Jiminy Crickets

I've probably posted more this week than I have in a month of mondays, and that's no mistake.
So, without further ado, here is a matrimony of the Simpsons (yes, I watch...Homer makes me laugh) and Star Wars.

Enjoy.

Put down your milk glasses.

When it is all said and done.

When it is all said and done, Miss South Carolina will be a You Tube Icon for a long time, right up there with Numa Numa and Star Wars Kid. She will give us many laughs, clearly demonstrating the power of blond.

And, as all of us Airport High School graduates will point out, she graduated from Lexington High.

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Fire!

There is nothing like getting a phone call from your wife telling you the stove is on fire while stuck in traffic.

It wasn't a "drippings" kind of fire, but something that looked more like a sparkler on the fourth of July: white hot, and slowly following the path of the bake element. Cindy emptied the fire extinguisher on it, but to no avail. After hitting every possible stoplight on Greenbrier, I made it home as she decided to call 911 for a little assistance.

As she was talking to the non-911 911 attendants that you get when you sign up for Vonage, it lazily passed through my mind that maybe turning the breaker off might be a good idea. Turns out that not only was it a good idea, it stopped the march of the acetylene light ("a working man works till the industry dies").

I put a call into our appliance guy. Most likely will pay way too much for what I know to be a $30.00 part.

And, it's not every post I get to work a Sting Lyric in!!

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Men as Trees, Walking

Last night, I got a chance to teach the small group lesson. It was a continuation on Mark chapter 8,which includes the healing of the blind man in two stages. During the first stage, the man says he sees men, but the look like walking trees. Jesus touches him again, and the man sees clearly.

I told them the story of Virgil, a man who had his sight restored after being blind for 50 years. He had a cataract removed and a lens replaced. He was able to see, but was confused by what he saw - he couldn't make sense of what he saw.

I suggested that the disciples were like Virgil. They had seen all the miracles, heard the teachings, but still, they had spiritual Agnosia. Aren't we like that too? Is it is because we are looking in a mirror darkly, or maybe God has just not revealed something to us. Jesus extended lots of patience to his twelve; we should have the same patience with ourselves and others.

Men as Trees, Walking would be a great band name.

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Preventive Maintenance

I was all dressed and ready to go this morning, when I felt the dreaded twinge of pain in my neck. It wasn't nearly as bad as it has been when I have had to get muscle relaxers, but I thought I use the heating pad treatment. I did get a chance to watch GMA's "Back to School" feature. The topic was purchasing a laptop for your 5th, 10th and College student. The slant was you need to purchase for your child. When interviewing the different age groups what they use the computer for, you heard: games, music, chatting with friends, movies and an essay. I guess our kids will just have to use the same old computer they used last year (and the year before).

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Godly Watermelon

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food: and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for food: and it was so.
Genesis 1:29-30

Today, Cindy returned from the Farmer's Market with our weekly watermelon. Cutting through the rind revealed the sweet red tissue inside. We started to pick at it when this verse came to mind. God created fruits and vegetables to be our food, and just how perfect they are.

Virginia is for Lovers Campaign

When Cindy told me about this, it sounded like an Apprentice challenge gone horribly wrong.

You probably heard of the "Virginia is for Lovers", with the "O" replaced with a heart. It's been around for as long as I can remember. The state's tourism agency decided to update the slogan by adding "Live Passionately" into the slogan. The ad slicks include a women who is using both hands to make a heart.

Cute enough, right?

Sure, unless some spent $400,000 dollars and didn't realize that the hand symbol was also a sign associated with the Gangster Disciples gang, a Chicago based gang known for its large-scale crack cocaine operations.

Ooops.

Of course, at $400,000, couldn't they come up with something better than "Live Passionately?"

Smallville Crack

I swore that after the "Great Buck Rodgers" disaster last year, I would not let myself get hooked into a new tv dvd series. That has come to an end as I have just added Smallville Season 3 to my Netflix Queue.

With so many discs coming in, I accidentally skipped disc 2 of season 2. This will probably explain some the oddities associated with missing some of the story arc (seriously, I thought I must have fallen asleep).

Anyways, if you haven't seen the show, it plays a lot like Beverly Hills 90210 meets X-Files: Everyone is gorgeous, and there are many Mutants. The mutant motif dies off once the series picks up steam and the character arcs start to develop. So, if you are looking for a new series to get hooked on, try Smallville.

The Club.

When I say "The 700 Club," I can almost hear you groan. But, we live very close to the CBN property, along with Regent University. Just last week, I had a very nice lunch at the Swan Terrace at CBN. One of our friends is a producer for the spanish version of "The 700 Club" (arguably better because of less Pat).

Today, another friend from church has asked to use Cindy and Megan as actresses in a piece that he is producing for air. The piece is on an older lady, and Cindy and Megan will be used as part of a flash back.

Division Champ

Katie did very good at her first show. It was new to all of us, so I will describe the division that she competed.

She entered in the Walk and Trot division. In this division, the rider brings their pony along the outer rail of the arena. Once the riders are in position, an announcement is made that they are now being judged. The judges are looking at the riders' posture: back up straight, heels down, shoulders back, hands still and low.

Then the judges ask the riders to bring the pony to a trot. When the rider transitions from the walk to the trot, they might have to change their diagonals. This basically means that they need to rise and fall with the horse. The judges are scoring the rider and making sure their diagonals are correct.

The riders are asked to turn their ponies around and proceed in the opposite direction. At one point, the judges asked the riders to go into the two-point position.

Finally, the riders line up in the center with their backs to the judges so that they can see the rider's number. A first, second and third place is announced, and then, the process repeats two more times. After the third time, an overall champion is announced.

Katie did a fantastic job. She won first place on the the first two cycles, second place on the third and overall champion for the division.

Personally, as her dad, I was so nervous for her. When she went through the gates, I had to remind myself to breath. I have never been a competitive type, and I am really glad to see both of my girls find themselves in a sport.

So, That's What They Do

Equestrian

Katie has been taking riding lessons for years, but has never been in a show. That's kinda hard if you do not have a horse of your own (or are leasing one). But, she was asked to show a horse on Sunday. Scrambling around, we have pieced the uniform together.

Tighty Whitey

My pal George has put up a blog called Tighty Whitey.

I have known George since the first grade. At one point, I thought George I Pair Elementary School was named after him. He was part of a group of guys that formed what, for lack of a better phrase, my gang. Always the comedian, George has a strong musical talent that took him into the professional world of Christian Rock. Of course, I knew him as part of the duo "Nicholson and Green," and I only recently discovered his alter rockin' life. George also was a guy who taught me the importance of not letting your anger get you, as I once punched him. I know that we have laughed about it since, and all has been forgiven, but it is an instance that shaped me into who I am today. It was not a pleasant lesson.

George recently taught me that Democrats can be Christian too, and God doesn't carry political card for any party. In fact, He authorizes those parties to exists. I made what I thought would be a funny comment, and George took me to task on it. Did I really not know this already? Of course I did, but it also reminded me that I need to be careful about what I write.

But the memory of George that I carry with me was an event after my sister died. I had just gone back to school and first period was P.E. I remember being in the weight room and just being overcome again with grief. I did not want to cry in front of the guys, so I left to the hallway. George saw me and came out after me. He may have said something, I really don't remember. What I do remember was that he was there.

So...Give one of the last surviving members of Mrs. Yonce's "Wild and Crazy Guys" a look. He's a great guy.

Life Takes Visa?

First, I must admit that I still like my debit card: I do not know what I would do without "Pay at the Pump." However, I have experienced an empowering feeling when paying with cash. Unlike the new Visa commercials, which would have you believe that paying with cash not only inconveniences those around you but leads to business loss due to cash being a slower transaction, I have found it to be quicker. And, you feel like you hit the lotto by having exact change. Not to mention, you spend less. Studies show that you tend to spend 17% more when you pay with any kind of plastic. McDonalds studies have shown that people tend to buy 40% more with plastic. So, not only are we getting fat, we are getting broke. I do not have to log in all of those receipts into MS Money and it paying with cash helps me stay on budget.

After watching Maxed Out and In Debt We Trust, I really dislike the credit card companies. I no longer have one and I have not used on since November. Hopefully, one day, I will have a nice FICO score of 0.

The Griffon

Katie and I rode this today in the front row. It was completely awesome.

Humbling.

More videos like this available from Great News Network

I did not write at all about this when I initially posted. Perhaps that was a blogging no-no as it is easier to post videos that intrigue me that writing about what it was in the video that sparked my thoughts.

In this case, it was motivation.

I am not sure how effective tract witnessing is, but that is me limiting what the Holy Spirit can do. What catches me in this video is that I am that guy who would be more willing to do something if there was one hundred dollars attached to it. Deep down I wonder why I am not more motivated to do things in love. The verse references made (treasures in heaven) are oft used during Stewardship messages, but this video moved that verse into context.

Anyways, that's all.

Really Gone!

This past couple of months have been extremely busy for Cindy and I; July was but a blur. It seems like it was yesterday that I was going to see Transformers in DLP, but, that was already a month ago.

The big event that happened at work was taking a promotion to Director of Software Development. It pretty much ends my professional coding career, but not my love for coding. There was one week that I got a little depressed about it: did I make the right decision? This position is not well defined, and so I do not feel that I see real, tangible proofs that I am doing what is expected of me. Already, I am having to deal with performance issues, and I find that I have to put aside my own likes or dislikes and tell it like it is.

Cindy and I painted two rooms. I realized, after the paint was dry, that our color scheme sorta matches Starbucks. However, for the record, Cindy picked the colors. I just applied them and hung up the new curtains.

We made our annual trip to Buffalo the second week of July. You know, it's not the beach, but I really look forward to it. I got a chance to chill out at the movies and Borders (btw, my coffee beverage of choice is now, officially, the Americano) drinking some of Seattle's Best. I never did get to see Die Hard, but I did catch Order of the Phoenix on opening day.

The best part, of course, is getting to see my bud Lorne. I would say that over the past 10 years we have spent maybe 24 hours together. But Lorne is a kindred spirit and I connect with him. The best part is just watching where God has brought him. From my perspective, it is like watching clouds rolling on time lapse photography, so I see this movement very clearly. Lorne is a writer, and has a heart for teens. Also, he is a gamer. Not a video gamer, but a gamer. Over the years, we have played everything from Clay wars (build a monster out of Clay and engage in battles) to WWII Table Top War Gaming using the Green and Tan Plastic Army Men. He uses games as a venue to minister to teens at his church. What I think is really cool is that he does not bring an evangelistic message to the gaming table, but gives the kids a role model of a healthy Christian guy. This makes it very open for the kids to bring friends who might not necessarily come to church.

The kids went to South Carolina to spend the week at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I really intended to be there longer, but it turned into a quick turn trip for Cindy and I. Rick, I apologize, but I will have to take that coffee with you at Panera's on another trip. With the week free of kids, Cindy completed the painting just in time for them to come back.

And that was July.