The rally ended today, with a journey to IHOP so everyone could order breakfast before getting on the road. After that, I participated in R.E. (Religious Education) class. I hadn't planned on it, but if some of my youth had to do it because they were waiting on rides, I could too. Now I have gone home, showered, and napped for three hours. Now that I am awake I have things waiting for me around the house, but I am still tired. This isn't the tired you get when you stay up late, but the tired you get when recovering from the flu. My whole body aches with a need for rest. I didn't feel this way before the nap. Then I was mentally tired, not thinking straight due to a lack of sleep.
Now you'd think that this would be the perfect time to post the rally follow up, and I would agree with you. However, I am going to have to postpone that for a couple of hours so that I can get started on other things around the house. As a micro review, I would say two thumbs way up. I had a great time.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Belief-o-matic
I took the beliefnet belief-o-matic quiz. Here are my results. I don't remember if this is identical to the last time I took the quiz, about two years ago, but it looks very, very similar.
Giving credit where it is due, Amy mentioned that she might do this, so I stole her idea.
|
Giving credit where it is due, Amy mentioned that she might do this, so I stole her idea.
Vacation?!?!?!?!?
I am taking the next two days, Friday and Monday off from work. No computer over the weekend, and while I will have a phone, I don't know how good of reception I will be getting. Why? Because I will be at the North Texas YRUU rally. My church is hosting this year, and it is my first rally, so while I am not really expecting a vacation, I am expecting to have loads of fun. Last I heard, we were expecting about 100 youth. I'll try to write more later, but alas it won't be until after the rally, and by that time I may be tired of talking about it (I will be tired.)
Wish me luck.
Wish me luck.
Wanna Cookie?
A couple of nights ago, I was up late working on putting music on my shiny new iPod. Around 1:30 AM, while I wasn't tired, I decided to go to bed. Around 2:00 AM, unable to sleep I got up to get a quick snack. On entering the kitchen, I saw a bag of cookies on the counter. My wife has been working to clean out the pantry, so I assumed that these had come from there. After pulling out a sandwich cookie (white cream between two shortbread cookies), and sniffing it, I took a bite, rummaged for some milk (there was none), ate the rest of the cookie, drank some water and went to bed. The cookie tasted a bit stale and flat, but not too bad. I hadn't wanted to spit it out, which I was prepared for when I took that first bite.
Last night, my wife comes home as dinner is finishing up, and grabs herself a plate. She sees the cookies on the counter, and asks if anyone has had one. Feeling that I may have inadvertently eaten someone's special cookie, I confess, hoping to make amends to whichever child I may have slighted. My wife laughs, and asks if I noticed the decoration on the cookies or on the bag. I say "no" (it had been 2:00 AM), and ask why. She tells me that there are fire hydrant's and police badges on the cookies, and paws on the bag. She then calls Allegra over, asks her if she was upset that I took one of her treats, and proceeds to give her what I now know to be a dog cookie.
Update (2007/03/22 10:26 PM): Amy suggested a picture of a cookie like the one I ate. Unfortunately, my wife gave the last one of the sandwich cookies to the dog. Here is what the bag looks like with the remaining cookies in it:
Update (2007/04/07 11:22 PM): Here is a picture about of the kind of cookie that I ate.
Last night, my wife comes home as dinner is finishing up, and grabs herself a plate. She sees the cookies on the counter, and asks if anyone has had one. Feeling that I may have inadvertently eaten someone's special cookie, I confess, hoping to make amends to whichever child I may have slighted. My wife laughs, and asks if I noticed the decoration on the cookies or on the bag. I say "no" (it had been 2:00 AM), and ask why. She tells me that there are fire hydrant's and police badges on the cookies, and paws on the bag. She then calls Allegra over, asks her if she was upset that I took one of her treats, and proceeds to give her what I now know to be a dog cookie.
Update (2007/03/22 10:26 PM): Amy suggested a picture of a cookie like the one I ate. Unfortunately, my wife gave the last one of the sandwich cookies to the dog. Here is what the bag looks like with the remaining cookies in it:
Update (2007/04/07 11:22 PM): Here is a picture about of the kind of cookie that I ate.
Monday, March 19, 2007
...To Forgive, Divine.
Back in November, I said something in IM to a friend. It was hurtful and accusatory. Since then, until this last month, we had barely spoken. I should have apologized immediately. Instead, I let it wait while trying to find the right way to do it. Well, yesterday I did it. I apologized for the rudeness.
The email response came early today. "No reason to apologize - none at all. I don't remember you ever sending me a rude IM or anything negative at all." Months spent thinking about those comments. If I had apologized, I wouldn't have wasted so much time worrying.
Thanks for being so forgiving.
The email response came early today. "No reason to apologize - none at all. I don't remember you ever sending me a rude IM or anything negative at all." Months spent thinking about those comments. If I had apologized, I wouldn't have wasted so much time worrying.
Thanks for being so forgiving.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Shh.....
Well, I just told the first person ever that I have a blog. I didn't tell him the address, so if he found it, Welcome Drew!
Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end.
This morning I read the above quote, and saw it attributed to Stephen Hawking. I loved that. I relished the quote through lunch. I was looking for the source of the material, and found that Hawking was quoting Woody Allen, and that he has used that quote before. What makes no sense is my sense of disappointment in hearing that quote from Allen. It sounds just like him. It still has it's meaning, yet since the author changed, I appreciate it less
I think this is likely a perceived value. Allen works in comedy. It is expected from him. Hawking's tapestry is is a scientist. We aren't expecting humor to roll off of his tongue, so when it does, it's perceived value is that much greater. In a way, it reminds me of a episode of MASH. In the episode, BJ and Hawkeye go around telling the same joke. BJ gets the laughs, even when Hawkeye has told the joke to the same person first. In the camp, BJ is more of the straight man. Sure, he is a jokester, but comparing the two, he is the straight man. So people enjoy the joke more when it comes from him.
I think this is likely a perceived value. Allen works in comedy. It is expected from him. Hawking's tapestry is is a scientist. We aren't expecting humor to roll off of his tongue, so when it does, it's perceived value is that much greater. In a way, it reminds me of a episode of MASH. In the episode, BJ and Hawkeye go around telling the same joke. BJ gets the laughs, even when Hawkeye has told the joke to the same person first. In the camp, BJ is more of the straight man. Sure, he is a jokester, but comparing the two, he is the straight man. So people enjoy the joke more when it comes from him.
Monday, March 12, 2007
My Bed(room)?
Nothing tawdry here.. move along, move along. Actually, what has my interest today, is a pair of articles that I saw in this past Sunday's Star-Telegram. Specifically, they deal with the master bedroom. I'll update this post if I can find the links.
The first article discusses parents yielding their beds to their children. It describes many parents who, rather then fight their children's habit of crawling into bed with them in the middle of the night, either accept the children into their bed with them, or get up out of their own bed and go sleep in their child's. I know this happens. It happened this morning. But the people the story is writing about have it happen to them every night. This isn't just a problem, it's a bad habit. I'm amazed that people would let it go on for so long that this habit would set in. Maybe their bed is bigger then mine, but as it is, between my wife, myself, and the dog (small), I barely have enough room for myself. Add a child into that, and I may as well sleep elsewhere. And usually not sleeping in my bed means waking up in pain, if I get to sleep at all. Therefore, this has been an easy call for me. No children in my bed. That attitude also makes it easy for me to shut and lock the bedroom door when I need to. (wink wink)
The second article details how architects are designing new homes with dual master suites in order to accommodate a growing number of spouses who wish to sleep separately. This is something else I do not understand. Yes, both my wife and I have chosen, on the rare occasion (sickness usually, though restlessness has kept me out of the bed for half of a night before) one of us will chose to not sleep in the same bed, but that is rare. This is another thing that, to me, appears to be a bad habit that people have fallen into. In the article, it states that the couples don't suffer sexually, and their marriages are bettor for the separation, but I can honestly say that I don't ever foresee that happening to me. There is too much non-sexual touching and physical intimateness that goes on to split us up between two rooms. Besides, it aides spur of the moment sexual touching.
(This is also not to knock the dual master suite setup for something it's really good for, namely non-intimate cohabitational relationships among equals, i.e. roommates. This setup was a fairly popular apartment layout in Austin when I was in college.)
Why did I choose to write about these. It's not particularly revetting. I guess they just caught my eye this weekend, and the coincidence of my daughter crawling into my bed last night just kept it in the center of my mind recently.
Update 2007-03-15 9:06 PM CDT: Added links.
The first article discusses parents yielding their beds to their children. It describes many parents who, rather then fight their children's habit of crawling into bed with them in the middle of the night, either accept the children into their bed with them, or get up out of their own bed and go sleep in their child's. I know this happens. It happened this morning. But the people the story is writing about have it happen to them every night. This isn't just a problem, it's a bad habit. I'm amazed that people would let it go on for so long that this habit would set in. Maybe their bed is bigger then mine, but as it is, between my wife, myself, and the dog (small), I barely have enough room for myself. Add a child into that, and I may as well sleep elsewhere. And usually not sleeping in my bed means waking up in pain, if I get to sleep at all. Therefore, this has been an easy call for me. No children in my bed. That attitude also makes it easy for me to shut and lock the bedroom door when I need to. (wink wink)
The second article details how architects are designing new homes with dual master suites in order to accommodate a growing number of spouses who wish to sleep separately. This is something else I do not understand. Yes, both my wife and I have chosen, on the rare occasion (sickness usually, though restlessness has kept me out of the bed for half of a night before) one of us will chose to not sleep in the same bed, but that is rare. This is another thing that, to me, appears to be a bad habit that people have fallen into. In the article, it states that the couples don't suffer sexually, and their marriages are bettor for the separation, but I can honestly say that I don't ever foresee that happening to me. There is too much non-sexual touching and physical intimateness that goes on to split us up between two rooms. Besides, it aides spur of the moment sexual touching.
(This is also not to knock the dual master suite setup for something it's really good for, namely non-intimate cohabitational relationships among equals, i.e. roommates. This setup was a fairly popular apartment layout in Austin when I was in college.)
Why did I choose to write about these. It's not particularly revetting. I guess they just caught my eye this weekend, and the coincidence of my daughter crawling into my bed last night just kept it in the center of my mind recently.
Update 2007-03-15 9:06 PM CDT: Added links.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Life rears it's head
Between work and home life, I haven't been as able to post recently as I want to. I figure that it's a good idea to post something just to get back in the swing of things.
Calling the Kettle Black
In the session, the young man is affable.
Light-Hearted contrarian,
he argues for the debate.
In the group, his stories induce
hearty laughs among all,
but some see other reasons.
In the late night, he stands
alone.
The rain falls as he stares
with bloodshot eyes.
Light-Hearted contrarian,
he argues for the debate.
In the group, his stories induce
hearty laughs among all,
but some see other reasons.
In the late night, he stands
alone.
The rain falls as he stares
with bloodshot eyes.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Feelings
Since I received news that my grandmother had died, I have noticed that my feelings appear to be amplified somewhat. I am more quick to anger, and more joyously in love. I feel more empathetic to others' feelings. I don't know if this is because I am paying more attention to mine and others' feelings, or what. So far it's a mixed bag, with a slight tilt to the positive.
Update(1:33 PM): I just left the funeral for Laura's husband. I don't know if it was the service, or just belated emotion from my grandmother's funeral, but this was powerful. I cried many times during the service, and I didn't at my grandmothers. It felt good to cry there with so many others also crying. I felt the pain when the deceased's uncle thanked Kevin for doing all that he could.
There are two quotes that struck me while looking into what to say, and what not to say at a funeral.
"The funeral not only is a declaration that a death has occurred, it also is testimony that a life has been lived."
"The funeral provides the fitting climate for expressing our true feelings. Pain suffered in solitude is harder to bear than anguish which is shared."
Update(1:33 PM): I just left the funeral for Laura's husband. I don't know if it was the service, or just belated emotion from my grandmother's funeral, but this was powerful. I cried many times during the service, and I didn't at my grandmothers. It felt good to cry there with so many others also crying. I felt the pain when the deceased's uncle thanked Kevin for doing all that he could.
There are two quotes that struck me while looking into what to say, and what not to say at a funeral.
"The funeral not only is a declaration that a death has occurred, it also is testimony that a life has been lived."
"The funeral provides the fitting climate for expressing our true feelings. Pain suffered in solitude is harder to bear than anguish which is shared."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)