"Common" Sense

America the Beautiful (But irrationally disturbing)

2009-08-07T12:11:00.004-04:00

A short, true story.

Sam & Amber relocated from Lexington, KY to Tampa, FL. Sam & Amber purchased a new home. Sam & Amber realized that they needed garbage can lids for the garbage cans that they had. Sam went to home depot. At home depot, one cannot buy a lid separate from a trash can top. In HD's defense, they had the exact same number of cans and tops, so it kind of made sense. One of the Sales associates sent Sam to Wal-Mart in search of the elusive standalone garbage can lid. Sam entered Waltonland full of hope, and left questioning the future of his country.

Upon entering the hardware area, Sam located approximately 15 lids that didn't seem to have a matching can and thought "This is going to work perfectly. Great!" Sam asked the hardware worker if they were sold separately and the worker told him that they were not, and that the lids would most likely be thrown away. Sam took 3 lids to check out of the store hoping someone with half a brain would sell him the lids and was asked to remove himself from the normal line and go to customer service. Sam then talked to two successive customer service managers and was denied buying said lids because "they don't have a barcode." Sam contemplated walking out of the store with the lids since the inane inhabitants of Waltonland would not accept his polite remuneration for the product they seemed to sell.

Sam left dejected and without hope. He just wanted trash can lids and got a reality check regarding the future. A representative government might not be a good idea in countries where people have no ability to think.

THE END.

Wilderness Camp

2009-02-24T22:51:00.002-05:00

It would be astonishingly and offensively presumptuous to imply that I truly experience wilderness times. I am blessed beyond belief. But for many of us, even when life is good, it is challenging. It gives us opportunities to learn, improve, or to break, walk away. I thought it would be useful to put down some thoughts that I've either learned or heard in the last few months during some hard but hopefully fruitful times. So here you go...Wilderness thoughts.

1. You can walk in the same circle many times, but ultimately, you are still going somewhere. You're just going to take a lot longer walking in circles. "You'll know you're in the right place when you've never been there before." Often the difficult time makes the good time possible. If we do not suffer, we often do not know good to be good, or at least as good as it it.

2. Going into the wilderness yields riches (though likely not monetary ones). When the Israelites left Egypt, they took plunder while being set free from slavery (are those reparations?). We can take many riches with us if we are willing to ask. I'm hoping one of my great riches out of this time is an increased faith. I think it already is to some degree as I continue to lean onto God, realizing I have very little to offer to situations. There are many others that need not be mentioned here.

3. Complaining is bad. Don't believe me? Look it up. That's the simple answer, but we have the ability to choose a good deal of how we feel and what our life looks like. I'm not implying that we won't have gut reactions, nor that difficult things do not require grief, mourning, and sadness. Only that we often miss the mark because of our selfishness.

4. You aren't in the wilderness because someone brought you here to die. You're on a journey. You'll get there faster if you learn from wilderness camp.

In contrast, life changes are extremely hard and put great stress on relationships, faith, income, and everyone around you. I am blessed to be surrounded by so many good people who have made this transition a sad, amazing, heart-breaking, hopeful thing.

Thanksgiving pictorial

2008-12-08T09:40:00.007-05:00

Some of the Family at the Candy Kitchen

Amber sporting her sweet turkey hat

Isaac displaying his genetic sense of fashion.

Eli loving life after dinner. He tends to find the most joy out of simply running around. It's pretty great to watch.

Kyle and Sam displaying their mastery of ASL. This is "cold." They were however, not cold at the family reunion as they dominated food.

Hydrating on the trip back to Kentucky. Not a good trip.

Think so?

2008-10-07T00:09:00.002-04:00

"Where the roots of faith are strong, the winds of laughter do no harm."

Insulation

2008-09-15T11:10:00.007-04:00

Ever notice how angry and excitable people can be? Or how so many people say things in some company that they would rarely or never say to or about the person/people about which they speak? This is especially noticeable with many people around election time, but that situation is more of an outlier to relative to the sensation being described here. The general symptoms include things such as railing against the problems of "other people" with no regard for how they themselves might be part of the problem, screaming at people in the car because traffic is stopped, etc.

A theory on one potential cause: many Americans live in a constant state of background noise with very little real interaction. Wake up in the morning at your own home, get in your car with your coffee, go to work and never really interact with another person or face or own humanity.
We are all too busy to get out of our protective forts or home, automobile and building that we miss so much. Please don't miss what's going on all around you.

Go for a walk. Go to the park. Turn off your cell phone for a while, and realize your body is a soft, breakable shell.

Watch it. Laugh.

2008-09-03T18:59:00.001-04:00

My wife used to get mad when I talked about Politics with friends. Now I can't get her to stop watching the conventions. She's a dang Campaign Nazi. The video above helps keep us laughing through the posturing.

There are plenty of dumb people at FOX News...

2008-09-01T22:05:00.004-04:00

But this man could be the dumbest. Tonight while flipping through the channels, Geraldo could be seen exclaiming in a loud voice about the craziness of Hurricane Gustav. The worst was some footage from a bridge with the camera trained on a man (who looked calm and under control) in the water with a life jacket working on a light pole. Geraldo was screaming "Oh my God, there's a man in the water! I'm gonna tell the police."

Walk two steps to also calm police officer.

"There's a man in the water. He's stranded (repeats approximately 8 times)!!!!"

Police: "Huh?"

Moron (aka Geraldo): "There's a MAN in the WAAAATER!!!"

Police: "mumble mumble" (totally nonplussed)

Camera zooms out and shows Man in lifejacket begins swimming toward the boat (about 30 feet away) by himself, still calm and under control.

Geraldo: "The man is swimming !!!! (failed attempt at pregnant pause)

Man arrives at boat safely

Geraldo: "He got a lifeline.....Oh my God."

Three words: Don't watch Geraldo.

Response to being Meme'd??

2008-08-14T15:47:00.003-04:00

I still don't know what the crap meme is, but Michelle did it to me, but since I don't have 7 blog friends (left unmeme'd), I will stop the chain here and break one of the rules listed below.

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

hence, I will follow rules 1 and 2 and conveniently ignore rules 3&4.

Here goes:

1. I love almost anything buffalo flavored. I just ran into buffalo flavored pretzels via a co-worker and they are one of the greatest creations of man.

2. I often have strange dreams. For instance, last week I dreamed that my dad wanted me to pay for repairs to my first truck (which was stolen while in use by dad's company on a lighted golf course). For some reason in my dream, I didn't even question whether it was reasonable that I be paying for the maintenance. For that matter, he had a company mechanic who worked on it back then anyway, so there's no reason I should have to pay.....I know. It's weird. Another notable dream that comes to mind is my gunfight with the Cosby's. It's ok that I'm more awesome than you. Don't be upset.

3. I am one competitive guy. It's nothing compared to what it used to be. Now I really just enjoy sticking it to somebody when they think they're big stuff. Like dude at the gym rocking his 7:45 minute miles and acting like everybody's in his way because he's the reincarnated Steve Prefontaine. That guy? ya him. I especially enjoying running him down, sitting on his shoulder for about 15 seconds just so he knows I'm there, and then slowly increasing my pace until he breaks off and complains of some injury ailing him or how dry it is in here, etc. That warms the cockles of my heart. I also enjoy doing that in races....especially to skinny people.

4. I like to run in the snow and ice. It makes me feel like winter is not going to win. This has been a source of relational strife.

5. No matter how hard I try, I can't like UK more than UF even though I have 2 degrees from the former and none from the latter.

6. I would kind of like to become a geologist and study volcanoes and seafloor plate spreading.

7. I love hurricanes (when they don't hit, but just make the weather crazy near the coast).

Discovered by Amber

2008-07-15T22:09:00.003-04:00

"If we can keep our minds open to the blessings, humor, and education in whatever happens to us -- if we can set that little invisible radar dish on top of our heads to constantly search for blessings instead of disasters -- our lives will be enriched by the experiences we endure and fertilize our lives" -Unkown.

Bike There?

2008-07-10T12:33:00.003-04:00

With all the love that Google has been given on this blog, it only seems fair to ask for something in return other than quality features for free (which are of course paid for by advertising contingent upon site visits, thus the whole former part irons out itself.)

Google Map has many unique and helpful features, not the least of which being the ability to quickly and easily change routes using a drag and drop technique. It has come to the mind of some civic minded folk that a new feature is necessary. Bike there. These individuals have found it reasonable to petition google to add this feature over time to its mapping software. They also request two methods: direct route, and safe route. The author for one thinks you should go check it out and sign the petition.

Who knew one could petition private companies in this manner? Oh well, here's hoping it's successful so more people can enjoy bike rides without the fear of being crushed by large hunks of metal. With that in mind, people can start showing up places looking like our friend below.

Some Photos from the last little while.

2008-07-06T21:33:00.009-04:00

The long absent author is attempting to get back into the blogosphere, and this is a break-in post: Hope you enjoy. Some photos from a little hike this weekend. Enjoy.

Baseball's Back

2008-04-03T12:33:00.001-04:00

The boys of Summer Return. For those of you who don't even care about baseball, I offer this entertaining piece of wonderfulness.

Aaaahhh, Spring....

Ben Stein: interesting guy

2008-04-01T08:15:00.001-04:00

Take a quick look at this video.

General TravestShammockery

2008-03-10T10:07:00.004-04:00

Seen over the weekend. This one might trouble me even more than the "Anybody but -fill in the politician-" sticker. Hope? Hope? From Politicians. Are you serious?

Don't Get me wrong. I like Barack. As a politician, I guess he's ok. I'll probably vote for him in the primary here, but mainly because I find him less obfuscating than one Hillary Rodham Clinton. And by less, I mean by just a very, very, barely intelligible margin. He is after all, a politician.

These people act like Barack Obama isn't a politician. He's been doing it for a while people. He's not different from these other people. He's a greedy power hungry, politician.

I know what you want to ask. It's ok. Go ahead. "Sam if all politicians are ethical degenerates in your book, what if somebody with actual character tries to change?" The short answer: it gets sucked out of them by the reality of our system. Our system is better than despot-led and starved countries in other parts of the world, but the reality is most all politicians are owned. Barack is no different. Change is not simply avoidable. It's nearly impossible. And Barack doesn't really care about change. He just wants to be president, so he can decide what does not change.

Hope in Politicians: Priceless.

Fun Time

2008-02-07T10:38:00.000-05:00

The Gecko for Isaac

2008-02-06T22:51:00.001-05:00

Because I can.

Further up and Further in, Part 2

2008-01-28T12:51:00.001-05:00

Referencing an older post, a better picture has been found. Of late, the realization of life as a journey of transformation has become much more acute. Life as a journey to death which yields more life. It's a confusing idea that I'm just beginning to wrap my head around. Henri Nouwen does a much better job of describing it in his book, Life of the Beloved. He describes the process of death as one which should open us up even more to God and to loving other people. This is a difficult concept for me to grasp, though I think I'm getting better at it. Applying the idea to other areas, it's intriguing to see what "dying to oneself" looks like in myriad situations. Through some personal unscientific study by someone who knows very little about it, it's reasonable to say death yields life.

Good Stories

2008-01-09T14:14:00.000-05:00

One of the better ones I've read/heard in a while is "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. You can read it through the link or go to the Classic Tales Podcast if you'd like to hear it for free. If you're an iTunes user, it's easily searchable at the iTunes store.

Ya, I'm engaged...what's it to you?

2008-01-07T13:27:00.001-05:00

Amber has hindsight bias. She now thinks she knew it was coming. She didn't. I tricked her into marrying me, and now it's too late. If you want the story...man I'm tired of telling it but here 'goes.

We went out to eat at Gaetano's. If you don't know what it is, it's in Dunedin, FL and you should go. Great food, good time. Nice atmosphere. As we were leaving dinner, Amber had to use the restroom, so I went out to the car and put the ring in my pocket. I snuck it out while she was in the shower after our bike ride.

We stopped in dunedin and looked out over the water and talked about stars and tampa area geography. Next on the plan was going to the Botanical Gardens for the Holiday Lights. We walked around some of the other areas, and then went into the wedding garden. I asked Amber if she wanted to stand under the gazebo and practice. She said no, that's dumb. I was able to convince her. Then I tricked her into marrying me.

One of the highlights of the evening was a couple walking past charging us to make it last 40 years like they had. It's encouraging stuff.

We wound out the evening hanging out at the beach, letting some people (who were awake) know of the night's festivities.

2 people looking HOTT!

It's gonna be a fun life together.

Aardvark

2007-12-11T14:06:00.001-05:00

The author has unilaterally determined that "aardvark" might be the coolest ever potential username for websites which require one. Simply attach some number of significance to it, and slap it on there. This idea did not come about through seeing said username. At work today, the author was lamenting his state when going to the copier/scanner to send some plans via pdf, and having to scan through multiple pages of first names which alphabetically come before the author's. The name must change!

It's also great for people who can't mind their own business.

Finally, stare intently at the aardvark, and in your best seinfeld saying "newman" imitation, say "aardvark!" a few times. If this doesn't make you smile, you might be taking yourself too seriously. Think about it.

I'll take what I can get, but....

2007-12-06T15:21:00.001-05:00

I think there's been a mistake. Maybe it's because every now and then I write in the 3rd person and use terms such as "veracity of the claim", etc. Still, it's funny.

Bullet Grind

2007-12-04T09:56:00.000-05:00

In an effort to write more frequently, the author hopes to make this a regular segment of PYHOOYB(pullyourheadoutofyourbutt). "It's fun to say too!" Brief ideas or jumping off points that have been found interesting either to the author, or to others and it has come to a more corporate attention. They might also turn into some rants of frustration as deemed necessary by said author's immediate sanity. As always, we here at PYHOOYB are visual learners, and seek to provide visuals for any and every idea. Hope you like it, and would appreciate and welcome comments.

##*## Hospitality in Community -

It's a lost art according to a study I recently heard of (sorry, no link, but I think you can determine this from basic experience). Some dude did a study showing how full service sit-down restaurants are declining, and fast food restaurants have increased by 100% over the life of the study. Most of these people eat in a car alone. People go to places where other people are, but remain alone. There are hordes of people starving for hope and companionship, even if just a little. It seems we need to learn to slow down enough to eat with people. It would probably make us healthier too.

##*## Insecurity in Religion -

Believers should be extremely careful about who and what they criticize. It's a dangerous thing to promote one's own understanding as the "only way." I'm ever amazed at others (and my own) propensity for attacking those against whom my battle is not. You will know my people how?

##*## Advent -

The advent season is one of expectant hope. A great picture is the history of Jews in captivity, waiting for the Messiah. The poverty and despair present in that time provides an interesting backdrop to Western Culture today. We are impoverished in our souls as we seek to light our own candles and find hope and peace within ourselves. Many are given over to their evil desires as they stand in defiance of God. Total depravity indeed. O Come Emmanuel. We need you.

There are 3 kinds of people in the world...

2007-11-30T12:20:00.000-05:00

Those who can count, and those who can't.

Husbands, Fathers, Manhood

2007-11-27T10:11:00.000-05:00

1. Load and Install iTunes on your computer.

2. Go to iTunes store and Podcasts.

3. Download and Listen to "Mars Hill Church Sermon Audio" - Get the one from 10/1/2007 "Fathers and Fighting"

4. Repeat as Necessary.

Sometimes people need a slap in the face. I think sometimes is fast becoming often in our brave new world (Oops).

Possibly the Funniest All-U-Can-Eat/Buffet Comedy Ever

2007-10-30T14:17:00.000-04:00

If you're going to watch this, please commit the full time to it, because it gets the best at the end. Wow!

Reformation: sad, but certainly the source of some good theology in song

2007-10-16T10:06:00.001-04:00

Good stuff right here. Even better considering people "trash-sang" each other with this.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,His kingdom is forever.

It's Division I Football!!

2007-10-15T12:46:00.000-04:00

Ah, the joys...Sometimes as one travels around and runs into all kinds of totally irresponsible people who refuse to take any responsibility for their children, a little person in someone's head might mimick Dan Hawkins and say "You're a parent! Grow up! You're kid doesn't need a buddy! They need a dad/mom!"

The video below is pretty self-explanatory and pretty much just ridiculously funny. Check it out.

Why do YOU struggle with the Church?

2007-10-11T16:34:00.000-04:00

Oh, I don't know, it just seems fake. hmmmmm. This is hilarious and saddening at the same time.

Facebook Stalking (or Myspace, or whatever)

2007-10-11T07:59:00.000-04:00

"ok, educate me, please: how in the HECK would one "facebook stalk" a person?" -Sandy

For those of you who do not know, "Facebook" is a social networking site. On this site, you can post pictures, communicate with other people, update where you are and what you are doing, etc. Most people use this to stay in touch with friends, plan events, and keep their pictures online. Whenever you update something (unless you choose to change it in the privacy setting), facebook informs all of your friends that something has changed such as "Sam is now listed as in a relationship."

This is a new format of facebook that was instituted months ago. It is known as "Stalker Facebook." Not to be confused with Facebook stalking, which is when somebody who knows you (or might not for that matter) gets on your page and begins to learn all they can about you. Friends of a girlfriend get on your site and let you know they are "keeping an eye on you." You get to a wedding your girlfriend is in, and as the bridesmaids/matrons are looking out trying to find you, not your girlfriend, but someone you've never met (but who knows you from facebook) says "I think he's right there in the back." And she is right. This is the relatively harmless method of facebook stalking. There is a much scarier form where people really do use it to obsess over and stalk people (at least I would assume).

Facebook is a dangerous mistress for people who need to know what's going on with everybody. It's really quite funny to see how much people relate through this site. One friend (of Amber's) I met this weekend was even joking about it. "Now that I've met you it will be so much more fun to follow you on facebook." She then mimicked as if she were reading a screen as if it were a story about my life, and said "uh huh, uh huh." This was actually quite funny, and not really scary at all because as I've said previously, this is harmless facebook stalking.

There's a whole new universe out here, and it's called the internet (best read in George Bush Voice). We've gotta fight them there, so we don't have to fight them here.

Bloggage Update

2007-10-09T08:59:00.000-04:00

I met this guy a couple months ago and just realized he had a blog as his wife was facebook stalking me. I'll Link to one of his funnier posts, but he's got some great commentary on being of Arab heritage in an anti-arab America. You can link to his home page here.

You mean I'm supposed to be real???

2007-10-05T14:16:00.000-04:00

Chris Matthews gets a little more than he signed up for (read: accountability) from Jon Stewart regarding his new book. Priceless.

Lastly, is it just me, or does Chris Matthews laughing make you want to scrape the back of your eyelids with sandpaper?

Decisions...

2007-10-01T08:34:00.001-04:00

Don't you wish they were less like this... and more like this...

Ah, freedom and intellectual integrity

2007-09-25T07:32:00.000-04:00

So the President of Columbia University took a lot of heat yesterday for inviting the Iranian Leader Ahmadinejad to speak at the institute of higher learning. He then proceeded to rip him a new hole. Check it out. Also, if you'd like to hear some intellectual dishonesty, look at Ahmadinejad's responses. My brother and I especially took pleasure from Mr. Bollinger commenting on Ahmadinejad debating the truth of the holocaust: "You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated." & aside: "will you cease this outrage?"

Freedom and Perceived Prisons

2007-09-20T12:26:00.000-04:00

I found this on Gordo's Blog today, and thought it was a great quote. I wish I could locate its author. So for now, it will be unknown.

Avoid regret for a man that has the freedom to follow his dreams, and does. Feel empathy for those who live under the illusion that they are trapped in prisons, and don’t.

Quote applicable to current event

2007-09-19T16:12:00.001-04:00

"Those who wish to sacrifice essential liberties for a bit of temporary security deserve neither and will likely lose both." - Benjamin Franklin

Current Event: Andrew Meyer at John Kerry Event at the University of Florida.

Please disregard the F-bomb and the unnecessary "God Bless America" Garbage at the end of the video. I think the editor of this video went a bit far.

Peaceful Image

2007-09-13T10:25:00.001-04:00

Click on the Picture for Image Information

Real Men of Genius

2007-09-11T15:55:00.000-04:00

Friends. Gone are the days of a quality Big 10 Conference. After UF's dismantling of OSU in front of a national audience, USC's shellacking of Michigan in the Rose Bowl, and Michigan's stellar start to the season at 0-2, it's sad days for the mideasters.

In light of that, somebody came up with a Bud Light Real Men of Genius spin off. So read the words below, and make sure you sing it to yourself. It's way funnier. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can listen to some old commercials here.

So without further ado...

Bud Light presents Real Men of Genius

(Reeeeaaal Men of Genius)

Today we salute you, Mr. Delusional Michigan Fan

(Mr. Delusional Michigan Faaaaaan!)

Season after season, year after year, you try to

justify your absurdly high preseason ranking

(clutching at straws!)

Season after season, year after year, you scramble

to make futile attempt

sat damage control when the Wolverines lose to a

grossly inferior opponent

(How'd Appalachian State score Thirty Fouuuuur?)

Inevitably, you'll bring up the past, boast of

National Championships won 40

years before you were born

(those were thedaaaaaays!)

You will point out that you have more wins than any

other program as though

that is relevant to the current season

(been playingsince the 1870's)

Go on, ignore that loss to Ohio State in the regular

season finale andcontinue to believe that you'll defeat your bowl

opponent with striking ease

(we'll win by thirteeeeeey!)

So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, oh Emperor of

Excuses, and take comfort

knowing that when you finish ranked number twenty,

you'll be back to numberfive when the preseason polls come out next year

(Mr. Delusional MichiganFan!)

many hands make light work.

2007-08-23T08:23:00.001-04:00

Black Truss Markings

2007-08-20T09:07:00.000-04:00

While working on some stuff around the house this weekend, the question arose of what those little black diamonds were every 19-3/16." The question was brought to work today and answered by the greatness that is Wikipedia.

"One little-known feature on most tape measures is
a small black diamond that appears every 19.2 inches, known as the 'black truss'
markings. This is used to mark out an equal five trusses per standard eight-foot
sheet of building material. (8 feet, or 96 inches, divided by 5 is 19.2
inches.)"
So under a normal 8-ft piece of plywood, if there are 5 spaces, there will be 6 different supports. And you don't even have to figure out the correct spacing to be exact. How sweet is that? I for one, can't wait to build a roof in the near future, because it will be soooo much more efficient.

Lessons from Nature 1, Extremes = adaptation/evolution

2007-08-14T23:18:00.000-04:00

To live in a different kind of way requires adaptation. What do you mean, right?

Are we searching for a different kind of kingdom with a different kind of king? Or are we happy with the world as it now is?

What must be stripped away? This question has been asked before, and I don't endeavor to answer that question for you; only to say this: all the normal trees in the forest are different than this tree. The other ones would die up there. The tree's also not very big, but it's anchored well.

I've lately been freed from some naivete regarding helping people. It doesn't make you feel better for long, and sometimes it makes you feel worse and hopeless, like how's this ever going to change? I wish I knew. My buddy Tim has a great signature at the ends of his e-mails. It goes like this (and given my options I think I prefer this to luxurious self-indulgence):

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." --Mother Theresa

"We can do no great things, so let us fail with great enthusiasm!" --Tim Miller

Don't get it? You should've taken Calc 2

2007-08-08T08:28:00.001-04:00

This is an excerpt from an actual test. You might have to click to enlarge. Enjoy

I got a masters degree for this?

2007-08-07T12:43:00.000-04:00

Seriously though. I enjoy it.

Another one bites the dust...

2007-07-31T14:09:00.000-04:00

Young Ben Lavin (pictured center in the all white, obviously) got married this weekend in Cool, California. It was a good time. The author particularly enjoys the mountains and quality weather of said california. God Bless you and Kamy, Ben.

I always knew women talked too much to be healthy

2007-07-24T08:20:00.001-04:00

Honestly, if you're offended by the title, you should really consider taking yourself a little less seriously.

Heard about this on NPR last week and found it rather intriguing. Apparently, young women are prone to co-rumination in over-abundance, leading to further problems and worsened mental state.

Now, it seemed this was too good to be true (and it was). The hope was to have irrefutible evidence that whenever a female said something I didn't like, I could simply cite this research and inform them of their mistake. :D

Sadly enough, talking about your problems isn't a bad thing. Only talking about them too much.

Ah well, there's always next year...

Church essential number one: Brokenness/Wholeness

2007-07-21T13:26:00.000-04:00

It seems a key element in any kind of effective church is the ability to grieve healthily. A corporate outpouring of this character is stoked by all of the individuals' willingness to sit in hard places, and believe and hope for redemption.

I believe God has an inner fire in each of us, but so often we let it die because we are broken by life, sadness, pain...

A friend of mine once related a similar situation to me using an analogy of a broken glass (paraphrased):

"Sam for such a long time, all I could do was sit and say look at the broken glass; what am I going to do? My glass is broken...After some time, I realized there was glue, and the glass could be put back together. It wouldn't be put back together, though, without blood-without your hands being cut over and over again. It also would never look the same as it did before. How could it? with glue holding glass together like mortar with bricks. However, it can again serve its purpose." That purpose? A vessel. "Be filled and spill" also comes to mind. This cannot happen if we believe we, in and of ourselves, can do it. We can't. We break, we weary, we despair. But there is much to say for our past pains becoming strengths that can be used by a perfect Creator as he deems fit. Not for our own glory, but for his own. We are broken, but our brokenness can be made new, can be re-sculpted for good (what was intended for evil).

(I'm really thinking out loud here and trying to dream a little bit. I welcome your input and thoughts, criticisms and questions. I'm hoping to think of more of these and bring them together for a more cohesive whole.)

Good things can come from Nebraska

2007-07-20T07:48:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: The author obviously does not believe the implication from the title. Knowing many people from Nebraska (some, good friends, and most, good people), the author knows better. However the craft shown in the photo represents one of the not so good things to come out of Nebraska.

Remember the days of Freedom. Creighton Blue Jays keeping it real. This is a great tool for people who need help getting into a routine.

Considerations of Late...A visual representation

2007-07-19T10:06:00.001-04:00

This has been spurred by readings and conversations of late.

Will Ferrell doing George Bush on Global Warming

2007-07-17T14:12:00.000-04:00

Yes, you should watch this.

Going green with your H20 (Public Service Announcement)

2007-07-17T08:57:00.000-04:00

It has come to the attention of the author that many people (the author chief among the offenders) use far too many disposable containers to hold food and beverage.

Sure it's easy to just grab a plastic cup or plate and throw it away, but it would be a whole lot better to ease up on filling landfills and the like and lessen our need for mass quantities of plastic. It's also cheaper.

There are other alleged repercussions involving the ways in which we live affecting things like cancer in humans. Some of these questions are raised by Michael Sleeth of A Rocha

He also gave a good talk about Conservationism, simplicity, and a bit about the whole cancer thing. You can find it here (you'll want July 8th, "Serve God Save the Planet"). The sermons around this one are also intriguing.

The picture above illustrates some of the author's efforts to change the way he effects the world around him. Small yes (well the liter mug isn't small, but the effort is). Is it a little odd to use a beer glass for water in the workplace? Maybe, but it's also a great way to start a good conversation about taking care of what we've been given. Appreciating our blessings without exploiting them.

Revel in it friends...

2007-07-16T00:51:00.000-04:00

You always want what you can't have. Crap that's funny.

What's interesting to me is that nobody ever broaches the topic (mainly because it's not funny, exciting, or interesting) of what happens when people go get the thing they don't need simply because they can't have it. Usually they're left holding responsibility for some crap they didn't want. Think about it.

Giving other blogs a bump...

2007-07-16T00:02:00.001-04:00

Since the staff of "Common" Sense has realized the mass quantity of humanity which comprises its readership (read diminutive at best), they have decided to issue virtual shout-outs to other blogs of note (biased or not).

Kyle and Michelle, parents of ridiculously over-cute children have updated their blog with numerous posts and also changed addresses. Give the family some love...

While the author is a bit bothered that they have taken the URL which was obviously created for keeping track of the life and times of the prodigious offspring of the author, there are certainly other options, so no hard feelings you guys.

Effectiveness

2007-07-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

Gordo Byrn has a great article on personal planning. You can find it here.

Ah google, you had me at "I'm feeling lucky"

2007-07-11T09:04:00.000-04:00

The author honestly feels a little bad about his inordinate affection for google. But he's torn. He loves the company which continues to improve its offerings and thus continues to have the author's support.

The author justifies his technological romance by not clicking on the ads (but it's not really true, sometimes his interest is piqued enough to follow those crazy ads on the side).

Latest in google's laundry list of life simplifying devices is 1-800-GOOG-411. I suppose you could use 800-FREE-411 but why?

The author is a huge fan of google reader, google documents (which you can keep online), and especially iGoogle (a place to bring together all of the googley goodness), but lately has found himself checking back with google labs just to see what's in the works. Ah google, someday I'm sure you'll turn into a cruel blood-sucking mistress, but today, you are my friend.

2007-07-09T10:09:00.000-04:00

Questions (for some reason, I can't get the title bar to work, so this will have to do)

Recommended listening for whenever you get a chance:

Kent Dobson on the Present Kingdom (June 24 2007). You can find it here.

A rallying post

2007-07-03T12:36:00.000-04:00

A selection from an especially solid movie (with some selective editing).

I can’t do this.

I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, … …. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?…But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow.Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, …, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something.

What are we holding on to…?

There’s some good in this world, … And it’s worth fighting for.

Hard and Soft Power

2007-07-02T14:53:00.000-04:00

Ah the beauty of a good article. Truth and balance can warm the soul. Enjoy the 4th.

Picture by Kevin Kallaugher

Late Father's Day Tribute

2007-06-28T10:42:00.001-04:00

In the first picture, you'll see my father and myself taking part in one of our favorite pasttimes: micturating into large bodies of water. Not really. In fact, we were actually at Lake Erie for a family wedding, and it was about 10-15 deg F cooler up on the lake than everywhere else in the greater Rochester Area.

Unlike many people, I'm grateful to be able to say truthfully that my father is a good man. To the man who taught me how to be a man: Thanks dad.

Postlogue: My brother's a pretty good dad too.

Telling you things you might already know...

2007-06-26T11:36:00.000-04:00

Ahem: There are still good people in America.

[Please don't interpret this as some kind of theological stand on the goodness of man (The author has not lost his mind in the last couple weeks).]

US charitable giving set a new record in 2006. A selection from the article above:

The overall increase for the year was 4.2 percent, or one percent adjusted for inflation. But if disaster gifts are excluded from the 2005 total, giving in 2006 rose 6,6 percent.The record-setting gift total in 2006 included $1,9-billion from billionaire Buffett, the world's third wealthiest individual, in the first installment on a 20-year pledge of more than $30-billion to four foundations."While headlines focus on 'mega-gifts', they represented 1,3 percent of the total," said George Ruotolo, chair of the Giving Institute."About 65 percent of households with incomes lower than $100 000 give to charity. That is higher than the percentage who vote or read a Sunday newspaper.""There certainly is a tradition of supporting nonprofit organizations in the United States," Jolly told AFP."It's just characteristic of the American public to give to the extent that they're able contribute."

This is not to say that America doesn't have a long way to go, because with much privilege comes much responsibility, but it does give you the right to think reasonably and with the solid cranium you were born with as opposed to just feeling guilty and bad about yourself everytime some moron reporter writes something because he wants to make people who make more money than him feel bad (oops, did I say that?)

Give generously, Live simply, Love your neighbor. Peace.

Interrogating God...

2007-06-06T21:11:00.000-04:00

First up, you need to read the passage below: an uncanonized piece of "scripture", if you will relating a similar tale to the one we might read in Job.

Two quick asides:

1) Isn't it funny that Job is named Job, and he gets worked over by the devil? I think it's interesting when looking at the curse of how work affects our lives, relationships, and spirits.

2) Way to go Catholics! Keeping alive the book of Tobit. In addition, keeping alive some of the beauty and goodness of God by showing appreciation and respect for art, non-Canon literature, "secular" culture, etc. I deeply admire the ability to acknowledge and uplift other parts of the body which point to the Creator, regardless of minor differences, or subtle nuances which might create personal difficulty in telling a simple and easy story. This is far from a full description, so take it easy on the criticism of this paragraph.

So now we come to it, the point of the post. And it is.....have some respect for God. We have so many questions and difficulties. We question whether He is at work in His world. We question His goodness. We think we know better. A lot like Orual(sp?) in one of Lewis's lesser known works. Read it if you haven't. Just know you might have to work through the middle. It isn't as easy as his books normally are. But at the end, orual wants to destroy the God because it wronged her and took away her life in the way that she most wanted it. She had no appetite for understanding mystery. Only her correctness. In the end, she is brought before the God, and files her list of complaints (but it is really only one complaint, that she didn't get what she wanted), and after some time the truth becomes painfully obvious to her. We are not Gods. We do not get to be God. If we believe that or are working for that, we need to go ahead and shut it down now at worst as an act of self-preservation.

He is real. He is bigger than you and I, and all our garbage we think can hold him up. He simply.....is.

Tb 3:1-11a, 16-17aGrief-stricken in spirit, I, Tobit, groaned and wept aloud.Then with sobs I began to pray:“You are righteous, O Lord,and all your deeds are just;All your ways are mercy and truth;you are the judge of the world.And now, O Lord, may you be mindful of me,and look with favor upon me.Punish me not for my sins,nor for my inadvertent offenses,nor for those of my ancestors. “We sinned against you,and disobeyed your commandments.So you handed us over to plundering, exile, and death,till you made us the talk and reproach of all the nationsamong whom you had dispersed us.“Yes, your judgments are many and truein dealing with me as my sinsand those of my ancestors deserve.For we have not kept your commandments,nor have we trodden the paths of truth before you.“So now, deal with me as you please,and command my life breath to be taken from me,that I may go from the face of the earth into dust.It is better for me to die than to live,because I have heard insulting calumnies,and I am overwhelmed with grief.“Lord, command me to be delivered from such anguish;let me go to the everlasting abode;Lord, refuse me not.For it is better for me to diethan to endure so much misery in life,and to hear these insults!”On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media,it so happened that Raguel’s daughter Sarahalso had to listen to abuse,from one of her father’s maids.For she had been married to seven husbands,but the wicked demon Asmodeus killed them offbefore they could have intercourse with her,as it is prescribed for wives.So the maid said to her:“You are the one who strangles your husbands!Look at you!You have already been married seven times,but you have had no joy with any one of your husbands.Why do you beat us? Is it on account of your seven husbands,Because they are dead?May we never see a son or daughter of yours!”The girl was deeply saddened that day,and she went into an upper chamber of her house, where she planned to hang herself.But she reconsidered, saying to herself:“No! People would level this insult against my father:‘You had only one beloved daughter,but she hanged herself because of ill fortune!’And thus would I cause my father in his old ageto go down to the nether world laden with sorrow.It is far better for me not to hang myself,but to beg the Lord to have me die,so that I need no longer live to hear such insults.”At that time, then, she spread out her hands,and facing the window, poured out her prayer:“Blessed are you, O Lord, merciful God,and blessed is your holy and honorable name.Blessed are you in all your works for ever!”At that very time, the prayer of these two suppliantswas heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God.So Raphael was sent to heal them both:to remove the cataracts from Tobit’s eyes,so that he might again see God’s sunlight;and to marry Raguel’s daughter Sarah to Tobit’s son Tobiah,and then drive the wicked demon Asmodeus from her.

A few quick pointers

2007-05-31T16:06:00.001-04:00

Sometimes one remembers good days, sometimes one remembers bad days, and sometimes one remembers strange days. Today was such a time.

Recollected today is the key to young bachelorhood: Eat whatever together and get creative. Space is limited. Time is essential. Dry Ramen is always a good option. If the cash flow is low, it has been found that a hot dog bun filled with mustard and relish is almost as good as a hot dog and has approximately 1/3 of the calories. Never forget that salad dressing and a loaf of bread can go a long way. Ditto for BBQ sauce, mustard, ketchup, syrup, whatever. This is a fully utilitarian issue. Just make it happen. I for one, just nostalgically ate a hot dog bun with pickles, mustard and a dash of ketchup. Ah the good ol' days...

Peace and Punishment, a not so Common Sense thing

2007-05-24T09:41:00.001-04:00

It is a difficult thing, forgiveness. It's also a very difficult thing to not punish wrongdoers. Is there compromise? Does it depend on the outcome. Is peace the greatest good, or just a figment of our imaginations? If we offer amnesty, do we encourage more violence by evil people (read: if there is no punishment/discipline, what's to keep people from repeating the offense?)

How do we move on when so much wrong has been done by all sides?

What hope is there to answer the injustice? This is a brief venting of frustrations. I believe the best answer is to work to prevent most of these things from ever happening (Easier said than done, I know). But how do we do that? I don't know, but there are some things I'm willing to do to attempt to sway myself from apathy.

1. Be Content. I don't need your stuff.

2. Promote Peace in my relationships

3. Promote Peace with my words and actions in other public spheres.

4. Find new ways to be an agent of change for good.

It might be, It could be....

2007-05-23T14:45:00.001-04:00

Caught behind 2B by Ryne Sandberg. This one's for Sammy B. I'll call soon.

harry

Philosophy 101, the laughing way...

2007-05-22T15:06:00.000-04:00

Do you want this book? I know I do. Heard this guy on NPR this weekend, and he was hilarious. Best part is, the jokes were funny even if you didn't know the philosophical concept. (Which was about 50% of them for me).

The Power of Perpetuity

2007-05-21T08:08:00.000-04:00

Sam, why must you strange conjugations of words? Because I must, because I must.

Have you ever asked yourself or realized at some salient moment that you've forgotten so many things that were simple and true and made your life better, but were let go of because they were either too simple or just a little below you?

Let's try to say this another way: ever noticed how crappy pop songs can get stuck in your head forever? (Hey now, you're an all-star... or Girl you're my angel, you're my darlin' angel, closer than my peeps you are to me-e, ooh ooh). I hope I didn't just ruin your day reading those, but the point is clear: our minds are affected by the things we allow to consume them, so what are we consumed with? Is it truth? Is it life-giving? If you had kids, or people you really wanted to be healthy and live a good (whom you influence), would you put the things in their head that you let rule your inner monologue? A few words to focus on and repeat to oneself during a day can make a monumental difference. Truth and Peace. Mercy and Hope. Passion and Justice. Grace and Patience. Belief and Love.

What fills your mind and defines your daily movements?

Sam welcomes himself to the ranks of the pseudo-technorati

2007-05-16T12:27:00.000-04:00

Yes, you should check this out. I never understood (until now) why all these websites had this "RSS feed" thing.

I believed it was just some more nonsense known by people who know the shortcut keys to order an espresso prepared with love by their computer.

I. Was. Wrong. Check out google reader. It's cool. It will save you time. Etc.

The 2nd Quarter (That's right OH, your time is now)

2007-05-15T10:49:00.000-04:00

Ohio, ohio, ohio...when will you learn? "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers?" Alright, I get the Wright brothers; but do you know why they went to Kitty Hawk? 1: They needed to see the sunshine to jumpstart their minds again, and 2: ohio's dynamic topography didn't allow them to get a start for their flight. I have two options for Ohio. The first involves the things that Ohioans will brag on for why their state is awesome: a) Cedar Point: roller coasters? c'mon and of course the ever ubiquitous and logically sound b) because it is. There. see. That's great. I propose small script and bullet point style memo. The second option is really the one I would go with were I in charge. But as I don't have the moral flexibility to move to Ohio like some people (ahem..Tim ) might, this obviously will never occur. Be that as it may, here's how it should go down. Have you seen these quarters that are all colored in on the back side? Ohio needs one of those with the whole background just straight, flat, grey. There would then be two people walking in a field of mud with the stalks cut talking about killing themselves. Then one would say "Look I think it's the sun!" The other (obviously suffering from SAD) would say "No it's just the nuclear fallout coloring the clouds from the Mistake by the Lake." (For those who don't know, a.ka. Cleveland)

Before some of you go and get all sensitive about things like what state you're from, I'll go ahead and bash my state's quarter (although they went pretty straight forward and in line with how it should be: state song, obvious landmark, business, etc.)

KY sports the title to its state song which speaks of another time (one in which certain wordings and activities were deemed acceptable), A horse, a mansion, rolling hills, and a KY farm style fence. Now, this is all admittedly very neck (and a solid representation of a majority of people in this fine state IMO), but according to state representatives, it still had a purpose: Tourism. At least KY gets that. Granted, tourism in KY is in my opinion like an icemaker in antarctica, but at least they're trying and not straying off the path. Here's to you KY.

Armpit states of America, watch out.

For the Married Peeps out there...

2007-05-15T08:13:00.000-04:00

"Like everything which is not the involuntary result of fleeting emotion but the creation of time and will, any marriage, happy or unhappy, is infinitely more interesting than any romance, however passionate."

-- W.H. Auden

Mmmm...I'm hongry!

2007-05-12T10:09:00.000-04:00

What do you want? Stop looking at me! So what if I do have an inordinately large head relative to my hind quarters! Get off my back!

More is Less

2007-05-11T06:59:00.000-04:00

No, that's not a usage error of the colloquialism in the title. It's the beginning of a question. In regards to making money, having things, and doing things, why do we constantly need more? It often requires more of our time to work extra hours for more money, to take care of the things we've bought which we don't need or use. Yet we as a culture are still obsessed with it. It's very easy (and not that inaccurate IMO) that one of the reasons it's done is to avoid slowing down and facing the fears of silence, simplicity, and calm. The problem is that this way of life has no true center and roams around the spirit like a devil pac-man eating up any substance that exists until all that remains is a shell, just a sketch of the former and intended whole person. The difficulty arises in having to say no, in having to pay bills, in feeling the need to maintain the "everything's just fine (even though I'm losing my mind)" view for the world to see.

All the time and money that we've accumulated has done nothing but rob us of true purpose. The things and the love of money do not inherently bring life. In fact, the opposite is the case more often than not. To walk away from a world of wealth is a difficult thing. But is it worth your soul?

Humor Time

2007-05-09T08:45:00.000-04:00

You must and I mean must read this post on a discussion forum about bees. If this picture isn't enough to whet your appetite so you go to read it, I just don't know what else to do.

I would say. "Wow. Kentucky!" But this is in FL.

Quarter for your thoughts...

2007-05-03T08:10:00.000-04:00

Do you ever wonder who gets together to come up with these things? The author sure does. Most of the state-themed quarters are pretty innocuous, even a nice changeup from the norm. They make the general claims and identify their state by what most know it. Texas has a lone star on it, Delaware has the first state, Washington references its natural beauty. The real issue arises when states make outlandish claims. In the crosshairs today is the great state of Iowa. Their quarter, minted in 2004 shows what appears to be a one room schoolhouse. A teacher is outside with some students, and they are planting a tree. In the background are rolling hills, and above the schoolhouse are emblazoned these words: "FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION."

A couple of things really stick out here. First, the rolling hills seem to me a bit off for a place like Iowa. I've been there. It's flat. I must've missed the hills. I'll give them benefit of the doubt here.

The real issue though is the foundation of education part. I understand that Iowa stresses education, and they place relatively high in test scores, but for goodness' sake people! You were the 29th state. In the early years of this nation, you were considered "The West!" Maybe their education never prompted them to understand what foundation means. I like definition 5a the best: "A body or ground upon which something is built up or overlaid." Now I could maybe buy some of the foundation thing based on standardized testing, but when a place like Harvard was founded (and named Harvard) roughly 200 years before you became a state, the foundation tag just seems a bit off.

Personally, I would've gone with "fueling the future" (However ridiculous the actual proposition is) and had a picture of a person jamming some corn on the cob into a car's fuel tank. It would've been awesome. I was here all along Iowa, and you missed your chance to ask. "Foundation of education." Honestly!

Next in the crosshairs: Indiana.

Dissonance

2007-05-02T07:28:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to post about some challenges I've encountered in the past year dealing with things that should be part of a normal Christian mindset (Love, hope, preserving the natural world, encouraging freedom and justice, wholeness and hope, etc.) In addition to that, had hoped to make some points about what flowed out of those things. People who eat better, drive better, exercise and think critically and with a keen mind. I still hope to do that, but Zach beat me to it. You should check his post on eschatology and diverging views.

Baby tossing and mad skills...

2007-05-01T07:57:00.000-04:00

There seems to be some general frustration with Cullum baby tossing that has been received either via comment or e-mail by the author of this sub-par blog. As an example to my comments regarding tossing and balance from the last post, I give you my cousin Matt. I also give you evidence that baby tossing works. Just watch the video.

The fam

2007-04-30T14:44:00.000-04:00

This picture was snapped outside of Sonny's in Largo, FL on friday night. One of the great child tosses ever.

In other news. Uncle Sam is now an uncle for the 3rd time. Eli Joseph was born April 30th, weighing in at a strong 8 lbs, 7 oz and 21" in length. Good on ya mate!

Stripping...get your mind out of the gutter

2007-04-23T08:28:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try to pull together a couple ideas here. First, it would likely be helpful if you read John 6. This chapter shows how Jesus broke up a large portion of his following by saying things that he knew would be offensive to them (I wish I could say I thought of this on my own, but I didn't. Check out the messages Deconstruction and Reconstruction from Mars Hill Bible Church about 2 years ago). It is reminiscent of the story of Gideon and his men taking on the Midianites(Judges 6 and 7).

Another story of note comes from the Chronicles of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. One of the characters is turned into a dragon, and in order to return to his human state, a lion must shred all of the skin, scales and natural dragon protection off of him. He must then bathe in a nearby water source.

There is one common theme among these three stories: after the stripping, something emerges. And what emerges is a core, a nucleus, a true locus.

I realize I have in no way expounded on this in any kind of exhaustive sense, but there's some research and thought that can go into this. What needs to be stripped away? What is essential? How do we protect ourselves from true abandon and thus push away a God in whom we say we believe?

Also relevant to this discussion is the need to be a force for good when people are going through things like this. May we not try to fit people into our understanding of God, but instead lift up and rely on Him to supply for their needs, not ourselves. In other words, speak words of life, not those of death and condemnation.

This week's sign the apocalypse is nigh...

2007-04-19T23:24:00.000-04:00

You might have to click on the photo and zoom to see that bumper sticker, but just in case; it says "It's God's job to judge the terrorists; it's our job to arrange the meeting." - Marines

Two questions:

1) What makes us believe in the myth of redemptive violence? What I mean to say is, how do we expect violence to beget anything but violence. (I'm not saying there aren't things worth fighting for, but we should be, if anything, very sober about being at war)

2) Isn't this the same idea the terrorists have about us? hmmm.

Cornhole for Life

2007-04-17T08:33:00.000-04:00

For those of you thinking, "that Sam is always so crass and today is simply another example!", I'm gonna need you to simma down. I am not in fact being crass, but merely supporting a good cause. Cancer is a terrible thing. Don't get me wrong; Conspiracy theorist Sam questions the support for research and discovery by pharmaceutical companies with obvious conflicts of interest. What with cancer being a multi-million/billion dollar industry. Let's look past that today.

Today is the annual ACS Relay for Life Cornhole tournament fundraiser, and I for one am excited. Not solely because it's actually warm here again. No, no, but because I'm paired with our 70+ year old golf-addicted (but a really nice guy) Janitor. "Why", you may ask "are you excited, Sam?" Because this guy is one of the few who feel compelled to mess with his bosses, especially on things like this. Probably also because this man has made phrases such as "That's what she said" things of lore, but I digress. First round matchup, we've got one co-worker, and one of the family owners of the company. Needless to say, my partner will be down on the end of this guy givin' him he (+) *2 hockey sticks all day. Life is good.

Race Report from the Columbus 1/2 marathon

2007-04-16T08:01:00.000-04:00

If you would like to read from the perspective of a friend of mine who I paced in this race you may find it here. In other news, running races at exertion rates below normal is pretty fun. Also, two guys tied for the win of the 1/2 marathon. That's pretty sweet.

What Sam will look like running tomorrow...

2007-04-13T12:24:00.000-04:00

Just in case you were curious, Sam's not the guy on the sled; he's one of the dogs. A little half marathon and the weather forecast looks great: High 43 with rain and snow.

This is what Sam will feel like when he's done.

I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with Sam. He knows it's going to be cold, and wishes the weather were better, but for some reason doesn't care, and is really looking forward to runnning in the freezing cold and precipation. Pleas pray for Sam as he obviously has some serious issues with which he needs to deal before he can again become a functioning member of society.

What if...

2007-04-09T09:35:00.000-04:00

(This will hopefully become a feature of hope and vision, but we'll see...)

What if we were an unquestioned force for good in the world? What if, instead of caring more about our control, wealth, and status quo, we were more interested in being revolutionaries for the causes of freedom, justice, hope, and redemption? What if our morals and actions were unimpeachable?

How would this change people around us? How would people react if they didn't feel like we came for a fight, but rather with only an agenda of service? How would they react to the word Christian? Would it change the world?

Interlude

2007-04-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

I just think these goats look awesome! If you disagree, I'm sorry to have troubled you and taken your time............................No. I'm really not.

Here, now, but what about tomorrow?

2007-04-03T12:37:00.000-04:00

It is difficult to remove many of the sources of noise from one's life. It is especially difficult in the modern mindset to fiercefully guard times of true relaxation. The battle is largely within the self, as silence and calm is a thing to be feared. It is a challenge to go there, to be quiet, to sit, but is something we all must do if we hope to truly have peace.

Something many people struggle with, myself fully included is the question of "what's next?" It's so hard not to ask, not to want to know, not to have the drop on the guy next to you... But today has enough troubles of its own, and it will take care of itself. We have but to realize that we are in fact the people we are right now. We will do different things, think different things, know different things; but who we are is who we are. We must stop lying to ourselves about the person we are and face facts. Be honest and stop cutting ourselves slack. Look at our own lives with the same keen and critical eye we see others. Change is possible, but even that ability or desire to change is part of who you are right now. If you're currently unwilling to undergo painful change, then you will likely remain that way and always speak of things you will or could do differently. For those of us who can't say anything without it having a futurist bent, it can be put a different way: we are the people we are becoming. May the mysterious and merciful peace of God rest in our minds.

Rites of Spring

2007-04-03T01:14:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are obviously communists, you wouldn't understand this, so just disregard. For those true red-blooded americans among us, yesterday was opening day.

You know, more thought reveals to me that baseball holds a strange dichotomy: the ridiculous salaries of today's players have changed the interaction of player and fan, but baseball still represents a sport that is altogether different from the other major sports (except for maybe soccer, which is interminably boring to watch). The regal pace of the game holds value for those of us who appreciate the fact that a conversation can be had, relaxation and company can be enjoyed, and a sporting event can take place all at the same time. Here's to slow games, summer afternoons, and rest.

Spring in KY

2007-03-31T18:24:00.000-04:00

Spring is here. Life from Death. Redemption. Fresh Air. Beauty in Nature. Blessings!

You want a piece of this guy?

2007-03-30T10:34:00.000-04:00

I didn't think so. Get back to work...

Truth's Treasure

2007-03-29T08:02:00.000-04:00

The Lenten readings for this morning involved 2 rather interesting passages: Jeremiah 26:1-6 and Romans 11:1-12. You should read them if you haven't already (it'll really help you understand what I'm writing about, or maybe just make you disagree with me. That and I've linked them here for you so it's soooo easy).

Jeremiah speaks the word of the Lord in the city and the hearers of his message summarily decide he needs to die because he has spoken "against the city!" Oooooohh, the city... After a little bit, they do figure out that maybe they shouldn't kill him like they did most other prophets who said things they didn't like, but the point is made. Do you see it? The city is the thing on which the people are staking their hope and salvtion. They've made it into a god. "Someone is speaking against the city? Kill him!"

Mortar fades, walls fall, comfort will leave, and riches will be exhausted. "The City"??

And if you read the excerpt from Romans, you might get why I ask this: what are these things that cause us to ignore reality? To say, "you can't say that. That will upset the delicate balance I've struck. What are those little (or large) parts of our lives to which we pay homage, be it mental, emotional, or monetary. Because apparently, there's a remnant of those who will seek truth over their comfort. I'd rather be on the good side of truth than always happy for 60 years.

The myth of an easy life

2007-03-26T15:58:00.000-04:00

Ever talk to people who think life should be easy? Ever talk to someone who thinks the man is trying to keep them down? I know I have, and I think it's one of the more interesting parts of the human condition because it delves so deeply into what we deserve. I find myself doing this from time to time, especially with God; but that's something for a whole other time.

Erwin McManus, a preacher and writer in L.A. who works in the inner city made some interesting observations in one of his messages. He commented that one pervasive idea amongst the people he worked with was that rich people, famous people, and successful people had never been forced to endure hardship. That very few recognized that to be successful (in whatever way it is defined), discipline, focus, toughness, and timing must all be involved.

My $0.02 is that often people know the things they need to do to make their life better, but fear of the unknown and resistance to change handicaps this potential. We must be willing to suffer through painful change in order to become the people we are meant and were created to be.

Birthday Time

2007-03-26T10:08:00.000-04:00

My niece Prema's 8th birthday was last week. Kid's birthdays are so much more fun than adults.

Aaaaahhhh! The Sky is falling! The sky is falling! oh wait....I guess we're okay

2007-03-21T08:49:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking of starting a website named rampantyahooism.org. Why you ask when there are such quality institutions such as mythbusters and the like? Maybe that's why the blog is so aptly named with it's URL. (quick disclaimer: I've said some stupid things, so I'm not casting stones, just a foam ball or two)Here's the question: do people actually think about the questions people might ask when they say things? I would put forth to you that in fact, no they do not. I'm at work this morning filling my plastic water bottle out of the hard plastic water cooler container. A co-worker walks by (not a particularly popular one for obvious reasons) and says "you know you shouldn't re-use plastic bottles to drink water."
Sam: Oh really? Why not?
Co-worker: The plastic leaches into the water. It's okay to do the first time. You just shouldn't re-use it.
Sam: Hmmm....( this is the end of the conversation as I ran to my desk to avoid more nonsense and was thinking "that sure does sound crazy!")
#1: How is a steady state plastic going to get more dangerous between its first and second use? I can buy that heated plastic is no good, but that bottle probably sat in a hot warehouse somewhere at some point, and it's almost always at room temperature for me. Think about it.
#2: Shouldn't we be far more worried about actually drinking enough water instead of worrying about the relatively insignificant number of toxins (if it is in fact true)? I think this part probably should not apply to pregnant women as babies are pretty susceptible to this stuff. Little different for non-pregnant adults (like men, for instance).

So a quick bit of internet research (avoiding of course the plastics website and looking for slightly more respectable sources) yielded the following from Johns Hopkins (interestingly enough, the locale often blamed for originally telling people not to drink out of plastic bottles. )

http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/halden_dioxins.html

About 10 minutes later, another co-worker, who usually would be smarter than this, sent me an e-mail about Ericsson giving away free laptops if you just send this e-mail to 8 people and copy the person that works at ericsson. Oh and you'll get a better model if you make that 20.

Quick questions

#1: A publicly traded tech company is going to give away countless numbers of laptops ( a high-dollar item) for free? Or not so much

#2: So you copy this employee in an e-mail. No home address, no phone number, She's just gonna get back to you with that computer in a couple weeks with the millions of recipients and senders that are inevitably included in this mess? Right...

So some more quick internet research revealed the following:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/ericsson.asp

I'm just saying. Please ask the question why. It can save everyone a lot of trouble and wasted seconds on the internet (where everything is true).

God in the daily

2007-03-14T16:41:00.000-04:00

This is a developing thought, so please bear with the (normal) sub-par writing and thought progression.

Before reading the rest of this post, you need to go watch two 10-sec videos on Tim's page. 1) Gabe working some drumbeats on a couple pots and pans.

http://tdmiller.wordpress.com/2007/03/12/back-with-another-one-a-them-block-rockin-beats/

2) Gabe and Tim playing around screaming "Ba-dah!"

http://tdmiller.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/ba-dahhh/

I must have watched each of this videos at least 10-15 times and smiled and laughed and felt good. There's something right and chairos (sp?) about what is portrayed. Note the seriousness in Gabe's face while drumming. He's focused, but he does it because he enjoys it and also because he knows Dad loves it. Now look at his face during Ba-Dah. Pretty easy to tell how much he's loving it, right?

I often wonder what we look like to God. It's not really any of my business, but there have to be times like these for Him. Times where we are doing things to glorify him, where he can't help but smile. But I'm really interested in the other times. The times where we sit around and laugh and enjoy life and humor and relationship.

Don't forget to look for it...

Mini, digital vacations

2007-03-13T12:33:00.000-04:00

A friend recently brought an interesting web site to my attention. You can search for any place on earth (almost), and pictures will come up that someone has taken there. Great pictures. Check it out at http://www.trekearth.com/

Here's a little sampling...

A dilapidated concrete pier

bahamas

Flooring pics for Isaac & one new addition

2007-03-07T17:42:00.000-05:00

The nephew has been quite curious about the thing that caused "da-ey" to travel to Kentucky to see Uncle Sam. Isaac also inquired as to when sam could come play. Just another month and change buddy. Home improvement is fun...

Kyle and Sam getting their groove on and showing off their fine hind-ends in the freshly laid living room.

The new guardian of Sam's computer - The BA fan company burro. Nobody's messin' with me now...

The living room still in progress

The dust that formed during the process.

Jon revels in his glory after doing some smooth saw work - especially on that beveled edge.

The threshhold between rooms

Kyle and Sam once again exhibiting the skills that made them famous. Or whatever...

It's Miller Time

2007-03-06T15:21:00.000-05:00

And now he's entered the blogosphere... Tim, ladies and gentlemen.

http://tdmiller.wordpress.com/

Enjoy.

Decaf..good for the soul

2007-02-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

So about a month ago, I got off the caffeine. I now sleep better, take more time to relax, have more energy at work, and generally enjoy my life more. I'm just saying: think about it.

Hope battles back...

2007-02-12T22:42:00.000-05:00

Ever struggle with a feeling of fading away? Ever wonder if you can and will make the changes in life that define the kind of person you are and are becoming? Ever feel like you close things off because you're more afraid of being hurt than you are hopeful of something reaching its good and right culmination?

What do we do when hope that was once so strong gets broken on the rocks of poor timing, missed opportunity, a bad decision, or sometimes just reality? How do we change for the better if we don't truly believe it will make a difference. What do we do when we're not sure how we'd act even if opportunity were staring us right in the face? We have to dare to hope again. Dare to live again. Dare to be a real person again. We must step out of the world of theory and conversation and into the world of risk, effort, and consequence. We must decide now the people we want to be and go about the task of figuring out how that should be accomplished. That makes me think of something I read lately...

"To know others is intelligence, to know yourself is wisdom."

It seems one of the most difficult things for most people to be is that which should be the easiest: honest with themselves. The next post will touch on this too. A little bit about writing and honesty. But back to hope. We all need it. Some of us need to take other things out to make room for hope to re-enter the picture. Most importantly, the hope needs to become a real part of our thinking, belief and action. To have this hope, we must know who we are.

Further In and Further Up

2007-01-19T07:48:00.000-05:00

If you've ever read C.S. Lewis, you've likely encountered this thought through a fictional media.

On the surface, it would seem that Lewis was referring to higher, deeper, and more core truths (and he likely was). However, the idea can be translated over to another aspect of life and spirituality that is oft misunderstood in western thought (it might be in eastern as well, but a westerner has trouble elaborating on such a point with any sort of validity). The idea is that of holding things in tension and under examination, but still living a life seeking joy, peace, contentment and hope.

This noble-sounding idea encounters its difficulty in the actual practice of life where one encounters pain, chaos, discontent, and despair. So what is one to do? Throw up their hands in disgust and begin to live for themselves? Continue trudging through, and hoping against hope?

C.S. Lewis or the author of Hebrews might say that there is a separation between those who engage this idea with themselves as a god and those who engage it as ones with a high priest who has been made perfect. There is a new contract with a new high priest who strives on our behalf. This should give us hope. Hope for life, hope for the realization of a world where things are not as they are now. In order to truly encounter God and His Kingdom, we must be willing to let the things of this world that are not eternal be shaken off so the Unshakable Kingdom can move to the forefront.

Sharing some Photos

2006-12-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

From Thanksgiving: I'm hoping to get back on posting more regularly

Like Children.

2006-10-02T21:33:00.000-04:00

It's difficult to go very long in the work world without realizing that it often is just killing the soul. "Grow up and act like an adult", is something often uttered in a silent voice in the mind. But doesn't it seem that things are just wrong? That the real person you used to be is being replaced by a robotic unit working for the bottom line.
Another example is in how we relate to others. Many people, myself most guilty among them often live and "love" in ways so as to keep people at a distance. It's not that we don't care, or aren't transparent. It's simply that we've been hurt and just can't really handle it anymore, so we despair and deal with it by denying risk. I don't mean to say whenever somebody doesn't pursue a relationship, it's because they're scared. Often, that gut feeling early on is a pretty good indicator.

But what happened to that kid? That kid with a heart of gold, that kid who cried "daddy", the kid who was willing to throw down with someone twice his size for messing with his brother, and the kid who's not at all ashamed to say, "that's wrong. Here's an idea: in the midst of growing up, the kid felt like he had to change and become fully independent, and to do that, she had to deny other parts of herself. What to do now, when the independence is all that's left?

My only answer is to cry out to God for mercy. To ask for renewal and rebirth. For Humility and grace. It's going to be a long road, but "There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere..." Here's to a different kind of freedom, a different kind of kingdom; one where the heart of a child is honored and longed for.

Better Late than Never...

2006-09-18T23:22:00.000-04:00

Let's keep showing up. Check out Ephesians 2:10 and the link below.

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060812/23668.htm

Gabriel's 2nd B-day Party

2006-09-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

Pizza and 4 straight hours of Gabe play-time makes for a good night.

Ya, and Gabe was sporting the Caveman look all night. Showing off the baby-guns.