Yesterday I had the {cough, cough} pleasure of taking my almost 15 year old son to the dentist. This son that chooses his clothing from the floor of his bedroom, lives on Doritos and energy drinks every Friday night during video games, refuses to brush his teeth on the weekends unless and until there is a girl involved, and has to be hounded to remember to wash his face. Sure enough he had 2 cav
Who would have thought that an old car such as the California that the hubby drives can travel up to Baguio and back again? It was a total blessing that we were able travel even though this was picked from amongst other used cars several years back by our mother church. The Corolla [...]
Quite a bit has gone on around here during the short holiday weekend. First, a warning to all who pass through the Nantou checkpoint between Bao'an district and Nanshan: bring your passport. Our friend A. was not allowed to pass through to the Special Economic Zone using a photocopy. Foreigners and Chinese used to be able to pass through easily even without ID, but it looks like those days are over.Friday, we celebrated another friend's birthday in Shekou. We went to the Seagull restaurant near Sea World. The food looked good (I ate earlier), but was a little pricey. The beer was cheap though--40 kuai for a pitcher of Tsingtao is a bargain in that area. After a few of those, we met up with some people at The Terrace who had already been drinking there. It was crowded and no tables were ava
After our healthy serving of ensalada mista a couple of weeks ago, it is now time for another round of perfumed tidbits and thoughts. It might be rather early in the day, but how about a little cocktail?
· Let’s start with some news first: Emerald Dream, Estee Lauder’s 2007 travel retail exclusive, is currently making its way to select beauty counters. Here in the Netherlands, Emerald Dream is
One of the things that a lot of people tend to do at the point they get successful in life is to give something back to the community that they started in. For this reason you’ll see restaurants sponsor little league sports teams, larger companies help in the creation of community centres and shelters [...]
The Ameican Idol craze in the Philippines has long ago started but I only felt the sensation just last month. A late bloomer indeed. Since I watched this show one Wednesday, I was hooked and since then, been watching it religiously whenever I can.
Last Thursday, the bottom two were Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson. Automatically, [...]
After the broken down train in the morning by the time it came to my evening journey yesterday I thought that I had probably paid my penance to the Jubilee line for one day. I was wrong.
I just missed a train as I was getting to the platform (if I had really hurried I might have made it) but it looked a bit crowded and the departure board said that another one would be along in a minute. Another
Zack is becoming quite the artist. To demonstrate, I thought I'd share some of his recent masterpieces:Not only do you get to see Zack's very phallic self-portrait, but you also get a glimpse at the nasty color of my kitchen counters.And here's a picture of me and my son holding hands. Notice how ginormous I am in comparison to him--something I am currently trying to remedy.And here's my favorite. Zack and I riding a unicorn.
I've had some shares of Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG), a tanker company, for a while. I'm wondering whether I should sell it, and buy it back later at a cheaper price. It's $74.9 a share as of this Friday's close. It's been as high as $91.49 in July before tanker rates plunged. Since then, OSG has waddled between the $50s and $70s. In addition to the 52 week high, I had multiple chances to sell in the $80s and mid $70s and buy in the mid $50s, but I did nothing.Each time the cause of the run up was slightly different. First there were the idiots on Fast Money on CNBC, pushing the stock. (That turned out the best time to sell, as it often does.) Then there were the interest rate cuts, which were predictable. Then there was a rise in shipping prices. Then, around the time of the last quar
I just saw an AOL Poll asking people if they thought Obama is a fake Christian. At the time of this blogging, a whopping 59% of the people polled said 'yes', 29% 'no' and 12% 'not sure'. I'm a bit surprised by the results. I thought he was pulling the wool over more eyes than that. There's hope yet.
They tease us, act selfishly, and even sleep with our friends on occasion, but goddamnit, if we don’t still spend hours and hours thinking up ways to make them smile. A beautiful woman may have been behind every war ever fought, but her delicate effervescence also manifests itself in every piece of art ever created. Seems like a fair tradeoff to me
Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It is a gift for the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got.- Steven Pressfield, The War of ArtThe pairing of the 1 Peter passage with the Acts passage is interesting. Just because the early church shared all things in common, did good things for people, and were (arguably) kind to their neighbors, does not mean they were treated well. No, sometimes endurance will be called for. Endurance not camouflage....
I am writing this while sitting aboard a flight to San Francisco. (Pretend I was the woman pictured on the right.) I’m on my way to assist with our preparations for the ScienceLogic InteropNet efforts at the San Francisco Hot Stage.
(Picture Credit: Flickr)
While Mike, who’s already been out there working for a week on [...]
The interview that my husband had this week went well. Nothing major, as I've mentioned (I think?) as they were interviewing everyone in this region just for future reference on available, promotable managers. There are no openings right now so it was just a cattle call of sorts. Still, it's nice that he got to meet with the district supervisors as it keeps him in their minds at least.
He
Part of my job as a housewife is to make our 'house' into a 'home'. A place of warmth, welcome and comfort. When we moved to our current home it was brand new construction so it needed a lot of warmth put into it, but it was also not our 'dream' home nor was it to be a long term home. We were relocated here with my husbands company for a 1 year commitment, only to find ourselves still here 3 years later! I sometimes find it hard to cook and bake in a kitchen I don't really care for... I don't have a pantry. I don't have room for my cookbooks. I don't have sufficient storage space for appliances, pots and pans or even our formal dishes and glasses.I've taken steps to make this our 'home' for now, but I'm always thinking about our real home. The one in my mind when I close my eyes.
Gracie and I got to go to practice today. Yeah! Dog, did we have fun. We had a private which was pawsome, because we got to work on some great stuff. For me, we worked on tighter turns, my dog walk (I've been bailing recently), weave speed and a few, somewhat complicated, jumping maneuvers. Mum was pretty pleased with how I performed.Gracie did really, really well. Her focus was a little off today, but she did great. Her weaves are really speedy - she's wanting to do them so fast she's been missing some poles lately. We're not worried, she'll get them - we just want to keep her speed and enjoyed up. She worked on her dog walk too (she's been bailing, also), and she worked on her teeter and focus. We came away with some homework - which we absolutely love.Got the big 'comeback' (again) tria
When doing hiring interviews, I am constantly talking to unhappy loan officers. Their complaints cover a wide range of issues, but I really believe that most of them are unhappy because they simply do not realize how much our mortgage loan environment has altered and they have not adapted to meet the new challenges presented [...]
As far as I know launderettes didn't exist anymore (it felt almost like they never did), although I did take a detour round town after work in search of one. By now I was wearing clothes I hadn't seen for years, odd holey socks and shirts that were so out of date they're probably back in vogue again. It got to the stage where there was literally nothing left to wear that wasn't going to grow legs and walk. Buying a washing machine is simply not an easy task. There's just too much choice these days, too many features and styles and gadgets you think you're going to miss out on something if you don't get it right. Fortunately we had some sort of goal in mind - to reduce energy costs around the home. We had one thing in mind - running costs. I could pretend I was concerned about the environm
Wow, what a day in the financial markets! The NASDAQ (QQQQ ETF) rose 3% today while the other major markets rose 1.5%. Let’s look at a few key charts and see if we can determine what may happen next.
First, the Dow Jones daily:
The market action today was very impressive, and rounds out a [...]
This is not really a blog about my religious beliefs but what is Easter Sunday without writing a post about money and God?
Many Christians may have spent the morning waking up early to attend Easter Sunday service. Although I did not attend this year, my church chose to celebrate the early morning occasion by holding [...]
Just a few thoughts and links on some of the recent tactics of the Hillary Clinton campaign:
Hillary Clinton in Bosnia - did Hillary Clinton forget that there were actually reporters at the event she chose to lie about? Open Left has more. And the Washington Post calls Clinton's story a "whopper" that receives "Four Pinocchios."
Name in Vain - seriously, the Clinton camp is comparing Gov. Bill Richardson to Judas. Really. And as Yglegias points out, I think that would mean that Hillary Clinton is Jesus.
Hillary and FMLA - Hillary Clinton wants people to believe that she played a significant role helping get the Family Medical Leave Act passed during the Bill Clinton administration. I wonder if she will ever tell anyone that the bill actually passed before Clinton was even elected
Recently, I read the novel A Walk To Remember. The simplicity of the love story and the message it conveys is so moving. Miracles do happen, at times when least expected. When something is wished for from the innermost depths of the heart, God surely listens. We never realize how much we tend to move away from life in the day-to-day struggle to survive and make ends meet. Frustration and lack of
I don't remember how, but earlier today, I stumbled across this Salon article about celebrity gossip. It actually made reference to the Atlantic Monthly article about being a papparazzo on the trail of Britney that I read yesterday. Which was totally the point of last night's South Park. But I digress. I started reading the article at my desk while eating my lunch and I laughed out loud enough times that I decided that, in order to prevent choking, it would be best to put down my fork until I got to the end. Here are the most ridiculous morsels, with commentary:". . . all I could do was stare at my candy-colored cover choices, recognize in some dazed way that I didn't know what a Heidi or a Spencer was. . . ." Man, I miss that feeling. I kept hearing those names, along with L.C. and B
Reading through all the lovely fashion, makeup, and hair blogs lately makes me wonder if I’ll ever earn the “fashionista” badge for real. I mean, I’m sure you’re reading this and wondering why I started writing about fashion, hair, and makeup in the first place. Good question.
I started DeluxeGrrl because I thought it would [...]
Freshly ground and brewed coffee.... mmmm.
It's a little weird, but true, that when you resign from the office and stay home full time you don't always know what day of the calendar month it is.
If I wrote a check or paid a bill that day I might know, or if it was important for one of the ten kazillion school functions, deadlines or such, I would know... but if it's just a regular Tuesday and
The problem with being stuck in bed (as I think I have mentioned before) is it severely limits your view of the world (mine being limited to a few square metres of sky outside my bedroom window and the garden if I actually get out of bed!). This leads, inevitably, to introspection. I was thinking about music yesterday, and I am continuing to think about music today.
My first serious musical
So, here I am back in bed again. Seemingly the good work done by the steroids appears to have ceased. Whether due to the course of steroids finishing, or my overdoing things and 'running before I can walk' who knows. Enough to say my remission has relapsed!
So, lying in bed... feeling sorry for myself... I decide to play some music. At which point I fall out with iTunes (again). For some reason
I have been pretty down and out lately, physically that is. Now that I’m sure to miss out on the single most prepared for thing, (taking the board) I have been thinking and looking into unsecured business loans and maybe consider a work from home job that is more stable than blogging.
In case you missed it, today is Leap Day, in which we celebrate the aligning of the Gregorian calendar with the seasons.
As if getting the seasons misaligned with the calendar would matter around here, anyway.
Since the dawn of February, the flowers are blooming, we've had tornadoes, and, this week it snowed on the same day the temperature was in the sixties.
I'm not sure what exactly is supposed to happen today other than the people who were born or married on this day have to endure jokes along the lines of , "Hey, you're really only 8 years old", or, "Wow, you guys have really only been married for 3 years instead of 12."
But, the prevailing sentiment is that we should all do something special today.
So, since this little novelty puts another day between me and my paycheck, as I o
Those of you who read Up in the Night regularly (and I thank you for the volunteer effort) know that my daughter has some of her best moments in church. In fact, I like to call them her Sunday Musings.This past Sunday was no different. Assigned to give a talk in sacrament meeting, I arrived about 20 minutes early, my rowdy crew in tow, so I could farm my children out to sit with different families before church started. We could hear the choir practicing in the chapel as I hung up Zack’s coat and the kids loitered in the foyer. At the precise moment the choir ended their song, Leah yelled at Kaleb, “I’m going to kick you in the penis!” The elderly woman walking past seemed to clutch her heart and stagger a bit. Two older boys stood by stupefied, waiting to see what I would do.I whi
When I was 18 years old and in high school, I had what I considered to be a serious boyfriend. I was head over heels in love with this guy, and thought he was wonderful. It was pretty obvious to literally EVERYONE else that this was a bad idea, except for perhaps my one friend whom he managed to convince to become his surreptitious girlfriend. Yeah. He was a great catch. What were we thinking? She and I are both well rid of that asshole. (Er, no offense to any of his relatives who might very well be reading this, as they are awesome.) Anyway, during my senior year of high school, when I was besotted with said asshole, two teachers (who were at the time former teachers) took me aside on different occasions to tell me that my boyfriend was a bad apple and a bad influence, and advised me that
Location: Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
It is lunch time in Haiti’s slums. You can see round swirls of dough which are arranged in rows and columns, baked in the hot sun. From distance they might look quite appetizing to you. As you move closer to the spot you'll suddenly realise your appetite has died down when you learn the ingredients used to make these cookies. These cookies are made of butter, salt,
How do you feel about strongly animalic scents? Undeniably, there is a sense of danger in wearing one in public. The message these fragrances broadcast is by far not subtle – it is instead, a proclamation of pure sexual energy, an advertisement of one’s lusty nature and perhaps best of all, they are an admittance of the fact that at least part of us, longs for and misses the ability to smell the
After shifting 3 blogs over from Blogger to WordPress, I've decided to keep this blog as it is over here. Never mind importing posts, that's the easy part -- it's the image links I'd have to manually go through and fix one by one.I *could* of course, start the whole blog over, but I'd rather not (I might fiddle around with the .css file here more freely though...).I initially wanted to feature items according to the holiday/season, starting from this year. However, I guess I'm just the sort of person that isn't into the whole "commercialized" aspect of, well, things in general. This doesn't mean I don't like stuff -- but if I may say so, it's kind of...unimaginative, to feature a wholeeeee bunch of "romantic gifts", just because "V Day is approaching"...I know this blog focuses on gifts --
Yes, you heard me right, MY BLOG SUCKS, and I know what you're thinking, your're thinking, YES IT DOES. And your right it does, it absolutley stinks, you're also probably thinking, how have you only just realised this?Well, actually I realised this a little while back, but I've just carried on sucking anyway regardless. Below is a list of reasons that I feel this blog sucks, please feel free to respond with others.Boring and unoriginal contentUninteresting to look atPoorley written postsLack of imaginationThe only visitors I'm getting at the moment are from EntrecardThe blog offers no discernable valueThe biggest mistake I've made with this blog is starting it again, I'm getting less visitors and making less money now that I've started posting again than when I had left it for 10 months. P
Slow day, so I thought I'd update everyone on goings-ons here at CreditWithdrawal next week. I just heard from Glblguy at Gather Little By Little that he's going to post a guest article on his site. (Yay!) so tune in tomorrow to see it. It's entitled "Being Frugal isn't Being a Miser". I also submitted stories to the following Carnivals, so we'll see what gets accepted and what doesn't. Carnival of Personal Finance @ The Digerati Life Carnival of Debt Management @ Debt Consolidation Lowdown Carnival of Everything Finance @ Everything Finance Carnival of Financial Planning @ The Skilled Investor Carnival of Money Stories @ <Not sure who's hosting this one this week> Merry Christmas. If you liked this post, maybe you should Subscribe to the CreditWithdrawal Feed.
More posts you might like...Saturday RoundupSaturday Roundup
The Frogster here. This week I'm taking a look at Bee's Musings, a blog which I had not hitherto visited.CategoryScorePointsContent4.6733/70Writing5.43/5WebDesign6.073/5Intangibles5.273/5ReadRegularly22/10Frequency84/5Total48Percentile Rank: 13We again start with the template. I suspect that template plays a bigger role in these reviews than indicated by the chart above, because it seems as though some of the reviewers get a template stuck in their craw and it becomes an albatross that squawks through even those parts of the review that are not (ideally) template related.The page is pretty busy. While I like the template, the red text in the side-bar gets lost against the background.The blog has original design (i think)..but the fonts are set at dark tones, and makes my eyes strained.Biggest complaint? Uh... not a fan of black backgrounds. Oh sure, this one is rather artistic, making it significantly more interesting to peruse, but still... black?? SO not easy on the eyes.On the dow
In case you have not noticed, I have posted 3 videos with lyrics in a row: Count Your Blessing, 12 Days Of Christmas Acapella and Joseph's Lullaby. I didn't mean to inundate you with just videos and not an actual post written by me, but then it's my blog and i enjoy those songs so I am sharing them with you...Today we'll be on our 32nd day of "40 Days with the Son". This little on line devotion has and is helping me to keep focused on Christ and not just the holiday frills and thrills... It's very interesting how our devotions these past couple of days are about the "cross" and how Jesus endured humiliation and shame and pain for us... it's very touching to read and meditate on Christ's suffering as the same time we're celebrating his birth... It makes me appreciate Christmas even more....I need to go back to bed and get some more sleep...Or maybe I should just finish addressing our Christmas cards so we can mail them tomorrow. Either way, I need to log off. Happy Sunday ever
I concern so much about global warming problem and always want to blog about it since last September but I still haven't concentrated on this until now! *sigh* I hope this will be my first step to start blogging about green environment. Here is my first "Green Musings post"!I find a great company that offers many environmental products such as furnitures, home improvement, solar power and many more. We even can find many choices of green gifts for kids and babies. All of them are eco friendly products!In their mission statement it is clear that they put their first priority to support the eco-conscious community to minimize our impact on the planet. They even have a green learning center which provides some environmental information to educate and inspire their visitors.GreenandMore.com is a company which follows green practices on-site (no plasticware, recycled office supplies and kitchen goods, 100% recycled cardboard boxes, etc). They do that because they care for tomorrow's worl
In reference to my previous post I was asked where I would start with Bei Dao's work. Definately with Old Snow. Besides being some of his strongest work it is his most cohesive book since it spans a greater portion of his exile and reflects his feelings during that time. Also, I'd like to thank Millinerd for coming down and speaking for my churches young adult group this past friday night. He spoke on film and using them to explain our christian worldview. It was a lively discussion and it was great to be able to spend time with him and his wife for an evening. Even if he did share the dreaded plantain incident.
Once in a while, like on mornings such as this, my mind wanders back to a specific city or home we previously lived in. This morning I find myself thinking a lot of Southern California.
The last city we lived in before moving away from California all together was Moreno Valley. We moved away in 1991 just when it was named one of the fastest growing cities in America. At the time it was
Approximately 10,000 years ago, God created the Earth. In so doing, he concocted an elaborate back story that gave the impression of a 3.5 billion year progression of biological complexity that culminated in humans, et. al. None of this is up for debate; dissent is not tolerated at this website.
Although the writers of Lost couldn’t have scripted a more baffling and spectacular series of unlikely plotlines, such as the branching of the avian tree that separated the woodpecker from the blue-footed boobie, no subplot has captivated mankind more than the story of mankind.
You see, man evolved from monkeys (LOL! – but pretend like this is World of Warcraft and act like this all true; mythology is, like, kinda cool sometimes). In that monkey-to-man continuum was a seemingly endless series of tedious monkey men who weren’t half as hilarious as they should have been. Now, there used to be a gaping hole in the continuum until somebody dug up a skeleton that was dubbed “the missing lin
Dear Useless Men,Where do all the lost laundry bit of things (like socks) go?Lost in LaundryDear Lost in Laundry,Being Useless, I can’t really tell you where all the missing socks go, but I do know where all the cool socks go. Most of the time they are simply running away from home. I mean, come on. Would you stick around if your parents threw you in a giant drum full of cold water every week, added some bad-tasting chemical with a misleading name like “SunLight”, and shook you around for an hour? Probably not.If your socks are missing, it’s probably because you haven’t been giving them the loving care and attention they need. You’ll have to face the facts: They’ve run-away. But without any skills, it’s hard for them to make a living on the streets. Some will become squeegie socks, while others will be lost to drugs.It’s not just socks either. I remember the last time I lost my Heathcliff UnderRoos, and found them smoking up in the shed. I didn’t have the t
I have, for so many months now, been overwhelmed by keeping up with the details of life - by surviving life. Intellectual thought, self-education, artistic expression and self-examination were left behind in March to function adequately as a mother, semi-coherently and half-effectively professionally, and sometimes ably as a homemaker.
But I'm starting to see through the obscuring fog, just in
That go through your mind on a six hour drive back from NY.
-One liners that you sing at the top of your lungs because a) your alone in the car and b) because you can.
-Why do you always find and see billboards for an Adult World Store on a long drive home? Why does an Adult store always have a large 70’s style van in front of it? creeeepy.
-What is it about rest stop bathrooms? They are always sparkly clean. Tax dollars at work…
-McDonald’s grilled chicken salad is gross. The chicken is rubbery and the lettuce is blah.
-Driving in the dark and rain through the mountains with lots of tractor trailers is a bit scary.
-Making the six hour drive to get away from two screaming needy monkeys with her. Totally worth it. *more about this later*
-Spending a Saturday hitting five winery’s in seven hours. Wonderful.
-Reaffirming my dislike for young NY blonde’s. Priceless.
As I got ready to pour my coffee this morning I opened the cupboard and hesitated before the mugs and cups. Then I spied it and it 'felt' right so I grabbed it... my Santa mug.
Yesterday morning it was a certain plain white ceramic mug.
The day before it had to be the tall Starbucks mug.
Do other people do this? Do other people make daily choices based on what decision feels right? Because
As you know, my husband and I are getting ready for our trip to Paris and points in Italy. Though it's important to figure out things like train tickets, hotel rooms and the like, I am of course preoccupied with thoughts of packing the ideal wardrobe for Europe. I hope you all know by now, that I'm a fairly sensible person - I like getting a deal, I don't follow outrageous trends and comfort is of the utmost importance. However, style counts too! Therefore, the idea of "backpacking it" through Europe never crossed my mind (how can you fit knee-high boots in a backpack?). It's important to me that I have a variety of cute outfits to wear while seeing the sights and sipping cappuccinos, without taking a steamer trunk. It will requ
Last week I tried to be organised and to write my Friday Flash Fiction before Friday. And I did.
I also then forgot it, having been none to impressed with it in the first place, and so I had to write a brand new one that became “A Bit of a Pickle”. Anyway I couldn’t really find anything that interesting to blog on today, I can’t see the original piece selling anywhere and having had a bit of a tinker with it to make it slightly less embarrassing than the first draft I thought I’d share it.
There are no prizes for guessing that the incident referred to here (I was also in attendance that night) inspired this.
How you doing?
By Neil Beynon
The lights on the thing’s optical sensors flared green in the faint neon light of the lab as it came online. The thing had willed the sensors on without conscious knowledge of what it did but realisation sunk in when, in shock from the data input and without meaning to, the sensors closed again.
The darkness, the black
It’s been a while, and I guess I could apologize, but I’m not sure I want to. I’m not even sure what is with all the Oedipal references lately. With the semester under way and things settling down, I hope I will get a chance to write more. Sitting here in Composition, I decided that it would be a good idea to write something, considering that I’m not paying any attention to my professor. It’s not slacking off too badly, because I am composing… and my prof just told the class, “sharpen your diction”, so let see how that works. Besides, I find it hard to listen to a Comp professor who says “libarry”. So, apparently they finally found the Northwest Passage, and Canada is getting militaristic about it. Good for them. It’s nice to see them take a stand on something other than hockey or how much they hate Quebec. Speaking of which, I really wish Quebec would secede. I really think we need another country in North America to make things interesting.
Well I'm still in gambling mode!...I didn't end up withdrawing any of my cash!Today there were some great lucky gains which pushed me into compounding mode again...Also my account had drifted out of hedge somewhat due to the market activity since the last big draw down so I bit the bullet and re-allocated to Portfolio No 9.This is a funny old game. A short while ago I was down nearly 65% but my account has climbed steadily back to the black and given me a nice boost today ;o))On days like today I can't help but think..."if only I had started with a 10K or 20K account instead of my 2K"..I would be sat with a serious bunch of cash right now. The reality in me realises the risks involved and 2K was the maximum I could afford to lose.I am currently well over half way to my first goal of a 10K account, so I hope lady luck will allow me to get there.Please email... turbobiz@safe-mail.net for any info on FreedomRocks. Please mention it in the subject line.MikeLearn more See VideosTry
(photo removed as usual - hey, I want to protect my kids online! LOL)
This week is Homecoming and last night was the first of the 'crazy games'. Last nights team games involved a lot of banana's, shaving cream and chocolate pudding. Dirt really seems to stick to chocolate pudding quite well... just in case you ever needed to know.
Well, busy here in my Casa as Usual. Been Creating lots of Jewelry from all my Flea market Goodies and others too. My Mind is always going lately with Jewelry Designs. I also got a Bug about picture frame art! I have always love Leopard print anything so I got the Bug that I had to put it into picture frames and Add some Vintage Bling....Well., Miss Sassy Girl decided at her Sleep Over the other night to Add some Red to her Lovely Blonde Head of Curly Hair!! What the He** can I say, Duh,,,, Sassy Sharpie is PERMANENT! I actually don't think it looks that Bad, But dont ever tell her that. I told her she should put it in with the changes of Seasons!!! She did NOT think that was too funny. She told me that she counted 62 people asked her about her hair at school, Including all her teachers... She is putting me in an Early Grave I Swear to it...
Ok, then there is the Little Man or Hubby Jr.Ok, Sports are #1 in this house. Well, from 2:30 on every afternoon there is Sports Chale
Here are some random musings on missional Christianity:Missionality is the means of explaining the purpose of God for His Church in terms of the ultimate goal: the accomplishment of His redemptive mission to the glory of God!It is more efficient to empower every believer to function as a missionary in their zip code, than to rely on credentialed ministers and career missionaries to carry the responsibility for evangelism and disciplemaking.The missional challenge is to adopt missionary thinking to strategically engage the culture with the gospel where you work and where you live.We need an army of believers who view their mission in life through the lens of of Christ's redemptive mission.Local churches can become so internally focused on meeting the needs of members that those living in close proximity to the church campus never see the light.A missionary perspective is critical for every follower of Jesus. We must not be concerned only with reaching people for Christ who are just lik
Maybe it’s just me, but anyone else out there befuddled by all the public figures being outed lately? I can’t say I know any statistics on the percentage of people with such underlying tendencies, and no doubt there are most likely a lot…(do I have to say here I have no issue with the gay lifestyle and some of my best friends are gay? Good. Let’s get that out of the way.)
It just seems strange to me that a startling number of public figures are idiotically putting themselves into situations like this that risk becoming tabloid news. I mean, c’mon people! What on earth is a senator doing engaging in sex of ANY kind in a public restroom? It’s as if they’ve been brainwashed or something…hey, now that’s an interesting thought…
Truly it’s not so much a matter anymore of who is or isn’t gay; but if you’re a social conservative who’s consistently voted against gay rights, this repeated h
-==Really, I’m not off my rocker here department==-
Ok in the last couple of weeks, two pitchers at the least have changed teams. Now I realize the two guys that I’m about to bring up haven’t had the most fantastic seasons, but with the Braves needing at the least another good arm in the rotation [...]
Berkeley Breathed created Bill the Cat in the 1980's Bloomsbury Cartoon Strip It's a little difficult to be productive in the studio when I can't find anything which I attribute to the current messy state of affairs in my studio. See below: Disaster ZoneDespite cleaning before going on our camping trip in July, I've managed to whip the place into a frenzy. I must be the equivalent of a human tornado! Many things have conspired to literally trip me up ie., the up coming home tour (the studio will not be open for viewing) and the purchase of a gazillion jewelry findings. See below:A gazillion jewelry findings and beadsThese items are impeding my already cramped studio space which also doubles as storage for my family's belongings. Enough is enough already!Holy smokes, Batman, we've got more jewelry findings and beads than we know what to do with!I'm pleased to say that our contractor, Jim Wilkinson of American Home Remodeling (he needs a website!), was over last Saturday to g
The baseball trip is over. I was able to navigate my way up and down the entire state of California. 5 stadiums and Las Vegas… All in 9 days! What a whirlwind. One of the best baseball trips to date. A few quick notes about the stadiums.
1. AT&T Park is better in person than on TV. The view from the right field seats is breathtaking. Picture this…. McCovey Cove and the Bay Bridge. The only downside… Barry didn’t get a hit.
2. We have always been complaining about the Metrodome. Let me tell you all that we have it good here in Minneapolis. Outside of the fact that McAfee Collusium is open air the place is a certified DUMP. The only way in (via the B.A.R.T.) was through an elevated caged in (with barbed wire) bridge. Once inside the stadium it had NO atmosphere. It’s hard to cheer for a team when no one is sitting within 10 rows of you….(we were sitting lower deck about 20 rows up from the first base baggie).
Democracy is a term, in my opinion, that is used entirely too often. Our current leader, President Bush, as well as most of congress, likes to use to term in the dramatic sense of a “freedom for all” kind of political utopia. Our sometimes friends in the European Union use the “idea” democracy as a staple for their particular brand of individuality, and they pride themselves on this. But what exactly is this “democracy” thing all about anyways? Are we what we say we are? Well sort of, we’ll get to that.The dictionary defines the word democracy as “government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.” Let’s, for simplicity’s sake, examine this weak ass Webster’s definition of an idea. First off, America is designed and thought of as a government by and for the people. It was designed this way sometime during the summer of,
I still can't quite put together fully coherent posts yet about BlogHer. It was a great trip, and I'm already missing everyone and wish it could have been a week long, although my liver would prefer to keep it at two days. So until a few longer, well-thought-out posts can find their way out of my head and through my fingers to the keyboard, let's just go with bullets, OK?This being my sophomore year of BlogHer, I attended fewer sessions than the year before. It wasn't that I was disinterested in the topics - I was actually sorry to miss some of them. But there were so many fabulous women to see, and so little time to do it. Some of these women I saw last year, and really wanted to reconnect. Others were attending for the first time, and I could barely contain my excitement to meet them and put a face to the person I've been reading about for so long. I'd link them all here, but every word would be a link.One of the best schwag items: the jump drive from AOL (and it's a 128, not
Sounds more like a Friday Fun post than a Monday morning post, doesn’t it? I’m having somewhat of a brain cramp… here are a few random thoughts floating around - maybe when I get them out, I’ll feel better!
1) The Virginia Transportation Authority passed the resolution to in fact raise the Grantor’s tax to $5/$1,000 to take effect January 1, 2008. So all you sellers out there, listen up… get your home on the market now, get it PRICED RIGHT and get it sold. You know, September is a re-birth of sorts in the real estate world – so let me know if you want to think/plan.
2) What sells a property? An open house? A listing posted on Craigslist? A newspaper print-ad? A flyer posted in your local grocery store? The sign out front? Word of Mouth? The reality is that while most of the above components can be used, the BEST, MOST EFFECTIVE tool to get your home sold is to price it ri
As a somewhat (ok quite) left-leaning person one might expect that I pay my taxes with at least a tiny bit of willingness. Not true! Like most sane people I absolutely hate paying taxes. I could go into a myriad of reasons for this hatred, such as my sincere belief that every level of government is fraught with waste and idiocy, but the real heart of the matter is that I'd simply rather keep my money than give it away. So sue me...The reason taxes are on my mind at this moment is because of the way my distaste for paying them sometimes clouds my trading judgment. I've gotten to be pretty disciplined when it comes to buying a stock for a swing trade. I almost mechanically set a modest profit goal and loss threshold and then I (usually) sell the stock accordingly. Where I still get into trouble is on those precious occasions when I have a runaway winner trade that demands that I hold it longer. When, for instance, I buy a stock like HOC and it just keeps rising and rising and my gain b
I am interested in ways and methods to quickly acquire enough of a new language to effectively communicate the most things with the most speed.
People can lose interest in you when you take too long to expain what you are trying to say.
I was in Brazil recently when the idea struck me that verbs are what make things happen.
It's simple. Verbs do make things happen.
To this end, I am going to work on learning Russian through first acquiring proficiency with the core verbs.
I will track this project on my blog here as well as at Opal Myth.
I'm up to three four tiny crickets.... and no idea how or why. I talked to Coffeegirl but she swears not one little cricket got out while she was feeding the lizards. She was sure of it. I've checked for obvious holes or spaces in the cricket house and the lizard container and although I've not seen any, those crickets are about 1/2 inch long at best and tiny as can be so I suspect they can
In a continuation to my kick in the balls post, will a foot to a female crotch be as painful? Hmmm ….
These and other pictures of sportsmen in action from Hemmy.net. They seem to like Peter Crouch because they chose to feature two of his. Or maybe the giant of a bean pole looks funny in action.
Last night was another one of those perfect evenings; there could not be a better place for a concert (outdoors anyway) than the PD Pavilion. The River's water was glassy, the sky deep blue, the air crystal clear. The passing of an ore boat while Jimmy Vaughn opened the evening was surreal and astoundingly beautiful. Those of you who are/were avid Stevie Ray Vaughn fans know that Jimmy Vaughn is no slouch in the guitar department either. We were treated to a long riff done behind his neck..sounding better than 99 % of all guitarists playing at their belly buttons. It was so much fun watching people dance and groove to the music. I would pay money to see Jimmy Vaughn all by himself.Oh yes right; it was a Bob Dylan concert. I should start off by saying he is at the top of my musical icon lists, no question. So I feel I can say without rancor that last night we had Mumbling Bob. To paraphrase Ringo from a past Rolling Stone article: sometimes you get the Bob we all know and love, and som
I love Pierre Cardin, whom I consider to be a visionary innovator in the design world, daring and capable. As such, it pains me to write anything less than glowing for one of the creations of this genius who dabbles in everything when it comes to design, and leads the way, opening doors and opportunities for the rest, which will undoubtedly follow in his pioneering steps. Yet, despite my
I decided to start reading Art and Fear again - it's one of those books that I pick up from time to time. I do think the title is all wrong though. I am not afraid of success, but rather get frustrated at the snails pace of my journey. And, I suppose success is a subjective term here - it means different things to different people.The authors write:"At some point the need for acceptance may well collide head-on with the need to do your own work. It's too bad, since the request itself seems so reasonable: you want to do your own work, and you want acceptance for that. It's the ballad of the cowboy and the mountain man, the myth of artistic integrity and Sesame Street: sing the song of your heart, and sooner or later the world will accept and reward the authentic voice. Jaded sophisticates laugh at this belief, but usually buy into it along with everyone else anyway.In the non-art world, this belief system is a driving mechanism behind the American Dream - and the Mid-Life Cri
I decided to start reading Art and Fear again - it's one of those books that I pick up from time to time. I do think the title is all wrong though. I am not afraid of success, but rather get frustrated at the snails pace of my journey. And, I suppose success is a subjective term here - it means different things to different people.The authors write:"At some point the need for acceptance may well collide head-on with the need to do your own work. It's too bad, since the request itself seems so reasonable: you want to do your own work, and you want acceptance for that. It's the ballad of the cowboy and the mountain man, the myth of artistic integrity and Sesame Street: sing the song of your heart, and sooner or later the world will accept and reward the authentic voice. Jaded sophisticates laugh at this belief, but usually buy into it along with everyone else anyway.In the non-art world, this belief system is a driving mechanism behind the American Dream - and the Mid-Life Cri
I was discussing via email with a friend the other day the preponderance of pomposity among culinary blogs out there. Each new day seems to bring with it an opportunity to cobble together another post akin to an academic dissertation as to the hows and the whys one chose, prepared, hunted for, and gathered together, only the finest of foodstuffs to create the ultimate in epicurean enjoyment. Aside from the obvious delight one derives from putting forth something not only pleasing to the palate, but also to the eye, and the fact that it can be a very spiritual thing to provide sustenance to others, to treat food preparation with the same degree of seriousness as one would approach academic research on the cure for cancer is beyond pretentious, to say the least. We who cook as a livelihood, or those who engage in amateur kitchen capers will cure only the occasional ham, or fish. I’m far more impressed with the mother who among many other things in her daily round, prepares meals for h
Previously I have posted tribute articles to The Skeptic’s Dictionary and Derren Brown. I now intend to develop this theme into an ongoing series in which I will show my gratitude to the people who have inspired me and humbled me by greatly influencing my thinking, and the course my life has taken.
This edition will look at the website Ebon Musings, which is the parent site of the popular blog Daylight Atheism. When Christians hand me fliers in the street, I always stop to talk to them and try to get them to agree to a quid pro quo; I’ll read something of yours, but please read something of mine. I always accept their literature whether they agree to it or not, but if they consent, I give them two websites: this one, so that they can email me via the ‘contact’ link as much as anything else, and Ebon Musings.
The site was introduced to me by my friend, the author of Evanescent, at a time when I was seriously re-examining my views on religion. I had come to realise that I was
