tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1805307104623927282024-02-19T08:14:27.711-08:00The Angry CoderThe Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-17251948120912821472014-01-07T14:21:00.001-08:002014-01-08T11:44:56.979-08:00SERCKS ER GRERT!Mmmmmm socks. Is there anything more delicious than pair of freshly-worn socks? I hardly think so! Or least our dog hardly thinks so.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.fieldandstream.com/files/imagecache/photo-article/photo/20/MBF_2.3.10a.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fieldandstream.com/files/imagecache/photo-article/photo/20/MBF_2.3.10a.gif" height="133" width="200" /></a>Leo the puppy, weighing in at a solid 120lbs now, has been able to slip down an entire sock for a while now. We first noticed the phenomenon late last summer. Sometimes it's a small wash cloth or a hair scrunchee, but usually it's a sock. <br />
<br />
Yesterday he apparently found a buffet of smelly foot coverings and really went to town. He yaked up two of them by the evening and then kept trying to cough something else up. This was worse than cousin Eddie's dog yaking on a bone under the table during Christmas dinner: it produced puddles of vile, oozy stomach liquids. After consulting with a vet and giving him a dose of peroxide, he finally calmed down a bit.<br />
<br />
My wife weathered the night on the couch so she could tend to the silly beast and mop up whatever he produced. (Thank God for her! I suck at dealing with noxious fluids! Oh and compassion, I suck at that too. If it's even a thing *eye roll*). At about 4AM his heaving even woke me up-all the way in the bedroom with an air purifier on for white noise, for crying out loud! So I did the dutiful thing and went to see what the hubbub was all about.<br />
<br />
He had finally coughed up a big chunk of bone. Not his own bone, mind you. How would that even work! No no, part of a cow bone. Like a two-golf-ball-sized chunk of bone with some kinda sharp ridges. It seems he had gnawed this off of the cow femur we had gifted him in celebration of the Day of Christ's Mass some days prior.<br />
<br />
One barium cocktail and two x-rays later, the vet had discovered a mass (this is vet speak for "sock") in his stomach which, so far, is moving it's way through Leo's GI tract. Hopefully it finds it's way out on it's own, bringing an end to this wretched saga. But mostly avoiding a costly surgical procedure. Ah, but I repeat myself!<br />
<br />
<i>Update</i> The vet called this morning to tell us that the mass had passed and Leo's plumbingis back to operational! Also his bleeding has calmed down and he hasn't thrown up any more. Phew! He'll get to come home later this afternoon, in exchange for a small pile of cash. At least we don't have to muck around with Obamacare for this. This time!The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-78311252497926313492014-01-02T17:51:00.003-08:002014-01-02T17:51:46.071-08:002013 In ReviewSo it's been two full years since I've blogged anything?! Wow, how time flies! Well this time last year I wasn't feeling particularly bloggy or retrospective. You'll see why below. The process of preparing this has rekindled some interest, though; especially seeing how ridiculous Facebook can be. So maybe I'll do this blog thing a bit more. We'll see. And now I present: 2013 in review.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
2013 brought a flood of changes for the Neitzey family. There was change and growth in my
professional life, the fruit of God's blessing on us, as well as with our
family. There were some painful lows
along the way but those seemed to draw us closer together. The Lord sustained us and encouraged us,
helping us to learn to be sober minded and focus on what is right.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The wife and I had a blast partying in the new year at the
end of 2012. We had never been to a
genuine, no-holds barred new year's party.
It's always been lame church activities or low key family hangouts. So this was a first and it was fun! While we sat in the quiet of our home on the
first day of the year enjoy the quietness, because the kids were at their
grandparents still, our beloved family pet, Max, started to shake and
froth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We thought for sure he was choking and it wasn't going
well. But this subsided on our way to
the animal hospital. This was the first
of a series of seizures which would intensify over the coming days. After trying anti-seizure medication for over
a week, he was quite nearly catatonic: and still seizing. We finally acknowledged it was time to throw
in the towel and relieve the poor animal from his groaning and travailing. The ladies and I gently loaded him into the
van for one last drive. The station
which promises to be "positive and encouraging" only made the moment
harder by playing the ridiculously sad song "Hallelujah". <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While enormously difficult for the whole family, we were at
least together. We cried together and
comforted each other. We got Maximus as
a puppy just over nine years before. He
grew up with our kids and kept watch over us day and night. He was incredibly loving and patient with our
own kids and intensely fierce towards anyone of whom he was suspicious. I didn't realize how much his presence set my
mind at ease while I was gone to work during the days until he was gone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was good for the kids to suffer this loss. It had to happen sometime; they had to be
introduced to the unyielding and dispassionate reality of Death. Death is sure, taking the righteous and the
wicked; even the creation is not safe from its cold grip, but is ever in a state
of decay until at last the entire creation will be no more. His passing seemed
to herald a more general passing that would be coming through the following
year. Our kids cannot remember a time
before we had him and now, as even your youngest child was on the verge of
adolescence, he passed. The coming year
would see the passing of all childhoods in our home. There was no specific point in time where we
could say it happened, but it happened, every day through imperceptible
changes, each of our children have miraculously morphed into a young man and
young ladies.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fresh on the heels of this blow, my boss at work, whom I
much admired and enjoyed working with, resigned. Big changes had already been brewing and this
was just the next domino in a series of dominos. After a season of prayer and fasting, I was
convinced that I needed to stay the course for the time. I already had in mind to leave the company in
the spring, in search of something more suitable for long term employment, so I
resolved to stay with that track. Just
after the Lord confirmed this decision, my old boss from WSD offered me a
position and an exciting vision. He intended
to build a section of developers to ramp up the mountain work that needed to be
done. This seemed perfect and I was
excited to return "home". But
he made clear that the process would take time, so I hung on at my current
company, trying to weather the ever increasing chaos.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also during this season, in the dull and ever frozen winter,
Daniel persevered through what would end up being his final wrestling
season. He put in seven years of grueling
and often humbling work. He learned to
steel himself and to fight; to not quit and to not be afraid. This last season bore fruit through an
undefeated JV season. Technically he had
one loss, to the varsity kid on his own team who was in a JV tournament for extra
practice. He got to wrestle one varsity
match, against the toughest team they faced all season. He was dominant in this match but made one
mistake which cost him the match. At the
end of the season he was awarded with a varsity letter for his exemplary accomplishment.
His final tournament was a National tournament.
To make weight he had to lose over 10 lbs! To do this he sat in a sauna and we did some
boxing drills. He made weight but the
next day was too fatigued to do his best.
It was a lackluster finish to a great, though often frustrated,
career. Well before this, he was tired
of wrestling and preferred to focus on academics. We already miss watching our little Mat Rat!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the glum and dreary days that proceeded, I had finished
researching dog breeds and breeders. By
Valentine's Day it was time to pick him up!
People, you see, can never be replaced in our lives. But the role of 'family dog' is not the role
of a person, but a job to be filled by a dog.
We missed Max, but even more my mind was not at ease just at the lack of
a dog. So the wife and I travelled to
Fulton in mid-February and picked up our newest family member: Leonidas. Leo, for short: the Boarboel. Leonidas, the new front line of family
protection. Winter did bring one fun
event. A major snowstorm passed through,
leaving several feet of snow in all the drifts.
The girls and I and our neighbor, Napoleon, spent most of an afternoon
building a full-sized igloo. It was so large
that the whole family could sit in it!
We put some lights in it at night and had a little 'dance party'. Some photos of it even made it into the local
news! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Winter slowly gave way to spring, with the constant
interruption of arctic blasts. They
seemed to come like the lapping of waves against the beech as the tide fleas
out to the sea, finally leaving us with warmth.
It even snowed on my birthday at the beginning of May. But there was one major blessing during this
time: the birth of my new nephew, Kaden! He was very healthy at birth and even
sported biceps already.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weeks prior to my birthday were quite tumultuous at
work. The job offer which was made at
the beginning of January still had not come to fruition. I had gone through the Byzantine process of
waiting for the position to be created and then posted; for sufficient candidates
to have applied and been interviewed; to be interviewed myself and then have my
background vetted; to receive an offer and then make a counter-offer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the beginning of April I had released the pack of
recruiters who were licking their chops to place me somewhere. While the City lollygagged, I had missed the
bar on promising position at a friend’s company. By the middle of April, as I was awaiting counter
offer from the City, I explored another opportunity. These two ran in tandem and it turned into a
bit of a bidding war. I agonized over
the decision, feeling the choice was between my future and my friends. In the end, after getting counsel from some
unexpected places, I saw what I needed to do and had to renege on accepting a
position with the City. This hurt one of
my best friendships, but only for a short while. So I started this new job on my
birthday. After a short two weeks of frenetic
activity at the old place, I was ready for the new place and I loved it right away. But really- a snow storm?! The wife and I ate at Fud, since I was still
vegan at this point, and we loved it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The snow melted quick enough; the puppy grew at a ridiculous
rate; the kids wrapped up school and the wife and I celebrated our 18th
anniversary with a nice meal of modern sushi.
My dad and his wife came out over Memorial Day weekend to visit my new
nephew and celebrate Rebekah's birthday.
Her birthday was a bit awkward in one regard, because my sister in law
and her husband had separated. He
decided to show up for part of the party. In June I had my hernia repaired and
began the agonizing, eternal process of recuperating. It was nice to have health insurance
again! The boy was also able to get some
much needed physical therapy for his hip to recover from a wrestling injury
that was now three years old.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This down-time gave me the opportunity to shore up plans for
a whirlwind family vacation over the 4th of July weekend. An opportunity for us to host a high school
student opened up for us, as well.
Ignacio arrived from Spain on his birthday in late June and a few days
later we were crammed into the van for one last road trip to Leesburg, Va. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We drove all through the night and arrived safely at my
sister Jen's huge and beautiful home.
The first day we just crashed; the second day we adventured into DC and
visited the Smithsonian Natural Science museum, camped outside in the National
Mall and watched fireworks over the Washington (phallic) monument. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We took another day
of rest and visited historic old towne Leesburg. The next morning we were off to Gettysburg
for the grand finale of our trip: the hugest battlefield reenactment of our times! I greatly enjoyed watched the troops marshal
to their positions. Square streams of
men, moving in unison and each square crowned by glimmering steel spikes,
moving to the sound of fief and drum, would arrange in rows to present their
arms and fire. Speeches were given as
sweat poured from the mock troops and dust kicked up by boots, hooves and
wheels coated everything like a veil. This
martial symphony shook the ground and filled the air, as did the smell of gun
smoke, horses and dust. Oppressive heat
and humidity completed the stage perfectly for an hour long cannonade followed
by thousands of actors charging the mock-battlefield. Although the family generally resisted the
idea of doing this, we all shared a sense of awe at the scale and reality of
this show. From there we returned home
in what was one of the most brutal and exhausting travel experiences of m life. We were so glad to make it home!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our Spanish guest was quiet but he seemed to be eating up the
familial atmosphere. There was some
moderate tension between him and our son, which was disappointing, but they
sincerely tried to work things out. They
got a bit of break for one week while Daniel went to law camp at Washburn. He absolutely loved it . Ignacio really seemed to enjoy cooking with
me. On Ignacio's last night with us, we
prepared an entire table full of tapas, as best we could, and had an excellent
time together by the fire on an unseasonably cool July night. The next day as he left, my wife saw tears in
his eyes. We were glad to know the time
meant something to him too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During June we also wrapped up another swim season. The gap between our own kids and the ones
that swim year round became more apparent, but it was still mostly for
fun. Rebekah continued to improve at the
IM. Next year will hopefully be a bit
better since the girls will be at the older end of their brackets.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our security team at church took a big step this
summer. In June we had our first training
session with a pro. This ended with
pepper spray training which horrendous.
But it really surprised me how this built trust and camaraderie between
all of our guards. At least the ones
that participated. We had a follow up a
couple months later to learn how to use baton and another one just for fun,
using basic grappling techniques to restrain a person. We have come a long ways from the days of
just hanging out aimlessly on the front stoop.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We got some more good news this summer as my other sister in
law announced her pregnancy. Later we'd
find out it's a little girl. It will be
exciting to have another little one in our midst!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The beginning of August meant preparing for life as
normal. Swim season was over and our
guest was gone; Judo and violin lessons started up in earnest; and as the kids
began school so did the puppy. The
honeymoon phase of work was over and it became increasingly difficult to adjust
to the ridiculously unnecessary complexity of our systems as well as one of the
more challenging personalities. But
God's grace was sufficient and by October things seemed like they were starting
to "click" for me at work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As summer frivolity faded, a new reality entered the
family. My sister in law's divorce was
final. Even now, as he has taken a new
woman with the intent to marry, and has every appearance of an adulterous
relationship, it is proving to be rough to navigate at times.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of September, I got to take Elisa to the Walnut
Valley Festival for a couple of days.
She performed beautifully in the fiddling competition and it was such an
interesting place. But most of all I
enjoyed spending the time with my almost grown up little girl and watching her
do something she truly excels at. She
also has been very consistent in taking Judo and fought in a couple of
tournaments this fall. It hasn't clicked
for her yet but she really seems to enjoy it, so I'm sure it will come.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout the late summer and fall Rebekah and I ran about
twice a week. Often we ran on the trail
in the woods which is very challenging but fun.
She really progressed: she was barely able to finish two miles of flat,
paved trail at 12 min/mile and at the best point we were running 5k's, of rough
trail, at less than 10 min/mile. We've
had a hard time being consistent with the onset of winter, but we're trying.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By November, Leo and I graduated from obedience
training. He is now able to recall, at a
distance, and go down on recall. He's
also able to sit and to heel, and when he's been practicing, is pretty fluid
with all of his commands. But despite
his size, he had not yet developed enough of an adult nature to do any
protection work. So that will have to
wait to next year. In the end I think I
learned more about myself as a leader and coach than the dog did about
obedience. Although I found it to be
often humbling, I am grateful for the opportunity to improve in such a critical
part of my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The really cold weather returned just ahead of the
holidays. Despite being down one family member,
we had a great time. My wife's family
came up from New Orleans and we had an awesome time visiting with her family
for days, cooking and touring parts of KC even we don't get to often. The week following, the wife and I headed to
Smithville and Lathrop for a day of CCW training. A few weeks before this we spent a day
shopping for an appropriate tool for this task and settled on a Beretta
Nano. She really took to this and soon
selected a holster and started doing trigger control and drawing drills on her
own. As of this New Year we are still
awaiting the final callback to approve our 00 licenses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a short time
until Christmas. We barely got gifts in
time (my wife's gift was still on order!) and didn't even decorate. Except for Rebekah, who really stepped up and
set up tree. She deserves a special elf
award or something. In fact both of my
daughters put in a phenomenal amount of work to help me repaint the basement
over a few nights! That next weekend we
enjoyed a LOTR marathon with some close friends.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent New Year's Eve with some close friends, for a
low-key family. It was a less exciting
way to end the year, but after this year I ready for some calmness. Now we get a few days of rest and
contemplation for the days ahead. The
river of time looks to be just as rough ahead as it was behind, but I know that
our God is good: everything will be fine and we are just along for the
ride. I am a leaf upon the wind.<o:p></o:p></div>
The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-82585321054775718702011-12-31T23:23:00.000-08:002011-12-31T23:23:50.085-08:002011 In ReviewAfter taking the year off, this year it was definitely time to reflect on the past year and prognosticate the upcoming one, like the double-faced Roman God Janus, for whom the month of January is named after. I've seemed to be a bit more ADD this year, so in celebration of my briefer attention span, my post this year is less verbose and more snippets. What a wild ride this year was!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2011<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">new years day in india with my awesome wife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">black spots in toe-nails for a month<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Visiting with and praying for families in mumbai.
nalosapora. pastor abraham's village.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">riding atop a truck, up and down the mountain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Everest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">paragliding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">lisfranc dislocation fracture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">10 weeks on crutches. with ice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">violin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">what does being "relational" look like, anyways?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">kane kaiser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">St. Joe meet: argument and turning point<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">districts. regionals. one match away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">broken camera.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">team leader<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">teaching misssions class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Broken TV and an extra power supply board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>thirteen</em>?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">new bike for boo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">looking for medicene at 2AM in fulton on anniversary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">nepal. twice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">the spiritual Eisenhower of Nepal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">taking my son to nepal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Switching to Benettis and cafe breve<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">sharing christ to bikash with Daniel in pokhara<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">class 4-5 white water rafting the upper seti, in the
himilayas, at the start of monsoon season<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">swim season<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rising early. Driving with coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">first massage ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">B2 stealth bomber messed up Daniel's race<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Galaxy tab no more<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cooking with the kids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">new roof from state farm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">zen body therapy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">grandma chambers passed away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">okc visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">grandma's sister is awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">built front porch roof. with friends and the kids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">elisa can cut a board.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">mentoring<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">KJV research and teaching<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">decompression therapy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">communication, compassion, understanding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">learning the importance of fathers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hogpound brown and friends at McCoys<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">daniel framing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">bike wreck with SUV.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stupid Conan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">master cleanse<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ren Fest <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">backpacking with all the kids<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">cigars<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">diving in the freezing cold rocky falls<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Best. Etoufee. Ever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">marital growth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">teaching electrical to daniel and adrian<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">the entmoot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Judo practices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> BB for the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">taking over security team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lots of Langley overnights<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanksgiving in Branson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Running 6 miles in the Ozark Mountains<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Praising God for healing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Crazy marriage counselling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wrestling practice at Raytown<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">kidney stone and car wreck<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Elisa's violin performance with Joe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">i hate mudding<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">listening to the girls plot their room upgrades<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">finishing the bedroom<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Crazy christmas eve service<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Relaxing Christmas even and Christmas day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">teaching Paul how to build a better capp<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">rock band 3!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">family time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fidels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> And for the coming year: the big question is, where the Mayans right? Well I've got other, smaller question too, and a few things noteworthy of celebration to look forward to.</span></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Justin and Rachel!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">New Orleans!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another Neitzey? Another Latore?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">high school or home school?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nepal for Daniel, again?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Orissa for me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Romania for Li?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Branson half-Ironman 2012?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">New car?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">more teaching?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">marriage ministry?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">kidtown?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">security?<o:p></o:p></span></div>The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-14459714291390499982011-10-17T10:06:00.000-07:002011-10-17T10:07:02.270-07:00Hiking the OT: Lessons learnedBack in "the day", I remember hiking always being a simple affair. My pack never weighed much more than 20 lbs and that would include fresh foods, often some canned foods, and a small cast iron frying pan. It still baffles me how I was able to do that.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to over ten years and three children later... Every trip I've taken in the last several years I've also taken my son. This time, I brought the girls, and one of their friends. Every trip since those blissful, lightweight days, I've had to learn some lessons. In the last six years of trips, I've come to appreciate the value of a lightweight pack and a hastily prepared meal, even if it lacks flavor. But this time, with three little girls in tow, wow: there were <i>lots</i> of lessons to learn! As every, this blog is for me and me alone so I record my thoughts here to supplement my always strained memory. But if this helps anyone else out then great!<br />
<br />
Lesson #1: It's not enough to prepare the equipment for the kids; you've got to prepare the kids for the equipment.<br />
Too ill-fitting packs and too much weight and bedeviled us for the first day. About halfway to our destination, we made some good progress on the fit of each pack, but those were all work-arounds. Backpacks work by directing the weight of it's contents to a persons hip bones. None of the hip belts were tight enough for any of the girls! Fortunately they each brought a hoodie or sweater that could be tied around their waist to help "shim" the belts, but it took some practice to get this down for each one of them. Also fortunately, the weather didn't turn cool enough that they actually needed to wear these.<br />
Also I didn't stick close-enough to the 20% rule. The 20% rule dictates that you don't carry more than 20% of your body weight in your backpack. While this is a "rule of thumb" for adults, it's an absolute law for the kids! The 2nd day went much better since we had eaten all of our food and were able to move a lot of the extra weight from the girls packs to my own, which ended up at 40 lbs <br />
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<br />
Lesson #2: Teaching time was required in advance<br />
Aside from working the physical details out ahead of time, I should have
invested some time with each of the girls during the weeks prior to the
trip teaching them about maintaining and using their packs and
equipment. This would've expedited the camp tear-down.<br />
But more than then how-to's of packing and camping, we should have also spent time talking about team work, facing difficulties and expectations. A couple of afternoon practice hikes, accompanied by some conversation, would've provided an great teaching platform for this. Following up with an evening fire and some hot coco or apple cider would be a great finish.<br />
Expectations should have been established. For an adventure such as this, the upward-outward-inward model fits. An appreciation for nature, it's beauties and dangers, as well as what it teaches about the Author of nature directs us upward. The strengthening of the bonds of friendship through a common experience, shared trials and teamwork directs us outward. Learning your personal limits and being forced to surpass them teaches us about ourselves. This understanding would have provided some great context for the kids.<br />
<br />
Lesson #3: Responsibilities should have been delegated ahead of time.<br />
Isn't this always a critical point of failure in leadership?! There was so much to do to prepare that it was quite overwhelming. There was quite a bit to do at camp also and I had way underutilized my sons abilities. Practice sessions from Lesson #2 would naturally lend themselves to delegation. Had the burdens of camp been more thoughtfully identified and shared, our entire second day would have been much easier than it turned out to be.<br />
<br />
Lesson #4: Girls are different <br />
This is the first trail I ever brought my son on. It was tough, but he did great and had a great time. This is the first trail my good friend ever brought his son on, and it went about the same. For both of our boys, the difficulty of the experience installed confidence in them. After the trip, they had a feeling of accomplishment. On this trip, with the older girls, this seems to have been the case; but with the younger ones I'm not as sure. It will take some time to sort that out- did the difficulty actually act to discourage them? Or do they just need more moral support than the boys required? <br />
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Lesson #5: More time to prepare<br />
In order to implement the aforementioned lessons, it would have been necessary to begin planning at least three months prior to the date, and preparations, including the teaching sessions, at least six weeks prior. During the two weeks prior, as my wife and I were gathering up equipment for everyone, it became painfully obvious we were getting into the game late. All my previous experiences were inadequate for me to have predicted these lessons-learned. Experience is, after all, the best teacher.<br />
<br />
There were many positive lessons-learned as well. The packing list was in good order, thank God! Had it not been, we might not have been able to have compensated for some of the planning deficiencies. The time of year was absolutely perfect. The mileage was right on target for a group like this. If seen both bad weather and high mileage break down grown men. A mistake on either of those points would have been catastrophic for this team! The itinerary was spot-on (we just didn't stick to it on day two!). My personal pack-weight, while a bit heavier than I preferred, was great. It included some great meals and accommodated me being able to pick up weight from the girls. And Lamberts is always a good call.<br />
<br />
The best part, by far, was the team. The men, including my son, were exceptionally patient through many trying moments and ready to pitch in and help with whatever needed to be done with not a single complaint murmured from them. At least not to me ;-) All in all it was a great trip and I'm already excited for the next one.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-49788824374295322342011-09-14T21:32:00.000-07:002011-09-14T21:32:06.001-07:00Eye of the storm?The major symptoms seem to have subsided for now. It was nice to wake up from a restful nights sleep and not have a headache at all today. On the other hand, my appetite has picked up quite a bit and hunger pangs have been a bigger issue. The lack of pain and nausea also means that my mind is more free to think about food! Glorious food! <br />
<br />
Right now, I could really go for some Fritos and french onion dip. Definitely one of the biggest challenges thus far was to prepare the family dinner... and then watch them eat! Braised beef served aloft a mountain of veggies with the drippings cooked down to a nice sauce and drizzled over the whole lot... it smelled heavenly. I think I really nailed the proportions of the veggies, too. I tend to use too much onion a lot of time but this had a more balanced look to it. No complaints from the fam as they stuffed their mouths in front of me. The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-58086667809587583942011-09-12T19:05:00.000-07:002011-09-12T19:05:11.840-07:00This SucksPossible symptoms of detoxification kicked in hard last night. Hard like a punch to the face from Kimbo Slice. Hard like flying into an SUV at 15+mph while on a bike. I won't divulge all the nasty details, but the most debilitating one is the chronic, splitting headache. It abated for part of the day but came back in force this evening, about an hour later than when it first hit last night. Also the drink is becoming far less tolerable. Even with the lime, I was unable to chug down the last little bit I took a run at. But I'm going to go for one more day... like a recovering drug addict, I'll just have to take this day-by-day. <br />
<br />
Okay, I'll mention one nasty detail. I'm tired of playing "Fart or Explosive Diarrhea?" I always take the safe bet on that one.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-85319017263800248762011-09-11T13:20:00.000-07:002011-09-11T13:20:10.721-07:00Mystery Drink Revealed!Today was the day. After three days of 'easing in' to this regimen, I finally have begun the full-on lemonade diet. Actually lemonade fast seems more appropriate, and I think would help dispel any myth that this is for weight loss. Nonetheless, my first encounters with 'the drink' were not pleasant. The after taste of the grade-b maple syrup was what rubbed me wrong. Also, it was difficult to be at church while my mind was in such a heavy, low Calorie induced fog. But we persevered... past the donut platter, replete with manifold baked goodies... past the fresh, brewed pots of Oddly Correct coffee... For some reason, home made pot-stickers and sushi rolls were set out today: an MBT first! But we persevered... then all hell brake loose! Chocolate cupcakes and a large chocolate sheet cake whose thick, moist bread was somewhat squashed under the weight of so much icing, settling o'er the top like a freshly fallen, heavy snow snow... But we persevered...<br />
<br />
So far I have downed 3 cups of concentrated concoction. I've already figured out that I don't need to dilute it nearly so much as recommended: that only prolongs the torture. Just now, I've mixed up a new batch, another 2 cups. But this time I added a single lime in place of one lemon. Wow! What a difference that makes! The overall flavor us much, much better and the strong tartness of the lime even overwhelms the finish so that the drink is now beyond tolerable.<br />
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I guess this guy had it right all along.<br />
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<br />The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-43442972279411213162011-09-10T06:44:00.000-07:002011-09-10T06:44:01.129-07:00Mmmmmm... Paaaaancakes!<br />
The smell of fresh, buttered pancakes roasting on the hot griddle even now is wafting from the kitchen over to the computer, where I am mostly through with an 8oz. glass of orange-pineapple-mango juice. Or, as it is known today: breakfast. There are 120 Cal per serving and a total of 7 servings in the 1.8qt carton of juice, or about half of the daily caloric intake that I need. I suppose I may run up to the store and grab another. Today is only juice, but not the full-on "lemonade diet". It's going to be a rough day. <br />
<br />
Yesterday was only pulpy liquids, soups and juices. No chewing allowed! Thankfully there was no limit to quantity. Two bottles of naked juice; one fresh, juice blend from the Filling station; three cans of soup; two martinis and at least a gallon and a half of Crystal Light drink saw me through the day. It's amazing how much a person thinks about food when they aren't having any! <br />
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My beginning weigh-in yesterday was around 180lb, with 22% body fat and hydration of 57%. This morning it was 177lb, 23% body fat and a hydration of 56%. Go figure: after all that liquid I am now<i> less </i>hydrated than when I began!<br />
The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-33796499971358316122011-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:002011-09-08T09:46:26.335-07:00EchoHello? Hello? Is this thing working? *cough* Whew! It's a bit dusty. Guess I should blog more often. Or perhaps not.<br />
<br />
I'm sitting here at Benetti's, taking a break from some angry coding and contemplating my last decaf breve. Benetti's by far has the *best* decaf around, and they're right up there with their regular caps as well. By why 'the last', you ask? Just for a couple of weeks while I undertake an endeavor to complete... The Master Cleanse. Thanks to Percussivity for telling me about this and how it not only jump started his weight loss but helped him feel quite a bit better. <br />
<br />
Since I'm waiting for my ribs to heal up from being-tackled-by-an-SUV while biking incident, this seems like the perfect time to give it a shot. Otherwise I'll just begin to plump up to portray a realistic Santa Claus this December. Damned M&M's... I'm not only hoping for weight control/loss during my down time, but I'm curious to see what sorts of other things might happen. The internets are full of first-person testimonials of people who felt they benefitted from doing this. So we'll see. <br />
So today begins the "ease-in": no meats, no dairy. Well, just a little dairy... one, small decaf breve. Tomorrow will be juice only and then Sat. begins the "real deal".The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-50033751663068227222011-02-08T17:03:00.000-08:002011-02-08T17:03:14.112-08:00Hot WingsUsed this recipe:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/sweet-spicy-wings/Detail.aspx">http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/sweet-spicy-wings/Detail.aspx</a><br />
<br />
Only I used garlic powder, instead of salt, since I tend to shy away from salt. Also we had to settle of oven-baked instead of grilled. They cooked at 350 for 20 min and then we flipped them, added more sauce to the under side and cooked them another 10 min. They were awesome! I'm a big fan of the hot and sour combo.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-61511847950231885852011-02-08T15:35:00.000-08:002011-02-08T15:35:24.066-08:00*Yawn*Has it been that long since I've posted? I even missed my annual Year-In-Review!!! Hmm...The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-46267730564829312142010-11-08T13:29:00.001-08:002010-11-08T13:29:38.232-08:00A bit of humor<p>There were two "ladies" who, I believe, slept throughout most of the voir dire. Unbelievable! One lawyer asked 95% of the questions, the other had the chance to tend to any loose ends. Finally, the first lawyer returned to examine the two sleepyheads. The first was as defiant as she was inarticulate. It would have been humerous to watch her go off to the brig to cool her heels for a bit but alas, I think they are just glossing over it. The second was not as surly and tried to blame her work. I don't think she realized that her job can't hold this against her.<br> <br> During the morning swearing in, the judge led in an oath that ended with "so help me God". He said they had another, irreligious version for anyone who wanted. "Anybody? Anybody?". No takers I thought it was a great way to shame any potential atheists. The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-74523587593042523302010-11-08T12:54:00.001-08:002010-11-08T12:54:39.113-08:00Not looking good<p>The case is about an accident that happened roughly one block from where I live. Also, City lawyers will be testifying as well as the chiropractor I go to. Bummer! I was really hoping to get the nod! They haven't selected yet, but I don't think its's looking too good.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-69611503485803277062010-11-08T10:17:00.001-08:002010-11-08T10:17:40.805-08:00Into the belly of the beast<p>The courtroom is all about humiliation. First you are assigned a number, then a seat whereupon a large placard with your number is placed. I am a person, dammit! I will not be... Enumerated? Nmberfied? Once I took my seat, I realized my feet didn't touch the ground. These seats are oversized for Anakims reaching heights of at *least* six foot. Clearly this was designed to make me feel like a child. And so the psychological breakdown continued for the judge sits aloft, looking down on the nameless children. Oh and it gets worse: the judge is a woman. A female judge?! And the lawyers? Also females! The plantiff? Woman. And the defedant? Egads! Another woman! Its as though I walked onto the set of The View. I must go back, after a salad at Quiznos, and a suprise lunch with an old friend from KCBT, for what I expect to be more psychological abuse.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-45734859484581866152010-11-08T09:27:00.001-08:002010-11-08T09:27:55.284-08:00Yes!<p>I've been called to a panel! Made the first cut... Now on to voir dire- an interview of sorts.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-11440249510787121072010-11-08T09:14:00.000-08:002010-11-08T09:15:08.879-08:00Nothing to report here...<p>The first two hours we were provided with live entertainment and a video. By entertainment, I mean instructions. We were given the same set of instructions and explanations thrice, each time according to the speakers own particular....hmmm... Idiom! The video featured local famous dude and former baseballer G. Brett and local newsies Elisabeth Alex and Brian Busbie. The judge was actually the most interesting. He also administered the oath to us (about which I have somewhat to share in a bit). Then we had a 30 minute Starbucks break (mmm, pumpkin spice!) Followed by 40 minutes of instructionless sitting about while the herd was being thinned of those who felt they had valid excuses to be poor citizens. I put that time to good use and plodded forward into reading about the fall of the Third Reich and Operation Barbarossa. Oooh! We're being instructed now! Waiting for my name to be called to be part of a panel.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-50570741308197287092010-11-08T07:18:00.001-08:002010-11-08T07:18:14.022-08:00Looking good?<p>Given that I want to be selected, "good" in this sense means getting to be off work a few more days. Since most people are, apparently, lobbying to not be here. That should give me a good start. There were 12 cases scheduled for this week and normally 90% of cases are settled prior to a hearing. But only 5 have been settled so far. So a limited pool and a big case load means things are looking up.<br> <br> And speaking of looking, why does the lady next to me keep looking over at my phone while I type? These people are doing their damndest to drive me nuts.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-82884994098329826402010-11-08T06:01:00.001-08:002010-11-08T06:01:40.212-08:00Jury Duty<p>For the first time in months, I got someplace on time. Even a bit early actually. I don't miss 71 highway with its accident-causing, revenue-raising lights. I don't think it was any faster than side streets, either. I found a place to park for free and within a mile of the courthouse. The day, being moderately cool and full of sun, made for a pleasant walk. After breezing through security, I found a comfy seat at the back of the jurors room with elbow room on both sides. That is, until Darth Vader came and set next me. He's shed his royal armor and has chosen to serve as a "regular" guy, but his breathing is unmistakeable. If the elevator ride is what put him out so much, methinks that *somebody* needs to step up their cardio. Ugh.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-91787899485301369002010-08-17T14:08:00.000-07:002010-08-17T14:27:56.135-07:00Bringing in the cones<div>This was the second year for a Cascade hops plant that I put in the ground. Last year was very disappointing in that the vines only got to about four feet long each and produced no cones. However, I wasn't really expecting any from the first year and didn't have much expectation for this year either, since the plant has to get established.</div><div><br /></div><div>But much to my suprise, by mid-June it started producing cones! And by July it began producing an unruly amount of lateral vines which each produced numerous cones. Just this last weekend, it was time to bring in the harvest, as the intense period of heat we just had had already begun to dry them out.</div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506490004317220914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSGn5aeKpO-x75fPNBo0ZIqiufuNOKpzWaklueqHzllTC2Pb7KKhBrbOBAUHywBav-0YCizpd6ZS8NenmUeO3xVrSSHoGJVcMNV3_RSZ_ek-5oa-cQHHvxBDRex8D9rn2hFWNMbDnW7VO/s400/Vines3.jpg" /></div><br /><div align="center">Above, the vines are covering most of the side of our gazebo swing.</div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506490793834689538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tOSeWJEOKBqcEU1ZLEVL608v0PsH1vzllitAiYCHNzJGCzVf7YNNH1kNEE3a32Vx45Y6Exh8vJW0ecOSkaPY50TYoGwMtonpgoG4_gsRnKNEDmqocMAwmxo1RVSMuKgYHWvAXvwmHar2/s400/Vines2.jpg" /><br /><br /><div align="center">The vine along the top, which is showing discoloration and fading, is the first vine from the spring. The lower vine is actually a shoot from off of the top one. There were a lot of cones on that lower vine!</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJEDdv8n9kQtNZd_w0Y2j6sAvmrGcKMPKJYZWjmNW8OwS4p8SSuNXMOF30qa1I0ioKfqzSzE0Wq4t7PpfW0FhSiDH0fd40y7n1QAzLgmR-TGsm1YMXCkf01nAEn1PPQFUzvPKC5QJyggo/s1600/Vines1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506490785944637970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJEDdv8n9kQtNZd_w0Y2j6sAvmrGcKMPKJYZWjmNW8OwS4p8SSuNXMOF30qa1I0ioKfqzSzE0Wq4t7PpfW0FhSiDH0fd40y7n1QAzLgmR-TGsm1YMXCkf01nAEn1PPQFUzvPKC5QJyggo/s400/Vines1.jpg" /></a> Even along the back where the sun exposure wasn't as good, there were still plenty of cones.<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7hfiPuA5N6w41NK7k_xQ3xdYB4HWnyW9F7UbNDYWSceGyZYfkWAPcEt8V6Eq-RVjc4TvSBnS9hq6fIJut85bA1b-M0HLGM4M6dacFcZw8dgoYj9J65sB8cAkfQHFwapWmm-eCiV6RAAb/s1600/Lupulin.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506490777768813474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7hfiPuA5N6w41NK7k_xQ3xdYB4HWnyW9F7UbNDYWSceGyZYfkWAPcEt8V6Eq-RVjc4TvSBnS9hq6fIJut85bA1b-M0HLGM4M6dacFcZw8dgoYj9J65sB8cAkfQHFwapWmm-eCiV6RAAb/s400/Lupulin.jpg" /></a> This is a poor shot, but I'm attempting to show the yellow, powdery substance that is produced between the leaves of each cone. This is called lupulin, and it's what gives hops- and in turn beers- their flavor.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XEpmOblClP0TIojLL4hZ__kIU2gdHKlQOjXQJpnL11fZC38CKRk6EV17mHGJE5uzNFwOatB0AQyG5bJa1MZKeCtWhq5ZGynej_MaodSarBxslWHEvVQDmtpML7oH40fyLWFjmPBd9dV7/s1600/Harvest.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506490770401195378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XEpmOblClP0TIojLL4hZ__kIU2gdHKlQOjXQJpnL11fZC38CKRk6EV17mHGJE5uzNFwOatB0AQyG5bJa1MZKeCtWhq5ZGynej_MaodSarBxslWHEvVQDmtpML7oH40fyLWFjmPBd9dV7/s400/Harvest.jpg" /></a> The net weight of this year's production was just over eight ounces of green, only somewhat dried hops. Right now they are sitting on a window screen in the garage, drying out, down to eight to ten percent of the moisture they once had. Then they will go into cold storage until what time they are ready to be added to the hot wort for finishing, courtesy of brewmeister Neufeld. I can't wait to try them out in a few months!<br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /></div>The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-87759272953274396512010-04-01T14:56:00.000-07:002010-04-01T15:01:51.419-07:00India-boundBack in Oct of 2009, a missionary to India and Nepal spoke at a prayer service at our church. At that time, I had been doing some long range planning to take my wife on some exotic vacation for our 15th anniversary coming up in 2010. But the missionary announced he was organizing a missions trip in 2010. That announcement grabbed my attention and I spent the next two months mulling it over. Because of the nature of the trip, I wanted to make this decision with my wife- which meant foregoing any surprise- so I gave her a choice: we can either go on a vacation just for us, or we can go on this missions trip. She didn’t hesitate: it was the missions trip all the way!<br /><br />It didn’t seem fitting to me, though, that we would just “decide” we would go on a trip. I have been on numerous trips of this nature before and always clearly saw God directing me in them. The clearest direction I ever had with this was in 1991 when the still, small voice of God told me “You’re going to Kenya.” My immediate reaction, as a broke, nineteen year old college student with really no interest in going anywhere was “Ha! I’m not going to Kenya- that’s ridiculous!” Six months later, I was on my first trans-Atlantic flight. God had directed and provided. Knowing that God is “in” something gives a person unparalleled confidence no matter what circumstances arise. So in Dec, we began praying that the Lord would confirm to us that this was Him.<br /><br />In January, I went ahead and signed up for the trip, thinking “If God shows us otherwise, we’ll just back out.” About a week or two later, they announced that the trip was now full and on a waiting list. By the middle of Feb, we had all the money saved up to pay for the entire trip. We already had our passports as well, so everything was coming together. The door was wide open, but I was still waiting to hear that still, small voice once more. But nothing.<br /><br />The weeks turned into months and still no clear-cut word. My wife began struggling through the process and God kept telling her “abide”. So she did. At another point she began to worry about the money but eventually she realized that God would provide if He’s in it. In short, she was growing through this process. Of course I was growing too; mostly frustrated. We soldiered on in prayer.<br /><br />Then a deadline of April 1st was announced. Deposits, passports and applications had to be turned in for the trip. To me, this was D-Day. Either I hear from God or we don’t go. As we got closer to that date, God was showing me things in His Word but I wasn’t getting the binary “yes/no” that I was looking for. Over the course of the last couple of weeks, He showed me much that led me to see that we need to go. I didn’t get the “yes/no” answer I was looking for, what I got was more “if you want it, go and take it”. That sounds a bit Machiavellian… let me explain!<br /><br />There is a scene in Full Metal Jacket when the inept Pvt. “Pyle” gets his gut stuck on an obstacle. The drill sergeant approaches him and shouts: “Oh that’s right Pvt. Pyle, don’t make any *** effort to get up to the top of the obstacle! If God wanted you up there, he would’ve miracled your ass up there by now, would’nt he?!” I think a lot of times Christians put too much on God and don’t realize what He has actually put on us. In everything the Lord showed me, God gave His people an imperative. They had a choice to make.<br /><br />In Rev 2:5, Christ counsels the angel of the church at Ephesus: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent, and do the first works;” Remember, Repent, Revive. That’s what I got from this time. Here are the highlights:<br /><br /><strong>Remember:</strong> <em>“remember from whence thou art fallen”</em><br /><br /><em>Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.</em><br /><br /><em>Ezekiel 16:22 …thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.</em><br /><br /><em>16:43: Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things…</em><br /><br />Ezekiel 16 is what directed me to Rev 2, where the church is chided for leaving its first love. Israel had forgotten. They forgot the bondage they came from and they forgot the work of God in their lives. So they drifted off into sin. The first challenge from Rev 2 is to remember where Christ brought them from, how he brought them out and to serve Him with that same sense of joy and excitement they had in the early days. This was a command: they had to decide to remember.<br /><br /><strong>Repent</strong><br /><br /><em>Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit…</em><br /><br /><em>Psalms 78:8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright; and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.</em><br /><br />“Make” a new heart and a new spirit?! I thought that was God’s job! But once again, God’s people had a decision to make. Repentance is simply a ‘change of mind’. God tasked them with changing their hearts by changing their minds. The church at Ephesus was tasked with repenting from their loveless service. The key to that was to begin by remembering.<br /><br /><strong>Revive:</strong> <em>“do the first works”</em><br /><br /><em>Hab 3:2 O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.</em><br /><br />Israel was being slack in rebuilding when Habakkuk came to them. Here, he asks for a revival… of the work! “Get back to work” was the message he had for them. God had already started a work, but “they” needed to get busy finishing it. Hence the “re” in revival. The church in Ephesus needed to get back to their first love. They, too, needed a revival. Not a revival of building but of love.<br /><br />So after seeing all that, I was thinking “This is exactly where I’m at.” I, as a middle aged dude, have a lot in common with those Ephesians. I’m busy- there’s a lot to do. I’m generally consistent and disciplined. I go where I’m supposed to go to do what I’m supposed to do and I know the “right” things to do and, after a while, it doesn’t really take any thought. Life’s “autopilot” kicks in. But then you realize, you’re just sort of drifting. Nothing’s really wrong but then, nothing’s really quite right either. I’d like to get back to that “first love” I had about half-my-life-ago but I have to make a choice: God will not just “miracle” my ass back up there! So I choose to empty our savings and drag my wife halfway across the world for two weeks, on the day after Christmas no less, because I desire to serve the Lord from my heart and I believe that He will use this in my life to accomplish that. I am purposefully turning off the autopilot and trusting God to help me “make” a new heart and spirit.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-80879674618165585782010-01-16T19:50:00.000-08:002010-01-16T20:03:01.927-08:00Can the republic be restored?It's been a while since I've blogged. I fully intended to do a review of 2009 but frankly the year sucked. There were some high points, but I've struggled with putting it all in context and writing something that glorifies the Lord. That's still pending.<br /><br />A question that I have had in my mind for some time is, 'Can the republic be restored'? It is my estimation that our federal government is broken. There are many reasons why I think this, most notably a complete departure from Constitutional government. But I digress from why I think it's broken, the more pressing question is can it be fixed? In reading The Spirit of Laws, I saw this statement today:<br /><br />When once a republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils, but by removing the corruption and restoring it's lost possibilities; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.<br /><br />I'm sure that some will disagree, and certainly everyone is entitled to their own rosy opinions. Some weight, however, must be given to this opinion based on the amount of study, research and thought that went into it. Montesquieu devoted decades of his life to studying the governmental systems throughout history, including Asian, Middle Eastern, meso-American and African cultures. That doesn't make him right, but that should give us pause for consideration.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-21759201152045549992009-11-19T15:11:00.000-08:002009-11-19T20:04:36.825-08:00Ding Dong, Cauthen's Gone!Facebook is lame. I'm friends with family, distant family, vague acquaintances from grade school through college and so on. The crowd is too diverse and if I post anything the least bit divisive, it turns into a 30+ comment argument. No thanks! I prefer the comfort and quietness of my own little blog. So it is here that I can wax visceral and really let my hair down. Er... if I had any, that is.<br /><br />Today at 3PM a KC City Council document, signed by six council members and the mayor, was put into effect, to immediately terminate the employment contract with the City Manager. Wayne... Wayne Cauthen... Oh how I hate his name! May his name be listed in KC infamy and obscurity. May it be remembered along with Pendergast and Lynn Elliot, if it be remembered at all.<br /><br />Now I realize it may not seem fair to judge him so. After all, he had a difficult job. I won't pretend that all my reasons for disliking are firmly grounded in objectivity and reason. Some of them are, some are not. Some are subjective and some are just my "impression". However unfair, I shouldn't let that stop me from articulating my distaste for the man!<br /><br />First off, he's an outsider. He came from Denver, with a poor track record there, to show Kansas City how to be a "world class" city. I never cared for his pretention or for Mayor Barnes, who seemed to be obsessed with the phrase "world class". The whole notion that we aren't classy enough is based on a loathing of Kansas City's quiet simplicity and familial environment. I loathe their loathing.<br /><br />Wayne acted like a teenage kid with his dad's credit card. He bartered the City's future with every TIFF and bond issue. He was all about spending money that doesn't exist, to build a brighter future. This mindset put some big ticket items on the map, but to what avail? He brought in contractors and management companies from outside of KC to tend to the P&L district. He forced through the Sprint center, which still doesn't have an anchor. He set up one area after another that, through TIFF's, encouraged existing businesses to move into the tax friendly zones or were driven out of business altogether. The immediate result has been a net loss of jobs (from what I can recall from articles I've read but can't cite). I believe the long term impact is that the City will be saddled with expensive maintenance of assets which aren't able to cover their own costs. In short, he has screwed Kansas City.<br /><br />Wayne did a lot of damage to the internal operations of the City as well. How much money has been wasted by CIMO consultants? Yeah, they got some stuff done- but at triple the price! How much Water Dept revenues have been raped to pay for bloated IT initiatives (PeopleSoft) or providing basic services that should be funded by taxes (street sweeping, household hazardous waste)? He has hired numerous cronies from Denver who have had their own best interest at heart as well.<br /><br />He has been rampant about consolidation. From CIMO to the action center, he has, without any proper thought or setting of benchmarks, reorganized City business. He has forced all citizen calls through the 311 Action Center, but didn't provide any increased staff. Never mind that they took on the work of over 30 customer service reps from the Water Dept alone. He thought their already overwhelmed staff of 17 was up for the task.<br /><br />Now to get a bit personal, one such crony is the IT Director. His motto is "centralization is better". He's been marking his territory (and buffering his budget) by centralizing any and everything that looks like IT. This is done without analysis or benchmarks. There are no goals, no business metrics or any type of process analysis done. There is no way they can show that things indeed are more efficient and they're not interested in that. He just wants the money and is generally confident that centralizing things always makes life better. His effect on my dept has been very negative. It now takes us much longer, and with much more bureaucracy, to get the same things done. Hopefully he'll be out the door right behind his boy, lil' Wayne!<br /><br />Now to get really personal. Hubris. I could withstand a lot of the other crap, but when he was rude to our secretary- all condescending and blowing her off at a City event- that was intolerable. It doesn't matter how low the City employee was on the ladder, or how high he was, that type of arrogance is totally unbearable.<br /><br />And last of all, he had really soft hands and a weak shake. Yeah, that's right: soft hands. I'm a friggin programmer but I have calluses like a gorilla. This is from working on the house and other stuff, and from lifting weights. I'm no construction worker, but this guy's flaccid handshake was like holding a bunch of flower petals. That tells me he doesn't do anything. I already didn't respect him as a manager but that experience caused me to lose basic respect for him as a man. Maybe he's hoping to be Lady Wayne?<br /><br />So long, lil' Wayne. Go back to Denver. Go cash in all those kickbacks I am reasonably sure you've been storing up whilst raping and pillaging the good people of Kansas City. This City deserves better.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-60188521579103907802009-10-07T19:45:00.000-07:002009-10-07T20:20:00.570-07:00TechnogasmGigiddy gigiddy! We are in the process of a home technology extreme makeover. This is thanks in large part to various technology tips passed along by friends.<br /><br />Several weeks ago <a href="http://percussivity.blogspot.com/">Percussivity</a> told me about a sweet tech called <a href="http://www.themediamall.com/playon/">Playon</a> that will pump internet video from a computer to a Wii. After getting that put in place we signed up for Netflix and have been using their 'instant watch' feature quite a bit, although we really don't even watch much TV. We have decided that this is sufficient to replace our use of cable TV since the price for basic has steadily gone up.<br /><br />A coworker told me about another product called <a href="http://www.blogger.com/voice.google.com">Google Voice</a>. This is an amazing new Google product that allows you to centralize all your phone numbers under one number. You have to request access from Google, which took about eight weeks to come through. Once in place, I could call my new Google phone number and my cell, home and Skype numbers all rang. It has tons more functionality as well, which gives you a lot of control.<br /><br />We've also been using Skype and have just purchased a permanent Skype number plus a service that allows you unlimited calls to and from regular phones. My friend <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.apple.com">Guy </a>has been doing this for a while now. My wife found a USB device that works with Skype on your computer and allows your regular phones to act as 'Skype phones'. So we'll soon be dropping our home phone service as well as TV. The only drawback to this arrangement is that we can't user our Google # as our Skype caller ID #, so people we call might get confused. I think at some point Google and Skype will probably work this out.<br /><br />The sweet mulah we'll be saving on our reduced Time Warner bill is being shifted over to pay for a data service plan on a freakin' awesome <a href="http://www.t-mobilemytouch.com/?WT.mc_id=596m1&WT.srch=1">T-Mobile MyTouch.</a> Unfortunately this product is pimped by Whoopi Goldberg: but it's still a sweet product. My wife has been toting around a Dell Axim for about the last seven years and it's been telling us the system battery is shot for the last three years. Now it can be retired, along with her crappy Nokia. To my wife I say: Merry Christmas, happy birthday and happy anniversary! :-P Just kiddin'. With all the stuff she has to keep up with, this will be a great help to her. Now I can email her about dinner and expect an immediate response no matter where she's at.<br /><br />One final note, if the <a href="http://unabashedpraise.blogspot.com/">unabashed short attention span reader </a>is still reading this, mucho propso to you for fixing the lights on my trailer! You are one dude I will loan any of my stuff to, any time.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-75827155117265941862009-09-23T18:20:00.000-07:002009-09-23T18:55:25.885-07:00The Rights of ManThe concept of the rights of man is one that I don't believe people in our country really understand anymore. The concept itself is critical to the nature of our government and it's operation. But ignorance of this, ingrained by modern humanism, and fear of it, for sounding "Laodicean", are it's enemies from the left and from the right. Because of these things, the point which is the very foundation of our government is undone. As the psalmist said:<br /><br /><em>Psa 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? </em><br /><br />I will attempt to reflect that which I read by Thomas Paine on this topic. He certainly is not the only founder to have something to say on it, and arguably he is not the most authoritative. But it is a starting point and he makes a good case.<br /><br />In the days of the founders they had a task that few have ever had before them: to create a government from the ground up. They could have copied a more well known form from Europe- noone would've blamed them. They could have set up the Kingdom of America and <em>elected</em> Washington their first monarch. They could have instituted a Greek-style pure democracy. But instead they reasoned from the very beginning of humanity: what is government? What is the purpose of government? Who is government for and what are the best means whereby it's goals may be attained?<br /><br />They began their reasoning like an engineer would begin analyzing a complex system, by looking at it's original state. Paine, though not a believing Christian, quickly turns to the Biblical creation account, at least as a point of history. From this he clearly notes "the unity of equality of man". He quotes the Creator, "Let us make man in our own image. In the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." He notes, there is no distinction between men and that this "...shows that the equality of man, so far from being a modern doctrine, is the oldest upon record."<br /><br />Our modern, Christian-fear to discuss rights are addressed when he says: "By considering man in this light, and by instructing him to consider himself in this light, it places him in close connection with all his duties, whether to his Creator or to the creation, of which he is part; and it is only when he forgets his orgin, or, to use a more fashionable phrase, his birth and family, that he becomes dissolute [indifferent to moral restraints]." <br /><br />My impression of modern Bible believers is that they fear to discuss having any rights because they don't want to be associated with the church of Laodice. This is as much an overreaction as fearing to talk about the Holy Spirit because of foolishness done in the charismatic churches. Like any other concept, we shouldn't fear to address it and frame it in a proper context and hold it in a proper balance: we should only fear holding it in imbalance, or holding to falsehoods or ignorance altogether. Paine implicitly addresses this by equally discussing duty- and specifically duty towards our Creator- in the same context. Duty is what balances a discussion of rights, for the "rights" we have from our Creator are given to us that we may serve him and each other, and not ourselves.<br /><br />On another note, his observation about people becoming less moral when they forget their "origins" is prophetic! This statement was writtin in the 1790's, seventy years before Darwin published On the Origin of Species. <br /><br />This really just introduces the topic and sets it in a right context. Knowning the short attention span of certain persons, I will cover the rest of this discussion in my next post.The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180530710462392728.post-16457493658748601572009-08-29T19:17:00.000-07:002009-08-29T19:18:34.935-07:00Freakin' awesome...<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/SomethingDarkSidePoster.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 585px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/SomethingDarkSidePoster.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div>The Angry Coderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04270349912618421934noreply@blogger.com3