Finished: The Cay

Excellent. Definitely a re-read by the kiddos when they are "of age".

The Cay, Theodore Taylor

Finished: Dead or Alive

Tom Clancy - you should write your own books. They're much better that way. Once they were timeless. Now you're adding current pop culture references like Starbucks and Angelina Jolie, and it's just not nearly as much fun. But I'll read them anyway. Because I still like them.

Dead or Alive, Tom Clancy

My Experiment

Here's an experiment I retroactively am trying to see if it speeds up the "home improvement project time".

Step 1: Put foot in freestanding sink that is not securely attached to the wall.
Step 2: Turn on water and begin to use pumice stone to slough off dead, dry skin on heels that has accumulated because you walk around all the time, inside and out, in your bare feet.
Step 3: (And this is really important...) Lean into sink with too much pressure, as though you're trying to stand in it.

Result: Sink totally comes off the wall. Make sure you catch the sink and turn the water off. Then call for help. (Realize that whomever you may be calling to might be using headphones to watch Inception for the 45th time on the computer, so you may want to stomp on the floor some to get his attention, being sure to not awaken the children, because, after all, it is 10:30 at night.

Hypothesis to be tested: Causing sink to come off of the wall will result in a new sink being attached correctly to the wall in a faster amount of time than fixing the original problem. (We've know about the problem for 6 months. Therefore, if a new sink is installed in less than 6 months, this experiment will be a success, and I will recommend it to all my friends.

Hope?

"the Universe in its abundant grace will provide for you and carry you and your family through this challenging path. All the love, peace, and joy that exists are yours and exist inside you... just be in the moments and try not to judge them."

I read this attempt at encouragement today from one person to another. I'm still processing its implications. I had begun to write my thoughts about it, but they were just going all over the place. I'm just going to let stand on it's own for now.

Came and Went

This is a quote from a Fox News article regarding the recent Camping "came and went".

"The globe will be completely destroyed in five months, he (Camping) said, when the apocalypse comes. But because God's judgment and salvation were completed on Saturday, there's no point in continuing to warn people about it, so his network will now just play Christian music and programs until the final end on Oct. 21."

May we never stop preaching the Good News of Christ!

And Speaking of Police

I thought this was really funny.

Police Action

I'm thinking that when I drive by a police officer my instinctive thought should not be relief that I wasn't caught, but shame that I was not abiding by the law to begin with.

Every Sunday

I ran across this thought this morning, and it rings true: Every Sunday is a weekly Easter.

Baked Whiskers

I ran across this term today, and that's all I have to say about it. Do you know what it is, without looking it up?

True Humility

Tim Challies hsd a book review on his website today. In talking about battling envy, he paraphrased the author's assessment of Charles Wesley, "To delight in the superiority of another. There is humility." It occurred to me that while this works horizontally, with our relationships with others, this should describe our relationship with God. We should delight in His superiority, not trying to master or control our situations, but rely on him alone. This is, indeed, humility.

VW - Seriously Cool

The Green Desktop

So when did the trash can on the desktop become the recycle bin?

No Record of Wrongs

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

I would advocate keeping this to the forefront of your mind when reading your e-mail. It may just be the right thing to do to hit the delete button. No need to read it later. Or forward it for discussion.

Calling All Banana Lovers...

Just so I can be sure to be fair and balanced, here is a health report on that most malodorous of fruits, the banana.

Got Networking Issues?

With All Due Respect

Doesn't the very phrase "with all due respect" imply that there is no respect due?

Holy Sonnet

I prayed some of these lines for a non-believer today.

This was my prayer: "Batter her heart, three-personed God. Take her to you, imprison her, for she, except you enthrall her never shall be free, nor ever chaste, except you ravish her."

I love this sonnet.

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town to another due,
Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

John Donne

Mom in a Day

I think this is just as funny, every single time I've seen it.

The Timing is Off

This clock was a wedding gift, and I just noticed it's error - 14 years later.

Christmas for Real

There's nothing like Neil Diamond singing "Joy to the World".