Google Doodles...

Usually enjoy the "Google Doodles" quite a bit. Foucault's Google Doodle yesterday was no exception and reminded me of my family's day-trip to Chicago's MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry) when I was in junior high.

I really enjoyed that day, and can safely say I soaked up more knowledge in that one trip than in any 2-week period at any school I've ever attended. In fact, when I'm teaching, I still mention things learned from that trip... some 25+ years later.

When I first saw the Foucault Doodle, of course I had to play around with the controls, was completely side-tracked for several minutes, then wanted to Google search Léon Foucault, clicked right over to his Wikipedia page, read the entire thing, opening several tabs in my browser to look at all of the cool things he'd been involved in discovering. Eventually I "woke up," noticing I'd spent a good hour reading, completely forgotten why I went to Google in the first place, and had missed my short window-of-opportunity for a 20 minute power nap.

Normally, no power nap isn't a problem, but this year I teach in the mornings, my wife comes to school, hands off our 2 year old, I play with her, &/or run errands for an hour, feed her, put her down for a nap, then (if time permits) grab a 20 minute power nap, and work from home the rest of the day. My brief foray into the life and accomplishments of Léon Foucault led me to the realization that I am (and probably most Americans today are) quite "busy," but don't really accomplish quite as much as people did a hundred years ago. Foucault lived a grand total of 48 years, 4 months, & 23 days (six years and a few days longer than my lifespan to date), and he discovered many interesting and amazing things.

I, on the other hand, could not think of one single thing I've discovered or created. Sure, I do have an incredible wife (that not only puts up with me, but loves me too), five great kids (that are better looking, have more skills, and are in better shape than I was at their age), have taught kids for years (one-on-one, in "regular" school settings, & in Sunday School), and can carry a tune (with my voice and several different instruments), but that's about it. Not overly impressive.

Was thinking I'd like to "up my game" in the "life accomplishments" department so I could have an impressive headstone like Foucault, until I took a closer look and realized: there was no mention of his family. Then recalled I hadn't seen any mention of Foucault's family members in any of the on-line biographies I'd read either. I scanned them more thoroughly, but still found no mention of a wife or any children. After that additional reading, I realized he died rather young with progressive (and incurable) paralysis (due to all the chemicals with which he'd worked) and he died alone.

That decided it for me: my simple life, with not a single "discovery" or "world-renowned accomplishment" has been much more fulfilling than poor Mr. Foucault's. Sure, there are still things on my bucket list, and I need to put more time in on my wife's little projects around the house, but if a drunk driver puts me underground some morning on my way to or from school, in my view, I'll have had a greater legacy than Foucault... just in our five children... even if every one of them lives their own "inconsequential" and "simple" lifestyle... just like mine.

I still appreciate his discoveries, think it would be neat to make some scientific discoveries of my own, or become a world-renowned singer, or musician, or a multi-millionaire in business, but if none of that happens, I'm fine with that too. I'll have the love of several little people and my wife to keep me happy for years to come.

Off to school now. Think after school today I'll run my errands, play with the baby awhile, and see what can be done around the house for my wife. =)

Crazy Fruit

Well, I'm still not blogging consistently, but I think today's oddity warrants a blog posting.

We eat a lot of fruit in our house... prevents scurvy, keeps everything in the digestive system balanced and all that. So this morning, my daughter asked for "an orange." Technically, these aren't oranges, they're "Darling Clementines" (from Chile), but my wife and I knew what she wanted.

So, of course, the answer was "yes." She went in the kitchen, got the biggest one she could find (all my kids do that), and commenced peeling it at the dining room table. When she opened it up there was a very small clementine completely inside the fruit part of the big clementine: an "orange inside an orange," or a "clementine in a clementine" so be more precise. I have seen little pieces of orange inside bigger ones before, but this one was very different: it was completely encased with a second peel! She had already started eating the large pieces, so I grabbed what was left, an AA battery, and a nickel (for size reference) and snapped a picture of everything with my iPhone:

I also wanted to know if the inside of the mini-clementine had developed at all, so I took it into the kitchen, sliced it open on the cutting board, and got another surprise. It WAS completely developed! Put it back on the table next to the AA battery, the nickel, and an unpeeled Clementine for another pic. (Didn't realize the pic turned out so yellow, or I'd have taken another one, but my daughter ate it immediately afterward.) =)

Expendability

A brief talk by Nate Saint over HCJB radio: 1949.

I've been reading Jungle Pilot, by Russell T. Hitt. It's a great book about Nate Saint, and I thought this small excerpt would be an encouragement to my friends: missionaries, military members, and others in service to the King.

You can get a copy of this book free here.

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A fact that is mixed in a very important way with our work is the thing that became commonly known during the last war as "EXPENDABILITY."

The flying business is full of illustrations of this basic principle. God has seen fit to make a vehicle that is expendable essential to progress. There is always a price that must be paid.

During the last war (WW2) we were taught that, in order to obtain our objective, we had to be willing to be expendable, and many lives were spent paying the price of our redemption from the bonds of political slavery.

This very afternoon thousands of soldiers are known by their serial numbers as men who are expendable. During the last war we saw big bombers on the assembly line, row after row, powerful, costly implements of war! Yet we all knew--we actually KNEW that many of those bombers would not accomplish even five missions over enemy territory. We also knew that young fellows, many of them volunteers, would ride in those airborne machine-gun turrets, and their life expectancy behind those guns was (with the trigger down) only four minutes. Tremendous expendability!

We know that there is only one answer when our country demands that we share in the price of freedom--yet when the Lord Jesus asks us to pay the price for world evangelization, we often answer without a word. We cannot go. We say it costs too much.

God Himself laid down the law when He built the universe. He knew when He made it what the price was going to be. And the Lamb of God was slain in the counsels of God from before the foundation of the world. If God didn't hold back His only Son, but gave Him up to pay the price for our failure and sin, then how can we Christians bold back our lives-- the lives He really owns?

The Lord tells us that "He that loveth his life" -- we might say that "he that is selfish with his life" -- "shall lose it." It's inescapable.

Missionaries constantly face expendability. And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives. They forget that when their lives are spent and the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.

Some might say, isn't it too great a price to pay? When missionaries consider themselves--their lives before God--they consider themselves expendable. And in our personal lives as Christians, isn't the same thing true? Isn't the price small in the light of God's infinite love? Those who know the joy of leading a stranger to Christ and those who have gone to tribes who have never heard the Gospel, gladly count themselves expendable. And they count it all joy.

"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." The apostle Paul said, "I die daily." "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

And Jesus said, "There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the Gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time . . . and in the world to come eternal life."
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Not Wearing Green For St. Patrick's Day... Again

Last year (2008) I was a week late for tomorrow's holiday, so here is a re-vamped version of last year's post: Immured in Green:

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Every year I'm asked why I -- as a "religious" fanatic -- never wear green on St. Patrick's Day. While I do attend church every time the doors are open, I'm actually not "religious" -- religions are based on tradition first. In most areas, I'm not a traditionalist by any stretch of the imagination. Although I wear suits & ties with dress shirts several times every week, I quit wearing white dress shirts entirely sometime back in the late 1990s. The one exception being a white shirt I rented for my wedding day. Plus, I usually wear cowboy boots with my suits.

People think of me as "religious" because I do attempt to live right, to base my beliefs on the Bible, and to teach my kids to have their own set of high ethical standards based on the Bible. Of course, just like everyone else, I still succeed some days and fail on others -- depending on the minute, hour, day, week, month, and year, but when it comes to St. Patrick's day I avoid including green in every (visible) part of my wardrobe. Instead, I wear maroon -- and that prominently.

I started my personal "not wearing green" trend in junior high and continued this non-conformist trend throughout high school, college, and to the present. Prior to college, without some explanation, few understood why I wouldn't wear green. Every year I explained that both Catholics and Protestants celebrate St. Patrick's Day, all the Catholics wear green, and all the Protestants wear orange. As an orange-wearing kid, in green-wearing schools, I'd get the inevitable, "Prove it," every year. Thus would commence a short social sciences lesson on the Irish and their flag. I'll relate it here, very briefly, for those that may not have heard it before:

The Irish flag consists of 3 vertical stripes, green at the pole, orange at the opposite end, and white between them. Green signifies Catholics, orange -- Protestants, and white -- the peace that should be between them. Their "Irish-ness" supposedly enough to unify even opposing religious views.

After that brief explanation, most understood my self-imposed abstinence from green for the holiday, and a few others even began to wear orange as I did. In more recent years (I believe it was in college, but am uncertain), I've refrained from wearing orange as well -- this change was brought about by studying church history. I am a Baptist, and Baptist history is a very different, separate "tree" than both Catholicism and Protestantism.

The "dark ages" lasted a little over 1,000 years -- different people observe differing events to "mark" the beginning and end, but the approximate dates are 450 AD to 1600 AD (I usually allow +/-75 years to and from each end). "Protestantism" began as an off-shoot out of Catholicism as the early champions of the Bible attempted to reform the Roman Catholic church. They wanted worship to line up with the Bible rather than the traditions of men. Officially, Protestantism is said to have "started" when Luther broke away from the Roman Catholic church in the early 1500s. The Lutherans were followed by the Church of England, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Methodists, and many other denominations that all now claim to be Protestant.

The difference between "Baptist-believing" churches and all of the others, is that they existed prior to Luther (as early as the 1400s) and all held to the belief that for baptism to be of any effect, it had to be practiced Biblically. The Bible states baptism is to occur after one's salvation as an act of obedience to God and as an identification with your faith in Christ as Savior. "Baptizo" meaning to "immerse completely," has a definite and entirely different meaning than "rhantizo" -- "to sprinkle."

These Baptistic churches were persecuted throughout the entire dark ages because they wouldn't conform to Rome's mandates, but only to the scriptures. Prior to being called "Baptist" these churches were called by many other names: Ana-Baptists, Anabaptists, Montanists, Novations, Paterins, Donatists, Paterins Cathari, Paulicians, Arnoldists, Henricians, Albigenses, and Waldenses. Generally, these all believed in rebaptizing any new converts coming from churches holding views unaligned with the Bible (i.e. Catholicism and Orthodoxy). Wittenburg wrote in 1607, "Our modern Anabaptist are the same as the Donitists of old. They took no account of the baptism of others ..."

Based on my study, there were churches referred to as "Anabaptist" as early as the 200s -- predating the reign of Catholicism's Constantine (306 A.D. - 312 A.D.).


I said all that to say, as a Baptist, I won't be wearing green for this holiday -- ever. Associating myself with the Roman Catholic religion that has (over many past centuries) killed thousands that believe the Bible as I do would be remiss on my part. EDIT: (I realize, in the USA, as well as most other parts of the world, this is no longer condoned by anyone in the Catholic Church. Although, the Muslims have picked up where the Catholic church left off a few hundred years ago.)

I could wear orange, as many different Protestants of today hold beliefs quite similar to my own (and the general public cannot differentiate between a Protestant and a Baptist). However, in the early days of Protestantism, many of those denominations also held beliefs widely divergent from Baptists, and some went so far as to persecute Baptists, just as the Roman Catholics did.

No matter how similar my beliefs are to those of others, I know that I'm not Protestant. Because I'm a Baptist (of the conservative, independent, and Biblically-based fundamental variety... that have existed "underground" for centuries), I hold to views that are separate from both Catholicism and Protestantism. So, as a matter of personal preference, I eschew BOTH green AND orange on St. Patrick's day.

If I don't have any clean maroon shirts, I'll substitute red -- whatever color I have that is as close as possible to the color of blood. Maroon and red are close to orange (as many of my beliefs are close to mainline Protestants of today and of old), but are obviously different colors.

In this way, if someone asks about my lack of green (or orange), I can point to my red article of clothing and explain God's exclusive requirement of Christ's blood sacrifice to remit any and all sin -- the importance of accepting this sacrifice -- and how (as a Baptist that follows the Bible over traditions) it's my belief that each convert should be baptized after their salvation.

Explaining the green/orange observance of St. Patrick's day has yet to enable me to lead anyone up to (or through) the Bible verses that promise 100% certainty of salvation (and eternal residence in heaven), but maybe this St. Patrick's day will change that.

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As a side note, I am part Irish, BUT I am NOT Catholic, never have been, never will be, and if you attempt to punch or pinch me for not wearing green... well, let's just say you may contribute to my delinquency. =)
(That's a joke... don't forget to smile.)

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* * * * * * * EDIT * * * * * * *NOTE #1: Actually left home early in the morning on St. Patrick's Day for an appointment. Was running behind, and couldn't find any clean maroon (or red) shirts -- so I looked for an orange stand-in -- came up short there too. Ended up wearing white. (Was able to find a maroon polo later when I came home for lunch.)

NOTE #2: Was able to use my non-green shirt as an "opportunity" for the first time!

A New Day, A New Way!

Last May, I blogged about a conservative political candidate I supported: Dr. Marion Thorpe. My one regret was not that he was running against Alcee Hastings (I was quite pleased with that). Rather, I wished that I could have had the opportunity to vote for him -- but he wasn't running in my district.

In our current political climate, Hastings was a very difficult incumbent to challenge, even for another African American that fit the district's demographics better than the incumbent. I thought Dr. Thorpe had a great opportunity, but unfortunately, Hastings' "normal" amount of support was greatly bolstered by the turnout to elect Obama. (Most likely, had it been a "normal" year for Hastings, the number of votes Dr. Thorpe received would have easily catapulted him past Hastings.)

However, I am glad he lost that race. Because of that loss, one year from November, I may get the opportunity to cast my vote for Dr. Thorpe in another, bigger race! Wednesday, January 7, Dr. Thorpe officially announced his intent to run for one of Florida's two seats in the U.S. Senate! (The one being vacated by Mel Martinez.)

To say I was excited would be a gross understatement. It's been quite awhile since I've gotten to vote for a true conservative -- in any office. I've had to vote for the "best" of the worst for so long, I didn't expect to have the opportunity for vote for a candidate I can support. I knew Dr. Thorpe had been considering the idea of running for some seat in government, but he'd been waiting to make sure his friend, Jeb Bush, wasn't interested in any of the same offices in which he, Dr. Thorpe, might have an interest. That Wednesday evening at church, he told me (and a few others) Jeb didn't seem to be interested in the Senate seat, and he'd finally decided to throw his hat in the ring. Did you notice, I said "at church" was where he told us? Well, Dr. Thorpe is one of a minority of politicians that makes no apologies for his belief in God.

In very few politicians, or even candidates for that matter, will you find a person with enough conviction to regularly attend church services. If you do find one, it is the rare individual that feels any responsibility to attend a service on a week night as well as just Sunday morning (when they can shake more people's hands). Throughout all of last year's hectic campaigning, Dr. Thorpe made the time to regularly stop and "recharge his spiritual batteries" with us.


I do know my blog may suffer, but I'm going to help in this race even more than the last -- as much as I'm physically and mentally able (without disrupting my commitments to my church and the provision for my family). My professional experience "happens" to be in small business consulting; thankfully, several of my past contracts have given me some experience that may assist Dr. Thorpe in keeping track of the finances of his campaign.

There are still papers to be filed, and an "official" fund-raising campaign to begin (it will actually help accelerate the filings if unsolicited donations started mysteriously "rolling in"). If you, or anyone you know is interested in supporting Florida's first Republican, African-American candidate for the U.S. Senate, please (for those that know me personally), let me know. For those that don't, but have a FaceBook account, you can join the Dr. Marion Thorpe for US Senate group. And for those that only have internet access (or just want more info on the candidate), you can visit Dr. Thorpe's site directly. Support can consist of your time, your skills, your money, or any combination of the three. Whatever it is, it won't be turned away.

Optometry Oddidity

Received a call from my optometrist late last Friday afternoon. (Didn't realize it was the actual optometrist on the phone at first, thought it was one of his assistants.) He told me that the four-year membership I purchased was expiring unused on Tuesday (save for the purchase of my glasses and a one-year supply of disposable contacts). However, if I wanted to be seen at the reduced "plan" rate, he would honor the same price all week. I was wearing my my last set of contacts and planning to call him anyway, so I scheduled my appointment for 10 am Monday morning.

Sunday night, my wife surprised me when she decided she wanted an exam the next morning too. Personally, I could care less; if she wanted to willingly go see a doctor, then that was her problem. I'm the type person that doesn't go see any doctor -- of any kind -- unless I'm near death or in dire need of something. (Which may have been obvious, since I haven't been to the eye doctor in four years.) Anyway, since I do like to see clearly, I was "in need."

Our arrival (driving through all green lights!), parking (one space was left -- at the door), check-in (we were first), wait (brief), and exam (wife & I went in together) were only "eventful" in that absolutely nothing went wrong! I was almost dreading the rest of the day -- thinking there may be paybacks somewhere.

Amazingly, no paybacks either. Instead, he shone bright lights in my eyes then had me read the little chart on wall (with the big prescription-finder thingy in front of my eyes). When I asked how much worse my eyes had gotten, he didn't answer directly. He told me that, "One of two things has happened in the last four years." (I so dread it when I hear doctors offering options.) Either,
1. on my previous visit, my eyes were diagnosed incorrectly (and I've been using the wrong prescription for four years), or
2. sometime in the last 4 years, my prescription in one eye has attained a slight astigmatism, while both eyes have (miraculously) improved exactly 0.5!

This was one of those rare moments in which I was totally speechless.

My wife laughed and said, "And they say long hours staring at a computer screen are bad for you." She also had the presence of mind to ask if my recent (bi-monthly and more) migraines may be attributable to having this prescription too strong: "Possible," was his reply.

I was expecting to purchase contacts; I was not expecting to need new glasses. Nor was I expecting any eye improvements. They did sell me contacts (at the "deal" pricing), but won't give them to me until I wear this free loaner pair for a few days. They want to make sure I can still see clearly.

It's been a few days, today is Thursday. My last migraine started early Monday morning (although it wasn't horrible until my eyes were dilated). Since then, I can still see pretty well (I was reading the 20/15 line on his chart), but I think the astigmatism diagnosis might be incorrect: if I move too quickly, things look a little wonky until my eyes adjust. I'll have to go back tomorrow and have him check.

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[EDIT: It's now Friday. I went back again this morning and I can still see the 20/15 line. I told him about the occasional equilibrium problems and that I'd noticed one other thing: a continuous tension in the muscles around my right eye. He held weaker and stronger lenses in front of my eye, but neither was better. So, I'm going to give it another week. He thinks it might be because my eyes are adjusting to this prescription.]

My Apologies To Shakespeare:

To Post, OR not to Post, that IS questionable.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous children (in silence)
Or to take up words against a sea of troublesome-ness,
And by exposing, laugh at them?

Thus begins my latest installment of the vagaries of having children:
The other evening Sugee was s'posed to be going potty, washing her hands, then getting into her jammies before having a snack and trundling off to bed. Sugee doesn't always do s'posed to very well -- she has her own little world she inhabits and its... well... different.

After an extraordinary amount of time in the bathroom, I decided it would be wise to go find her. (Bear in mind, this is the same three and a half year old child that two Saturdays ago crammed a Gobstopper up her nose -- as far as she could reach her "pinky" finger!)

This Saturday evening, I found her -- in the bathroom? Yes.
Completely finished and ready for bed? No -- try stark naked.

Furthermore, she was patting at her soaked, wet hair with the used (and very dirty) foot-towel.

Realizing she was merely attempting to copy Mommy, but making a mess of herself, I stifled my smile and laughter, asked what she had been doing, and (of course) received the typical sugar-coated answer of "Nothing Daddy". After some verbal pressure, she did reveal that she had just finished "washing her hair in the bathtub" -- albeit, I hadn't heard any water running (except in the sink) so I was not convinced. Willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, I had her wash her hands and finish getting ready for bed.

Once dressed, she did finally admit that she had NOT used the bathtub to wet her hair.
No . . . my sweet, innocent, blond-haired, green-eyed, cherub-faced daughter had just participated in a SELF . INDUCED . SWIRLY ! ! !

(And for the curious-minded, no: I did not check to see if the water she used was pre- or post-potty -- I really did not want to know.)

I'm hoping she survives being a toddler . . . and that her baby sister doesn't take after her in any way shape or form.

And thus the natives' hue of exploration
Is o'er laid with the hearty cast of memory,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this affection their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of trouble. - Soft you now!
The fair Sugee! Nymph, in my orisons
Be all thy sins -- forgotten.

A Small Milestone

My three and a half year old son (Tank) came to me a few weeks ago and begged to have his training wheels removed. Thinking he was too young, I put him on his big brother's "blue-bike" and let him make a few attempts. Tank, at three, is actually heavier than Little Bear (who turns six in March), and only a few inches shorter, so the "big" blue-bike is all of one inch taller than the "little" one. (Both bikes are blue, the smaller one has racing flames on it, so they've dubbed it the "fire-bike.") Tank wasn't quite ready for me to let go, but he was surprisingly good. I didn't remove the wheels from the fire-bike at that time, but decided to let him try again -- soon.

Last week, one of the training wheels came loose on the fire-bike; Tank went down pretty hard, but shook it off (hence the nick-name). He brought the bike home and laid it in the driveway in front of my wife's van for me to fix. (Daddys can fix anything you know.) Seeing the bike in the driveway reminded me of our "escapade" a few weeks ago, so I let the bike lay there for a few days. (Long enough for poor little Tank to be dying to ride his bike again.) Saturday (while my wife was out shopping) I took off his other training wheel, put him on the fire-bike, and told him to pedal. Guess what he did?

If you thought, "Sat still and cried his eyes out," you were right. He remembered the previous attempt -- as well as going down hard last week. Not to be deterred by a few tears (Momma was shopping, remember -- he couldn't "tell on me" until later) I told him I wouldn't let him go, but he had to pedal. After several bent-over jogs up and down the street (holding onto the bottom of his seat), I thought he was almost able to ride on his own (there'd been very few forays into the grass). So first thing, we sat down for a few minutes -- I don't jog very well bent over and needed to catch my breath. While I was resting, I had Little Bear take the fire-bike, told him to ride up & down the street, and called Tank to come sit with me to watch. He complained the whole time, but dutifully got right back on the bike when I was ready.

As we headed down the street once again, I did let go, but kept jogging behind him -- and he did fine. We turned around (I helped) and he went back up the street -- this time I ran right next to him. He was concerned, but started getting excited when he realized he could ride with no training wheels. We turned the last time and started back down the street (with me still running alongside) when my wife started up the road. Without him knowing, I signaled to her to stop and (as she waited) told Tank to "pedal to Mommy" and show her "how good he was doing with no training wheels."

In case you don't know, there is something built-into 99.999% of all men: we must show off in plain view of females. As a child, the female of most import is Mom, but Grandmas, Aunts, friends, neighbors, and siblings follow close behind. Tank falls in the 99.999% category -- as soon as he saw his Mommy flashing the headlights of the mini-van at him, he needed no more help. At least, no more help riding -- he doesn't stop well yet. He didn't let that deter him though -- he crashed into the neighbor's mailbox, jumped up, and told his mother what he'd just done. At every opportunity since, he's been telling friends and family of his latest accomplishment, and begging to ride some more.


P.S. Sorry for spilling the beans guys, but ladies -- if you want your man to get something done, word your request in a manner that feeds his ego, then make a big deal out of what he's accomplished for you -- preferably in front of other females that are important to him.

Someone Thinks I'm Still "Young"!

I'm a non-attending member of the local Young Republicans club.
I know, you probably want to know how I can be a member and never attend, right? Well, thru the wonders of technology, we meet on FaceBook. And, I must say, it is VERY convenient. Gone are the days of renting space once a month somewhere so everyone gets some "Facetime" and networking time. And with the loss of the meetings, we don't NEED to be gathering dues, so that's a plus. The downside is the loss of personal interaction, but I wouldn't be involved at all if it were only personal interaction. I'm not giving up any more nights home with the family for a political meeting.

Anyway, back to the YR club: I was surprised they let me join. I'm pushing up against 38 now, with 5 months to go. But the "regular" Republican group here is still doing the Yahoo-Group-thing, and some still don't even have email!! (You're killin me Smallz.) So I sent my FB friend request to the local YR, and voila! I'm young!

This year there is an added benefit to being in the Broward County YR FaceBook group (mostly due to Obama's crushing eMobilization) -- they emailed me the link that ALL YR's can use to make their voices heard to the RNC! I'm not going to post the link publicly, but if you're my FB friend, or (for you stone-age backwards people) at least have my email address I'll get you the link. (Deadline is January 12th tho.)

So here's what's on the survey (along with my not-so-humble opionions)

1. Reflecting on this election cycle, if you had been the RNC Chairman, what ONE THING would you have done differently to ensure young voters supported Republican candidates?

I WOULD HAVE BEEN AGGRESSIVE on EVERY FRONT, throwing political correctness OUT THE WINDOW! Every day, ALL day, in every race, in every state and territory, at every public appearance, and every media event. (Showing weakness on almost every front is ridiculously infantile and leads to apathetic Republicans.)

2. What are the three most important issues to young voters that the RNC Chairman must prioritize when preparing Republican candidates to run for Federal office in 2010 and 2012?
(Remember, these are issues important to non-Party affiliated young voters.)

College education affordability
Corruption/ethics reform
Economy/Job creation
Energy independence/gas prices
Environmental protection
Health care/insurance reform
Housing affordability
Illegal immigration
Lower taxes
National security
Social issues (e.g., abortion, gay marriage)
Social security
The War in Iraq
US image in the World
Other (please specify) National security, border security, the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and on terrorists everywhere (including Hamas and Hezbollah) should be one COMPREHENSIVE policy.

3. What 3 strategies must the next RNC Chairman must put into practice in his/her first 100 days to prevent losing more of the younger generation to the Democratic Party?
(This is not an exhaustive list. Please use the comment box!)

Fund the Young Republicans and College Republicans
Integrate young voters into the RNC's overall political strategy
Recruit candidates with a demonstrated appeal to young people
Build coalition of young Republicans to develop a social marketing strategy for young voters
Use social media (e.g., facebook, twitter, etc.) smarter and better
Crack down on corruption in our own Party
Perform outreach to high schools in every state
Actively recruit under age 40 candidates to run for office in every state
Make technology a central part of how we do business
Make young Republicans a part of every State Committee
Open the RNC donor lists to Young Republican groups so they can fundraise effectively
Other (please specify) ALL technology (social media, economic video games, online donations, etc.) must be embraced, with a VERY strong emphasis on outreach to colleges, high schools, and Jr High schools, and pointed inclusion of EVERY strong, conservative, common-sense Republican demographic. This will draw more Y.R.s as well as Independents, Libertarians, etc.

4. Is there anything else you think is important for the RNC Chairman to have (i.e., qualities, characteristics) in order to effectively engage young voters?

It would be very helpful if the "troops on the ground" saw a strong presence -- anywhere. John McCain's "stands" all seemed like standing a fork in oatmeal; I'd like a leader with a SPINE. Push for investigations of EVERY Congressman and Senator (both D & R) that is "bending" rules, regs, or laws. Illegal contributions (mainly Obama's online fund raising FRAUD), voting fraud (like Alcee Hastings purposefully voting from a residence he hasn't owned for the LAST THREE ELECTIONS), and other violations that are allowed to "stand" with no protest, investigation, or any action at all are just plain stupid. Hit them first, hit them hard, and don't let up. Don't wait! 2 years or more prior to national elections (i.e. now) is the best time to start. Eliminate the D candidates as early as possible. Even if all that's ever done is occasional press releases to conservative media outlets (radio, blog, etc.), at least DO SOMETHING. I was appalled at all of the blatant law-breaking by the Dems that was allowed to go by unopposed.

5. In what state are you a Young Republican?

Florida

6. What is your age?

37 (Minimum is Under 18, Maximum is 41 or Older)

7. Are you a Young Republican leader in your state?

No

8. Which declared RNC candidate would you direct your National Committee Members to vote for?
(We will not be publishing this information until the night before the election.)
Which declared RNC candidate would you direct your National Committee Members to vote for? (We will not be publishing this information until the night before the election.)
Chip Saltsman (I like his stances, plus, he's willing to take risks.)
Katon Dawson (I like many of his stances.)
Ken Blackwell (Toss up, but Blackwell is more litigious & older than Saltsman.)
Michael Steele (my absolutely LAST choice of these candidates)
Mike Duncan (decent record, but not much bulldog in him)
Saul Anuzis (he's my third choice)
Supporting no candidate at this time
Other (please specify)

9. If you were not emailed this survey directly, you are not on our email list! To be added to the Young Republican email list, please provide us your email.

Ha!

This concludes our survey. The Young Republican National Federation thanks you for your valuable contribution. We will put this information to good use!

Please check www.yrnf.com on January 16 to see the results of the survey.

There's another one-question survey there to vote for the person you'd like to see in the office of RNC chair; please at least click thru to the link and vote for your choice (unless it's Steele). =)

Happy Kwanzaa? Really?

For me, learning is fun. When anyone, any time, anywhere, asks anything, I like to know the answer. Therefore, I read often. My mind is an eclectic mix of all types of information that I can hardly help but offer in various amounts (ranging from snippet to discourse -- depending upon how much I've studied the topic in question). For some unknown reason, this year I decided to educate myself on the "holiday" celebrated in the U.S. called Kwanzaa.

Prior to doing any research on the subject, I thought Kwanzaa was a holiday created by African Americans to celebrate Christ's birth from an "African Heritage" viewpoint. I was wrong -- in fact, if I were to graph how far off I was with a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game, my pin would definitely be in another county or state, perhaps even off-planet. So now that I'm slightly more educated than I was last week, I thought I'd put thoughts to... er... blog and educate anyone else that happens to be interested. DISCLAIMER: if you don't like my opinions, if you are blinded by what you consider to be "your civic duty," OR if your "open mind" only refers to viewpoints you agree with -- too bad. I call them like I find them.

First, a little about the "father" of Kwanzaa: Dr. Maulana Karenga. Born Ronald McKinley Everett, he first changed his name to Ron Ndabezitha Everett-Karenga (ndabezitha is Zulu for "your majesty" and karenga is Swahili for "nationalist"). Later, when Karenga founded the "US Organization" (United Slaves Organization, or US) he shortened his name to Maulana Karenga (maulana is Swahili for "master teacher" or "lord").

I'm no psychologist or psychiatrist, but generally, when I find out someone has changed their name (except in the case of changing one's last name at marriage), a big warning bell goes off in my head:
Why?
Are they selling something?
What are they hiding?
If they aren't hiding something specific, then what are they trying to deceive others about?
No surprise then to find a criminal record that included jail time. Convicted of sexual assault and torturing his own (female) followers would definitely keep him off most individual's list of people to emulate, except that he's s'posed to be this exceptionally enlightened torch-bearer for civil rights, so -- he got a free pass on that one. Never mind that he jammed a flowing garden hose in these girls' mouths, put one's toe in a vise, stuck a hot soldering iron in the other one's mouth (after he burned her face with it). Yes, definitely a pillar of the community.

Next, I thought it expedient to look at the good Doctor's educational credentials. He was a professor of black studies at California State University (Long Beach) when he created Kwanzaa in 1966 (years later, he chaired the department -- after serving time for sexual assault!!). Curious as to just what exactly a "professor of black studies" would be teaching, I dug a little deeper. It seems Dr. Karenga was doing what today is commonly called "community organizing" -- but in order to differentiate him from the masses (since he was the head honcho) the more politically correct way to phrase his work would be so say he "led" a "black freedom movement" or a "cultural black nationalist group" in the 60s. If you didn't use one of these PC terms, Dr. Karenga might sound too much like a thug, and we wouldn't want to besmirch his less-than-stellar reputation.

You see, I also discovered that his "movement" wasn't your run-of-the-mill garden-club-variety group of peace-loving-children-of-the-60s. "US" (sometimes called "Organization US") was so violent, that when they had a disagreement with the Black Panthers -- US resolved the issue to their satisfaction -- by offing 2 Black Panthers! Evidently, for all their militant radicalism, the Black Panthers didn't quite live down to the low standards of US Organization.

In looking for any other sociological "problem areas" in his life, character, and actions, I discovered he met Malcolm X in California a few years before Malcolm's assassination. Just how important Malcolm X was to Dr. K can be found in his own words:

"Malcolm was the major African American thinker that influenced me in terms of nationalism and Pan-Africanism."

The "Why" and "How" of the purpose of "US" is simply put, in his own words:

"...I founded it [US], as the sons and daughters of Malcolm, and as an heir to his legacy."

What a legacy. I should point out however, that when he was released from prison in the mid-70s, he "re-established" US Organization. Unfortunately, it was not for the better. Instead, he infused his newly acquired Marxist views, with his already suspect thuggish tendencies. I can only hope that the movement doesn't continue to add to its legacy in future generations of melding the worst of all the world has to offer.

In closing, I did read thru the seven tenets of Kwanzaa -- twice. At first glance (before I knew anything about the man) they seemed to be OK, the type of rather bland statements usually proffered by politicians attempting to retain their seat at election time. Once I understood his background, philosophy, and ideals I reread the same seven tenets. Although thinly-disguised, the Marxist ideals of community activism, collectivism, and blind adherence to those in leadership clearly shone thru.

For my part, even if a "Happy Kwanzaa" is offered, I'm done wishing anyone anything but a "Merry Christmas" and a "Happy New Year." They were sufficient for hundreds of years, and I personally don't want to be misunderstood to be promoting those degenerate ideals for which he stood.






PS -- If you'd like to know more, I found numerous links to Karenga and Kwanzaa with Google. Two of the shorter, more informative were the following:

newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/12/23/kwanzaa-created-rapist-torturer

wikipedia.org/wiki/Maulana_Karenga

Bitten by Reality

My wife goes to these ladies' meetings; they're usually every two to five weeks apart. I'm not really sure what they do there? Perhaps just talk with all the other ladies from our church with no men or children to interrupt?

Needless to say, ladies' meetings are great for her, and a challenge for me. Tonight's meeting did have a great added bonus though: cookie exchange! She's only been home a few hours, so I have yet to sample all of the cookies she's brought back, but I'm sure I will have done so by tomorrow evening.

The opposite side of the coin is the dark side. I get to watch all of the children by myself. Don't get me wrong, I love kids. We did, after all, have FOUR of the little buggers.) =) The problem is the age of said children, and the resulting responsibilities corresponding to each.

Five is a great age. I can play with Little Bear, tickle him until he can't walk, stand, or even talk, sword fight, play with his LEGO blocks, and all sorts of other fun things. Very few draw-backs with this age.

Three is also a "fun" age, the kids are old enough to play with, reason with, and generally have a lot of fun. It does occasionally have its downsides though. Like when one three-year-old "pokes" the other, or takes the chair, crayon, or toy the other wanted, or (heaven forbid) doesn't get the correct spoon at dinner-time! The resulting drama that unfolds normally rivals the best "All My Children" could ever hope to offer. Sometimes I wonder how much I could make rewriting dinner-time drama and selling it to the major soaps.

The real kicker, however, is not the five year old, the twin three year olds, or even the fact that I watch them, alone, for two to four hours. What gets me are the stomach-churning capabilities of our five month old. What, you may ask, can a five month old do that bothers my stomach? plenty. For starters, just seeing the mixture of cereal and peas I fed her for dinner hasn't changed all that much the second time around usually does it. Actually, color doesn't matter quite as much as stench.

I can handle gunshots, blood, guts, broken bones, death, and any number of other things that would turn anyone's stomach. The problem for me lies in bodily excretions, from either end.

Anyone that tells you women are inferior to men... is a full-blown liar, or has never had to juggle the responsibilities of several small children, the phone, and a simultaneous diaper change. Thankfully, tonight I did have the five year old, and he likes to help. I had him hang on to each of Little Squirt's hands while I cleaned the other end. No finger-painting allowed on my watch you know.

TMI (Yet Still: TLI) in the News

As a young kid, I wanted to be just like my dad: a welder in the Air Force (the realities of the profession changed that desire). As I got older, I dreamed of one day becoming an astronaut or a fighter pilot (but I need glasses). Throughout high school and college I had several other aspirations, all similar: military-intelligence-related. None of which ended up happening.

I've "worked" for the same church since I got out of college, doing different things "on the side." I started by doing small business consulting. Have helped various businees with their incorporation, basic business set-up, implementing records management protocols, automating office work, employee searches, business reorganization, training, and retraining employees. I also still enjoy doing the kind of work that paid for my college education: construction, maintenance, and remodeling. Have done all types of work on houses, apartments, condos, businesses, & churches (from roof, to attic, to ceilings, down to walls, floors, foundations, and everything in between). If I have a preference in my employment, I enjoy doing computer consulting the most. Have built & repaired computers, done systems analysis, network analysis, website analysis, web design, logo design, built & managed websites, as well as trained employees to use applications software (some new software, but usually train them to use the software they already have more efficiently). When other work was slow, I've done other, totally-unrelated work: sold jewelry, driven & delivered vehicles, worked security, even transported hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cash, documents, and jewelry (locally and domestically; never did international transport). I might someday be able to work for someone else, but I've been self-employed for so long that I enjoy my freedom and the variety of things I'm able to do.

From the list above, you can probably guess I have a lot of different interests. I'm also constantly reading. I prefer to get my news from the internet than from the nightly newscasts for several reasons: I only see the stories of interest to me, if I decide I'm not interested, I move to the next, and because I'm reading rather than listening to a news anchor, I can get through the information faster. The problem with reading the news is so many headlines pique my curiosity. Anything that refers to my interests (current or past), people I know, places I've lived, places my friends live, things I've done, and anything I've ever wanted to do -- all of those articles grab my attention.

One of this morning's articles is a great example: Astronauts prepare to unpack Endeavour's cargo. The headline alone was a show-stopper for me. After I clicked the link I was a bit under-whelmed. I don't think the first sentence was meant to be funny, but I couldn't help laugh at it anyway. "Astronauts aboard the international space station and the newly arrived shuttle Endeavour planned Monday to start unpacking a new toilet and a contraption that purifies urine and sweat into drinkable water at the orbiting outpost." (Note to self: be glad you did not become an astronaut.)

Some of the rest of the article was interesting, but it highlighted a discouraging trend I've noticed in online news: since there are no space constraints (as there are in printed newspapers), news editors are no longer requiring journalists to edit articles as well as they have had to in the past. Rather than keeping the inanity in their stories to bare minimum, reporters seem to revel in it.

I read blogs and editorials for fun and opinion; if they ramble, I expect it. However, from a purely "Journalistic" perspective, I prefer comprehensive, concise detail in my news stories. I'll admit, this particular article was not as bad as many I've read, but Mike Schneider (the Associated Press Writer that filed this Houston-based story) could have written the same article in half the space and kept my attention more closely.

Having TLI (Too-Little-Information) of importance, and TMI (Too-Much-Information) that's frivolous seems to reflect my disappointment with the entire Presidential election-season that just ended. (Also, in the future, I hope they don't last two years; two years of fluff in the news was frustrating.)

Book Review: FASTER, BETTER, STRONGER

Well, I've finished another book, and I doubt that I'll top this one for a long time. I've read many books on improving one's body (I have over a dozen sitting on the shelves of my library right now); this is, by far, the VERY best book on starting a fitness program, achieving wellness, improving oneself to whatever level of potential that's desired, and maintaining that high level of physical fitness. I would highly recommended Faster, Better, Stronger: 10 Scientific Secrets to a Healthier Body in 12 Weeks to everyone that is the least bit interested in their health.

There are very few "cons" about any part of this book. The only one I can think of (other than the fact that I got a pre-publication yellow-paper-covered reviewer's copy... rather than the full Monte) was the main title: Faster, Better, Stronger. It just doesn't convey the full scope of the expertise relayed in this book. The subtitle is somewhat better: 10 Scientific Secrets to a Healthier Body in 12 Weeks, but it has still taken me several minutes of explaining the book (to avid readers) to pique their interest in purchasing the book.

However, having explained the crux of the book and letting those others look at it (with my highlighting and bookmarks throughout), each has been excited about the possibility of reading it. Even my Dad wants to read this one, and other than the Bible, he rarely reads more than one book a year! After reading a few paragraphs, he said he'd be willing to PAY for this book! I don't ever remember hearing him say that about any other book.

So what, you may wonder, is "the crux" of this book? It starts by explaining the reasons behind exercising -- even the easy, common sense stuff that we all should know -- and builds from there. It explains how to tailor the sports you play to exactly what your body- and muscle-type can excel at the most. Do you have primarily "fast-twitch" or "slow-twitch" muscle fibers? Give yourself a "twitch test" to find out. Not sure how fit you are? copy the risk score sheet, look yourself up on the BMI charts, and assess your personal fitness level -- comprehensively -- including a VO2max test that will rival what you would get in a full-blown lab. Not only that, but the book will also assist you in preparing nutritious meals, planning a 12-week workout schedule, and even go so far as to make recommendations of the frequency and intensity of the exercises you should be doing for maximum improvement -- no matter what level of physical fitness you start at!

Faster, Better, Stronger should not only be required reading for EVERY high school and college coach in America, it should also be placed in EVERY library from coast to coast -- whether in elementary schools, retirement homes, or on military bases. This is a MUST read for anyone that is the least bit interested in improving their life.

Faster, Better, Stronger is a keeper -- for life!

Missions Trip

Amidst the general busy-ness and difficulties of the past few weeks, I've been remiss in my blogging. I'll attempt to rectify that this month, but if you know me even a little, you know I'm so chock-full of good intentions that I tend to run a little bit light on round-to-its.

The trip my Dad and I took to Puerto Rico (July 20-25) went well. We traveled to Ceiba, to work at a small Baptist church. This was my very first trip to the island, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Fixing a leaky (concrete) roof over the fellowship hall/school lunchroom took much of our week, but we were also able to move an air conditioner, organize some of their tools, hang chalk boards, change ballasts, build a cover for the kitchen water heater, and teach the Pastor how to not only preserve his tools in that high-humidity climate (I live in south Florida, we have a similar climate), but also how to do some of the easier maintenance around the property. (Some maintenance we were able to start, like the ballasts, but other things we had to explain and leave for him to do when he had more time.)

The weather was absolutely gorgeous; breezy all of the time. The daytime temps were on the warm side, but still cooler than S. FL (the beating sun was quite a bit more intense though), while the night-time temps were in the 60s and 70s, and we only had 2 light showers run through the entire week. The missionaries live very close to the top of a small mountain. Their balcony overlooks the city and the bay (and that helps keep the breeze from being blocked by other homes). If I lived there, I'd have a hammock and sleep outside often (being on top of the mountain, they had few mosquitoes and no-see-ems). One other bonus, it was mango season, and they have three different types of mangoes in their yard! I had 1 to 3 mangoes every day!

My only regret was not being able to stay longer and do more. Bright-Eyes was only a week old when I left, and I didn't like leaving my wife and the Varmints 4. (I wouldn't have gone if my M-in-law hadn't been down to help her.) Plus, not being there "leaves a hole" at church: I teach the Teen/College & Career Sunday School, run the Wednesday night kids' club (ages 3 to 12) go on the church van route (every service), sing quite a bit of the special music on Sunday mornings, keep up the grounds, and quite a bit more of the day-to-day behind-the-scenes stuff around church. Not to mention, I still need to work to keep food on our table. =) Going to Puerto Rico was quite a bit of work, but in some ways, it was also a vacation!! =)

If you get the chance, a missions trip to anywhere in the Caribbean would be a plus for you. (Provided, of course, rain doesn't pour down on you, the island you're working on doesn't get hit by a hurricane, and you don't stay in an area that the breeze is blocked.)

Another TWO Free Books Are Coming... Soon!!

Last night, for the first time in I don't know how many months, I went to bed before midnight (think it was even before 11.30pm, but not sure). This morning I found a message on my LibraryThing profile that excited me! Here's the text:

Congratulations. You've snagged an Early Reviewers copy of 1,000 Dollars and an Idea: How an Inspired American Entrepreneur Built a Billion-Dollar Fortune by Sam Wyly.You should get your copy in the mail shortly. The publishers ship the books directly--some are speedier than others, so please be patient!

private comment posted by                 at 12:43 pm (EST) on Jul 1, 2008

After I checked LibraryThing, I went and checked my email -- found even MORE good news!

Dear Matt,

You have been selected to review Faster, Better, Stronger by Eric Heiden/Massimo Testa. Your Advanced Readers Edition should arrive at your address within 14 days via U.S. Postal Service.

Thank you for participating in the First Look program.

HarperCollins Publishers
               @harpercollins.com

The only thing I like better than a good book is a good book that's FREE! and the only thing better than that... is TWO free books!! I can hardly wait!!!


In other (church) news, VBS is rapidly approaching (next Monday). This year's theme is on having a "Wild West Witness." Since I wear cowboy boots (to church, with my suit) every week anyway, I have a jump on most of the other people, but I'll still have to dig out my old saddle, my bolo tie, pocket watch, and a lariat. I might have two lariats, but I've never thrown one -- I just like western things. Today (and maybe tomorrow as well) I'm going to try to build a scale that will hold ~200 lbs per side. That's going to be tons of fun. (We need the scale to measure the offerings... which we don't expect to be very large this year, but next year [and after] we hope to grow the church and our outreach.)

Also, Varmint 4 is due 15 July 2008. The only good thing about a C-section is the ability to pick the date of delivery (provided the baby cooperates and doesn't come early). My (74 year old) neighbor thinks we should have stopped with 2 kids (kinda hard when the 2nd pregnancy was with twins) and is constantly giving me a hard time about having a 4th child. (He's even offered to buy us another TV!) Yesterday I told him it was exactly 2 more Tuesdays until our 4th Varmint is due and my wife was somewhat nervous about the upcoming surgery, but excited to finally know if we're having a girl or a boy. His comment was something along the lines of, "Why don't you just ask them to install a zipper so the next one is easier?" It took me a few seconds to see the humor, but my wife thought it was funny too.

Lastly, my favorite (only) sister is going to visiting FL in the next few weeks. She's not sure when she'll be coming over to see us, but if I had to guess I'd think she'll do all she can to make sure it's after the baby is born.

And now I'm going to come up with a few different plans for the VBS scale, then see what I have in the way of parts & supplies, then attempt to build one...

Another (Normal) Busy Day

Time is just flying by; later today (5.30pm) we'll celebrate the twins' 3rd Birthday. (It seems like they were born a few weeks ago.) Before that happens, I need to mow (about 4-6 acres), help clean up the house, watch the kids (wife is teaching a piano lesson @ 10.00am), and set up a bunch of chairs for the aforementioned party.

As the month ends (the next 2 weeks), I know a few people that would like some painting & drywall work done. Then the first full week of July (7-11) is VBS. The 2nd week of July our 4th Varmint is due (Tuesday, 15 July). The 3rd week of July (21-25) I'm scheduled to go to Puerto Rico with my Dad and help put a roof on a Christian School. And the last week of July I'm supposed to help start a Mixed Martial Arts Class -- as the teacher! (Never mind the fact that Thursday night was my second ever self-defense class.) Additionally, our new pastor has asked me to train one of our members to take over my Sunday School class (6yo-12yo boys) so that I can begin teaching the teen/college & career class. At least I'm busy enough to stay out of trouble.

Day of "Infamy" (humor)

Today is officially the very first time in my life I've ever made a U-turn to get gasoline because of the low price. (Ironically, notice today's date: Friday the 13th.)

In the past, I've made U-turns for gas after realizing that I'd just passed the last gas station for several miles, or because I couldn't turn into my favorite station directly, or because I was avoiding a Chavez-sponsored station, but on the whole, I don't mind paying a penny or two a gallon more to avoid a line at the pump. I figure, 10 minutes of my time spent in line is worth more than $0.02 per gallon. Our tank only holds 25 gallons, so, at most I'd be saving all of fifty cents.

I still remember, soon after I got my license, when gas broke $1.00 per gallon, and (thankfully) it just seemed to hover around that range for years. I never would have imagined a $3.00 per gallon increase in such a short amount of time.

So, on to the story: I drove my wife's mini-van over to Mear's Automotive to see how they were doing on diagnosing the (myriad) problems plaguing my 87 Cherokee. From there, I took the (expired) tag off of it, and up to the courthouse. There I got the registration straitened out, and headed back to John's shop. (John Mears is not only the owner of the largest independent vehicle repair company in Broward county, but he's also a Believer. Needless to say, for the second reason, he gets all of my car-care business.)

In the course of driving around town... with the needle on the van's gas gauge drawing ever-nearer to the low side of the "E" I saw prices ranging from $4.11 to $4.19 per gallon -- for plain-old regular unleaded gasoline! Knowing I'd eventually have to bite the bullet and pay more than I wanted for the gas, I was holding out until the "Low Gas" idiot light came on. Just before I got back to John's shop, I saw a Marathon gas station I've never seen before. It had no line, and the sign was hard to see, but as I passed it I saw "$3.99" was posted and the station was nearly empty! Of course, the fill-up still cost over $80 dollars, but my quick U-turn and fill-up at that station saved me between $2.80 and $4.60!

I'm glad I don't drive a tractor trailer for a living, but oh for the days of $1-per-gallon gas.

PS -- as I headed home, I turned on a local talk radio station. The host received a call from a Tampa resident that had to get gas in Orlando, and the closest station to the Orlando airport was charging $5.40 for regular unleaded!! I know they're paying $9 in Europe, but $5.40 in the US?? I'm going to have to raise the rates I charge people (to cover the gas I'm using to get to work).

The Small Excitements of Life

Last Sunday night we had a game-night at church. That kept us out later than usual. When we got back to the house (around 11 pm) we got the Varmints 3 ready for bed ASAP, and dropped them right in, except for Little Bear. At 11.30pm, he decided he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to take away his sins and take him to heaven. Needless to say, Daddy was very excited!

Today (Saturday) I took the training wheels off of his bicycle. Except for the occasional starting push (on my part), he's done a great job of riding -- from the very first push. In fact, he's doing much better than I ever did. I distinctly remember riding into rose bushes (multiple times), (fenced off) flower gardens, and even (literally) up a tree. He's all proud of himself -- the neighbor's boy is 2 years older and still uses training wheels. (Although, up until a short time ago, the neighbor's boy lived in an area that was not conducive to riding bikes. He'll probably have his off shortly.)

On the home stretch

I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It takes us about 6 working days to "finish" one floor. We have to cover the floors, scrape off the popcorn ceiling, float the (concrete) ceilings in flat, strip the wallpaper, cover the base board and crown molding, texture the walls, paint the walls, and finally, clean up all of our mess. Today we're starting day 2 of the 2nd to the last floor! I'll be spending the morning on stilts: scraping popcorn and sanding ceilings before being able to get down (hopefully by lunch time), when I'll finish by carrying a 20 pound box of timed-dry mud over my head for the next few hours. Hopefully, we'll even have time to paint it before quitting time.-

Back to work... again

My neighbor and I finished remodeling our new Pastor's home around the end of March. Here it is, the end of April and I'm finally getting around to mentioning that (good thing there's no deadlines or need to rush).

If you follow golf, the Pro-Am Golf tournament was just held in Aventura, Florida, at Turnberry. I've been working in a 40 story condo on Turnberry Isle that overlooks that golf course (a yearly membership is $250,000, excluding tips). The condo's board of directors, manager, and head of maintenance have all been begging us to come work on their building since January first. They can get other people to do the work, but the others don't ever seem to be able to follow instructions, and usually they take much longer... 3 to 6 weeks to do the same job we do in 6 or 7 days (and they do it poorly).

When my neighbor and I finally finished here on the Pastor's house in March, we went down to the condo and started. They have work enough for us to stay busy for months. It is about 20 miles each way, and with gas creeping ever upward, unless we raise our rates to cover the added expense, we'll be losing money soon. The work is fairly simplistic, but it's tiring. For much of the prep days (the first 4 or 5) I work mostly on 2' high stilts. I've used my stilts as high as they go (4') and even then, it's not overly difficult, but walking for 4 to 8 hours a day on stilts is murderous on the feet, calves, and knees. When not on stilts, much of my time is spent crawling on the floor -- that's hands and knees on marble floors. I'm so ready to be finished.