We're Not In Kansas Anymore

The cast of Tinman, one of my favorite movies

Chilin' in da hood

And chili is what's for dinner. I found a big bowl of chili in the outside freezer this morning so we are having chili for dinner. My day was going pretty well until our backup server decided to visit friends in cyberspace (Tahiti???) for a while. It left no forwarding address but did turn out the lights. SIGH...... Our Unix guy brought it back but is not sure that it is all there. We will have to run diagnostics on the hardware for a while before I try to bring up the database engines.

It figures - stuff like this usually happens after 3 pm (at least it isn't Friday). Actually it won't be too bad as my boss is on call this week anyway.

blessings on your evening

Chicken & Rice

So dinner was a success last night. 2 out of 3 kids said it was "ok" and the 3rd ate it anyway (it doesn't get much better than that, eh?) I made wild rice & chicken in the crock pot (my fav cooking appliance). NoDogs had practice last night so dinner was late. Our next game is Thursday night at Veteran's Park. Let's hope their fielding holds up this time.

Allergy Season

Wow have my allergies ever been bad this year! This has been one of the worst springs on record. It is also shaping up to be a very bad fire season. They have started the training for the fire crews over a month early this year. Guess we are trapped between earthquakes and fires this summer.

A Slow Start

It has been a slow start to the week. E is back working evenings after 4 days off. The intensity of the weekend left me feeling burned-out. Last night I punted on dinner and tried Stouffer's chicken enchiladas. In case you are wondering, it wasn't worth the effort and money. Tonight it is chicken-rice casserole in the crock pot (I am all about easy right now).

The game Saturday was disappointing. We played them tough through 4 innings and collapsed n the 5th (resulted in a tie). I expect that tonight's practice will focus on fielding as we seemed to forget how to scoop a grounder.

We had a great speaker Sunday in church - Brennan Manning. It was my last week to serve so I get to sit in service with my family again next week. The kidlets are coming north next weekend as their step-bro is getting married up this way on Saturday. My best buddy came up Friday and stayed until Saturday afternoon. It was his birthday yesterday so we went out to dinner at the Paradise Grill Friday night. Was good to seem him. His mum is doing better after her surgery.

blessings on your day

Determination

First Blooms

First Base

Churches in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Churches accept gambling chips:

This may come as a surprise to those of you not living in Las Vegas, but there are more catholic churches than casinos.

Not surprisingly, some worshipers at Sunday services will give casino chips rather than cash when the basket is passed.

Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to collect the offerings.

The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan monastery for sorting and then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in.

This is done by the chip monks.

You didn't even see it coming did you?

Too Much fun

E, Brian & Tam

Alaska

Egg Hunt from Easter

My first try at uploading a video

Workin' For a Livin'

E went into work early today and will work a "12". She was the float nurse for the first 4 hours. Working a couple 12's in the pay period will make up for the hours lost by switching from a .9 to a .7

SE works tonight but will pick up NoDogs before she leaves (he will stay with AR until I get home). E started the crock-pot full of meatballs this morning (hopefully SE has been stirring them). Looking forward to a quiet evening again. Maybe catch up on a few things.

AR wants to go look at Jim's jeep tonight if we get time.

Everything - Lifehouse Drama

(received via email)

Hey all! I wanted to share this video with you. You may have seen this drama done before, but this version was done by myself and other members of the youth group, along with our youth pastor Nick. It moved a lot of people and I hope that it works in your hearts too. It was a privilege and a blessing to be able to serve in this way. I hope you enjoy it. -> Click Here

Love,

RF

[I will upload the actual video or try to embed via RSS tonight -d]

A Nice Present

My wife gave me a present of an evening off last night. When I got home, all the standard evening tasks had been completed. Coffee was set up, lunch was packed for N, pets were fed, dinner was ready to go. It was really nice. She had my jammies laid out so I relaxed and enjoyed the evening. I have the best wife in the world :) The prettiest too!

Wish List

My kids want to know what I want for my birthday (other than DVDs, which BTW won't sound very good as the center channel of my audio center is going south so you can't hear the dialog anymore). I have started creating a "wish-list" which can be accessed from my profile (at left). Click on "view complete profile" and then click "wish list." I promise to expand it over the next few days.

Heroes in the USPS

From the CNN newswire:

ALBANY, New York (AP) -- A postal worker is credited with saving a 1-year-old girl's life by catching her after the baby fell out of a second-story window in Albany, New York.

Lisa Harrell was delivering mail to a home late Monday morning when she noticed a baby in a window above the front door. Harrell says the next thing she knew, the baby had fallen into her arms.

I think this might go above and beyond the official motto of the USPS

Are You Spoiled?

Another study that I read regularly, is Walt Henrichsen's "Thoughts From the Diary of a Desperate Man". In my opinion, he is on par with Chambers and Spurgeon. If you get the chance, you should pick up a copy of his daily devotional.

Today's study is on The Spoiled Child. The quote that stands out to me is this:

You can detect whether a person is spoiled, not by how much he owns but by his attitude; whether or not he is grateful for what he has. Ingratitude is a sure indicator of a person being spoiled. Such people are dissatisfied with the life God gave them. They are bored and hard to please.

Throughout my life as a parent, I have constantly pounded on my children (ask them, they will tell you) that it is all about attitude. The reason that I do this is that GOD is constantly telling ME the same thing. All too often I have the attitude of entitlement. I feel that I am owed something for my hard work and diligence. I "deserve" to have nice things, drive a new car and own the latest i high-tech gadgets.

It is all too easy to forget that without the providence of God, I would have nothing - not even my life.

Blessings on your day

Who's Your Buddy?

Today's devotional from Chuck Swindoll continues his study of the life of David. In this most recent message, he discusses the attributes of David's friendship with Jonathon. I quote in part:

You don't have to beg a close friend for a favor, which was certainly the case with Jonathan. "Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt" (1 Samuel 18:4).... You can hardly impose on an intimate friend. He doesn't keep score. An intimate friend is there to assist whenever and in whatever way is needed. Unselfishness prevails. An intimate friend is a loyal defense before others. He's not a fair-weather friend. He won't talk against you when you're not around.

What a friendship! Swindoll starts by noting that this type of friend comes along only a few times in our lives (if at all). I have a number of friends; some online, some IRL. Many are good friends who will listen, comfort and pray with me. Only twice in my life, however, have I had the type of friend that Swindoll talks about here. This type of friendship must be cherished and nurtured.

My prayer for you today is that God brings a friend like Jonathon into your life.

Mom's Sister Passed

(received via email)

Addi asked me to let you all know.... Aunt Berdie died last night around 9:15pm. Mom and Dad made it to Oregon around 5pm on Saturday evening....Mom brought her Lutheran hymnal :-) and read and sang to Berdie, though she never woke up...She went back to the hotel and slept..then was back in the morning and stayed with her during the day. Then Vicky and Gary sat with Berdie in the evening when Mom went back to the hotel on Sunday....and Berdie died while they were there.

Diane

Quote of the Day

I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.

- Dr. Stephen Hawking

Another Cool One

We are back to "normal" here in NorCal with a projected high of 62 today. While it is nice and mild for us humans, the 'maters liked the warm better. I actually had 4 Jalapeños set already (I pinched them off as the plant is too small to support fruit yet). If this is any indication, it will be a banner year for peppers.

E is going out to Elk Grove today with another classmate to spend some time with the lady who lost her hubby in the plane crash. As of yesterday they still had not reached the wreckage i a remote part of NV :(

Nate and drove down to Turlock last night to meet his mom. We had a nice talk regardig the feasibility of arming small robots with miliary grade ordinance (black helicopter alert). He brought down the tape of his percussion performance as well as Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (starring one of my favorite actresses). A very fun movie. As usual dinner was Sonic.

Read online that Dior will be showing their new line using Hello Kitty as the principle model :o

blessings on your day

Episcopal Church in America

Many of you are unaware of the deep division within the ECA. Over the last few years a rift has occurred that has effectively divided the Episcopal church in 2. The schism is based on the following (quoting from another blog found HERE):

What prompted this was the "straw" that broke the proverbial camel's back for many Episcopalians in the United States, in the Worldwide Anglican Communion, and it appears ROME. That is is the ordination of an man in New Hampshire that is a openly practicing Homosexual as Bishop in the state of New Hampshire in 2003 and the blessing of same sex unions that were occurring in some Dioceses. This elevation has set in motion a crisis that we are now seeing. That same year many of the more Orthodox Anglicans in American had enough and decided to meet in Plano Texas.

This brought further to light by some remarks that the Pope (the Pope!) made recently after the leader of the ECA declined to meet with him (citing scheduling conflicts):

Even within the ecumenical movement, Christians may be reluctant to assert the role of doctrine for fear that it would only exacerbate rather than heal the wounds of division. Yet a clear, convincing testimony to the salvation wrought for us in Christ Jesus has to be based upon the notion of normative apostolic teaching: a teaching which indeed underlies the inspired word of God and sustains the sacramental life of Christians today.

What happens in other "churches" impacts Christians everywhere. When the church abandons the Word of God in order to appeal to the masses, it ceases being the church and becomes no more than another social club.

Good Morning Cyberspace

Much cooler today, high of 63 predicted. I got up early with the boys and went to coffee and a game. We played the Dodgers today and smoked them pretty thoroughly. By the 3rd inning we were letting kids play infield that had never done so before. Is a nice chance for some kids to try different positions. E is down in Elk Grove today. A classmate called her this morning to tell her that another classmate's husband was killed in a plane crash :'(

Not sure what is for dinner tonight, all the kidlets are home (AR, SE, NA & NO) so maybe I will make burgers or tacos. The garden is coming along nicely, the 'maters are 18" tall already.

On another sad note, mom & dad may be driving up to Bend, OR early. Mom's sister Birdie is not doing well and may not last until the 24th (the original travel date).

blessings on your day

Hope for the Temporal

From Walt Henrichsen's "Thought for Today":

If the world held no attraction to you, then the command to not love the world would be vacuous.

This is a very interesting concept and one that many Christians miss. There is nothing wrong with appreciating the good things that this world has to offer. God has made this creation wonderful and marvelous. He has promised to bless us and wants us to prosper. Th problem lies not in the enjoyment of this world but in the LOVE of it. Denying myself brussel sprouts (for example) has no value. On the other hand, to give up reading (for pleasure) or techie toys would be very difficult indeed.

God asks for moderation in our lives. Some things are denied us as they are sin - for those things that are not, we are free to enjoy as long as they don't become our "love."

Blessings on your day

Small Medium at Large

In news this morning from the U.K:

LONDON (Reuters) - Fortune-tellers, mediums and spiritual healers will march on Downing Street on Friday to protest against new laws they fear will lead to them being "persecuted and prosecuted."

Organizers say that replacing the Fraudulent Mediums Act of 1951 with new consumer protection rules will remove key legal protection for "genuine" mediums.

They think skeptics might bring malicious prosecutions to force spiritualists to prove in court that they can heal people, see into the future or talk to the dead.

What is this world coming to when honest charlatans can't make a living?

More on Hedgehogs

Apparently, having a hedgehog as a pet is the newest "thing" in the UK Personally, this is right up there with a pet rock only way more expensive (almost $600 USD). Maybe Andy will bring me one when he comes across the pond ;)

I know that the cat would like it and I suspect that Riley-dog would as well. It might be that the spines would even keep it alive (they eat cat food, but not very much at a time). I had a cool pic of a little guy but blogger won't let me post pictures right now.

Faith Is

Walt Henrichsen's devotional today was on the topic of faith and hope. This is a subject that has interested me a great deal lately. He said (in part) "Faith is commitment without knowing whether the object of your faith will meet your expectations. .... You always take your risks in the direction of your hope."

He has published a number of excellent messages on the topic of faith. One thing that I am learning and trying to pass along to my children, is the concept that faith - like love - is a choice. I have had many, many conversations with people who offer to accept Jesus if I can just prove that it is all real. The problem with that approach is that it eliminates faith which in turn eliminates hope.

God wants our hearts. He wants us to take risks. He wants us to believe without "knowing."

Where is your hope? In what do you place your trust?

blessings on your day

Niiiiice & Quiet

It has been a nice, relaxing week at work. So far, very few fires and none past my knees ;) Even the staff meeting today was without incidence.

NO has practice tonight at Cresthaven park. Interestingly enough, J&K are looking at a house over that way. Did I mention that they are pre-qualified for a loan? Pretty exciting stuff. Unfortunately you can't call JM to congratulate her as her phone dropped in the tub a few weeks ago and finally went belly-up today. K-man is activating the TREO 650 that they got from a friend later this evening so she will be back in touch tomorrow.

Tonight NO and I will be digging through the leftovers looking "non-fuzzy" entries to consume. I expect that I will whip up some Mac&Cheese to supplement.

Swindoll has been doing a really good series this week. I recommend tuning in (or going to Insights.org for streaming audio)

blessings on your day

Dad & Mom are back

(Received via email)

We are back from our vacation… got home yesterday afternoon…….it was wonderful. It was nice and warm all the time…..one day it was so windy that we decided not to play golf…..stayed in our unit and worked on Bible class and Sunday school stuff. We played golf with Harold and Wilma….went out to dinner with their friends…and over to one of their houses….we celebrated H.& W. 60^th anniversary!!!

Our place in Scottsdale was old….but nice…had refrig., two burners, microwave, washer and dryer…..huge pool….one for kids and a spa….bar and snack bar at the pool where you could get an entre' …hot wings, nachos, etc.

We played golf at the same place in Scottsdale 4 days….it was a nice course….executive…par 3’s and 4’s….which is good for us…and the price was right…many that we checked were $150-$250!!!! Since we’re not Tiger Woods, we decided to skip those :)

We both felt fine so that was a real blessing.

I went to my dweeby eye Dr. today. I go in to see the optometrist next week, so hopefully with new glasses, I will see better!

Dad goes in for his tilt-table test on Friday and sees the Dr. the following Wed….we will probably leave for Bend on Thursday the 24^th.

Love you, Mom

Brrrrrrr

Temperature dropped sharply yesterday. We went from the mid 90's this weekend to 69 yesterday. It was cool and breezy at the game last night. We beat the Giants 6 to 4 which brings us to a 4-1-1 record. The boys played a great game with much better fielding. Our next practice is Thursday so AR and I might get a chance to research a car for him tonight. E ran out to Lowe's yesterday to pick up a new fan for his room as the one we have is shorted out and starts smoking if you turn it on (not the best thing, eh?)

E popped a Stouffer's Lasagna in the oven before the game so it wasn't TOO late when we finished dinner. I set up the crock pot this morning with beef tips in a tomato-ginger-cream base. Work has settled down this week (of course it has - my boss is back :p)

My friend has a new blog address. He lives in Texas and is a really great guy. He and I have been friends for 3-4 years now.

blessings on your day

And out

Weekend is over. Didn't get much done. The ball game was great! We played to a tie with the Mariners, 7-7. I guess with the neighborhood split between the team, a tie is the best outcome. The service this morning was very good, Pastor Ray is doing a series on Philippians. Last night we went out for sushi to Mizo (or is it Mizu?) It is a buffet over by Paradise Grill. The price we pretty good and the selection was decent. Of course it wasn't Mikuni's but neither was the price. As much as we ate, the bill would have been at least double.

NO and I both got haircuts. We also wandered through the Automall looking at Highlanders. Very much doubt we will get one anytime soon as they are selling very well and they won't deal much.

Call me what you want

Just don't call me late for dinner :) E is making london-broil, special potatoes and other good stuff for dinner tonight. AR is feeling poorly today and stayed home from school. Opie is coming over tonight to join us. I'm thinking either Golden Child or Night of the Comet on the telly.

End of Week

Hallelujah! It is the end of the week. My data restoration project is finishing up as I type this. It passed the test in our QA environment and I am pushing it to production (worked BTW but waiting for the customer to approve the job before I mark it "done").

Tomorrow we have game 5 of the little league season. We are 3 and 1 so far (w00t!) The coach is gone so I am heading over early to lend a hand prepping the field. Tomorrow we play the Mariners (Ethan's team). For all you foreigners, the weather here in NorCal is spectacular. We are expecting highs in the low-80s all weekend.

blessings on your day

Exploratorium

Princess & Dad

Lobster Boy

Guitar Hero

What a week

Oy Vey! What a week it has been. I have flitted from one disaster to the next. Every hour of every day (plus 8 more) has been filled to capacity.

Good news: E has been released by her worker's comp doctor to return to full duty.

Most of the scripture I have been reading lately as well as the messages from Alistair Begg have revolved around the topic of God's Expectations. Simply put, God doesn't overlook deliberate sin forever. At some point, He allows the consequences of our choices to overtake us. What does this mean for non-Christians? Nothing as this only applies to those that know God, call themselves His children, know what is right and still walk in deliberate disobedience. A lot of the churches today down play (or ignore) the idea of God's judgment and wrath. What we as Christians forget is that God never changes - the God of the Old Testament is the same God we have in the New Testament.

Are we forgiven? Absolutely! And God wants us to walk in the paths of righteousness not sin. Does God expect us to be perfect? Nope, and He still expects us to work at it.

It is a lot like our children. When they disobey the first time, there is a lot of grace. We carefully instruct them in why the action was wrong and what action is right. We allow for mistakes and failures. At each failure (over the years, not the next day), the consequences tend to get a little stronger. As they mature, we expect more mature behavior and decisions. At some point, if the behavior fails to improve, we remove them from our home (at age 18 hopefully). Are they free to return? Sure - if the behavior changes.

God is the same way. As we fail to learn, He allows greater and greater consequences to occur until finally He will remove Himself from fellowship with us (actually, we can no longer fellowship with Him due to the barrier of sin). We are always free to repent and return and God is faithful to restore us. He is not, however, willing to tolerate deliberate sin.

Words to think on

Labor Laws in CA

Here is the link to the new labor law governing OT in CA.

Gubanator's Blog

Hello Mr. Sun

Left the house at 4:30 this morning as our main database was locked up and I could not get in remotely. Not much traffic at that time is about all that is good. Got the system back up by 5:45 and headed back home to get a shower and take the boys to school. Back at my desk by 7:30 - can you say overtime? Oh wait, due to a recent CA law, I no longer get OT pay, just "straight time for all hours worked." Gotta love our gubermint. "Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help" are the scariest words in the English language (maybe any language).

More postings after I have woken up.

Stoopid User Tricks

So I am, by avocation, a Database Administrator (DBA). I work with large computer systems and am responsible for making sure that the information people put into our application is there later. As part of my job, I occasionally delete information at the request of employees (passing on requests from the end-user). Last night I removed 883 items from our main system at the request of one of our senior programmers (who got the request from the user).

Turns out that they only wanted SOME of those items removed (guess there was a communication error, eh?) Now I get to spend the next 2 days recovering the data that they asked me to delete.

SIGH.....

World's Best Hot Sauce

Georgia Peach & Vidalia Onion Hot Sauce has won many, many awards. They have managed to perfectly balance sweet and spicy. The sauce is on the low end of medium for "fire" and off the charts for pure flavor. I first ran across this down in Monterey at a little shop called "Slow Burn"

When they went a week ago, JM & K-man brought me back 6 bottles. It makes a great sauce for pork, chicken and fish. You can also get it on the Peppers.com website.