UnBalanced Assignments

I have something like 6 weeks remaining this quarter.

I have exactly 22 assignments still to do for this quarter.

9 of them are due next week.  UGH!

Keeping The Dream Alive

T0morrow (Thursday) a plumber is coming to give us an estimate on our attic project.  

We're hoping to hear that what we want to do is even physically possible.  

If not, Jenny has promised to let me build a room out of Lego's to live in forever.  (That may or may not be true)

1 Week To Go

A week from now we will have cast the votes that determine the next President of the United States.

If you haven't done the research to figure out who you will vote for, please do within the next week.

I've done all the research I intend to, though I stay up to date with what is published most days, and it would take a large scandal for my vote to be swayed at this point.  If you haven't reached that point yet, please do the research.

I don't even care what issues you place as most important, what party you typically lean towards, or what you think about the two major candidates.  You may end up using your vote in a different way.  Please just use it in an informed way.

Evernote

Does anybody that reads this have any experience using the program "Evernote"?

It is a note taking and making program like OneNote that runs on your computer and/or mobile device, but also is web-based so that all of those files are with you wherever you have access to the internet.

I've been experimenting with it, happily, but would like to ask some questions to someone who has experience using it. 

Let me know if that is you.

Giddy for Gadgets

After a productive day of securing a win in 2 of 3 fantasy football leagues, with a good chance at making the sweep tomorrow....

Jenny had a productive day of buying goodies from the apple orchard....

And now I get to play with a new gadget.  I'm almost giddy at how good the afternoon and evening turned out, at least once the snow stopped.

Yes, it snowed today.

Enough Already

I'm extremely tired of political ads.  

I'm happy that Obama spent so little money on television advertising in MN just so there is one less candidate that I consistently have to see on T.V.

Coleman, Franken, Paulsen, Madia, McCain, Bachmann, ect... I'm tired of watching your stupid ads.

The only one I care to see again is one of Franken's.  The one where he sinks ships, crashes trains and hates puppies.  It has been the only worthwhile political ad i've seen all year, and then, only because it makes me laugh every time.

More to Accomplish

I actually showed drive today.  Academically.  Efforts to go above and beyond.

I met with one of my teachers today and asked him to make some of my assignments more difficult than they are assigned so that I will benefit more from the work that I am doing for that class.

I'm not all lazy afterall.

No Planes or Trains...

... but their is a different automobile in my driveway.

No, it isn't mine or Jenny's.  As Matt has been living with us, you could routinely find his silver sporty saturn (I didn't even mean to alliterate) in our driveway.  

Yesterday he called me to meet him at a dealership, as I needed to bring his checkbook to him.  His car started leaking some transmission fluid and he was through.  He decided to get rid of it and get something different.

There is now a beautiful black betta (Jetta doesn't start with a b, but i wanted to alliterate again) in our driveway.

We could easily fit three bodies in the trunk.

Furniture Speaks...

There is an episode of friends where a person is established as one who doesn't watch television.

Joey asks this person, "then what does all your furniture face?"

The furniture in our homes, offices, and churches speaks volumes of what we value.  I had lunch with a friend from church today and we talked briefly about the furniture of "the church" (meaning at large, not just ours).  Specifically, the church in America.

Originally, the most important piece of furniture in a church was the altar.  This can be traced biblically as being the most important, and its unfortunate that we ever left that place.  We moved to a place where the most important furniture (if you can call it that) was the steeple on the top of the roof.  Churches longed to be seen as the tallest building in town.

Later, the pulpit became the most important piece of furniture in the church.  Some have more than one pulpit, spoken from depending on level of biblical use (not for announcements) while others simply had one.  

It was our conclusion, that even this isn't the most important piece of furniture in a church today.  We actually argued between two different ones.  We decided it must be either the "stage" or the "coffee and doughnut bar."  Both of these focus on the fact that church has become another consumer service maid to entertain us.  If we don't like how one performs to meet our needs, or if we don't feel comfy and happy, we leave and find a different one.

How unfortunate that the altar still isn't the most important part of a church, furniture or otherwise.

Better Not To Think

As we spent a while Saturday working on the attic, we realized that progress was more noticable than previous weeks.

I have established because we spent far less time thinking and discussing this weekend.  We always had a task to be working on, without much questioning or discussion.  

It seems that not allowing thinking onto the worksite (and singing children's songs) is the best way for us to get a  bunch done.

Welcome Weekend

My weekend started today.  I don't have any more assignments due today, and none due on Monday.  I actually have no deadline I must begin meeting as I work on homework Friday.

Just the things I might choose to work ahead on.  

Or, the things I might read for fun instead of school.

I like weekends.

Learn Anything?

I didn't watch the debates tonight.  I put in a movie instead.

I have not seen any of the debates actually, though I did watch both candidates acceptance speeches at their respective conventions.

Did anyone learn anything interesting about a candidate from the debates, or should I assume that all of the same things they have said through their campaigns were just restated again.

Mind Becoming Mushy

I thoroughly enjoy reading.  In college one summer, I read something like 23 books in 23 days because I could read 6 of the 8 hours I was at work.

This semester, three of my classes have heavily front-loaded their classes with reading.  There has not been a week that I have not been required to read 3 full books and parts of others.  It is starting to drain my mind, as I don't get to choose the book, and quickly must process the book so I can move onto the other.

I would enjoy this process more if I could further ponder each book I read, or if I got to choose the books.  I've noticed my mind becoming mushy the last couple of days.  I'll be looking forward to next week when my "reading weeks" begin and I open up 16 more hours a week without classes to read and process this material.

Now Everyone Knows

"I suck at mercy."  - Nate Kemper

You can find these words written on the board in one of the classrooms at the Seminary.

I said them in my preaching class today, and they became the start of the quoteboard for our classroom as the teacher found them too amusing to let pass without more focus.

Stick With The Meal

I went to McDonald's again for dinner tonight.  It is a Monopoly time tradition.  I knew I would get the Big Mac Meal so that I could maximize the value of Monopoly pieces.

We even remembered to take the game pieces for the free McFlurry's we had already won to get them with our meals.

I should have stuck with this.  Its the traditional, easy, but best use of my time and appetite during Monopoly.  I got greedy.  I asked them to add the two apple pies from the dollar menu.

They looked over, saw only one apple pie and informed me they only had one apple and one pumpkin left.

My companion said he would eat the pumpkin, so I took them up on clearing out their pies.

The pumpkin was opened, and immediately found to be cherry, though in a brown box.

10 minutes later, my "apple" (according to the box) was bit into and found to be pumpkin.

I should have stuck with tradition.

I'm One of "Tags" End-Users

Here are the rules:
1.Post the rules on your blog
2.Write 6 random things about yourself
3.Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4.If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!

I was tagged today.  I will obey rules 1-2, but probably won't tag anyone. 

1.  I don't brush my teeth regularly.  My wife is working on making it a habit in my life, but it just never developed into part of my routine, either for getting ready in the morning or going to bed at night.

2.  When I was a kid, I wanted to legally change my name to Mike.

3.  I have a photographic memory for things that I write down.  It makes test taking and memorization much easier than it is for most people.

4.  I can always solve a rubik's cube in under 5 minutes.  With a few hours, I can teach you how to as well.

5.  I'm pretty much immune to the pain one would normally feel from hair being pulled out.  Having hairy legs and arms forces you to get used to it, but once you do, its kind of nice.

6.  I don't have feeling in my shins.  I think its from taking too many pucks in the shins playing street hockey in california and from never wearing shinguards when I practiced soccer.

Making Ladies Cry

As a part of one of my classes this quarter, I'm required to spend 36 hours at a nursing home.  Nine four hour sessions.  The chaplain has given me a list of names and room numbers for people to visit.

This list has been designed to give me numerous pastoral care experiences.  I've got two of my people that are supposed to die within the next two months.  Some who have just been moved to the facility.  One who is 107 years old.  Some who have obvious and outspoken faith, others whom the chaplain didn't know if they were believers or not.  

I was even given one person who is on the dementia ward.  She confuses her past with the present so her stories sound more like halucinations than anything else.

This time continues to be a struggle for me.  I struggle to offer the same presence in a room with a person who is incoherent and seemingly halucinating, to a room that I enter and they immediately become upbeat and request much from me.

I was asked to be one lady's son today.  She had fallen 10 minutes before I showed up and had just finished getting lifted back into her bed when I walked in.  She demanded prayer the moment I introduced myself.  She then grabbed my hand, told me of her "informal relationship" with God and cried as she told me parts of her story and family.  It was very easy to be present in that room.

I understand that this experience will help me provide pastoral care in the future, but find myself with anxiety everytime I remember that I have to go back for 4 hours again next Wednesday.  These times drain me.

Best Fast Food Marketing - All Time

I've decided that I have a favorite 3 marketing programs of all time used by the fast food industry.

I'll be curious if any of you have any that you think need be added to the list.

#3.  Burger King - "Have it your way."

The Burger King "have it your way" campaign focused on America's great individualism and highlighted what was true of some but forced all fast-food locations to come to terms with...the customer is always right.

#2.  Wendy's - "Where's The Beef?"

I wasn't even old enough to buy myself food when this campaing was popular but it has lived on through the legacy of others to find its way into my media driven life.  It must have been a revolutionary marketing tactic.

#1. McDonalds - The Monopoly Game

No other marketing campaign gets me to go out of my way to eat at a restaurant for an entire month.  Granted, my favorite was when they had a partnership with Best Buy to give "Best Buy Bucks" with the prize pieces, but nonetheless, combining childhood food with childhood games and the chance of money is a great marketing campaign.  McDonalds wins my personal vote.  

Do you have any others that need be added to the list?

Playing Ken Doll

On the way out of town on Friday, Jenny and I stopped to do some shopping at an outlet mall.

Somehow, on a vacation weekend for her, I ended up with a new wardrobe.

When all was said and done, I had gotten two new pairs of dress pants, two dress shirts, a new coat (blazer), and two pairs of shoes.

She enjoyed playing Ken Doll games with me.  I've never tried on so many pairs of pants.

Going, Going, Gone

Jenny and I are leaving for a resort for the weekend. She'll enjoy taking pictures of the fall leaves changing colors, not working today, probably getting a professional massage, and leaving this hysteria of life behind.

I'll enjoy her enjoyment.

That does mean my Fantasy Football teams are without their captain this Sunday. Fortunately, the teams I own by myself are both undefeated and can deal with losing without me.

Back next week.

Not So Musical

I randomly turned on a music radio station this afternoon.  It had been a while, as i'm in the season where I listen almost exclusively to sports talk radio.

During this time, I realized it had been well over a year since I had purchased a cd.  Even longer since I felt the need to listen to music while doing something around the house.

I'm just not one of those people who gets much from listening to music.  I've looked around plenty to see its emotional influence on people's lives.  It rarely moves me in that way, or any way.  

I'm not a musical person.  I don't think that I ever will be.

Are you?  Is music important to you?