Touch not the oil

I guess that OPEC never read Revelation. I paid $3.33 this morning for gas. I would not mind it near so much if the oil companies weren't posting record profits.
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Revelation 6:6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

Porkchops

SE made bbq porkchops, smashed taters and corn for dinner. One of my buddies stopped by and ate with us. Haven't seen him for a while. We had a nice time catching up on our lives. E has had to deal with an bad situation at work this week. The family of one of the patients has gotten ugly several times and she has had to call security. They were verbally abusive and physically threatening. Her boss had mercy on her tonight and assigned her to a different team. They now call security as soon as the people show up. It is a sad situation in a way. The patient is in a coma with no hope of recovery. There was a "DNR" (do not resuscitate) order on file but the family wants every effort made to keep the patient alive (they fought the hospital on this and lost). SIGH.... I guess that is what happens to non-Christians. Believers approach death in a completely different way. For us, it is almost a relief to see the end of this life as what we have to look forward to is sooooooo much better.

RedSox

Little League is starting. NO is on the same team as last year and I will be helping coach (TF is the manager and does a great job!) PJ from across the street is on our team this year as well. Our first team meeting is Monday night. This year I will be able to use some of my "volunteer hours" from work towards coaching.

Big Business

In a lot of ways, working for a big company (more than 10K employees) is good. The benefits are better than average, there is more stability and there tends to be more opportunities for career advancement. The downside is that you are working for a big company and that means you have to work hard to get anything changed. In my case it is the benefits department that I am trying to get to change. When E picked up her medical benefits, we decided that we should drop mine (hers are $500/mo cheaper). Great idea! So I email the Benefits Service Center and ask how to do this. They reply that I need to fax proof of insurance to them. Seems easy enough, eh? Unfortunately, there is not a "person" that I am dealing with (all correspondence is sent to/from the "BSC"). To compound the problem, they keep losing the faxes I send. I packaged everything together one more time and sent it yet again this morning. I may have to get on an airplane, fly to Dayton hand hand deliver this :(

Identity Crisis (pt 1)

A friend of mine (see blog to the left) recently wrote a paper on the Acts of the Apostles as part of an ordination class (ECA). In it, she asked a very good question – What is your identity? I am including part of it for your edification. I would like to explore this topic further in upcoming posts. A blessing on your day

The Webster-Miriam Dictionary defines the word “identity” as the “sameness of essential or generic character in different instances”. What is your identity? Who or what defines you? One could valiantly argue that this is the most important question that a person can ask themselves. At first glance, it may even appear to be an easy question, but the very definition of the word should challenge our perception.

“The sameness of essential character in different instances.” Are you the same person at work as you are at home? Are you the same person at church as you are at work? Are you the same person when you’re talking with your best friend as you are when you’re talking to your worst enemy? When we begin to ask ourselves these questions, we see how our character can be very easily changed by environment, circumstances and other people; suddenly our “identity” begins to blur.

Visa Update

From RF via email, an update on her Visa:

Good afternoon!

I am writing to inform you all that I still have not heard from the consulate as to the status of my appeal. I have been researching as much as I can on the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal website (it is the agency in the UK that deals with appeals), but have been unable to really decipher what everything is all about for certain. The best I can tell, the earliest I will know for sure about things is eight weeks from the time of submitting my appeal (which would be the end of March...sigh).

To be honest, I feel like I am going to go insane if I do not hear soon...I know this is not true and that God is Sovereign and will sustain me...it is just that some days I feel I am without hope. I suppose those are the days I am not surrendering it all to God and trusting in his control.

Thank you all for your continued prayers.

Love in Christ,

RF

Contentment

A quote from Walt Henrichsen’s daily devotional for today:

Contentment is the product of gratitude and anger is the product of discontentment. It is hard to be content with your lot in life and be ungrateful at the same time. Paul underlines the importance of contentment in his epistle to Timothy. He tells us that a life of contentment is profitable

In so many ways, Contentment is the key to life. I know that I struggle with this on a daily basis. Contentment comes when we accept that God is good – all the time! When we accept in our heart that God has our best interest in His plans all the time and that whatever comes our way is what will benefit us the most we can achieve contentment.

We get caught up in expectations and comparisons. We believe what Madison Ave. and Hollywood tell us. We believe that this is all there is and when it doesn’t happen the way the media tells us it should, we become discontented. We look what others have and we want the same thing (or better). Of course all too often they are doing the exact same thing with us.

It is only when we give our lives over to God’s control that we can experience the type of contentment that Paul speaks of below. In the end, this is what will determine what type of person we become. We have all known people that become increasing cantankerous and bitter as they age. A lack of contentment will lead ultimately to bitterness.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." 1 Timothy 6:6-8

New Folk

Just got an email from my ex telling me that they have accepted an offer on their house. That means that they will soon start the process of relocating to this area. No matter where they end up, it will trim at least 150 minutes off of my drive time. I know that God will prepare the perfect place for them to live.

R U Affiliated?

Read an article today regarding “religious affiliation” and wondered what the reactions were from all you blog-readers. The article says in part:

A sweeping new study of religious affiliation in the United States finds a country in which Protestants are becoming a minority, Catholicism is becoming heavily Hispanic, and the number of people who say they are not affiliated with any religion is growing. (Full article HERE)

What does it mean to be affiliated? Do you consider yourself Christian, Protestant or Catholic? Is there a difference? Let me know what you think.

Quiet House

The weekend is over and everyone has gone back to their homes. We had a really good time. AJ & AC did the cooking Saturday night and I did the diner Sunday night with some help from RF. We sat around and played Trivial pursuit after dinner Saturday. It is a joy to have all the children together in one place. I posted the group picture (sans parental units) below.

The Gang

Waffles

AR made everyone waffles this morning. We had 8 kids in the house last night (only missing 3). AJ & AC are making dinner for us all. AJ and I went shopping for food this morning while the girls all headed to the stores. The are predicting a big storm for tonight and tomorrow. NorCal amazes me - one storm and everyone runs out to stock up (on what I don't know). Wally World was crazy busy.

Good Morning NorCal!

And a top-o-the-mornin to y'all :) I would say it is a bright, sun-shiny morning, but it isn't. Of course that doesn't make it less good either. It is grey and damp - not really raining, just "wet air." It is a perfect morning for a hot cup of tea (for you English types) or a steaming mug of cocoa with lots of marshmallows.

The verse for today (below) is a reminder that God is paying attention. I have listened to many Christian complain about stuff that other people appear to be getting away with. God isn't sleeping, watching a movie or using IM. He sees everything that happens and is perfectly Just. Now "justice" is an interesting word. Many of us (especially Americans) equate Justice with Fairness. The latter is not a word found in the Word. Fairness is a completely human concept. When my kids tell me something isn't fair what they are really saying is that things aren't working out the way they want them to.

Justice means getting what we deserve. Justice implies the possibility of mercy without guaranteeing the practice. Justice must not be confused with Consequences (see the posts from Wednesday). God is Just and everyone will get what they deserve as defined under the Law. By His grace and mercy, those of us that call Him Lord and Savior don't have to pay the price.

The next time you see a non-Christian "getting away with murder" stop and pray for them rather than envying them.

Blessings on your day

Nahum 1:3 The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet.

Sizzling Lunch

Lunch was good. I had a chicken sandwich in a vain attempt to watch my LDL's (the bacon probably offset the meat choice). CP and I caught up on old times, talked about geek stuff and generally annoyed the people around us. He belongs to a geek-fest group that meets on alternate Thursdays to discuss topics such as Quantum tic-tac-toe, ways to decrease the cost of putting a payload in space and whether man has free will. (Some of you are going w00t! and the rest are rolling your eyes.)

I spent the rest of the afternoon training one of the other database guys to take over one of my more routine tasks (database refreshes). Tonight I will be working to get the house cleaned up for the weekend.

So how many of you went outside last night to look at the eclipse? How many knew there was an eclipse? We did the obligatory "round object, flashlight and finger" thing with NO trying to explain what was happening. Last night's episode of MythBusters was pretty cool. They took a look at all the MacGyver stunts from the old TV series. I won't tell you which ones worked, if you missed the episode try Googling it.

Dreary Outside

It is gray and dreary out today. I am reminded of the color book - Gray Day... Everything is gray. I watch. But nothing moves today. (I read a rant in someone's blog that I found in Google how this is a racist book :p People are whack)

AJ and AC are making diner for everyone Saturday night (w00t!!). By my count we will be having 14 for dinner and that is just E & I and our kids (8 kids, 3 significant others and a grandson). I can see that family gatherings will require renting a hall in a few years :D

Working to pare down my task list today. Too many open items makes it tough to get anything done. I am planning to have lunch with an friend from the old Money Store days. He works not far from here so we will meet at Sizzler by the arena.

Last night I made that salmon and couscous and took some in to E at work. It is nice to have 20-30 minutes without anyone interrupting us to talk and catch up on things. AR is home sick today, looks like a flu bug as he has aches and chills. SE is in charge of dinner tonight and I think we are having Chicken Korma with noodles.

Consequences

I want to clarify an earlier post. I don't want anyone to think that I advocate the elimination or minimization of consequences. There are far reaching consequences to our actions - both good and sinful. Take my Christian business friends - the one will always have people reluctant to do business with him due to his rigid legalism and lack of grace; the other will not be trusted for a long time. Both made choices that will have lasting consequences.

I have learned this lesson myself (painfully at times). I will live the rest of my life with the consequences of some of my choices. One thing I have always tried to teach my children is that our choices effect the people around us. The disagreement between the men I talked about below has impacted the entire group (and I doubt that either of them fully realize it). The choices I have made impacted family and friends and continues to do so.

The ultimate measure of success is whether we recognize the consequences of our actions and learn to make different choices.

Blessings

The Kids are Coming

Just heard that AJ and his girlfriend (AC), and siblings (RF, NA and HR) are all coming up for the weekend. We will certainly have a house full :) It may be the first time that all the kids are together in one place since RF went over to the U.K. in 2006.

Deal Gone Bad

I talked to a Christian business man (friend of mine) the other day as he vented his frustration. It seems that he had entered into a business deal with another Christian who had then let him down. Without going into a lot of detail I can say that I understand his frustration. The other man (also known to me) had lied from the beginning and tried to back out when confronted. He was definitely in the wrong but denied everything until presented with proof of his dishonesty.

My friend read him the riot act and berated him for his lack of spirituality. He got out his bible and quoted passage after passage to the other man in an attempt to “bring him to his senses.” Of course this didn’t work. The other man will probably remove himself from fellowship with us and leave our group entirely.

I have known them both for quite a while. The second man, while a true believer, has let himself get dragged into some shady business deals and has wandered away from following God as closely as he once did. I (and others) have been gently encouraging him for some time now to renew his commitment. The damage that the first man did may take a long time to heal and will make it much harder for the second man to hear the rest of us encourage him.

We must be careful when dealing with sin in others and try to approach it the way Jesus did. When people stray (as we all do), gentleness and love go much farther in restoring the sinner than condemnation. In almost all cases, the sinner knows that they are wrong and don’t need us to hammer the point home. Gentle reproach mixed with large doses of love and acceptance can guide the sinner to the path of repentance. It is VITAL that we CLEARLY separate the sin from the sinner. While we must not tolerate sin, we almost must not condemn the sinner in the process.

I will continue to reach out to my friend who is very broken right now. At the same time I will love the business man and encourage him to try other methods to communicate his sorrow.

Traffic was bad today

Traffic was ugly this morning. Had to put gas in the car so was late dropping NO off at daycare. Dropped AR off at the H.S. and of course as I left the drop-off zone a train came. Waited patiently for the train. As it reached about half-way, it stopped - Oh Joy! So I made a u-turn and went down to the overpass to get on the freeway which was at a dead stop. Took 40 minutes to travel 8 miles. Gotta love CA traffic, eh?

AR made dinner (and the cleanup) last night and did a very good job. Thanks AR!!

The weather forecast is for rain all week, fortunately the temperatures are in the low 50's so it is tolerable (although the wind sure blew last night). I think I will grill salmon tonight (in the rain). Sam's Club carries marinated salmon fillets in the freezer section that are pretty good. Probably do some noodles or couscous on the side.

One thing that always struck me about the story of Abraham and Isaac (see below) is Abraham's calm assurance that God would keep His promises. Even as he left to head up the mountain, he told his men that he and Isaac would be back. Nowhere is it recorded that Abraham cried out and raged at God. Nowhere do we see any doubt or uncertainty communicated. The writer of the book of Hebrews states that Abraham believed that God would resurrect Isaac; yet Abraham had never seen or heard of God resurrecting anyone. Abraham is so often held up as an example of faith - yet only 2 chapters earlier we see one of the times that he tried to pass off Sarah as his sister to avoid danger.

Whenever we are told one of the stories of the great men (and women) of faith we are also reminded that they - like us - are flawed. God is good and His mercies are everlasting. May you have a blessed day.

Genesis 22:5 Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."

Damp

The rain is back today after several weeks of wonderful weather. The kids (and neighbors) were all outside much of the weekend. We did a little cleanup in the yard - E pulled out a bunch of ground cover that inexplicable perished (the stuff next to it grew like a weed - weird). I finished the wine rack (picture posted earlier) and brought it inside. There is something soothing about wood working, it lets me "go away" for a time.

Hotels

BTW, while in Monterey we stayed at the Clarion Hotel. Not bad and quite reasonable. As a rule, there are 2 star and 4 star motels in Monterey, not much in between. The Clarion is older (40's) but clean. They had a very nice breakfast everyday in the sun room (waffles, muffins, bagels, pastries, coffee, o.j.) and a serviceable pool and hot tub. We looked at the Otter (http://www.otterinn.com/Otter/) which was a little more shabby put within walking distance of the down town (Cannery Row and Aquarium). Next time I may check to see what special events are scheduled as the AT&T Pro-Am golf tournament had much of the hotel space booked.

Monterey

Wine Rack

Long Day

Had the day off today for some president's birthday. Took NO into see the doctor to get established. It is always a pain changing health insurance, ya' know? My doc looks to be a Sikh, hope he is easy to talk to. Will need to have all the records transfered from Kaiser of course and get referrals to the allergists.

Went and looked at flooring. Carpet doesn't hold up well to multiple animals and multiple kids. Since we are likely to be in this house for a while yet, I think we will go with laminate. Wow, laminates sure have come a long way on the last few years. They have stuff that is much quieter than it used to be and virtually indistinguishable from real hard wood.

NO is feeling much better today, the doc said it was most likely tonsillitis. E headed off to work a little bit ago and AR is going to hang out at a friend's place. SE is on her way back home after visiting her mom over the weekend.

The weekend has gone by very fast, even with the extra day. Yesterday we sat outside with the neighbors for much of the afternoon. Well I will head out to run a few errands and do some quick cleanup around the yard. I will post some of our pictures from Monterey last weekend.

FYI, no word on RF's visa application.

Clock is ticking

It is almost time to head home. We had talked about taking diner to the hospital but with NO sick that probably isn't the best idea. Mr. Boss was out today - taking a 4-day weekend and doing some back country skiing. It has been a very mild week here in NorCal. I'll chat with ya' later as I get the chance.

Almost the weekend

So what plans do y’all have for the weekend? I am hoping to reclaim enough floor space in the garage to do a little wood-working. I bought parts for a wine rack at Ikea a couple of weeks ago and would like to start finishing it. The pieces need a lot of sanding before I stain them. It will go into a cutout in the dining room. Originally that room was the family room and there was a combined formal dining room/living room. We moved the entertainment center into the bigger room and moved the dining room furniture into the old family room. This left us with the cutouts in what was now the dining room. I have had a vision for a wine rack in that spot for a while now.

The little boy (NO) didn’t go to school today due to a fever and barking like a frog (which is like a barking seal but higher pitched on account of having smaller lungs). SE left this morning to go down to Clovis to visit her mum, step-dad and siblings. If I get the chance I want to see if I can find that CD by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant called “Raising Sand” (http://www.robertplantalisonkrauss.com/site.php). Interesting blend of head-banger and bluegrass.

What to choose

A day begins as a week comes to a close. As I look back over the last 6 days I am struck by how our choices impact our lives. When Moses sent 12 spies to look at the land God had promised them, 10 spies were overwhelmed by fear and saw only the obstacles. The other 2 saw the glory of the land God had given them. The Israelites chose to listen to the bad report rather than the good. This decision impacted not only themselves but their children and grandchildren. For the next 40 years, they wandered in the desert (until the generation that made the ”decision” had all died).

The decision of the 10 spies impacted the entire nation. The choice of the nation impacted future generations. It is the same in our lives today. The choices I make are often predicated on the theory that they won’t impact (or hurt) anyone but me.

God has made us to be relational. We don’t live in a vacuum. No matter how much we wish it, we can not disconnect ourselves from everyone around us. Even the most recalcitrant hermit has interaction with someone. Too often I have failed to remember this lesson and made choices that have damaged people and relationships. Fortunately, by the grace of God, each day starts anew and I get the chance to make different choices.

May God richly bless you this day.

Numbers 13:32 So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size.

Lemon-Pepper Chicken

So tonight was SE's night to cook. She made lemon-pepper chicken and rice pilaf :) It was very good. The chicken was something her mom makes. After dinner SE did all the dishes. It is fun watching your kids grow up. JM stopped by this morning and gave her mom flowers and chocolate for Valentine's day. After dinner I went in to the hospital to spend E's dinner break with her. It is basically the only way we get to sit down and talk anymore. She put in for a ".7" position as she is currently working a ".9" (meaning she works 9 days out of 14 and would like to work 7). She also put in for day shift but that might be a ways off.

With E at work, SE on a date and AR & NO in bed early, I have the house to myself. Somehow it feels like I should be doing something other than typing on the 'puter. For perhaps the 3 time in 4 years, I can sit down and watch CSI (our old care-group met on Thursdays); wouldn't you know it, I have seen this episode. Isn't that the way it always works?

Work was better today. The production system was more stable. However, it seemed that everyone in the company needed something from me today. I ended the day with more on my list than I started. Spent an hour or so today restoring data that a mere10 days ago someone (the same someone actually) asked me to delete. Also spent about 6 hours (well the computer did, I just checked up on it from time to time) transferring a file to our outsource team in India. It felt like I was back on a dial-up line.

Dad had a heart monitor the last few days and they returned it the doctor. Next Thursday they see the cardiologist to get the results. Mom has her cataract surgery 3/14 - please say a prayer for them both. My friend BH and his mom are getting on the boat tomorrow, I hope they have a marvelous time. He had to buy a tux as Holland America is a bit more rigid on their dress code.

Well time to go pack lunches, make coffee and put the dog out. Blessings to you all.

Happy Valentine's Day

From the creator of the universe

Databases are fun

Had a really rough day at work yesterday. The day started out with our production system teetering on the edge of collapse. I and my boss spent 4 hours monitoring it minute by minute to keep it running (we incur financial penalties if it isn't available or runs too slow). While this was going on, another system I was working on crashed and it took me until 3 p.m. to get it restored. Went to a meeting immediately following at which I failed (success = talk a lot and get no new assignments). Ended up with 3 action items....SIGH. Well at least it is better than management, eh?

Living with Cancer (pt 2)

Cancer never really goes away. No matter how hard you try, you can’t forget about it for more than a day or so at a time. It impacts your life on so many levels. For me, it was a stark reminder that I am getting old and that one day soon, the rest of me will start failing as well. Cancer will, in some way, touch the core fears of almost anyone. Fear Of Failure has always been the strongest in my life. In some ways it feels like I have let down my wife and failed as a husband, in some ways it almost feels like I have failed as a person. For a perfectionist, cancer is the flaw in the façade. It is the reminder that we (I) are weak, frail and prone to failure. It drags at you and slows you down emotionally and adds an element of uncertainty into your life.

For some of us, this can be a good thing. It forces reliance on God. It teaches us humility and reminds us Who is in charge. For those that can see past the disease to the Giver of Life, it builds a deeper and closer relationship with our Lord. It helps us (me) recognize what are the essentials of life, to focus on what really matters. Now I won’t claim that I am even approaching perfection in this area, but I do know that my commitment to the things of God has increased this last year. I find myself a little more emotionally fragile while at the same time stronger and more resilient.

The treatments left a lasting mark on me physically. You can’t expose your body to radiation like that and expect that nothing will change. Perhaps that is one reason that I can’t really forget the cancer – the effects will linger long after the disease has been eradicated.

Song of Songs 7:11-12 "Come, my beloved, let us go out into the country, Let us spend the night in the villages. "Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has budded And its blossoms have opened, And whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love.

Chile Verde

Dinner was pretty good even if most of the sauce came from cans. SE did a lot of the work - cubing the pork, adding the sauce and cutting up the onions. I added a couple of cans of mild chilies as well as a can of diced jalapeños. AR claimed it was too hot to eat, even with flour tortillas ;) I have to admit it was a little zippy.

I am gradually getting this schedule down. NO got all his homework done, the kitchen got cleaned, the dog fed, dinner started for tomorrow and stuff laid out for the morning. I don't know how single parents do it. E got the laundery and vacuuming done during the day.

BTW, I finally had to do it - broke down and installed FireFox at home. IE makes me nuts!

Living with Cancer (pt 1)

Cancer is a disease that impacts everyone in the family. This posting is the first in a series that chronicles how it impacted OUR family.

Getting a cancer diagnosis is always a slightly surreal experience. I remember looking at the doctor in unbelief when he suggested a prostate biopsy (excuse me, would you please repeat the part where you explain how they do that?!?!?). As my dad had a radical prostectomy only 12 year prior, I was already starting to fret. High on my list of phobias is getting “cut on.” BTW, this now includes needle-biopsies.

When the results came back positive for cancer (3+3 in half the samples, type 1B) my wife and I were in shock and denial for weeks. For me as the patient, my focus was on the treatment and side-effects there-of. I had watched my dad struggle for years with the results of the surgery and I KNEW I wasn’t going to go there personally. For my wife, it was the crushing fear of ending up living her life without me at her side.

In a lot of ways, it is easier for the Christian to face their OWN mortality than that of a loved one.

Live Longer

There was an article in the RSS feeds this morning titled "Ten ways to Live Longer." I won't boor you with the details but they included all the standard items (exercise, diet, blah-blah-blah). It struck me as I read the list that the left off the one, obvious item -To live longer, DON'T DIE

Dead Battery

So yesterday I go out to my car at lunch and the battery is dead. Fortunately, my co-worker leaves at the same time I do and was willing to give me a jump. Drove the car to Sam’s Club (yes I know, I don’t like them either) but they were too busy to even look at it. I ended up just buying a battery and putting it in myself after dinner. (Did I mention that diner last night was Hamburger Helper?)

E and AR ran lots of errands yesterday. The primary one being getting AR’s bank accounts set up. We got his phone number transferred to a CA area code so that E will be able to call him from work (they block long distance calls) ad I call the insurance agent to start the process of adding him to our policy. Today AR will take his English and Math placement test. When he finishes, they will set him up with classes which he will start tomorrow.

The house seems empty.

Friday, SE will drive back down to Fresno to spend the weekend with her mom and siblings. She is doing well up here and I greatly enjoy having her living in our house. She is a wonderful young lady and will do well in life.

I haven’t heard much from any of you out there reading. If you get an opportunity, post a comment to let me know you are around.

Blessings on your day.

John 1:1-4 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.

PM Shift Starts

Lots of miscellany today. E started working p.m. shift last night. We expect it will take a while for her biorhythms to adjust. She was still up bright and early this morning (unfortunately). AR and SE are stepping up to help out at home. I usually plan the dinner and one of them will start cooking it. Tonight we are having Chile Verde (I am cheating and using cans of sauce rather than pureeing my own tomatillos).

I have started reading through the bible again this year. I am managing not to get too far behind (I think I am reading 2/8 today). Starting the day in the Word is both refreshing and dangerous – refreshing because you immerse yourself in the things of God and dangerous because it will make you a target for the enemy.

I am hoping to hear from RF today. Her initial Visa request was denied. She packaged up a whole lot more documentation and submitted to the British Consulate the week before last. In theory, she should get an answer within the next few days.

Work continues to be endurable. I am enjoying NOT being a decision maker. I keep my head down and fix databases. My boss keeps digging up complex tasks to keep me occupied and handles all the administrivia. Working a standard 8 hour day is really nice as well. In the old days of IT, I rarely worked less than a 50 hour week and it was not unusual to work 70+. The company isn’t the greatest but the benefits match the industry pretty well. Some time today I need to submit my benefit changes. E’s health benefits are far cheaper than mine so we will be dropping my benefits and enrolling in hers.

Enough for now, more later :o)

Jude 1:10 But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction.

Truth 101

Ted Koppel gave a speech at a commencement in 1987 that has floated around the ‘net for quite some time now. If you get the chance, read the whole thing. In case you need a reason why, here is an excerpt:

Our society finds Truth too strong a medicine to digest undiluted. In its purest form Truth is not a polite tap on the shoulder; it is a hallowing reproach.

What Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai were not the Ten Suggestions, they are Commandments. Are, not were.

The sheer brilliance of the Ten Commandments is that they codify, in a handful of words, acceptable human behavior. Not just for then or now but for all time. Language evolves, power shifts from nation to nation, messages are transmitted with the speed of light, man erases one frontier after another; and yet we and our behavior, and the Commandments which govern that behavior, remain the same. The tension between those Commandments and our baser instincts provide the grist for journalism's daily mill. What a huge, gaping void there would be in our informational flow and in our entertainment without routine violation of the Sixth Commandment. Thou shalt not murder.

The concept of “absolute truth” has all but faded from our culture today. In a recent survey of teens, only 3% believed that any truth is valid all the time. The ubiquitous communication style of today’s generation has evolved a society that looks for immediate validation and verification of all opinions. No teen today would dream of taking a stand without sending several hundred text and IM messages all over the planet in an ad-hoc poll to determine the general consensus.

2Peter 3:3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.

Back home

We are home from Monterey, the weather was awesome! Lat week while I was booking the hotel I couldn't figure out why no one had rooms available. While I was driving into town Friday night I started seeing signs for "Golf Parking." Seems the AT&T Pro-Am golf tournament was last weekend at Pebble Beach. Guess it would help if I read the sports section of the paper, eh?

The dresser is done

I was at my desk early today. My boss let me come in at 7 so that I can leave early. We are heading out of town around 4:30 or so this afternoon. The weather for Monterey is mild and sunny (highs in the low 60’s). The current exhibit at the Aquarium (http://www.mbayaq.org/) is called “Going Deep.” I will post some pictures when we get back.

Last night we put the dresser together for AR (who arrives tomorrow). Dad got a (more or less) clean bill of health from the cardiologist. The episode last weekend may have been related to rhythm problems and definitely was NOT a heart attack (praise God!).

I finished up my project yesterday and am now testing it. It is a new full-text search engine for our production database. The search works amazingly well. The next problem is going to be putting security on top of the search results (can’t have customers seeing other people’s data now, can we :)

My best friend, BWH is taking his mom on a Mexican Riviera cruise later this month (what a nice son he is). I am trying to talk him into taking ME next time. My wife and I love cruising and have been 3 times now. There is something about being pampered 24x7 that really appeals to us.

Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

For RW

I recently stumbled over the blog of a friend of mine (the link is to the left) who is very interested in photography. I promised to post some of my own pictures so here they are. These were all taken near Lake Tahoe, CA last August. We (the entire family) went up there for my parents 50th wedding anniversary.

Hermione Update

JM (our daughter) called around and determined that the SPCA's in our area all have a "no-kill" policy on their animals. This means that Hermione will get adopted eventually (probably sooner rather than later as she is a sweet dog and very good with kids).

Thanks so much for checking with your friend. This really helps a lot.

It's a new day

The sun was shining this morning as I dropped NO off at daycare. It is nice that the days are starting to lengthen. It is so hard getting up and driving to work when it is still dark out. The weather has cleared a bit here in NorCal. We haven't had rain for several days now and it has warmed up a bit as well. I have been watching the forecasts carefully to see what we can expect this weekend in Monterey. While getting away is always nice, it is even nicer if the sun is out.

I truly love the north coast of California. I can sit on the beach for days at a time and watch the waves crash into the sand and rocks. I love climbing the rocks and wading in the tidal pools. There is something intrinsically relaxing about the ocean.

This morning I have to finish up my latest project at work. If things go well I can move on to the next one by lunch time. Remember to include Jesus in your plans today.

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Psalm 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

Hermione Granger

Down-sizing/Up-sizing

Well it looks like Hermione is on her way out. She is too disruptive to the household. She is a wonderful sweet dog but very undisciplined. I will miss her very much. :( Q is coming at 5 to pick her up.

AR arrives Saturday at about 1:30. We have most of the bedroom ready. The dresser is still in a box and I will work on assembling it tonight after work. E is getting her hair done so SE, NO and I will probably do T-Bell for dinner.

Weekend Plans

My wife, E and I are heading to Monterey for the weekend. It will be wonderful to be able to spend some time alone with each other. Our lives have been so chaotic lately that we have drifted into our own little universes. It seems that what little time we DO get together we are running errands or planing the next round of chaos.

Hitting the gas

This has been an interesting year so far. At the end of last year we added a new dog to our household. Hermione Granger is beautiful, 2 ½ year old Weimaraner. (For those in the “know” that translates to boundless energy and overwhelming affection). On December 21^st, E graduated from nursing school.

In January, E took and passed her NCLEX exam and received her RN license. She started working for Oncology at Sutter Roseville. On February 11^th she will transition to her permanent assignment and work a “point 9” PM shift (3-11:30). (Yes I am very proud of her!)

Shortly after the first of the year, SE (my 19 yo daughter) came to live with us. Her mom and step-dad are in the process of trying to relocate to this area and SE wanted to start school at Sierra College. She packed up her clothes, her iPod and her laptop and moved into our guest room. Last week we learned that AR (E’s 17 yo son) will be moving in as well this coming weekend.

In the last 2 months, the size of our household has grown substantially. I know God has His plan in all of this and we will be on the receiving end of His bountiful blessings.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

A beginning

Well this is my first post. I have never "blog'd" before so I am not sure how this will go. Sometime today, I will start posting my life. Until then, blessings on your day.

Hebrews 12:1-2
(1) Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.