I am not sure I can do it all, but with God on my side, anything is possible!
Yesterday was a bit chaotic, but it ended well. Today was much more evenly paced...I took care of some e-mails, did my reporting for the day, handled some account administration, attended a concall (with one more scheduled in about 30 minutes), and still was able to take care of things for my wife, including lunch. Yesterday I cooked breakfast (whole wheat pancakes) and ate light for dinner. Our meal delivery did not make it until 7ish so I was pretty hungry when it got here. It was a Mexican chicken dish that my wife makes a version of. We had it for lunch as well.
Only about 2 hours left until I can quit for the day...maybe longer if there is anything to do. Monday is shaping up to be busy (3 separate projects plus my normal work) and I am not sure I can do it all, but with God on my side, anything is possible!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Wow...Just...Wow.
My wife came home from the hospital yesterday after a whopping 30 hour stay (including check-in, pre-op, post-op and one night for rest). She is doing fine and if any of my close friends want more info, just buzz me.
We left the hospital at 4:30ish and drove to Target to fill her scripts. We had the same meds at home that were prescribed for me (Vicodin), but we thought to get the new, fresher ones. I kept the van running with the A/C running on full (it was 102 yesterday) while I ran in to pick them up. It took longer than I expected, but I finally got it. We then drove across the street to get a baked potato from Jason's Deli since that is what my wife wanted. Once food was obtained, we headed home. I pulled in at 5 PM or so and told my wife to stay in the van for a minute while I let the dogs out. They had not seen her in two days and I did not want them to bowl her over. Once I got them out and she went in, I grabbed the mail and returned with the dogs and began unloading the van.
Next on the list was feeding my hungry k9's and getting my wife settled. It took a while...a lot of activity and a lot to do, but we made it. A few phone calls were made after dinner my wife started to take care of the 3 bouquets of flowers she received (one more came today for a total of four) then she went to lay down.
After she got some rest, she asked if we could watch an epi of "The 4400", so we did and I then walked the dogs. Once I got back, she wanted to go to bed and wanted me to lay with her until she fell asleep. I read while she rested and slept straight through until this morning.
I woke up later than I wanted, so I quickly walked, watered and fed the dogs, made pancakes for my wife, coffee for me, and headed in to log on to the work system. What I found was a bit of a mess. You can always tell when I am off because the ticket queues are always in a state of disarray. I immediately went to work trying to clean things up as best as I could and then found that my tunnel to the site we support was not working, so I had to trouble shoot that until it was up and running. My TL had been e-mailing me off and on all day and he told me that he assigned my job responsibilities to another member of my team who is stationed in Virginia. We found out today that he was not accessing the correct system and that is why the ticket queue was in such bad shape. Funny they gave me a hard time for not following up to see if my secure tunnel worked from home but my TL did not follow up to see if my replacement was set up properly. Well, we all make mistakes now, don't we?
Now that I have everything under control, the day is going very well. I am not nearly as stressed out and my wife is sleeping (the pain meds make her drowsy) soundly. I plan on running a few errands this evening after I 'quit" work. I started at 8 so I need to stay online until about 5 or so. I guess I could cut early since I took a short lunch, but that is really not needed. I can make it...it is only 3.5 more hours...
I did not get caught up until about 11:30 or so then I took lunch with my wife. We chatted and took a few calls from friends and well wishers and then I washed the dishes that had been accumulating over the past 18 hours or so and headed back to working.
Working from home is ok, but trying to give my wife all the attention she needs and doing my job is not easy. When you are always stopping it is hard to remember where you left off.
Well, back to work!
We left the hospital at 4:30ish and drove to Target to fill her scripts. We had the same meds at home that were prescribed for me (Vicodin), but we thought to get the new, fresher ones. I kept the van running with the A/C running on full (it was 102 yesterday) while I ran in to pick them up. It took longer than I expected, but I finally got it. We then drove across the street to get a baked potato from Jason's Deli since that is what my wife wanted. Once food was obtained, we headed home. I pulled in at 5 PM or so and told my wife to stay in the van for a minute while I let the dogs out. They had not seen her in two days and I did not want them to bowl her over. Once I got them out and she went in, I grabbed the mail and returned with the dogs and began unloading the van.
Next on the list was feeding my hungry k9's and getting my wife settled. It took a while...a lot of activity and a lot to do, but we made it. A few phone calls were made after dinner my wife started to take care of the 3 bouquets of flowers she received (one more came today for a total of four) then she went to lay down.
After she got some rest, she asked if we could watch an epi of "The 4400", so we did and I then walked the dogs. Once I got back, she wanted to go to bed and wanted me to lay with her until she fell asleep. I read while she rested and slept straight through until this morning.
I woke up later than I wanted, so I quickly walked, watered and fed the dogs, made pancakes for my wife, coffee for me, and headed in to log on to the work system. What I found was a bit of a mess. You can always tell when I am off because the ticket queues are always in a state of disarray. I immediately went to work trying to clean things up as best as I could and then found that my tunnel to the site we support was not working, so I had to trouble shoot that until it was up and running. My TL had been e-mailing me off and on all day and he told me that he assigned my job responsibilities to another member of my team who is stationed in Virginia. We found out today that he was not accessing the correct system and that is why the ticket queue was in such bad shape. Funny they gave me a hard time for not following up to see if my secure tunnel worked from home but my TL did not follow up to see if my replacement was set up properly. Well, we all make mistakes now, don't we?
Now that I have everything under control, the day is going very well. I am not nearly as stressed out and my wife is sleeping (the pain meds make her drowsy) soundly. I plan on running a few errands this evening after I 'quit" work. I started at 8 so I need to stay online until about 5 or so. I guess I could cut early since I took a short lunch, but that is really not needed. I can make it...it is only 3.5 more hours...
I did not get caught up until about 11:30 or so then I took lunch with my wife. We chatted and took a few calls from friends and well wishers and then I washed the dishes that had been accumulating over the past 18 hours or so and headed back to working.
Working from home is ok, but trying to give my wife all the attention she needs and doing my job is not easy. When you are always stopping it is hard to remember where you left off.
Well, back to work!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Quick!
This will have to be quick since I am very short on time...
Yesterday my wife went to a local hospital for surgery...for those who know us there is nothing to fear. If you want to drop me an 3-mail I will fill you in. Her surgery was scheduled for noon, but they did not wheel her back into the operating theatre until 12:45 PM. Couple that with the fact we had to be there at 10 AM to fill out paperwork and get prepped for surgery...
The surgery went well and only took about 1.5 hours. She had several visitors (her boss, wife of an elder, her prayer partner, and the minister and his wife) and I stayed with her until 5:30 PM. I had to get home to take care of the dogs. Since she had more people scheduled (alas they did not show up...) I took that opportunity to attend the board of trustees meeting (I am the newest member) at our church. The meeting started at 7 PM and did not finish until almost 11 PM. At 9 PM the minister's wife came and got me and told me no one else came to visit and that my wife had been somewhat nauseous so they stayed with her a while. I had not planned on going back, but I did plan on calling her. Since the meeting did not let out until 11 PM, I did not call but I plan on getting over there as soon as I can get things taken care of here at the house. I have only been home a total of 9 hours and I have been sleeping 6 of those. Yeah, I have been busy...laundry, feed/walk/medicate dogs, wash dishes, eat, shower...not, much fun but it is worth it for my wife...I love her!
Yesterday my wife went to a local hospital for surgery...for those who know us there is nothing to fear. If you want to drop me an 3-mail I will fill you in. Her surgery was scheduled for noon, but they did not wheel her back into the operating theatre until 12:45 PM. Couple that with the fact we had to be there at 10 AM to fill out paperwork and get prepped for surgery...
The surgery went well and only took about 1.5 hours. She had several visitors (her boss, wife of an elder, her prayer partner, and the minister and his wife) and I stayed with her until 5:30 PM. I had to get home to take care of the dogs. Since she had more people scheduled (alas they did not show up...) I took that opportunity to attend the board of trustees meeting (I am the newest member) at our church. The meeting started at 7 PM and did not finish until almost 11 PM. At 9 PM the minister's wife came and got me and told me no one else came to visit and that my wife had been somewhat nauseous so they stayed with her a while. I had not planned on going back, but I did plan on calling her. Since the meeting did not let out until 11 PM, I did not call but I plan on getting over there as soon as I can get things taken care of here at the house. I have only been home a total of 9 hours and I have been sleeping 6 of those. Yeah, I have been busy...laundry, feed/walk/medicate dogs, wash dishes, eat, shower...not, much fun but it is worth it for my wife...I love her!
Monday, August 14, 2006
PK 2006 / Weekend Update
I am a Promise Keeper.
I attended "Uprising", the PK 2006 event held in Dallas on Friday and Saturday. I do not know how many men were there, but there were at least 8,000 and maybe as many as 13,000 in attendance. It was a great gathering that had a powerful message, outstanding music, and a lot of testimonies.
Praise Band = PK7
Guest Speaker = Bob Reccord
Host = Reggie Dabbs
I left work a bit early (4 PM) on Friday and headed towards the west end of Dallas to pick up a BiC who I have been counseling with for the past few weeks. We both had very busy days but were looking forward to spending time at PK 2006. Traffic was a bit heavy but we finally made it and got connected with the rest of the group who came down separately. The event lasted until just after 10 PM and the group packed into 2 vehicles and drove towards our various homes.
I got home just after 11 PM and spoke with my wife for a while before settling in and going to bed at midnight. I was being picked up at 6:30 AM the next morning, so I needed to get as much sleep as possible.
The alarm woke me at 5 AM, not nearly enough sleep but it would have to do. I walked little man and had my morning coffee when I got back. I hopped in the shower after spending a few minutes reading my bible and was ready when my BiC and our guest "DB", a Nigerian bishop, called me to get my address. A few minutes later I was kissing my wife goodbye and we headed off to pick up the last member of our party, "James".
The trip went well and we made it to the arena before the line was too long (it had only stretched halfway around the building) and we made it in before the rain fell. We managed to get good floor seats and we chatted with others who were attending...some for the first time.
Musical Guest = Lincoln Brewster
Speakers = Dr. Rick Rigsby (his notes are here), Dobie Weasel, and Mike Silva. We left before Mike spoke.
We stayed until about 3 PM then we left so we could attend a wedding for a couple who attends our church. I wanted to go but so much was going on and I was very tired so I just had to stay home. My wife was trying to take care of last minute things before she went in for surgery on Monday and we knew Sunday would be busy. After we exhausted ourselves doing things around the house, we watch an epi of "The 4400" and went to bed.
Sunday began with the normal routine for me (walk/feed the dogs, coffee, shower/shave) and after a very light breakfast of fruit and yogurt, I went to church to teach my Sunday School class. We had a few people out, but that was to be expected. This was a busy weekend for many.
After church we ate lunch at La Finca (No web site...sorry!) with "Darlene", the lady we helped move 3-4 weeks ago. We enjoyed our food (I had Fish Taco's, my wife had spinach quesadillas, and Darlene had fajitas) and had a good conversation about everything.
Once we got home I needed a nap so I layed down for an hour. I got up and did my normal Saturday chores on Sunday afternoon...including mowing the lawn and washing dishes while my wife washed the dogs. Once she was done with them, I walked little man and we settled down for an epi of "The 4400". You may see a pattern here... watch very little TV. We were in bed by 10:30. I read a little more of "The Ezekiel Option" before I decided to hit the sack. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
I attended "Uprising", the PK 2006 event held in Dallas on Friday and Saturday. I do not know how many men were there, but there were at least 8,000 and maybe as many as 13,000 in attendance. It was a great gathering that had a powerful message, outstanding music, and a lot of testimonies.
Praise Band = PK7
Guest Speaker = Bob Reccord
Host = Reggie Dabbs
I left work a bit early (4 PM) on Friday and headed towards the west end of Dallas to pick up a BiC who I have been counseling with for the past few weeks. We both had very busy days but were looking forward to spending time at PK 2006. Traffic was a bit heavy but we finally made it and got connected with the rest of the group who came down separately. The event lasted until just after 10 PM and the group packed into 2 vehicles and drove towards our various homes.
I got home just after 11 PM and spoke with my wife for a while before settling in and going to bed at midnight. I was being picked up at 6:30 AM the next morning, so I needed to get as much sleep as possible.
The alarm woke me at 5 AM, not nearly enough sleep but it would have to do. I walked little man and had my morning coffee when I got back. I hopped in the shower after spending a few minutes reading my bible and was ready when my BiC and our guest "DB", a Nigerian bishop, called me to get my address. A few minutes later I was kissing my wife goodbye and we headed off to pick up the last member of our party, "James".
The trip went well and we made it to the arena before the line was too long (it had only stretched halfway around the building) and we made it in before the rain fell. We managed to get good floor seats and we chatted with others who were attending...some for the first time.
Musical Guest = Lincoln Brewster
Speakers = Dr. Rick Rigsby (his notes are here), Dobie Weasel, and Mike Silva. We left before Mike spoke.
We stayed until about 3 PM then we left so we could attend a wedding for a couple who attends our church. I wanted to go but so much was going on and I was very tired so I just had to stay home. My wife was trying to take care of last minute things before she went in for surgery on Monday and we knew Sunday would be busy. After we exhausted ourselves doing things around the house, we watch an epi of "The 4400" and went to bed.
Sunday began with the normal routine for me (walk/feed the dogs, coffee, shower/shave) and after a very light breakfast of fruit and yogurt, I went to church to teach my Sunday School class. We had a few people out, but that was to be expected. This was a busy weekend for many.
After church we ate lunch at La Finca (No web site...sorry!) with "Darlene", the lady we helped move 3-4 weeks ago. We enjoyed our food (I had Fish Taco's, my wife had spinach quesadillas, and Darlene had fajitas) and had a good conversation about everything.
Once we got home I needed a nap so I layed down for an hour. I got up and did my normal Saturday chores on Sunday afternoon...including mowing the lawn and washing dishes while my wife washed the dogs. Once she was done with them, I walked little man and we settled down for an epi of "The 4400". You may see a pattern here... watch very little TV. We were in bed by 10:30. I read a little more of "The Ezekiel Option" before I decided to hit the sack. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
9/11 Was Not The End, It Was The Wake Up
Ever since 9/11 I have been telling friends, family, and colleagues that we really need to be vigilant. The terrorist threat will not be going away soon. The threat is real. We have found ourselves in the middle of a violent new war without borders or uniforms. It is a war that pits one groups views against another. The methods may vary, but they all fall under the category of terrorism.
Read this. Now read this. Does this scare you at all? What about this? While the federal government says they pose no threat...can we really be sure? We need to secure things...NOW.
We are in a war of ideals. The United States wants to impose democracy on everyone and that is wrong, but equally as wrong are the methods that the anti-democracy terrorists are using to prove their point. Anyone ever hear of the concept called "diplomacy'?
I do not have anything against moderate followers of Islam. I have worked with a few and they were very down to earth people that I enjoyed talking to. Only one Muslim that I have met worried me a little and that was back in 1998-99. Ahmed was a nice guy, but he supported the mujahidin other countries. While he was polite about it, you could tell he was very sympathetic to their cause. But I digress.
Our war is not really about Islam and Zionism/Christianity. That is just an excuse. It is about ideals and desires. The US has wants and desires and we are imposing them on those who may not really want that. Those who oppose these ideas are lashing out the only way they know how...with violence. Saying these people represent Islam is like saying David Koresh represents all of Christianity. There are extremists in every venue.
Read this. Now read this. Does this scare you at all? What about this? While the federal government says they pose no threat...can we really be sure? We need to secure things...NOW.
We are in a war of ideals. The United States wants to impose democracy on everyone and that is wrong, but equally as wrong are the methods that the anti-democracy terrorists are using to prove their point. Anyone ever hear of the concept called "diplomacy'?
I do not have anything against moderate followers of Islam. I have worked with a few and they were very down to earth people that I enjoyed talking to. Only one Muslim that I have met worried me a little and that was back in 1998-99. Ahmed was a nice guy, but he supported the mujahidin other countries. While he was polite about it, you could tell he was very sympathetic to their cause. But I digress.
Our war is not really about Islam and Zionism/Christianity. That is just an excuse. It is about ideals and desires. The US has wants and desires and we are imposing them on those who may not really want that. Those who oppose these ideas are lashing out the only way they know how...with violence. Saying these people represent Islam is like saying David Koresh represents all of Christianity. There are extremists in every venue.
I Will *Never* Understand Gasoline Pricing
I have tried very hard to follow the logic in the pricing of gasoline in the United States. Normal logic suggests supply and demand dictates pricing. This is not a hard concept to wrap your head around...most people understand it whether they like it or not. However, that logic seems to go out the window when we are talking about Gasoline.
Last year when hurricane Katrina kick the yogurt out of the Gulf of Mexico, the cost of gasoline, diesel, propane, kerosene and any other petroleum derivative when up immediately. There was not delay. Why it goes up BEFORE the demand exceeds the supply makes not sense to me. The resellers say the price went up because their price went up and they are just passing it on to us. The price has fluctuate quite a bit since last year and we actually got to about $2.00 a gallon for a short time, but now prices are back to almost $3.00 a gallon here in North Texas.
The other day, BP (British Petroleum) announced they have to shut down pipelines that supply 8% of oil the US refines. That is a huge chunk. You would think that following the Katrina logic that prices would go up immediately. SURPRISE, they haven't...yet. I wonder why? I know, never look a gift horse in the mouth, but you cannot help be wonder why that announcement coupled with the price that the same week the price per gallon of oil hit record highs, that the consumer price stayed flat.
I will never understand this I guess. What ever formula they are using to set gasoline prices must be too complex for my little hillbilly brain to grab hold of...
Last year when hurricane Katrina kick the yogurt out of the Gulf of Mexico, the cost of gasoline, diesel, propane, kerosene and any other petroleum derivative when up immediately. There was not delay. Why it goes up BEFORE the demand exceeds the supply makes not sense to me. The resellers say the price went up because their price went up and they are just passing it on to us. The price has fluctuate quite a bit since last year and we actually got to about $2.00 a gallon for a short time, but now prices are back to almost $3.00 a gallon here in North Texas.
The other day, BP (British Petroleum) announced they have to shut down pipelines that supply 8% of oil the US refines. That is a huge chunk. You would think that following the Katrina logic that prices would go up immediately. SURPRISE, they haven't...yet. I wonder why? I know, never look a gift horse in the mouth, but you cannot help be wonder why that announcement coupled with the price that the same week the price per gallon of oil hit record highs, that the consumer price stayed flat.
I will never understand this I guess. What ever formula they are using to set gasoline prices must be too complex for my little hillbilly brain to grab hold of...
Wake Up Dead / Confused / Ramblings
At least that is how I feel...and I am not sure why. I did nothing out of the ordinary and I have been feeling fine the previous day. The coffee is helping (I like it *strong* with a good shot of flavored cream) and the longer I am up, the better.
Water restrictions still are in effect and the warning letters to those ignoring the restrictions have ceased...citations are being issued. $2,000 fine if you are caught using a water hose illegally. Our local paper says 30% of the residents are not complying but my guess is that the number is higher than that. I know that at least 30% of my neighborhood is ignoring rule on which days you can water. The sidewalks are wet almost every morning or evening...both at some houses.
I was checking my blog logs (now that is a funny sounding term) and noticed 40+ hits (covering almost an hour of browse time) from The Perot Group. This at first had me concerned, since I had been contacted by a head hunter calling on behalf of Perot Systems regarding a possible job. The entry was labeled "mail.pgrp.net (Perot Group)" so I did a web search for them and discovered that The Perot Group and Perot Systems are two different companies. The Perot Group is an investment company and has a listing with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Not much else was out there.
When I got home last night I chatted with my wife regarding the Golden's health (she is healing very well after surgery / recovery) and our budget (August will be another lean month) before I headed off to help a friend with post-move issues. I was to meet a BiC, "Bill" to get some assistance. We had an entertainment center to shore up and load with her electronics and a computer to set up and test. We got it mostly done...we did not complete the tasks because of many little things. The house is OLD and has no grounding, minimal outlets in the areas we needed them and very few phone jacks (she still uses dial-up). While everything was assembled and put in place, we could not test the TV (no cable or antenna) or the internet access (no jack close enough to reach with the short RJ-45 cord we had). One of the doors in her entertainment center was broken and "Bill" offered to take it home and fix it properly.
I think I left about 9 PM and that included a simple meal of BBQ sandwiches, soda, and chips. I came home and walked the dogs and settled down to watch the season 1 finale of "The 4400" and then hit the hay about 10:30 or so. While I liked the first 3 episodes pretty well, the characters are developing too quickly for my taste.
Water restrictions still are in effect and the warning letters to those ignoring the restrictions have ceased...citations are being issued. $2,000 fine if you are caught using a water hose illegally. Our local paper says 30% of the residents are not complying but my guess is that the number is higher than that. I know that at least 30% of my neighborhood is ignoring rule on which days you can water. The sidewalks are wet almost every morning or evening...both at some houses.
I was checking my blog logs (now that is a funny sounding term) and noticed 40+ hits (covering almost an hour of browse time) from The Perot Group. This at first had me concerned, since I had been contacted by a head hunter calling on behalf of Perot Systems regarding a possible job. The entry was labeled "mail.pgrp.net (Perot Group)" so I did a web search for them and discovered that The Perot Group and Perot Systems are two different companies. The Perot Group is an investment company and has a listing with the Texas Department of Public Safety. Not much else was out there.
When I got home last night I chatted with my wife regarding the Golden's health (she is healing very well after surgery / recovery) and our budget (August will be another lean month) before I headed off to help a friend with post-move issues. I was to meet a BiC, "Bill" to get some assistance. We had an entertainment center to shore up and load with her electronics and a computer to set up and test. We got it mostly done...we did not complete the tasks because of many little things. The house is OLD and has no grounding, minimal outlets in the areas we needed them and very few phone jacks (she still uses dial-up). While everything was assembled and put in place, we could not test the TV (no cable or antenna) or the internet access (no jack close enough to reach with the short RJ-45 cord we had). One of the doors in her entertainment center was broken and "Bill" offered to take it home and fix it properly.
I think I left about 9 PM and that included a simple meal of BBQ sandwiches, soda, and chips. I came home and walked the dogs and settled down to watch the season 1 finale of "The 4400" and then hit the hay about 10:30 or so. While I liked the first 3 episodes pretty well, the characters are developing too quickly for my taste.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
More Transition
I work for a company that provides technical (I/T) support to several other companies most of which are very well known in their field. To cut costs, we outsource the help desk function to external companies. I have been with my current company for about 3 years and have seen the help desk change 3 times to three different companies. By the end of next month, that will have grown by one as we change companies for help desk services yet again. This time is different...we are insourcing our support...we are getting into the help desk business ourselves.
I do not mind change, but this transition always has a steep learning curve associated with it. By the time we get the new desk brought up to speed on what is going on, we change the personnel. Hopefully this will slow down now.
I am told that Costa Rica is a great area to open IT support centers. They have a large pool of talent and the cost of living is quite low. As a matter of fact, Costa Rica is a top retiree relocation spot for US senior citizens. English is spoken as well as Spanish and the climate is very favorable. I hope it works out well for us and our customers ... they deserve that. I guess I can be glad that we did not ship it to Asia. While the talent in Asia is vast, people in North America would prefer to deal with someone closer to home. I know that this sounds a bit racist, but it is not intended to be that way. My preference would be to let the support stay in the country that needs it and let the afterhours calls go elsewhere.
JMHO / YMMV.
I do not mind change, but this transition always has a steep learning curve associated with it. By the time we get the new desk brought up to speed on what is going on, we change the personnel. Hopefully this will slow down now.
I am told that Costa Rica is a great area to open IT support centers. They have a large pool of talent and the cost of living is quite low. As a matter of fact, Costa Rica is a top retiree relocation spot for US senior citizens. English is spoken as well as Spanish and the climate is very favorable. I hope it works out well for us and our customers ... they deserve that. I guess I can be glad that we did not ship it to Asia. While the talent in Asia is vast, people in North America would prefer to deal with someone closer to home. I know that this sounds a bit racist, but it is not intended to be that way. My preference would be to let the support stay in the country that needs it and let the afterhours calls go elsewhere.
JMHO / YMMV.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
The 4400
After finishing up Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, and Farscape, I turned my attention to another sci-fi show, "The 4400". I have only seen two episodes, but I think I am hooked. To make things even better, my wife actually *likes* it as well.
If you have not seen it, here is a brief overview. Beginning in 1946 (so far) people of all ages, races, nations, and beliefs have been disappearing. Sometime in 2004, 4400 of the people returned in a big flash of light that appeared at first as a comet, but quickly changed into a large ball of light. The people did not age and do not remember anything of the time they were gone. One minute they were doing whatever it is they do, they see a big flash of light and the next minute they are standing near a lake at Mount Ranier, Washington. The government quickly rounds them up and puts them in a facility to be studied. After about 6-8 weeks, the ACLU (gotta love those liberals!) gets a court order to have these people released. So these people, some of who are very lost in 2004 are let loose with rent vouchers, food stamps, and other government assistance to try to adapt. That in itself is bad. It gets worse when it is discovered that the 4400 have special gifts. Supernatural, paranormal gifts. Now, lost in time (so to speak) in a world they do not fully understand, they have to grasp their new environment as well as they "gifts" they have. All this is done in an X-Files-ish sort of way.
The pilot episode (2 hours long) had enough sub-plots to easily run a full season. Some of the plot developments in the pilot episode:
* The youngest member of the 4400 (Maia) can see some events of the future.
* A woman (Lilly) who disappeared 12 years ago returns to find her husband remarried and her little girl (who was 6 months old when the mother disappeared) does not remember her. To make matters worse, the mother is pregnant and a reasonable explanation cannot be found.
* A partner in a law firm returns to find himself removed from partnership and discovers that when he gets angry or scared, he emits powerful waves that can shatter glass ... and worse.
* A teenage boy returns to find himself a stranger to his own family and he was only gone 3 years. His cousin (who was with him, but was not taken) is in a coma and he soon learns that when he returned he can control life forces. He heals a bird with a broken neck and drains a large amount of life force from a school bully.
* A former GI (Richard) returns after being taken in 1951 to discover his girlfriend he had before his abduction is dead, but has family. Her grand daughter is one of the 4400 and looks just like her grandmother and shares her grandmothers name, Lilly (She is the one who is pregnant).
A little complicated? Yes. Interesting? Very. I will be watching this one closely.
If you have not seen it, here is a brief overview. Beginning in 1946 (so far) people of all ages, races, nations, and beliefs have been disappearing. Sometime in 2004, 4400 of the people returned in a big flash of light that appeared at first as a comet, but quickly changed into a large ball of light. The people did not age and do not remember anything of the time they were gone. One minute they were doing whatever it is they do, they see a big flash of light and the next minute they are standing near a lake at Mount Ranier, Washington. The government quickly rounds them up and puts them in a facility to be studied. After about 6-8 weeks, the ACLU (gotta love those liberals!) gets a court order to have these people released. So these people, some of who are very lost in 2004 are let loose with rent vouchers, food stamps, and other government assistance to try to adapt. That in itself is bad. It gets worse when it is discovered that the 4400 have special gifts. Supernatural, paranormal gifts. Now, lost in time (so to speak) in a world they do not fully understand, they have to grasp their new environment as well as they "gifts" they have. All this is done in an X-Files-ish sort of way.
The pilot episode (2 hours long) had enough sub-plots to easily run a full season. Some of the plot developments in the pilot episode:
* The youngest member of the 4400 (Maia) can see some events of the future.
* A woman (Lilly) who disappeared 12 years ago returns to find her husband remarried and her little girl (who was 6 months old when the mother disappeared) does not remember her. To make matters worse, the mother is pregnant and a reasonable explanation cannot be found.
* A partner in a law firm returns to find himself removed from partnership and discovers that when he gets angry or scared, he emits powerful waves that can shatter glass ... and worse.
* A teenage boy returns to find himself a stranger to his own family and he was only gone 3 years. His cousin (who was with him, but was not taken) is in a coma and he soon learns that when he returned he can control life forces. He heals a bird with a broken neck and drains a large amount of life force from a school bully.
* A former GI (Richard) returns after being taken in 1951 to discover his girlfriend he had before his abduction is dead, but has family. Her grand daughter is one of the 4400 and looks just like her grandmother and shares her grandmothers name, Lilly (She is the one who is pregnant).
A little complicated? Yes. Interesting? Very. I will be watching this one closely.
Monday, August 07, 2006
You Can't Handle The Truth
Maybe that is what MSM thinks when they LIE to us.
Doctored photos
Exaggerated Death Toll
There has been a lot of MSM lies. I am sure if I could take the time to look, I would find a lot more examples.
Tell us the truth...we can handle it.
Doctored photos
Exaggerated Death Toll
There has been a lot of MSM lies. I am sure if I could take the time to look, I would find a lot more examples.
Tell us the truth...we can handle it.
One More Sci-Fi Series Completed / Weekend Update
Yep, you guessed it...I finally finished all four seasons on Farscape and the made for TV Movie, "The Peacekeeper Wars". Season 4 was an odd season...a bit eclectic. It had some good moments and some strange moments...I guess a 3 out of 5 stars.
Saturday was a pretty normal day...I did my normal chores and a few extras ... I was in a pretty good mood overall. My wife had plans to take me out for my birthday and I wanted the house to be done while she was gone. She ended up taking me to "Ralph and Kacoo's" for some "N'awlin's" style food. When we got there, we found Mickey and Mary and a few minutes later, Jas and Lena. Saul and Glenna joined us as well and Jimmy and Collette. The troupe was rounded out my two last minute arrivals (who showed up when dinner was almost over), Darlene and .. my son.
The fellowship was something I will remember for quite a while...the food was OK, but I think I preferred Pappadeaux's ... I know it is further away and noisier, but the food is better and so is the service. I do not think I have ever had a bad meal there.
After the dinner was over with, Jimmy snatched the check out of my hand and paid for my family's meal. I told him it was not necessary, but he insisted. I will have to do something special for them very soon. They treat us well....like family...no...better than family.
After a few hours of very good conversation and OK food, my wife and (who were the last to leave) went home. I slept very well.
Gifts? My friends were instructed not to bring gifts, but they would need to pay for their own meals (we still are on a tight budget and the check was over $300.00 and we did not think we could afford that)...however a the couple we are helping did get me a Jeremy Camp live CD/DVD. I am not a huge Jeremy Camp fan, but the gift means a lot because the couple who gave it means a lot. They appear to be progressing nicely. Outside of that gift (and Jimmy paying for our meal) my wife got me Joel C. Rosenburg's, "The Ezekial Option" and Fireflight's CD, "The Healing of Harms". She is a sweetheart.
We hit the sack early (I was exhausted) and slept like a log.
Sunday was a typical day (Sunday school, Worship) but we had a wedding reception for a newlywed couple right after service. We stayed and chatted and had a few plates of finger food and left about 1:30 or so. We got home and took a nap since that is just what we do on Sunday afternoons. After her nap my wife hit the mall's to pick up some things ... not in our budget, but I think we can swing them. I called mom and chatted with her for a while and took care of the dogs and watched a little UFC .. not many good fights, but entertaining for the most part.
When my wife got home, I walled the dogs since it actually looked like it might rain (it did bit only fro abut 5 minutes...at least it cooled down some) and made a quick trip around the block. When I got back my wife showed me what she got and I tried on my new clothes (2 new polo shirts and 2 pair of Dockers...I am so predictable). They fit well so she pulled the tags off and washed them. Word to the wise: Wash new clothes before wearing. Many times they have chemicals in them that are very irritating to your skin.
With all that out of the way, we settled down to watch UFC Live that was taped a few weeks ago. The main even was Chris Leben and Alexander Silva. While Leben talked a lot of trash, Silva took him apart in very short order. Alexander Silva will be a force to be reckoned with in the UFC.
Our son stopped over and asked if he could spend the night. It seems his roommate had his family over and our son needed a place to crash. I wish he would just let got of his pride and ask us if he could stay here for awhile...We do not have any bedroom stuff for him, but he should still have his. I know he will only be here a few more weeks before he ships off to Iraq, but at least he would be in comfortable surroundings.
Saturday was a pretty normal day...I did my normal chores and a few extras ... I was in a pretty good mood overall. My wife had plans to take me out for my birthday and I wanted the house to be done while she was gone. She ended up taking me to "Ralph and Kacoo's" for some "N'awlin's" style food. When we got there, we found Mickey and Mary and a few minutes later, Jas and Lena. Saul and Glenna joined us as well and Jimmy and Collette. The troupe was rounded out my two last minute arrivals (who showed up when dinner was almost over), Darlene and .. my son.
The fellowship was something I will remember for quite a while...the food was OK, but I think I preferred Pappadeaux's ... I know it is further away and noisier, but the food is better and so is the service. I do not think I have ever had a bad meal there.
After the dinner was over with, Jimmy snatched the check out of my hand and paid for my family's meal. I told him it was not necessary, but he insisted. I will have to do something special for them very soon. They treat us well....like family...no...better than family.
After a few hours of very good conversation and OK food, my wife and (who were the last to leave) went home. I slept very well.
Gifts? My friends were instructed not to bring gifts, but they would need to pay for their own meals (we still are on a tight budget and the check was over $300.00 and we did not think we could afford that)...however a the couple we are helping did get me a Jeremy Camp live CD/DVD. I am not a huge Jeremy Camp fan, but the gift means a lot because the couple who gave it means a lot. They appear to be progressing nicely. Outside of that gift (and Jimmy paying for our meal) my wife got me Joel C. Rosenburg's, "The Ezekial Option" and Fireflight's CD, "The Healing of Harms". She is a sweetheart.
We hit the sack early (I was exhausted) and slept like a log.
Sunday was a typical day (Sunday school, Worship) but we had a wedding reception for a newlywed couple right after service. We stayed and chatted and had a few plates of finger food and left about 1:30 or so. We got home and took a nap since that is just what we do on Sunday afternoons. After her nap my wife hit the mall's to pick up some things ... not in our budget, but I think we can swing them. I called mom and chatted with her for a while and took care of the dogs and watched a little UFC .. not many good fights, but entertaining for the most part.
When my wife got home, I walled the dogs since it actually looked like it might rain (it did bit only fro abut 5 minutes...at least it cooled down some) and made a quick trip around the block. When I got back my wife showed me what she got and I tried on my new clothes (2 new polo shirts and 2 pair of Dockers...I am so predictable). They fit well so she pulled the tags off and washed them. Word to the wise: Wash new clothes before wearing. Many times they have chemicals in them that are very irritating to your skin.
With all that out of the way, we settled down to watch UFC Live that was taped a few weeks ago. The main even was Chris Leben and Alexander Silva. While Leben talked a lot of trash, Silva took him apart in very short order. Alexander Silva will be a force to be reckoned with in the UFC.
Our son stopped over and asked if he could spend the night. It seems his roommate had his family over and our son needed a place to crash. I wish he would just let got of his pride and ask us if he could stay here for awhile...We do not have any bedroom stuff for him, but he should still have his. I know he will only be here a few more weeks before he ships off to Iraq, but at least he would be in comfortable surroundings.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Dinner Surprise
I received a surprise when I finally got settled last night...my son called and asked if I would go to dinner with him. This was at 7:45 PM. I had already eaten, so I told him maybe another time. We chatted for a bit and then we hung up. It nagged me for a few minutes so I decided to call him back. I told him that I had dinner, but I did not have dessert. I could tell he was smiling, even over the phone and I met him at Chili's 15 minutes later.
The place was packed with teens and some parents. We ended up waiting for 30 minutes but that did not seem to bother my son. He was patient and calm like he normally is. Once we got a table, we ordered water and sodas while we made up our minds what to get. When the waiter came back, my son ordered a BYOB (Build Your Own Burger) and I just ordered a side of fries since I had a big sandwich a couple of hours earlier. When the food came out, my fries ended up being a child's order, so the embarrassed waiter got me a regular order. My son and I thought it was funny.
We ended up talking for over an hour, which is a long time for him. He is usually not a big talker. He still is struggling with many things, but he is starting to get a bit more cemented. He wants to sell his 1995 Mazda millennia (he has dumped a ton of cash into that car) and buy a 2002 Corvette. I am surprised he wants an American car. He prefers Porsches. He may be getting this because he knows that I love Corvettes and since he is going to Iraq, he will need someone to watch it for him. As much as that appeals to me, I do not want to covet his car.
The discussion topics ranged from skater groupies to his impending mission to Iraq (He is in the National Guard). He currently works as a general support mechanic at Goodyear/Gemini Tire centers doing inspections, tire work, and oil changes. He just passed his first ASE cert test for suspension and now can work on suspensions and get shop hours pay. He hopes he can take a few more (there are 12 in all) so he can get to do more shop hour jobs (since it pays better).
Our son looks like he has gained some weight, which is a good thing. Ever since he moved out on his own, he has not been eating well. However he is up to 155 lbs which is still too light but better than the 135 he weighed a few months ago. The new weight looks good on him.
It was a pleasant meeting/dinner and we finished it off with a slice of Mudslide Pie, made with Bailey's Irish Cream. It was good, but very rich. I gave my boy the leftover fries (he wanted them for a snack later) and we headed out.
He used to be shy about hugs, but not any more. He hugged me 2-3 times that night before we went our separate ways. I wish we would have had more "good times" together before he left, but I will be content with the ones we had. I did not have custody of him all his years as a minor. His bio-mom and I lived in the same house for 3 years and I got custody of him when he was 8. There was about 5 years that I missed out on to be his full time dad and I still kick myself sometimes when I think about it. I know I cannot change the past, but I can make a difference in the future. I hope he decided to have kids so I can have grandson some day. I think I could make a good grandpa.
The place was packed with teens and some parents. We ended up waiting for 30 minutes but that did not seem to bother my son. He was patient and calm like he normally is. Once we got a table, we ordered water and sodas while we made up our minds what to get. When the waiter came back, my son ordered a BYOB (Build Your Own Burger) and I just ordered a side of fries since I had a big sandwich a couple of hours earlier. When the food came out, my fries ended up being a child's order, so the embarrassed waiter got me a regular order. My son and I thought it was funny.
We ended up talking for over an hour, which is a long time for him. He is usually not a big talker. He still is struggling with many things, but he is starting to get a bit more cemented. He wants to sell his 1995 Mazda millennia (he has dumped a ton of cash into that car) and buy a 2002 Corvette. I am surprised he wants an American car. He prefers Porsches. He may be getting this because he knows that I love Corvettes and since he is going to Iraq, he will need someone to watch it for him. As much as that appeals to me, I do not want to covet his car.
The discussion topics ranged from skater groupies to his impending mission to Iraq (He is in the National Guard). He currently works as a general support mechanic at Goodyear/Gemini Tire centers doing inspections, tire work, and oil changes. He just passed his first ASE cert test for suspension and now can work on suspensions and get shop hours pay. He hopes he can take a few more (there are 12 in all) so he can get to do more shop hour jobs (since it pays better).
Our son looks like he has gained some weight, which is a good thing. Ever since he moved out on his own, he has not been eating well. However he is up to 155 lbs which is still too light but better than the 135 he weighed a few months ago. The new weight looks good on him.
It was a pleasant meeting/dinner and we finished it off with a slice of Mudslide Pie, made with Bailey's Irish Cream. It was good, but very rich. I gave my boy the leftover fries (he wanted them for a snack later) and we headed out.
He used to be shy about hugs, but not any more. He hugged me 2-3 times that night before we went our separate ways. I wish we would have had more "good times" together before he left, but I will be content with the ones we had. I did not have custody of him all his years as a minor. His bio-mom and I lived in the same house for 3 years and I got custody of him when he was 8. There was about 5 years that I missed out on to be his full time dad and I still kick myself sometimes when I think about it. I know I cannot change the past, but I can make a difference in the future. I hope he decided to have kids so I can have grandson some day. I think I could make a good grandpa.
About My Choices
I will periodically think about the way my life has progressed and about the choices I have made during my brief stay of 40 some odd years on this planet. I think back to the foolish ones that to this day I regret making and I think of the ones that have given me the most joy. The ones that have given me the most joy were God inspired.
We make thousands of choices each and every day. Most are trivial (what to eat, where, watch, listen to, paper or plastic, etc) while others are milestones (what car to buy, where to work, buy or rent, whom to marry, to be spiritual or materialistic, etc). I said in a previous post that August was an important month for me...I have changed states of residents twice and was born in August. I forgot one that ties into a choice I will be making soon (followers of my geek web site will see that choice Sunday). I started a web site that I have been running in the same format (although with different looks) 10 years ago and now have come to a crossroads in my life. It is time to make a decision about my involvement in that web site and what the site will be used for. "Changes are a coming".
A couple of years ago I made a choice about what music I listen to. I have been a fan of rock (heavy, hard, guitar oriented stuff) for over 20 years and was in a place in my life that I needed to make a choice. I had a lot of CD's and cassettes (the cassettes were of my 80's stuff) that I had exported to mp3 to listen to on my PC or burn as mixes on CD's. I did not listen to them constantly, but I did listen to them exclusively. I did not listen to much (if any) Christian music. Up to this point, I had never heard any Christian bands that I liked. Well, somehow I was introduced to Pillar and P.O.D. and also began listening to Christian Rock Internet Radio and a local Christian Rock station, 89.7 Power FM. I was hooked. I was able to put away my secular stuff and not even miss it...well not very much that is.
After a few months of listening to Christian music, I got a hankering for some 80's hard rock. So I fired up Winamp and started blasting Def Leppard and Saxon, two of my favorite bands from the 80's. I then queued up a few Metallica songs and realized the messages and language were offensive to me. I was not able to listen long before I went back to Pillar, 38th Parallel, P.O.D., Third Day, Day of Fire, Disciple, and Mat Kearney.
I told the BiC that convinced me to go to Promise Keepers with him about my choice and he said that he liked Metallica too much to give them up. His statement bother me. He told me that even though they drop the F-bomb all the time, he pays no attention. I then realized that I thought the same thing until I took a break from listening to it.
This man (and his wife) I care greatly about. They too, have made choices in their Christian walk that puzzle me. They both listen to secular music (as well as Christian music), they go to comedy clubs (comedians are notorious for swearing during live shows), and even gamble in Las Vegas. The reason why I am concerned about their choices is that they have two children that they are trying to give a moral, Christian upbringing to. I wonder if this will send a mixed message to them?
Music is just one area I have had to make some hard choices. We have movies, TV, reading material and other forms of media that we must decide which we want to interact with. I know at least 2 or 3 Christian couples who have no problem with watching "Sex in the City ", "Desperate Housewives", or any one of a number of reality shows that are less than wholesome. While my choice of TV shows may not include family friendly ones, they do not glorify sex. My wife and I are big fans of "24" and all three "Law and Order" shows. I am a fan of Sci-Fi but the shows will almost always have some sexual content to them. I guess the only saving grace is that at least the show is not centered around that content. It is used as a "flavor" instead of a main ingredient.
Do I think less of my brothers and sisters in Christ if they view this things? No, but it concerns me. It concerns me because most of these couples have some issue that affects them and this just seems like a waste. While I will not condemn them, they are aware of my feelings on that subject.
That is only a small cross section of choices that I (and others) have made. When you stop and think about the choices we make, the numbers are staggering. As I finish this, I realized that at least two more choices were made. I chose to post this and you chose to read it.
Have a blessed day.
We make thousands of choices each and every day. Most are trivial (what to eat, where, watch, listen to, paper or plastic, etc) while others are milestones (what car to buy, where to work, buy or rent, whom to marry, to be spiritual or materialistic, etc). I said in a previous post that August was an important month for me...I have changed states of residents twice and was born in August. I forgot one that ties into a choice I will be making soon (followers of my geek web site will see that choice Sunday). I started a web site that I have been running in the same format (although with different looks) 10 years ago and now have come to a crossroads in my life. It is time to make a decision about my involvement in that web site and what the site will be used for. "Changes are a coming".
A couple of years ago I made a choice about what music I listen to. I have been a fan of rock (heavy, hard, guitar oriented stuff) for over 20 years and was in a place in my life that I needed to make a choice. I had a lot of CD's and cassettes (the cassettes were of my 80's stuff) that I had exported to mp3 to listen to on my PC or burn as mixes on CD's. I did not listen to them constantly, but I did listen to them exclusively. I did not listen to much (if any) Christian music. Up to this point, I had never heard any Christian bands that I liked. Well, somehow I was introduced to Pillar and P.O.D. and also began listening to Christian Rock Internet Radio and a local Christian Rock station, 89.7 Power FM. I was hooked. I was able to put away my secular stuff and not even miss it...well not very much that is.
After a few months of listening to Christian music, I got a hankering for some 80's hard rock. So I fired up Winamp and started blasting Def Leppard and Saxon, two of my favorite bands from the 80's. I then queued up a few Metallica songs and realized the messages and language were offensive to me. I was not able to listen long before I went back to Pillar, 38th Parallel, P.O.D., Third Day, Day of Fire, Disciple, and Mat Kearney.
I told the BiC that convinced me to go to Promise Keepers with him about my choice and he said that he liked Metallica too much to give them up. His statement bother me. He told me that even though they drop the F-bomb all the time, he pays no attention. I then realized that I thought the same thing until I took a break from listening to it.
This man (and his wife) I care greatly about. They too, have made choices in their Christian walk that puzzle me. They both listen to secular music (as well as Christian music), they go to comedy clubs (comedians are notorious for swearing during live shows), and even gamble in Las Vegas. The reason why I am concerned about their choices is that they have two children that they are trying to give a moral, Christian upbringing to. I wonder if this will send a mixed message to them?
Music is just one area I have had to make some hard choices. We have movies, TV, reading material and other forms of media that we must decide which we want to interact with. I know at least 2 or 3 Christian couples who have no problem with watching "Sex in the City ", "Desperate Housewives", or any one of a number of reality shows that are less than wholesome. While my choice of TV shows may not include family friendly ones, they do not glorify sex. My wife and I are big fans of "24" and all three "Law and Order" shows. I am a fan of Sci-Fi but the shows will almost always have some sexual content to them. I guess the only saving grace is that at least the show is not centered around that content. It is used as a "flavor" instead of a main ingredient.
Do I think less of my brothers and sisters in Christ if they view this things? No, but it concerns me. It concerns me because most of these couples have some issue that affects them and this just seems like a waste. While I will not condemn them, they are aware of my feelings on that subject.
That is only a small cross section of choices that I (and others) have made. When you stop and think about the choices we make, the numbers are staggering. As I finish this, I realized that at least two more choices were made. I chose to post this and you chose to read it.
Have a blessed day.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Odds and Ends
This is one of those "shotgun" posts that has a little bit of everything without a theme. I get that way sometimes..
This is not as surprising as it sounds... OBL has like 600 kids or something. Besides, the story is from the NYP.
We have heard this before...wake up folks!
Anyoo...I actually had 2 nice people that I dealt with over the past 2 days. I normally do not get much in the way of niceties from customers, but I had 2 in 2 days. Can we go for 3?
My wife and I had a disagreement last night over something trivial and it escalated into near "fight" levels. I took charge of the situation and we calmed it down. We both admitted our mistakes in handling the issue and we moved on. This only confirms The Anarchangel's post about some women having trouble differentiating between disagreements and fights. Live and learn, guys. You have to remember that women need security and you are the foundation of that. Shake it up with a disagreement and it will become a fight unless you drive it properly.
I will add more later...
JMHO / YMMV.
This is not as surprising as it sounds... OBL has like 600 kids or something. Besides, the story is from the NYP.
We have heard this before...wake up folks!
Anyoo...I actually had 2 nice people that I dealt with over the past 2 days. I normally do not get much in the way of niceties from customers, but I had 2 in 2 days. Can we go for 3?
My wife and I had a disagreement last night over something trivial and it escalated into near "fight" levels. I took charge of the situation and we calmed it down. We both admitted our mistakes in handling the issue and we moved on. This only confirms The Anarchangel's post about some women having trouble differentiating between disagreements and fights. Live and learn, guys. You have to remember that women need security and you are the foundation of that. Shake it up with a disagreement and it will become a fight unless you drive it properly.
I will add more later...
JMHO / YMMV.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
August Ain't Such a Bad Month...
Today being the first day of August allowed me to reflect on three important things that happened in my life during the month of August:
1) I was born...a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Not much more to add about that
2) I moved from my birth home of 24 years (West Virginia) to North Carolina in search of fame and fortune. Neither were found, but I did learn quite a bit. I stayed 12 year there.
3) I moved (with my family) from NC to Texas in search of a better standard of living. In many ways, we have achieved that, but not in the way that most people would think.
Both moves were within 2 weeks of my birthday. It was not planned that way...it just happened.
Texas will remain dear to me no matter where we go because this is the state we were living in when I opened my eyes to the love of Jesus Christ. While I have not been the best person in the past, my future is secure.
WV - 24 years, NC - 12 years...is Texas going to be 6 years? I hope not. Moving can be such a pain. Now if I got a package like I did when I was with Ericsson then I would not mind as much but those days are long gone. I doubt anyone will offer me a free, 100% paid for relo (with perks) like Ericsson did.
My wife and I have often discussed where we would like to live if we were given the opportunity to move. With what I am doing for $Major IT Service Company, I could live almost anywhere and do my job although some areas are more appropriate than others. I personally would love to give NC another shot, but Mrs. Gee is not quite so open minded.
That is ok...she has earned that right.
1) I was born...a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Not much more to add about that
2) I moved from my birth home of 24 years (West Virginia) to North Carolina in search of fame and fortune. Neither were found, but I did learn quite a bit. I stayed 12 year there.
3) I moved (with my family) from NC to Texas in search of a better standard of living. In many ways, we have achieved that, but not in the way that most people would think.
Both moves were within 2 weeks of my birthday. It was not planned that way...it just happened.
Texas will remain dear to me no matter where we go because this is the state we were living in when I opened my eyes to the love of Jesus Christ. While I have not been the best person in the past, my future is secure.
WV - 24 years, NC - 12 years...is Texas going to be 6 years? I hope not. Moving can be such a pain. Now if I got a package like I did when I was with Ericsson then I would not mind as much but those days are long gone. I doubt anyone will offer me a free, 100% paid for relo (with perks) like Ericsson did.
My wife and I have often discussed where we would like to live if we were given the opportunity to move. With what I am doing for $Major IT Service Company, I could live almost anywhere and do my job although some areas are more appropriate than others. I personally would love to give NC another shot, but Mrs. Gee is not quite so open minded.
That is ok...she has earned that right.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)