First, let me say that I do not know the answer to this question. I have some thoughts on it, but it would be arrogant of me to say that I knew the answer, but here's the question....
Why do bad things happen to good people?
As many of you know,Tornadoes ripped through Tennessee last week and did a lot of damage in Murfreesboro. After the storm passed, I heard a lot folks say things like...
"Praise God! Our house wasn't damaged, God took care of us!"
God should definitely be praised. I'm not criticizing that at all, but, too often, do we use events as a barometer of our relationship with God?
One of the ministers that I had heard a lot about recently was a man named Joel Osteen. One evening, I was flipping through the channels and one of his services was being broadcast, so I stopped to listen. One of the first things that I heard him say was "God wants you to be rich". I changed the channel right after that statement.
I feel that one of the most dangerous ideas in Christianity today is what I've heard referred to as the "Health and Wealth Gospel". That if you have a good relationship with God, that your life will be smooth sailing. Is that true?
One of the scriptures that comes to my mind when I think about this topic, is the story where Jesus healed the man that was blind since birth.
John 9
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Jesus' disciples had the idea that the man's blindness had to be the result of sin. This 'bad' thing in his life had to be the result of a sin by someone. But Jesus set them straight, the man was blind for a reason, but it wasn't because of any bad thing that he or his parents did.
There are many stories in the Bible where 'bad' things happen to 'good' people, consider the stories of Job and Joseph. In my opinion, God allows us to suffer the consequences of our own sin, their is no doubt about that. But using other events in life as a barometer of your relationship with God, is a dangerous place to go.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
William Wallace and CEO compensation....
This morning, there was a story on the news about growing anger with CEO's who make a lot of money. This afternoon, I watched Braveheart....the story of the freedom of Scotland from British tyranny.
In my warped mind it all came together in a weird way into this blog post...
During the Presidential election this year, I heard a lot of my liberal leaning friends (yes, I still consider them friends) disgusted at the huge sums of money that executives make compared to the average worker. This morning, on CBS News Sunday Morning, they did an entire segment on the growing tension between the ultra wealthy and the middle or lower class folks, such as myself.
I believe that Sunday Morning is usually pretty good about presenting both sides of an argument, and I felt like they did in this segment as well. One gentlemen, spoke about how 'wrong' it was for millions of folks to be living below the poverty line, while the top 1% of wage earners were making more than ever. The answer....of course...is increase taxes on the top 1% to help those that make less.
Another gentlemen, spoke of how a total of 35% of government revenue is already derived from this top 1%. And that it would be hard to argue that they weren't 'doing their fair share'.
So, how does this tie in with William (Braveheart) Wallace? When the British finally caught William Wallace and were about to execute him, the man in charge told him that they would make his execute quick and painless if he would simply pledge his allegiance to the British crown. He had already been tortured, and the last thing he said was......FREEDOM!
Here's my point, there are some who obtain their wealth illegally, or by exploiting the system. Be sure, that any executive that is caught in some sort of illegality is going to appear night after night on your evening news. But, please, do not cast all members of the top 1% into this group. There are many very hard working honest people who make more money in a year than I'll ever see in a lifetime.
The question here, is Freedom....are those that studied hard in school, or worked hard to build a business or simply got lucky automatically bad people because they are compensated well? Is our concept of freedom such that the right to freedom is taken away if you make more money than the average bear?
Freedom is freedom....freedom is the ability to reap the rewards or consequences of our own actions and choices. Freedom is the ability to what you want regardless of how other people feel about it.
Freedom was important enough to William Wallace to die for....Freedom is important....I fear it is at risk in our country.
In my warped mind it all came together in a weird way into this blog post...
During the Presidential election this year, I heard a lot of my liberal leaning friends (yes, I still consider them friends) disgusted at the huge sums of money that executives make compared to the average worker. This morning, on CBS News Sunday Morning, they did an entire segment on the growing tension between the ultra wealthy and the middle or lower class folks, such as myself.
I believe that Sunday Morning is usually pretty good about presenting both sides of an argument, and I felt like they did in this segment as well. One gentlemen, spoke about how 'wrong' it was for millions of folks to be living below the poverty line, while the top 1% of wage earners were making more than ever. The answer....of course...is increase taxes on the top 1% to help those that make less.
Another gentlemen, spoke of how a total of 35% of government revenue is already derived from this top 1%. And that it would be hard to argue that they weren't 'doing their fair share'.
So, how does this tie in with William (Braveheart) Wallace? When the British finally caught William Wallace and were about to execute him, the man in charge told him that they would make his execute quick and painless if he would simply pledge his allegiance to the British crown. He had already been tortured, and the last thing he said was......FREEDOM!
Here's my point, there are some who obtain their wealth illegally, or by exploiting the system. Be sure, that any executive that is caught in some sort of illegality is going to appear night after night on your evening news. But, please, do not cast all members of the top 1% into this group. There are many very hard working honest people who make more money in a year than I'll ever see in a lifetime.
The question here, is Freedom....are those that studied hard in school, or worked hard to build a business or simply got lucky automatically bad people because they are compensated well? Is our concept of freedom such that the right to freedom is taken away if you make more money than the average bear?
Freedom is freedom....freedom is the ability to reap the rewards or consequences of our own actions and choices. Freedom is the ability to what you want regardless of how other people feel about it.
Freedom was important enough to William Wallace to die for....Freedom is important....I fear it is at risk in our country.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Her folks still aren't talking to me....
I received this story in the email today, there are several versions like it, but the point is the same....
I was talking to the 8 year-old daughter of a friend of
mine, and she said she wanted to be President some day.
Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing
there, so I asked her, "If you were President
what's the first thing you would do?"
She replied, "I'd give food and houses to all the
homeless people."
"Wow - what a worthy goal," I told her. "But
you don't have to wait until you're President to do
that. You can come over to my house and mow the grass, pull
weeds, and rake my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then
I'll take you over to the grocery store where the
homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use
toward food or a new house."
She thought that over for a few seconds, 'cause after
all she's only 8. And while her Mom glared at me, she
looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Why
doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work
himself, and you can just pay him the $50?"
And I said, "Welcome to the Republican Party."
Her folks still aren't talking to me.
I was talking to the 8 year-old daughter of a friend of
mine, and she said she wanted to be President some day.
Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing
there, so I asked her, "If you were President
what's the first thing you would do?"
She replied, "I'd give food and houses to all the
homeless people."
"Wow - what a worthy goal," I told her. "But
you don't have to wait until you're President to do
that. You can come over to my house and mow the grass, pull
weeds, and rake my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then
I'll take you over to the grocery store where the
homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use
toward food or a new house."
She thought that over for a few seconds, 'cause after
all she's only 8. And while her Mom glared at me, she
looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Why
doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work
himself, and you can just pay him the $50?"
And I said, "Welcome to the Republican Party."
Her folks still aren't talking to me.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Wow....Post 200!
I had an idea of something that I was going to post this morning, when I started to write it, I noticed that this is my 200th post to my blog. That really calls for something deep and meaningful.....but I don't have anything deep and meaningful this morning, so I'll go with my original idea....
Something (not sure what) reminded me of this funny that I saw years ago.
ACHTUNG!
Das machine is nicht fur gerfingerpoken und mittengrabben.
Ist easy schnappen der Sprinngwerk, blowenfusen und
poppencorken mit spitzensparken.
Ist nicht fur gewerken by das Dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken
sightseeren keepen hands in das Pockets.
Relaxen und watch das blinkenlights...
Something (not sure what) reminded me of this funny that I saw years ago.
ACHTUNG!
Das machine is nicht fur gerfingerpoken und mittengrabben.
Ist easy schnappen der Sprinngwerk, blowenfusen und
poppencorken mit spitzensparken.
Ist nicht fur gewerken by das Dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken
sightseeren keepen hands in das Pockets.
Relaxen und watch das blinkenlights...
Saturday, March 21, 2009
You're special....
"You're Special...." that's a really nice phrase that you can tell someone. But saying it with a different tone of voice, and it could be considered offensive. What if you said it with a condescending tone of voice to someone in a wheelchair?
If you read this blog, or know me in person you can probably guess that Barak Obama was not my first choice for President. No, it had nothing to do with him being a black man, it had to do with with fact that I believe he is a Socialist at heart. The majority of voters in this country felt he should be our President. He is my President and I hope that he is successful and I support him as such.
I can't imagine what it must be like to go from an ordinary citizen to being the leader of the free world. I imagine that the campaign puts a candidate in the spotlight enough to where they can begin to see the scrutiny that you will be put under if you win, but I don't know if anything can prepare you for the fact that there are hundreds of special interest groups out there watching every word you say to find something to be offended about.
Does anyone remember James Watt? He was the Secretary of the Interior under the Raegan administration. He was most famous for not allowing the Beach Boys to play at a Fourth of July event because of the 'undesirables' that they would attract. However, as I remember it, he had a terrible case of foot in mouth syndrome. I remember some flack about him referring to someone as a cripple. I did a little bit of research and found that in fact, his tenure as the Secretary of the Interior ended because of a sentence he uttered while telling about his administration:
"I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."
This statement ended his career.
There are some people in this world that are simply looking for reasons to get their feelings hurt. I'm sure if the President mentioned that he had a steak before he went bowling, that PETA would be all up in arms. When I first saw the clip from the Tonight Show, I totally missed the reference to the Special Olympics, only after they pointed out what the flap was over did I even hear it.
Without a doubt, I can promise you that Barak Obama was making fun of himself and not disabled children. Would everyone please lighten up?
If you read this blog, or know me in person you can probably guess that Barak Obama was not my first choice for President. No, it had nothing to do with him being a black man, it had to do with with fact that I believe he is a Socialist at heart. The majority of voters in this country felt he should be our President. He is my President and I hope that he is successful and I support him as such.
I can't imagine what it must be like to go from an ordinary citizen to being the leader of the free world. I imagine that the campaign puts a candidate in the spotlight enough to where they can begin to see the scrutiny that you will be put under if you win, but I don't know if anything can prepare you for the fact that there are hundreds of special interest groups out there watching every word you say to find something to be offended about.
Does anyone remember James Watt? He was the Secretary of the Interior under the Raegan administration. He was most famous for not allowing the Beach Boys to play at a Fourth of July event because of the 'undesirables' that they would attract. However, as I remember it, he had a terrible case of foot in mouth syndrome. I remember some flack about him referring to someone as a cripple. I did a little bit of research and found that in fact, his tenure as the Secretary of the Interior ended because of a sentence he uttered while telling about his administration:
"I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."
This statement ended his career.
There are some people in this world that are simply looking for reasons to get their feelings hurt. I'm sure if the President mentioned that he had a steak before he went bowling, that PETA would be all up in arms. When I first saw the clip from the Tonight Show, I totally missed the reference to the Special Olympics, only after they pointed out what the flap was over did I even hear it.
Without a doubt, I can promise you that Barak Obama was making fun of himself and not disabled children. Would everyone please lighten up?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
We hold these truths to be self-evident....
The news has really been interesting over the last couple of days....in particular, I have been watching the government's involvement in business.
On April 1 new tobacco taxes will go into effect. The expressed purpose of these new taxes is to curb smoking effectively killing the tobacco industry.
Yesterday, President Obama announced his goal of preventing AIG from paying the executives millions of dollars because the government had given them money and therefore had 'leverage' in how they run the business.
Here's the thing, everyone knows that smoking is bad for you. Everyone knows that wearing seatbelts are a good idea. However, these are matters of personal choice not government control. I've debated many people about these issues and have found that the opposing argument always seems to involve the 'good of society' over the 'rights of the individual'. I feel that this is a very dangerous 'slippery slope' type of concept. It is a socialist idea that has grave consequences down the road.
I find it very interesting that our government would take it upon itself to destroy one industry that it finds unacceptable while protecting another. It is also very interesting that the government feels that it should have a say in the running of the business since it gave money to the business.
It is a very difficult problem, government should have no involvement in business whatsoever. In my opinion, businesses should stand on their on and live or die based on their performance. The government has determined that AIG, the auto industry and certain large banks are too big to allow to fail. Therefore, their involvement became necessary. Though our economy would likely be in grave shape if these businesses should fail, as a matter of principle, I believe it should have happened. I believe that the path that the government has chosen will lead to more serious consequences to our Liberty down the road.
On April 1 new tobacco taxes will go into effect. The expressed purpose of these new taxes is to curb smoking effectively killing the tobacco industry.
Yesterday, President Obama announced his goal of preventing AIG from paying the executives millions of dollars because the government had given them money and therefore had 'leverage' in how they run the business.
Here's the thing, everyone knows that smoking is bad for you. Everyone knows that wearing seatbelts are a good idea. However, these are matters of personal choice not government control. I've debated many people about these issues and have found that the opposing argument always seems to involve the 'good of society' over the 'rights of the individual'. I feel that this is a very dangerous 'slippery slope' type of concept. It is a socialist idea that has grave consequences down the road.
I find it very interesting that our government would take it upon itself to destroy one industry that it finds unacceptable while protecting another. It is also very interesting that the government feels that it should have a say in the running of the business since it gave money to the business.
It is a very difficult problem, government should have no involvement in business whatsoever. In my opinion, businesses should stand on their on and live or die based on their performance. The government has determined that AIG, the auto industry and certain large banks are too big to allow to fail. Therefore, their involvement became necessary. Though our economy would likely be in grave shape if these businesses should fail, as a matter of principle, I believe it should have happened. I believe that the path that the government has chosen will lead to more serious consequences to our Liberty down the road.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Getting to the crux of the problem....
If you watch the news at all this weekend, you heard about AIG paying bonuses this week to the guys that put the company, and our economy in such peril. If you didn't hear about it here's one story about it.
The current CEO of AIG was put in place by the Bush administration and he wrote a letter to President Obama saying that AIG's hands were tied. The contracts were negotiated before he got there, and AIG is contractually obligated to make the payments.
As I see it, the problem is NOT that they are making the payments now, the mistake was made long ago when they wrote the contract. Who in the world would write a contract where they were obligated to pay bonuses to people who drive your company into the ground? I've not seen the wording of the contracts, but I've heard them referred to as 'retention bonuses'. Why would they want to keep these guys?
The real question is, when these executive receive the payments, will they keep them? I saw a story about the CEO of JAL where he returned his salary because the company lost money. He sets a great example of what leadership really is.
My prediction, the AIG execs will keep the money, and not think twice about it.
The current CEO of AIG was put in place by the Bush administration and he wrote a letter to President Obama saying that AIG's hands were tied. The contracts were negotiated before he got there, and AIG is contractually obligated to make the payments.
As I see it, the problem is NOT that they are making the payments now, the mistake was made long ago when they wrote the contract. Who in the world would write a contract where they were obligated to pay bonuses to people who drive your company into the ground? I've not seen the wording of the contracts, but I've heard them referred to as 'retention bonuses'. Why would they want to keep these guys?
The real question is, when these executive receive the payments, will they keep them? I saw a story about the CEO of JAL where he returned his salary because the company lost money. He sets a great example of what leadership really is.
My prediction, the AIG execs will keep the money, and not think twice about it.
Friday, March 13, 2009
NFL Fantasy Football Promotion....
My thought is that most of this is not real, but its fun to watch....
Dolphin Bubbles....
I saw a story about this on the news yesterday. Dolphins are thought to be the most intelligent of all animals....after seeing this, you might see why....
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Still here.....
I haven't had much on my mind lately, been very busy, not much time for deep thought...
Things seem to be settling down nicely now, new place to live, new job....it's been a long hectic road getting here, but I like the calm.
One thing that I have been thinking about is emotions. Emotions are tricky things....they will make people do things that don't make much sense (myself included). Many years ago, I had a counselor tell me that the main difference between man and animals is that when something happens around an animal...they react immediately, instinct takes over....fight or flight. Man has the option, we can stop and think before we react. We can react from intelligence instead of instinct. I've found that the longer I take to react, the more time I have to think about it, and the better my reaction is. If I'm really 'on my A game', I'll think through what I've been taught from the Bible, and try to react based on Biblical principles. I rely on my own knowledge way too much, but every once in a while, I'll do the right thing.
I've dealt with many in business who are very calm and thoughtful even when things seems to be falling apart all around them. I have a great amount of respect for these folks. I'm trying to learn how to do that.
I'm not saying that everyone should become emotionless drones or remove emotions from your life (Spock comes to mind). But, basing decisions on emotion seems to lead to problems.
Just an observation....
Things seem to be settling down nicely now, new place to live, new job....it's been a long hectic road getting here, but I like the calm.
One thing that I have been thinking about is emotions. Emotions are tricky things....they will make people do things that don't make much sense (myself included). Many years ago, I had a counselor tell me that the main difference between man and animals is that when something happens around an animal...they react immediately, instinct takes over....fight or flight. Man has the option, we can stop and think before we react. We can react from intelligence instead of instinct. I've found that the longer I take to react, the more time I have to think about it, and the better my reaction is. If I'm really 'on my A game', I'll think through what I've been taught from the Bible, and try to react based on Biblical principles. I rely on my own knowledge way too much, but every once in a while, I'll do the right thing.
I've dealt with many in business who are very calm and thoughtful even when things seems to be falling apart all around them. I have a great amount of respect for these folks. I'm trying to learn how to do that.
I'm not saying that everyone should become emotionless drones or remove emotions from your life (Spock comes to mind). But, basing decisions on emotion seems to lead to problems.
Just an observation....
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Brilliance....
Hey gang....sorry it's been a while since I posted. Lot's of changes and goings on last week. I'm still trying to catch up, but I wanted to share something with you that I found. My new apartment has a fireplace, but I didn't have any kindling to start the fire with. I went to the grocery to buy some starter blocks that Duraflame makes and I found something called "Strike-a-fire" made by Diamond. These things are cool. They are like a large match that you can strike. They burn for about 15 minutes which is enough to start a large piece of firewood. They are really cool. I bet they would be great for starting a charcoal fire with no lighter fluid.
Here's a link
Here's a link
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Love, Life, Wisdom and Coffee....
I realize that my blog is somewhat a hodge podge. I tend to write about whatever is on my mind which sometimes really really deep and sometimes humorous(at least that is the intention).
The thing that has always amazed me is that regularly, the most popular post I've ever done was done not long after I started the blog. In November of 2007 I wrote about an experience that I had with Sonic Coffee. I looked at the year-to-date statistics for this blog and found that post was the #2 most read post so far this year.
That's funny....
Here's the post.
The thing that has always amazed me is that regularly, the most popular post I've ever done was done not long after I started the blog. In November of 2007 I wrote about an experience that I had with Sonic Coffee. I looked at the year-to-date statistics for this blog and found that post was the #2 most read post so far this year.
That's funny....
Here's the post.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The trouble with wisdom....
Yesterday was a good day....I finished moving everything around...everything that I own is in the zip code that it needs to be in. It was a long hard day, but a very good one.
It was also a good day, because I was able to spend time with two people that I consider to be very wise. My belief is that wisdom is very important, and should be pursued. As far as I know, there are really only two ways to gain wisdom: life experiences and spending time with wise people. Spending time with wise people includes reading the writings of wise people. The ultimate source of this being the scriptures.
Here's the trouble with wisdom as I see it, wisdom doesn't come when life goes the right way, wisdom comes from trouble. With wisdom, comes scars.
My son is a very good athlete. Like most athletes, he is very competitive...he hates losing (very much). My advice to him has always been.....you learn nothing when you win, the only time you learning anything is when you lose. Losing is tough, but if used correctly, it can be the best thing that can happen to you.
If you have studied the scriptures, wisdom is usually associated with one person...Solomon.
I Kings 3 contains the famous story where God grants Solomon a wish...Solomon asks for wisdom...God is impressed and gives him wisdom and much much more. The next story is the famous story where two women are arguing over a baby. Solomon makes a very wise decision, and determines the true mother of the child.
Since these two stories are back to back, I grew up with the notion that God granted Solomon's wish miraculously...I believed (wrongly, in my opinion) that God gave Solomon that Wisdom immediately.
It is my belief that the book of Ecclesiastes should be inserted between these two stories. I do not believe that God gave Solomon that Wisdom by some miraculous means....it is my belief that Solomon gained that wisdom the same way we do today....through trouble.
In many ways, Ecclesiastes sounds like the writing of a bitter old man....just look at the first thing he says:
Ecclesiastes 1:2
"Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."
Sounds like there may be some scars there....How about this one?
Ecclesiastes 1:18
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
Ultimately, however, though wisdom comes through difficulty....It is the most important thing that one can have.
Proverbs 3
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
those who lay hold of her will be blessed.
It was also a good day, because I was able to spend time with two people that I consider to be very wise. My belief is that wisdom is very important, and should be pursued. As far as I know, there are really only two ways to gain wisdom: life experiences and spending time with wise people. Spending time with wise people includes reading the writings of wise people. The ultimate source of this being the scriptures.
Here's the trouble with wisdom as I see it, wisdom doesn't come when life goes the right way, wisdom comes from trouble. With wisdom, comes scars.
My son is a very good athlete. Like most athletes, he is very competitive...he hates losing (very much). My advice to him has always been.....you learn nothing when you win, the only time you learning anything is when you lose. Losing is tough, but if used correctly, it can be the best thing that can happen to you.
If you have studied the scriptures, wisdom is usually associated with one person...Solomon.
I Kings 3 contains the famous story where God grants Solomon a wish...Solomon asks for wisdom...God is impressed and gives him wisdom and much much more. The next story is the famous story where two women are arguing over a baby. Solomon makes a very wise decision, and determines the true mother of the child.
Since these two stories are back to back, I grew up with the notion that God granted Solomon's wish miraculously...I believed (wrongly, in my opinion) that God gave Solomon that Wisdom immediately.
It is my belief that the book of Ecclesiastes should be inserted between these two stories. I do not believe that God gave Solomon that Wisdom by some miraculous means....it is my belief that Solomon gained that wisdom the same way we do today....through trouble.
In many ways, Ecclesiastes sounds like the writing of a bitter old man....just look at the first thing he says:
Ecclesiastes 1:2
"Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."
Sounds like there may be some scars there....How about this one?
Ecclesiastes 1:18
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
Ultimately, however, though wisdom comes through difficulty....It is the most important thing that one can have.
Proverbs 3
13 Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
those who lay hold of her will be blessed.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The scary things that sometimes go through my mind....
A few months ago, I did a post about relativity, the unified field theory and the theory of everything (look here, here and finally here) For some reason, sometimes I just think about that stuff while I'm driving.....my mind just wanders.
Yesterday, I did a lot of driving and got to thinking about the article mentioned in the third post that said Einstein's E=mC^2 equation had been validated. The most amazing part of that (in my mind) is the statement that 95% of everything we see is 'relatavistic mass' (increased mass due to the speed of sub-nuclear particles)
Then, here is where my mind went...
From this, I came up with these questions...
I'd really like to talk to a physicist about this stuff. I know someone out there that could probably shed some light on this. Is Mr. Happy out there?
most
Yesterday, I did a lot of driving and got to thinking about the article mentioned in the third post that said Einstein's E=mC^2 equation had been validated. The most amazing part of that (in my mind) is the statement that 95% of everything we see is 'relatavistic mass' (increased mass due to the speed of sub-nuclear particles)
Then, here is where my mind went...
- cold slows motion down, heat increases motion
- most things, when frozen, contract and expand when heated
- dihydrogen monoxide (aka water) does the opposite, it expands when frozen, and contracts when it heats up
- the definition of absolute zero (0 Kelvin) is that all molecular motion stops
From this, I came up with these questions...
- is the contraction/expansion of most materials due to temperature changes related to the slowing down/speeding up of sub-nuclear particles?
- if so, why is water different?
- Based on what we know, absolute zero is unacheivable (just like the speed of light) but if all molecular motion stopped at that point, would a material be reduced to 5% of it original mass?
I'd really like to talk to a physicist about this stuff. I know someone out there that could probably shed some light on this. Is Mr. Happy out there?
most
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
An amazing turnaround.....
For some reason, particular dates have coinciding events and have a special meaning to me. For instance, I have a niece Christi, who was born on February 19, 1985. That day.....that very day....would have been my paternal grandmother's 100th birthday. Her name was Donnie Mae Jackson Hall. In 1885, the feminine form of Donald, was Donnie. Over the years it changed to Donna. When I was born my parents named me Donald but called me Donnie after her. Early in my career, I had a boss tell me that 'Don' sounded more professional. I used to go by Don at work and Donnie everywhere else. At some point, I decided that I really didn't care about having a professional sounding name, I wanted to be called by the same name everywhere I went. Therefore, please call me Donnie. But I digress...
Another date that is important, though sad, is February 7. February 7 was my brother Steve's birthday. I've written about Steve several times on here, (see Missing the Rodeo...) I had two brothers, Randy was the oldest, Steve was younger. Both have passed on....but February 7 is my 'Dark Day', because Randy passed away on Steve's birthday. It is a day that I miss them both.
However, February now has another special day to add to its list. February 6. Here's the story. If you've kept up with my blog, you can probably surmise that the year 2008 was terrible for me personally (as well as many others) For me it was divorce...shrinking investments....job loss.....ugh. I was laid off at the worst possible time for someone in the software industry, mid-November. Late in the year, companies in the software industry basically hunker down for the holidays. Annual budgets are at their end, annual projects are coming to a close, nothing new will be started until after the holidays are over. No one is hiring, or even wants to talk about hiring until after New Year's Day. By the Grace of God, I was able to find enough short term contract work to keep my head above water. I did the work that I could find, and worked on promoting myself, networking, rewriting resumes....etc. etc. etc.
Some time in mid to late January, calls started to come. I spent a lot of time on the phone (I dread that bill) and chased every lead I had. They all seemed to lead to dead ends. Finally, finally, finally on February 6, I got a call from someone that I had worked with many years ago. She was in a hiring position, had an opening, and found out that I was available. We met on that day, talked about the position and one week later, I accepted a formal offer. More details to come on that.
The coinciding event that makes that day special, however, was a conversation that I had with another friend from days gone by. We had recently reconnected and was catching up on the previous 25 years or so. She mentioned that she and some friends from the past were meeting for an impromptu reunion. I asked who she was meeting because we went to school together and I probably knew some of the folks she was meeting. As she was listing the names, I knew most of the folks she was meeting...then....lightning struck, she mentioned a name that I hadn't heard or thought of in years.
Hopefully, you are old enough to remember the Donnie Osmond song 'Puppy Love'. One of the things that I can remember my mom saying was "It may be puppy love....but it's real to the puppies". Many years ago, when I was in the 5th or 6th grade, I became infatuated with someone. She was in a grade below me, but she was the most beautiful thing that my eyes had ever seen. Curly blond hair, an infectious smile, she lit up the lunchroom ;-)
At the time, I was scared to death of girls. That is a very scary time in a boy's life, you have no idea how the whole relationship thing works, or at least I didn't. I don't know that I ever spoke to her in those days. Much to my chagrin, I recently found out that she had no idea who I was, but that's ok.
As it turns out....the girl with the curly blond hair and the infectious smile, is single now. One evening, we met at a restaurant, we wound up talking for about 3 hours. As we were talking, I experienced what I refer to as an emotional sneak attack. It was unbelievable, some of those emotions that I felt in the lunchroom 35 years ago came back....I remembered that feeling....in some small way...I healed that night.
Divorce is tough in every way. I can remember thinking, "I will NEVER EVER put myself in a position to be hurt that way again" Along the way, someone told me, "You will know that you have healed when you realize that you COULD fall in love again, because there is nothing like being in love".I didn't fall in love mind you...but...I remembered the feeling....and in some small way began to see the glimmer of a hope....that some day....I would be able to fall in love again.....for that.....I am grateful...
Another date that is important, though sad, is February 7. February 7 was my brother Steve's birthday. I've written about Steve several times on here, (see Missing the Rodeo...) I had two brothers, Randy was the oldest, Steve was younger. Both have passed on....but February 7 is my 'Dark Day', because Randy passed away on Steve's birthday. It is a day that I miss them both.
However, February now has another special day to add to its list. February 6. Here's the story. If you've kept up with my blog, you can probably surmise that the year 2008 was terrible for me personally (as well as many others) For me it was divorce...shrinking investments....job loss.....ugh. I was laid off at the worst possible time for someone in the software industry, mid-November. Late in the year, companies in the software industry basically hunker down for the holidays. Annual budgets are at their end, annual projects are coming to a close, nothing new will be started until after the holidays are over. No one is hiring, or even wants to talk about hiring until after New Year's Day. By the Grace of God, I was able to find enough short term contract work to keep my head above water. I did the work that I could find, and worked on promoting myself, networking, rewriting resumes....etc. etc. etc.
Some time in mid to late January, calls started to come. I spent a lot of time on the phone (I dread that bill) and chased every lead I had. They all seemed to lead to dead ends. Finally, finally, finally on February 6, I got a call from someone that I had worked with many years ago. She was in a hiring position, had an opening, and found out that I was available. We met on that day, talked about the position and one week later, I accepted a formal offer. More details to come on that.
The coinciding event that makes that day special, however, was a conversation that I had with another friend from days gone by. We had recently reconnected and was catching up on the previous 25 years or so. She mentioned that she and some friends from the past were meeting for an impromptu reunion. I asked who she was meeting because we went to school together and I probably knew some of the folks she was meeting. As she was listing the names, I knew most of the folks she was meeting...then....lightning struck, she mentioned a name that I hadn't heard or thought of in years.
Hopefully, you are old enough to remember the Donnie Osmond song 'Puppy Love'. One of the things that I can remember my mom saying was "It may be puppy love....but it's real to the puppies". Many years ago, when I was in the 5th or 6th grade, I became infatuated with someone. She was in a grade below me, but she was the most beautiful thing that my eyes had ever seen. Curly blond hair, an infectious smile, she lit up the lunchroom ;-)
At the time, I was scared to death of girls. That is a very scary time in a boy's life, you have no idea how the whole relationship thing works, or at least I didn't. I don't know that I ever spoke to her in those days. Much to my chagrin, I recently found out that she had no idea who I was, but that's ok.
As it turns out....the girl with the curly blond hair and the infectious smile, is single now. One evening, we met at a restaurant, we wound up talking for about 3 hours. As we were talking, I experienced what I refer to as an emotional sneak attack. It was unbelievable, some of those emotions that I felt in the lunchroom 35 years ago came back....I remembered that feeling....in some small way...I healed that night.
Divorce is tough in every way. I can remember thinking, "I will NEVER EVER put myself in a position to be hurt that way again" Along the way, someone told me, "You will know that you have healed when you realize that you COULD fall in love again, because there is nothing like being in love".I didn't fall in love mind you...but...I remembered the feeling....and in some small way began to see the glimmer of a hope....that some day....I would be able to fall in love again.....for that.....I am grateful...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Something I'm struggling with....
Ever since the photo of Micheal Phelps taking a hit off of a bong surfaced, I've been struggling with how I feel about it. The parental side of me tends to be angry because I know that so many young people look up to him and his achievements. Now, seeing him 'take a hit', sends a terrible message.
Another side of me is sympathetic, how many of us at 23 years old could handle the fame, money and scrutiny that Mr. Phelps has been handed by his success? Could any of be put in that sort of situation without making some error in judgment?
Much of the problem, I believe, is in our expectations. Micheal Phelps went from a little know athlete in a sport that most people watch once every 4 years to a household name and larger than life 'hero'. If you think about it, he didn't ask to be a role model, he simply did his best at a sport he loves. It was the media and the public at large that placed the 'role model' tag on him and placed him under the glare of public scrutiny.
Most people love a 'rags to riches' story....unfortunately, my fear is that the 'riches to rags' story has more appeal for some. As soon as someone becomes a household name, there are those that immediately look to find something to tear them down. The real question becomes the motivation. Is the publicity around this photograph motivated by the media's desire to 'protect America's youth from the influence of a bad guy' or, is their motivation to sell magazines/commercials/advertisements. I know my opinion...you can decide for yourself. I take some comfort in the fact that a poll indicated that most American's opinion of Micheal Phelps hasn't changed much. The penalty to him so far has been the loss of a cereal box endorsement and a suspension from competition for a while. There should be consequences for bad behavior, this is enough in my opinion.
Please understand, I'm not defending the behavior, I'm saying look at the circumstances, put yourself in his shoes, and ask yourself if you could withstand the scrutiny that he is put under.
The other thing this brought to mind is how violations are handled between the different sports. I don't remember the tournament, or the golfer, but there was a situation several years ago where a golfer had put himself in a bad situation. As I remember it, his stance was on a creek bed or some other surface with small rocks. As he was preparing to make he shot, he was shifting his feet and 'digging in' as golfers tend to do. During this preparation, one of the rocks beneath his feet moved. He took the shot, finished the hole and the round, signed the score card and was done for the day. Some time later, a viewer called the PGA and mentioned that the rock had moved during his preparation and that he should have taken a penalty stroke on the hole. Since he didn't, and had signed the scorecard for the round, he was disqualified from the tournament for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Compare this to the NFL, who has a strict policy on what can and cannot be reviewed after a play has completed. When a call is made, it is possible for it to be challenged. However, if no call is made, it isn't possible to go back and say that the play included a violation and assess any penalty for it. It is fairly common for flagrant violations to be displayed on the jumbotron after a play and yet no one can go back and change the result.
Every sport has the right to set its own standards for on the field rules and off the field expectations. The differences are sometimes interesting to look at from a distance. In my opinion, I think we should all lighten up on our expectations of the personal conduct of our heroes.
I wonder if there is someone out there trying to dig up some dirt on Captain Sullenburger?
Another side of me is sympathetic, how many of us at 23 years old could handle the fame, money and scrutiny that Mr. Phelps has been handed by his success? Could any of be put in that sort of situation without making some error in judgment?
Much of the problem, I believe, is in our expectations. Micheal Phelps went from a little know athlete in a sport that most people watch once every 4 years to a household name and larger than life 'hero'. If you think about it, he didn't ask to be a role model, he simply did his best at a sport he loves. It was the media and the public at large that placed the 'role model' tag on him and placed him under the glare of public scrutiny.
Most people love a 'rags to riches' story....unfortunately, my fear is that the 'riches to rags' story has more appeal for some. As soon as someone becomes a household name, there are those that immediately look to find something to tear them down. The real question becomes the motivation. Is the publicity around this photograph motivated by the media's desire to 'protect America's youth from the influence of a bad guy' or, is their motivation to sell magazines/commercials/advertisements. I know my opinion...you can decide for yourself. I take some comfort in the fact that a poll indicated that most American's opinion of Micheal Phelps hasn't changed much. The penalty to him so far has been the loss of a cereal box endorsement and a suspension from competition for a while. There should be consequences for bad behavior, this is enough in my opinion.
Please understand, I'm not defending the behavior, I'm saying look at the circumstances, put yourself in his shoes, and ask yourself if you could withstand the scrutiny that he is put under.
The other thing this brought to mind is how violations are handled between the different sports. I don't remember the tournament, or the golfer, but there was a situation several years ago where a golfer had put himself in a bad situation. As I remember it, his stance was on a creek bed or some other surface with small rocks. As he was preparing to make he shot, he was shifting his feet and 'digging in' as golfers tend to do. During this preparation, one of the rocks beneath his feet moved. He took the shot, finished the hole and the round, signed the score card and was done for the day. Some time later, a viewer called the PGA and mentioned that the rock had moved during his preparation and that he should have taken a penalty stroke on the hole. Since he didn't, and had signed the scorecard for the round, he was disqualified from the tournament for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Compare this to the NFL, who has a strict policy on what can and cannot be reviewed after a play has completed. When a call is made, it is possible for it to be challenged. However, if no call is made, it isn't possible to go back and say that the play included a violation and assess any penalty for it. It is fairly common for flagrant violations to be displayed on the jumbotron after a play and yet no one can go back and change the result.
Every sport has the right to set its own standards for on the field rules and off the field expectations. The differences are sometimes interesting to look at from a distance. In my opinion, I think we should all lighten up on our expectations of the personal conduct of our heroes.
I wonder if there is someone out there trying to dig up some dirt on Captain Sullenburger?
Radnor Lake.....
I took a walk today with some new friends at Radnor Lake. Got some much needed excercise, took some photos. Here are the best ones...
Radnor Lake 2/7/2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Nostalgia....
I went to see my parents the other day and drove through the neighborhood that I grew up in. I guess everybody has fond memories of the house they grew up in. My parents bought this house right after my dad returned from WWII and we lived in it until I was about 13 years old. It was wild, because that year was the first year that I went to 'band camp' which was a week long trip out of town to focus on learning the show for the upcoming football season. I left for band camp from one house...they moved they week I was gone....and I went home to a different house. That..my friends.....is the way to move!
I drive by whenever I'm close just to check on it. I've never gotten up the nerve to knock on the door. Maybe I will some day...
I drive by whenever I'm close just to check on it. I've never gotten up the nerve to knock on the door. Maybe I will some day...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A very rare occurence....
I spotted a very rare occurence today...I thought I would share it with you....
A very rare thing....
A very rare thing....
Be aware of DHMO.....
This information has been available for a while, but I thought I would post it here to let you know about it....
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division Website
The most important statement on the website appears in the frequently asked questions....
Research conducted by award-winning U.S. scientist Nathan Zohner concluded that roughly 86 percent of the population supports a ban on dihydrogen monoxide. Although his results are preliminary, Zohner believes people need to pay closer attention to the information presented to them regarding Dihydrogen Monoxide. He adds that if more people knew the truth about DHMO then studies like the one he conducted would not be necessary.
do the research....the facts speak for themselves...
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division Website
The most important statement on the website appears in the frequently asked questions....
Research conducted by award-winning U.S. scientist Nathan Zohner concluded that roughly 86 percent of the population supports a ban on dihydrogen monoxide. Although his results are preliminary, Zohner believes people need to pay closer attention to the information presented to them regarding Dihydrogen Monoxide. He adds that if more people knew the truth about DHMO then studies like the one he conducted would not be necessary.
do the research....the facts speak for themselves...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Absolute power and Absolute Corruption....
Yesterday, I posted a link to this story on my facebook profile. It led to a fairly heated discussion between some friends about liberals vs. conservative ideals. I have never been one to shy away from discussions on political and spiritual matters. I didn't participate in this one primarily because it went on while I wasn't on the computer.
Anyway, the withdrawal of the nomination of two of President Obama's cabinet appointees in the same day for the same reason is pretty interesting. In my naivety, I somewhat expect those who are responsible for the spending of our tax dollars to be extremely cautious about their own tax bill.
I had a class in college where we talked about lawmakers and their motivations for the laws they make. The idea presented by the professor was that lawmakers are typically selfish in the laws that they make. The example given was the IRS code that allows a person to deduct mortgage interest on two homes, not just one. I realize that there are many non-lawmakers that have two homes, but who is more likely to have two homes than a member of Congress (one in their home state, one near Washington DC)
I try my best to not be cynical, and to believe that lawmakers seek higher office for the good of the country, but situations like the one with Tom Daschle, makes it obvious that our lawmakers really have nothing in common with the regular citizen. There may be some that can relate to a $100,000 'oversight', but for me and most people I know, 'oversights' fall in the $5 to $10 range. When you consider that part of the oversight was the failure to report free limousine service as income, it's pretty clear that these folks have nothing in common with blue collar folks that work everyday and typically have too much month at the end of the money.
One of the comments on this story on facebook said "this is not a liberal or conservative problem, this is a political problem" I tend to agree. Our political system is broken, but the ones who could most readily fix it are part of the problem.
Anyway, the withdrawal of the nomination of two of President Obama's cabinet appointees in the same day for the same reason is pretty interesting. In my naivety, I somewhat expect those who are responsible for the spending of our tax dollars to be extremely cautious about their own tax bill.
I had a class in college where we talked about lawmakers and their motivations for the laws they make. The idea presented by the professor was that lawmakers are typically selfish in the laws that they make. The example given was the IRS code that allows a person to deduct mortgage interest on two homes, not just one. I realize that there are many non-lawmakers that have two homes, but who is more likely to have two homes than a member of Congress (one in their home state, one near Washington DC)
I try my best to not be cynical, and to believe that lawmakers seek higher office for the good of the country, but situations like the one with Tom Daschle, makes it obvious that our lawmakers really have nothing in common with the regular citizen. There may be some that can relate to a $100,000 'oversight', but for me and most people I know, 'oversights' fall in the $5 to $10 range. When you consider that part of the oversight was the failure to report free limousine service as income, it's pretty clear that these folks have nothing in common with blue collar folks that work everyday and typically have too much month at the end of the money.
One of the comments on this story on facebook said "this is not a liberal or conservative problem, this is a political problem" I tend to agree. Our political system is broken, but the ones who could most readily fix it are part of the problem.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
I'm not here to be a millionaire.....I just need gas....
Last night my daughter and I were out and I realized that I needed to stop and get some gas. I had the misfortune of getting behind some folks that were buying lottery tickets by the double armload. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I told the cashier "I'm not here to become a millionaire, I just need gas". They all laughed and he took my money and set up the pump.
As money tightens and times get tough, it seems the 'get rich quick' schemes become more and more aggressive. I'm reminded of an old joke about a guy that saw an ad in the paper that said "Send in a dollar to find out how to make $500 in a week without doing anything" he sent the dollar in to find out the secret a week later, the secret came. It said "Put an ad in the paper asking people to send in a dollar....".
I've mentioned before that my parents are older than most people my age. My father was born in 1925 and my mom born in 1927. This put the depression in their early childhood. I was talking to my mom's brother at Christmas and he was telling my some about that time. He was laughing at the news that said unemployment had hit a high of 7%. He said "I can remember a time when unemployment was 20%"
He told me a story about an ice cream company put an ad in the paper that they 13 jobs for people to push ice cream carts around Nashville. They had a 'job fair' of sorts at the fairgrounds and he said that several thousand people showed up to try to get one of those jobs.
On my drive back from St. Louis the other day I found an NPR station and listened to it until it eventually broke up. They had a story about an ad campaign in some foreign country (I forget which one, Denmark maybe?) where they were encouraging people to spend spend spend during this global economic downturn. The logic being that when you spend, you feed the economy. They compared it to a campaign here in the states that was encouraging people to save save save. The were tied together because they both used a piggy bank as the visual for the ad. The foreign ad portrayed the piggy bank as 'evil' while the domestic ad portrayed it as good. They had some economists comment on the ads and the philosophy of both. The economist's opinion (which I agree with) is that the saving pig is the way to go.
I must say that there is one area that anyone should consider at a time like this. Usually, the first thing to go in a tight economy is giving. Church collections drop, non-profit organizations suffer. I believe that this runs counter to the way it should be. My feelings on this are based on a verse in the Bible that I can't get out of my head when it comes to finances....
Malachi 3:8-12
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
Someone pointed out to me years ago that this is the only place in the Bible where God says "Test Me"
Maybe we should try it...
As money tightens and times get tough, it seems the 'get rich quick' schemes become more and more aggressive. I'm reminded of an old joke about a guy that saw an ad in the paper that said "Send in a dollar to find out how to make $500 in a week without doing anything" he sent the dollar in to find out the secret a week later, the secret came. It said "Put an ad in the paper asking people to send in a dollar....".
I've mentioned before that my parents are older than most people my age. My father was born in 1925 and my mom born in 1927. This put the depression in their early childhood. I was talking to my mom's brother at Christmas and he was telling my some about that time. He was laughing at the news that said unemployment had hit a high of 7%. He said "I can remember a time when unemployment was 20%"
He told me a story about an ice cream company put an ad in the paper that they 13 jobs for people to push ice cream carts around Nashville. They had a 'job fair' of sorts at the fairgrounds and he said that several thousand people showed up to try to get one of those jobs.
On my drive back from St. Louis the other day I found an NPR station and listened to it until it eventually broke up. They had a story about an ad campaign in some foreign country (I forget which one, Denmark maybe?) where they were encouraging people to spend spend spend during this global economic downturn. The logic being that when you spend, you feed the economy. They compared it to a campaign here in the states that was encouraging people to save save save. The were tied together because they both used a piggy bank as the visual for the ad. The foreign ad portrayed the piggy bank as 'evil' while the domestic ad portrayed it as good. They had some economists comment on the ads and the philosophy of both. The economist's opinion (which I agree with) is that the saving pig is the way to go.
I must say that there is one area that anyone should consider at a time like this. Usually, the first thing to go in a tight economy is giving. Church collections drop, non-profit organizations suffer. I believe that this runs counter to the way it should be. My feelings on this are based on a verse in the Bible that I can't get out of my head when it comes to finances....
Malachi 3:8-12
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
Someone pointed out to me years ago that this is the only place in the Bible where God says "Test Me"
Maybe we should try it...
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Beauty and Destruction....
I just got back from a road trip to St. Louis. Having heard about the ice storm in Kentucky, I took my camera along. It was amazingly beautiful yet very destructive. I met scores of electrical trucks from other states that had come to help restore power.
Some of the pictures are fuzzy because they were taken while traveling at 70 mph. They really don't capture the beauty or the destruction that I saw there. I did want to share them though.
KY Ice Tour
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Good ride cowboy....good ride.....
John Dillard Connor
March 29, 1929 - January 25, 2009
Mr. Connor was my sister-in-law's father. I've known him since I was probably 4 or 5 years old. Although I wasn't very close to him myself, I was close to his daughters and grandchildren. You can tell a lot about a man by the way his children and grandchildren feel about him.
Today, he was buried....as I was at the funeral and at the burial there were a couple of poems that kept running through my head.
To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded.
The second one I had heard before, but read again on some artwork in the funeral home...
The Dash
copyright 1996 Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth...
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars....the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...
are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spend your dash?
Rest well my friend....
March 29, 1929 - January 25, 2009
Mr. Connor was my sister-in-law's father. I've known him since I was probably 4 or 5 years old. Although I wasn't very close to him myself, I was close to his daughters and grandchildren. You can tell a lot about a man by the way his children and grandchildren feel about him.
Today, he was buried....as I was at the funeral and at the burial there were a couple of poems that kept running through my head.
To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived—this is to have succeeded.
The second one I had heard before, but read again on some artwork in the funeral home...
The Dash
copyright 1996 Linda Ellis
I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth...
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars....the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...
are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spend your dash?
Rest well my friend....
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Happy Birthday Eddie....
I heard on the news that yesterday was Eddie Van Halen's birthday. He just turned 54. That's hard to believe. Yeah, I know he's a mess with a lot of addiction problems and all that mess, but I can remember the exact time and place where I heard Van Halen's first album for the first time.
I was involved in a musical ensemble in high school and one of the other keyboard players (Cary Gant for those of you that know him) took me out to his car to listen to something. He had a cassette of that album. I listened to Eddie's guitar solo 'Eruption' about a dozen times. It was one of those 'Jukebox Hero' moments where you hear something that changes your life forever.
I've listened to Van Halen ever since. To be honest, the latest album that I listened to was 5150 where Sammy Hagar joined them as lead singer. I still listen to some of their older stuff, there is a lot of suggestive lyrics and things, but they are still one of the groups that I listen to when I just want to turn my brain off and jam.
Eddie and I had a little bit of a falling out when he married my childhood sweetheart Valerie Bertinelli. I can remember going to see them in concert here in Nashville long ago. The Municipal Auditorium was packed, the pre-concert noise was pretty loud. All of a sudden, the noise died down and you could see that the focus of the crowd was following someone walking through one of the aisles. After a few moments, the point of focus walked up on the stand in the back of the auditorium where the sound board was located. It was Valerie Bertinelli taking her place to watch the show. It was a memorable moment for a teenager like me.
Their music doesn't quite have the same effect on me now that it did then, but I remember the line from Bad Company's "Shooting Star"
Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Beatles song
'Love Me Do' I think it was and from there it didn't take him long
Music didn't turn out to be my life's calling, but I know exactly what that moment feels like...
I was involved in a musical ensemble in high school and one of the other keyboard players (Cary Gant for those of you that know him) took me out to his car to listen to something. He had a cassette of that album. I listened to Eddie's guitar solo 'Eruption' about a dozen times. It was one of those 'Jukebox Hero' moments where you hear something that changes your life forever.
I've listened to Van Halen ever since. To be honest, the latest album that I listened to was 5150 where Sammy Hagar joined them as lead singer. I still listen to some of their older stuff, there is a lot of suggestive lyrics and things, but they are still one of the groups that I listen to when I just want to turn my brain off and jam.
Eddie and I had a little bit of a falling out when he married my childhood sweetheart Valerie Bertinelli. I can remember going to see them in concert here in Nashville long ago. The Municipal Auditorium was packed, the pre-concert noise was pretty loud. All of a sudden, the noise died down and you could see that the focus of the crowd was following someone walking through one of the aisles. After a few moments, the point of focus walked up on the stand in the back of the auditorium where the sound board was located. It was Valerie Bertinelli taking her place to watch the show. It was a memorable moment for a teenager like me.
Their music doesn't quite have the same effect on me now that it did then, but I remember the line from Bad Company's "Shooting Star"
Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Beatles song
'Love Me Do' I think it was and from there it didn't take him long
Music didn't turn out to be my life's calling, but I know exactly what that moment feels like...
Monday, January 19, 2009
They didn't die just because they aren't on the radio...
I've been listening to a couple of guys lately that I thought I'd share with you. Both were very popular at one time, haven't had a radio hit in a long time, but are still making some great music.
Marc Cohn is a name you may not recognize, but I bet you remember his hit "Walking in Memphis". What a song...what an album...I still listen to it regularly. Music subscriptions give me a chance to download and listen to a lot of music with out costing me a lot of money. Marc Cohn makes a lot of great music. I've downloaded all of his albums that I can, they are all good. Here's on of my favorites...
Bruce Hornsby is a name you probably remember. One evening I was watching a jazz festival and he played. Unbeknowst to me, he was trained as a jazz musician. I became intrigued and downloaded some of his later music. It has too much of a jazz feel to it to be 'popular', but it is very good in my opinion. He is very improvisational and is a musical genius....here is a great example...
Marc Cohn is a name you may not recognize, but I bet you remember his hit "Walking in Memphis". What a song...what an album...I still listen to it regularly. Music subscriptions give me a chance to download and listen to a lot of music with out costing me a lot of money. Marc Cohn makes a lot of great music. I've downloaded all of his albums that I can, they are all good. Here's on of my favorites...
Bruce Hornsby is a name you probably remember. One evening I was watching a jazz festival and he played. Unbeknowst to me, he was trained as a jazz musician. I became intrigued and downloaded some of his later music. It has too much of a jazz feel to it to be 'popular', but it is very good in my opinion. He is very improvisational and is a musical genius....here is a great example...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
This one's a keeper....
More recipes from the Don-guy this one is easy and very very good....
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
modified from food.com
Ingredients
3 lb pork tenderloin
Olive oil
Cajun Grill Rub
Shredded pepper jack cheese
Some vegetable, original recipe said fresh spinach, I used red bell pepper.
preheat oven to 325
baste the tenderloin in olive oil and apply the cajun grill rub
bake for 35 minutes
split the tenderloin length-wise, put in the vegetable(s) and cover with pepper jack cheese
Sandwich the stuffing between the two pieces of the tenderloin
bake for another 35 minutes (mine took another 50 minutes)
Serve immediately.....wow, it was great...fed myself and three teenagers with a little left over.
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
modified from food.com
Ingredients
3 lb pork tenderloin
Olive oil
Cajun Grill Rub
Shredded pepper jack cheese
Some vegetable, original recipe said fresh spinach, I used red bell pepper.
preheat oven to 325
baste the tenderloin in olive oil and apply the cajun grill rub
bake for 35 minutes
split the tenderloin length-wise, put in the vegetable(s) and cover with pepper jack cheese
Sandwich the stuffing between the two pieces of the tenderloin
bake for another 35 minutes (mine took another 50 minutes)
Serve immediately.....wow, it was great...fed myself and three teenagers with a little left over.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Stone Cold....
Today is an interesting day in Nashville. When I woke up this morning it was a balmy 9 degrees. All of the school systems in the area are closed because the buses won't start in the cold. This is Nashville's response to cold, don't get me started if there was actually snow or ice on the ground.
A lot of times, I hear folks from other parts of the country laugh about Nashville or other cities in the mid-south and how we react to winter weather. It's usually not pretty, the forecast of snow means hours of long lines at the grocery store. We panic, that's for sure.
In mid-South's defense, we really don't get enough winter weather to invest in the equipment to handle it. We don't get enough for people here to get used to driving in it. When it hits, things go nuts.
Years ago, I used to spend a week every year in Chicago. I was amazed at the size of the city, but I was also amazed at how it was prepared for cold weather. Every building downtown had revolving doors to keep the cold out. Every restaurant has a coat check closet, some of the hotels even had heat lamps installed under the entrance canopies. They had street sign designating 'snow routes'. That's a city built for cold weather.
On the flip side, I remember one summer, it was blazingly hot here and I was scheduled to spend a week in Detroit. I was looking forward to it, thinking it would be a lot cooler up there. As it turns out, the heat wave was nationwide. I was more miserable up there than I was in Nashville. Please understand, here we deal with more hot weather than cold. Our air conditioners are high-powered, the cooling systems in cars are more effective. Nashville is built for hot weather. In Detroit, the air conditioners couldn't cool, cars were overheating and breaking down on the interstates.
So....go ahead and laugh at us in the winter...it's cool. But when a heat wave comes and your cars breakdown....just remember....we are laughing at you too...
A lot of times, I hear folks from other parts of the country laugh about Nashville or other cities in the mid-south and how we react to winter weather. It's usually not pretty, the forecast of snow means hours of long lines at the grocery store. We panic, that's for sure.
In mid-South's defense, we really don't get enough winter weather to invest in the equipment to handle it. We don't get enough for people here to get used to driving in it. When it hits, things go nuts.
Years ago, I used to spend a week every year in Chicago. I was amazed at the size of the city, but I was also amazed at how it was prepared for cold weather. Every building downtown had revolving doors to keep the cold out. Every restaurant has a coat check closet, some of the hotels even had heat lamps installed under the entrance canopies. They had street sign designating 'snow routes'. That's a city built for cold weather.
On the flip side, I remember one summer, it was blazingly hot here and I was scheduled to spend a week in Detroit. I was looking forward to it, thinking it would be a lot cooler up there. As it turns out, the heat wave was nationwide. I was more miserable up there than I was in Nashville. Please understand, here we deal with more hot weather than cold. Our air conditioners are high-powered, the cooling systems in cars are more effective. Nashville is built for hot weather. In Detroit, the air conditioners couldn't cool, cars were overheating and breaking down on the interstates.
So....go ahead and laugh at us in the winter...it's cool. But when a heat wave comes and your cars breakdown....just remember....we are laughing at you too...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
God's sense of humor...
A few years ago, we realized that the only way to survive financially with teenagers was to have unlimited text messaging on the phones. It doesn't take many $600 phone bills to realize that. Anyway, when we got that set up, I signed up for a free service on Yahoo! to send me a Bible verse everyday. I've had it for several years now and have been continually amazed at how appropriate the verse was for what I was going through that day. I call it my "Text Message From God".
On another note, 16 years ago, I moved to Lebanon Tennessee from Nashville. I had gotten a job at the corporate offices of Cracker Barrel, we were expecting my son Chris, and the house we had in Hermitage was on a pretty dangerous road, so we moved. Lebanon is an interesting town, there are a lot of great things about Lebanon, but there are some bad as well. On the good side, it is a great place to raise children, everybody there watches out for each other's kids and you know that if your kids get in to something that they shouldn't, you will hear about it eventually. On the bad side, Lebanon is one of those towns that if you aren't "from" there, you will never be "from" there regardless of how long you live there. I don't think I'm speaking out of turn, because I've had several people who are "from" there tell me the same thing.
Well, I lived it for about 15 years or so. It's true. I have some good friends there, my children live there (and I'm glad that they do, they are now "from" there) but given all that happened, I can't say that my experience there was completely positive.
Over the last year I've been cutting the ties with Lebanon slowly but surely. Today was a big day because I renewed my automobile tags in Nashville where I am "from" and I also took care of some final details that finalized my ties with that town. It was a big day.
Now back to my text message from God.....today's message was Judges 9:15 (this is absolutely true)
Let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon
That may be a little harsh, but I'm glad to be back where I am "from".
On another note, 16 years ago, I moved to Lebanon Tennessee from Nashville. I had gotten a job at the corporate offices of Cracker Barrel, we were expecting my son Chris, and the house we had in Hermitage was on a pretty dangerous road, so we moved. Lebanon is an interesting town, there are a lot of great things about Lebanon, but there are some bad as well. On the good side, it is a great place to raise children, everybody there watches out for each other's kids and you know that if your kids get in to something that they shouldn't, you will hear about it eventually. On the bad side, Lebanon is one of those towns that if you aren't "from" there, you will never be "from" there regardless of how long you live there. I don't think I'm speaking out of turn, because I've had several people who are "from" there tell me the same thing.
Well, I lived it for about 15 years or so. It's true. I have some good friends there, my children live there (and I'm glad that they do, they are now "from" there) but given all that happened, I can't say that my experience there was completely positive.
Over the last year I've been cutting the ties with Lebanon slowly but surely. Today was a big day because I renewed my automobile tags in Nashville where I am "from" and I also took care of some final details that finalized my ties with that town. It was a big day.
Now back to my text message from God.....today's message was Judges 9:15 (this is absolutely true)
Let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon
That may be a little harsh, but I'm glad to be back where I am "from".
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
A chuckle from a friend....
My good friend Don McMunn sent me a link to this video...
Isn't gravity wonderful....
Isn't gravity wonderful....
Finding someone you can trust.....
On top of everything else...I got the paperwork to renew the tags on my car this month....
Over the past few weeks, I had noticed the check-engine light had been coming on intermittently so I decided to get a mechanic look at it. Based on the experience with my truck (chronicalled here about a year ago) I knew that the emissions testing people don't mess around when it comes to the check-engine light.
I took the car to Superior Auto Repair in Lebanon. They have done a good job for me in the past, so I took it back. After a diagnostic test, they told me that it was the catalytic converter (ouch!) and when you replace it, you have to replace an AFR sensor at the same time (I don't know what an AFR sensor does, but it sounds expensive and it is) The total estimate was $873.
I told them that I really couldn't afford to spend that much right now and that I needed to do the minimum to pass the emissions test, they said the AFR sensor could wait for a little while, so it knocked the total down to a more manageable number.
They ordered the part and I took it back to have the repair done this morning. They worked on it longer than I had anticipated (which is always a bad sign) and came in to tell me that the check-engine light was still coming on and that I may need to replace that AFR sensor after all.
I was emotionally preparing myself to pay the additional $300 plus dollars when the mechanic came in and said "Nope, your good!" I was relieved. I'll need to get it replaced anyway, but now is not the time.
My point is this, I hear ladies talk all the time about being at the mercy of auto repairmen and feel like they are just opening up their wallets when they go inside. To be quite honest, on any car newer than around 1976 or so, I'm about as clueless as they come. I don't know an AFR sensor from anything. If they told me I needed to replace it, I would replace it, no questions asked.
At some point, there has to be a level of trust between you and anyone you deal with. I found these guys to be honest and friendly and straightforward in their business dealings. That's worth a lot in my book....
Over the past few weeks, I had noticed the check-engine light had been coming on intermittently so I decided to get a mechanic look at it. Based on the experience with my truck (chronicalled here about a year ago) I knew that the emissions testing people don't mess around when it comes to the check-engine light.
I took the car to Superior Auto Repair in Lebanon. They have done a good job for me in the past, so I took it back. After a diagnostic test, they told me that it was the catalytic converter (ouch!) and when you replace it, you have to replace an AFR sensor at the same time (I don't know what an AFR sensor does, but it sounds expensive and it is) The total estimate was $873.
I told them that I really couldn't afford to spend that much right now and that I needed to do the minimum to pass the emissions test, they said the AFR sensor could wait for a little while, so it knocked the total down to a more manageable number.
They ordered the part and I took it back to have the repair done this morning. They worked on it longer than I had anticipated (which is always a bad sign) and came in to tell me that the check-engine light was still coming on and that I may need to replace that AFR sensor after all.
I was emotionally preparing myself to pay the additional $300 plus dollars when the mechanic came in and said "Nope, your good!" I was relieved. I'll need to get it replaced anyway, but now is not the time.
My point is this, I hear ladies talk all the time about being at the mercy of auto repairmen and feel like they are just opening up their wallets when they go inside. To be quite honest, on any car newer than around 1976 or so, I'm about as clueless as they come. I don't know an AFR sensor from anything. If they told me I needed to replace it, I would replace it, no questions asked.
At some point, there has to be a level of trust between you and anyone you deal with. I found these guys to be honest and friendly and straightforward in their business dealings. That's worth a lot in my book....
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Go to India....but avoid Facebook?
I did my best to keep my thoughts to myself on this....I promise I don't mean to be mean spirited or vengeful. After writing this my fear it sounds a bit cynical...I apologize if that is the case....
This morning I ventured to Church for the first time in 6 months or so. As I've mentioned before, my relationship with God is as good as it has ever been.....my relationship with organized religion is somewhat on the rocks.
I'm finally to the point where I feel like venturing to Church again. It's going to take a special place though...on Sunday mornings I many times watch televised Church services and have watched the telecast from The Cornerstone Church here in Nashville. I was somewhat hesitant to go there because of its palatial size. I have a basic problem with congregations building large facilities...but that's another post.....
The people were friendly enough, the music was fantastic....they obviously have an orchestra full of professional musicians. The songs were custom written (as far as I could tell) and were very moving. During one song that I particularly connected with, I was in tears.
After the music, their minister, Maury Davis hit the stage. There were the usual announcements about upcoming events and stuff. While working toward the lesson he began promoting a project that someone within the Church had started called HisSpace.com. This was going to be a social networking site similar to MySpace or facebook for Christians. He was excited because a member was starting it because he would tithe based on the profits. Typical preacher stuff...
He mentioned that MySpace and facebook had been taken over by adult content so Christians should avoid them and use HisSpace.com. The comment was made that someone did some poking around and found that within three contacts of a friend they were 'somewhere they shouldn't be'. During this section of this service he made an off-hand comment about not understanding bloggers....putting their opinions on the internet for people who don't care about their opinions. After this promotion, he launched into promotion of a evangelistic effort to India talking about the millions of people that could be reached there. After this they launched into some music and I left....
This experience has been on my mind ever since and I'm hoping that by getting it off my chest here, I can forget about it and move on...
Here are my thoughts...
1. I'll probably set up an account on hisspace.com, but I do not feel that Christians should segregate themselves from places like MySpace or facebook (I particularly like facebook) the fact that there is adult content out there doesn't bother me (to be honest, I've never seen ANY adult content on facebook, maybe because I don't go looking for it) I have, however, debated atheists on the existence of God and become good friends with them. Personal evangelism is by far the most effective tool. If I remember, Jesus was most often criticized for associating with sinners. Aren't they the folks we are supposed to be reaching? How do you reach them if you avoid them. The boat has to be in the water to do its job, its when the water gets in the boat that you have a problem.
2. Blogging is something that a lot of people don't understand. I've had many people ask me why I do it. For many years I've had thoughts that I wish that could share. Thoughts about God, life, anything. I've tried public speaking...I'm not good at it, I am better at writing. I doubt anyone would buy a book with my name on it, but many stop by and read. I have had many experiences and they are not different from many others. Everybody loses jobs, has divorces, raises kids. I just try to give my views on all of these issues. And just for the record, over 1200 unique people stopped by at one time or another last year. The average time spent on my blog was close to two minutes, so, blogging is an effective tool. The fact that Mr. Davis doesn't understand it is his deal. I thought it was a bit arrogant for him to discount others opinions while freely posting his own.
3. According to a theory, everyone is just Six steps away from anyone else on the planet. The fact that someone is three steps away from a pedophile, sex addict, drug addict or some other convicted felon shouldn't surprise anyone. I found this attitude a bit condescending coming from a convicted felon. Given Mr. Davis' past, I had high hopes for him as a minister of the Gospel. I must say that I was a bit dissappointed. It is this sort of attitude that gets me with 'Church people'....they minimize their own sins and magnify the sins of others. We are all in the same boat....lost without Jesus. I'm looking for a Church that really really understands that.
Ok, I got that off my chest...
This morning I ventured to Church for the first time in 6 months or so. As I've mentioned before, my relationship with God is as good as it has ever been.....my relationship with organized religion is somewhat on the rocks.
I'm finally to the point where I feel like venturing to Church again. It's going to take a special place though...on Sunday mornings I many times watch televised Church services and have watched the telecast from The Cornerstone Church here in Nashville. I was somewhat hesitant to go there because of its palatial size. I have a basic problem with congregations building large facilities...but that's another post.....
The people were friendly enough, the music was fantastic....they obviously have an orchestra full of professional musicians. The songs were custom written (as far as I could tell) and were very moving. During one song that I particularly connected with, I was in tears.
After the music, their minister, Maury Davis hit the stage. There were the usual announcements about upcoming events and stuff. While working toward the lesson he began promoting a project that someone within the Church had started called HisSpace.com. This was going to be a social networking site similar to MySpace or facebook for Christians. He was excited because a member was starting it because he would tithe based on the profits. Typical preacher stuff...
He mentioned that MySpace and facebook had been taken over by adult content so Christians should avoid them and use HisSpace.com. The comment was made that someone did some poking around and found that within three contacts of a friend they were 'somewhere they shouldn't be'. During this section of this service he made an off-hand comment about not understanding bloggers....putting their opinions on the internet for people who don't care about their opinions. After this promotion, he launched into promotion of a evangelistic effort to India talking about the millions of people that could be reached there. After this they launched into some music and I left....
This experience has been on my mind ever since and I'm hoping that by getting it off my chest here, I can forget about it and move on...
Here are my thoughts...
1. I'll probably set up an account on hisspace.com, but I do not feel that Christians should segregate themselves from places like MySpace or facebook (I particularly like facebook) the fact that there is adult content out there doesn't bother me (to be honest, I've never seen ANY adult content on facebook, maybe because I don't go looking for it) I have, however, debated atheists on the existence of God and become good friends with them. Personal evangelism is by far the most effective tool. If I remember, Jesus was most often criticized for associating with sinners. Aren't they the folks we are supposed to be reaching? How do you reach them if you avoid them. The boat has to be in the water to do its job, its when the water gets in the boat that you have a problem.
2. Blogging is something that a lot of people don't understand. I've had many people ask me why I do it. For many years I've had thoughts that I wish that could share. Thoughts about God, life, anything. I've tried public speaking...I'm not good at it, I am better at writing. I doubt anyone would buy a book with my name on it, but many stop by and read. I have had many experiences and they are not different from many others. Everybody loses jobs, has divorces, raises kids. I just try to give my views on all of these issues. And just for the record, over 1200 unique people stopped by at one time or another last year. The average time spent on my blog was close to two minutes, so, blogging is an effective tool. The fact that Mr. Davis doesn't understand it is his deal. I thought it was a bit arrogant for him to discount others opinions while freely posting his own.
3. According to a theory, everyone is just Six steps away from anyone else on the planet. The fact that someone is three steps away from a pedophile, sex addict, drug addict or some other convicted felon shouldn't surprise anyone. I found this attitude a bit condescending coming from a convicted felon. Given Mr. Davis' past, I had high hopes for him as a minister of the Gospel. I must say that I was a bit dissappointed. It is this sort of attitude that gets me with 'Church people'....they minimize their own sins and magnify the sins of others. We are all in the same boat....lost without Jesus. I'm looking for a Church that really really understands that.
Ok, I got that off my chest...
Saturday, January 10, 2009
No respect.....No respect at all....
Today is a big day for Tennessee Titans fans....the hated Ravens have come to town.
Listening to the news this morning, the Titans are the underdog even though they have a 13-3 record this year. The reasoning they said was "That's really not as impressive as it sounds because so many of those games were so close"
Well Well Well....a W beats an L every day of the week....
No matter what success you have...you will have your detractors. For some reason this reminds of a scene in the Jim Carrey movie Liar Liar. Because of his son's birthday wish, Jim's character is unable to tell a lie. He meets with his son at school to try to convince him unmake the wish because he is a lawyer and needs to be able to lie. As they are talking his son says "My teacher says that true beauty is on the inside" to which Carrey's character responds "That's just something that ugly people say" :D
True strength is strength where you succeed in spite of your detractors....
Go Titans!
Listening to the news this morning, the Titans are the underdog even though they have a 13-3 record this year. The reasoning they said was "That's really not as impressive as it sounds because so many of those games were so close"
Well Well Well....a W beats an L every day of the week....
No matter what success you have...you will have your detractors. For some reason this reminds of a scene in the Jim Carrey movie Liar Liar. Because of his son's birthday wish, Jim's character is unable to tell a lie. He meets with his son at school to try to convince him unmake the wish because he is a lawyer and needs to be able to lie. As they are talking his son says "My teacher says that true beauty is on the inside" to which Carrey's character responds "That's just something that ugly people say" :D
True strength is strength where you succeed in spite of your detractors....
Go Titans!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Ok....I'm a little angry...
This is a huge story here in Tennessee....it was big enough to attract the attention of Erin Brockovich (love that movie).
Now, take into consideration this story where Tennesseans are struggling to pay their electric bills due to the economic downturn. The most important part of the story is the last paragraph....
TVA said the cost to clean up the Dec. 22 ash spill in East Tennessee is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars and will be passed on to customers. TVA officials testified in Washington about the spill.
I watched a little bit of the news story where the head of TVA testified before Congress. From what he said, they knew that there was a problem....they chose not to fix it, the clean up is going to cost 100 more than the repair would have...
And let me get this straight.....their customers have to pay for it?
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
That's good....no, that's bad.....
Things are tough all over....our President elect said that things are bad and getting worse...this morning I found these lyrics to a song I've never heard before....
OH THAT'S GOOD, NO THAT'S BAD
Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs
SPOKEN:
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's Good.
(Verse 1)
Not long ago I was walking down the street
When a woman in a car knocked me off my feet.
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's Good.
(Verse 2)
My insurance paid me a lot of dough,
More money than I'd seen in a year's payroll
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Good.
(Sam) No, That's Bad.
(Verse 3)
My doctor's bills is where my money went
And all I had left was a very bad limp
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's Good.
(Bridge)
Cause the way I walked, got me a role
as the marshall's partner on a TV show
Pretty young actresses started hanging round
and every night we'd do the town
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Good.
(Sam) No, That's Bad.
(Verse 4)
I ended up back in a hospital bed
Cause my horse fell on my bad leg
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's Good.
(Verse 5)
Cause just when I was feeling my worst
I fell in love with a beautiful nurse
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Good.
(Sam) No, That's Bad.
(Bridge)
Cause I found out she was the doctor's wife
Now I'll be in a wheelchair the rest of my life
Cause no matter how I pleaded and begged
He operated on my good leg.
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's AWFUL.
I learned a long time ago that we tend to have our own definition of success and happiness, the problem is, that definition may be different from God's. We tend to think that when everyone is healthy, the bills are paid and money is in the bank, then things are good. Otherwise, things are bad.
It is interesting though, that in several places the Bible discusses the benefits of trials.
2 Corinthians 8
1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.
2 Thessalonians 1
4Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
James 1
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
I Peter 1
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
It's difficult, but I'm trying to see this time as a trial, refining my faith by fire...
OH THAT'S GOOD, NO THAT'S BAD
Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs
SPOKEN:
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's Good.
(Verse 1)
Not long ago I was walking down the street
When a woman in a car knocked me off my feet.
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's Good.
(Verse 2)
My insurance paid me a lot of dough,
More money than I'd seen in a year's payroll
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Good.
(Sam) No, That's Bad.
(Verse 3)
My doctor's bills is where my money went
And all I had left was a very bad limp
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's Good.
(Bridge)
Cause the way I walked, got me a role
as the marshall's partner on a TV show
Pretty young actresses started hanging round
and every night we'd do the town
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Good.
(Sam) No, That's Bad.
(Verse 4)
I ended up back in a hospital bed
Cause my horse fell on my bad leg
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's Good.
(Verse 5)
Cause just when I was feeling my worst
I fell in love with a beautiful nurse
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Good.
(Sam) No, That's Bad.
(Bridge)
Cause I found out she was the doctor's wife
Now I'll be in a wheelchair the rest of my life
Cause no matter how I pleaded and begged
He operated on my good leg.
(The Shamettes) Ohhhhh, That's Bad.
(Sam) No, That's AWFUL.
I learned a long time ago that we tend to have our own definition of success and happiness, the problem is, that definition may be different from God's. We tend to think that when everyone is healthy, the bills are paid and money is in the bank, then things are good. Otherwise, things are bad.
It is interesting though, that in several places the Bible discusses the benefits of trials.
2 Corinthians 8
1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.
2 Thessalonians 1
4Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
James 1
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
I Peter 1
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
It's difficult, but I'm trying to see this time as a trial, refining my faith by fire...
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