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December 30, 2005
Last day...
Today was my last day on the job. It was a mixture of sadness and excitement as I said my “goodbyes” (with maybe a little more excitement). My coworkers left me with a very generous gift and I really appreciate it.
The picture is of my empty office just before leaving.
Informatio: Life, Milestones
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Minor difficulties...
For those of you who are subscribed to my XML Feeds (whether RSS or ATOM), you may experience some odd behavior over the next couple of days — I’ve just upgraded my blogging system to the latest version and it’s going to take me a little while to work out the kinks. Thanks for your patience.
Informatio: Blogging
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December 29, 2005
Another burglary...
Our front door was kicked in today. This is the second buglary we’ve had at our home in a little under a year and a half (remember?). Anyway, nothing was taken this time — thankfully, our alarm scared the perp off. The cop who took the report was a nice enough guy too.
Ugh.
Update: View some photos here.
Informatio: Life
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December 28, 2005
Simplicity of prayer...
This morning, I was reminded of a neat little Tolstoy story that very adequately illustrates how prayer can be powerful, even when simple. The story is called, “The Three Hermits.”
What reminded me of this story was a sermon preached by one of the elders at Vineyard Church, Sutton (Jason Clark‘s church), named Neil Smith. In his sermon, Smith tells a version of “The Three Hermits” and then goes on to explain why we must be like children and why our simple prayers can be very effective. If you’d like to hear the sermon, click here (MP3, 4.3MB).
I know that some of you may have read “The Three Hermits” before (it was even excerpted in one of the late Bruderhof Daily Digs at one time), but it’s a good one and I challenge you to read it and think about its implications…
Continue Reading...Informatio: Linkage, Faith, Stories and Essays
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December 27, 2005
Flickr and CC...
For those of you who are interested in things like Creative Commons (like I am) — or, even if you’re not — then you’ll get a big kick out of this ingenious music video, created by Jonathan Coulton. The video incorporates a bunch of Creative Commons-licensed photographs on Flickr.com and a song that Coulton wrote. (I don’t remember if I’ve ever linked to Jonathan Coulton’s website here before, but he writes some very funny — and good — music that you should check out.)
(Link via Larry Lessig.)
Informatio: Fun, Humor, Linkage, Music, Photography, Film, Flickr
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One week and counting...
Next Tuesday at 2:20pm, I go under the knife. I’m okay with it most of the time — I mean, it is a standard procedure and all. Sometimes I feel a little nervous, though.
One week to go.
Informatio: Introspection, Life
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December 24, 2005
"What is the Gospel?"
Here’s some good reading for today, Christmas Eve…
What is the Gospel?, by Scot McKnight:
You would think the one thing we could all agree on is the gospel, but the fact is that I think defining the gospel is one of the pressing issues for the emerging movement that is giving shape to the Church for many Christians today.Read the entire essay here.
(Article via TheOoze.)
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Informatio: Linkage, Theory and Philosophy, Faith
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December 23, 2005
Some kind of cruel joke...
Does anyone out there have a dog? Does your dog occasionally get bad breath? Well, ours does. (And, every dog I’ve ever had has, so don’t try to tell me that your dog doesn’t ever get bad breath.)
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Julianna and I decided to buy some of those green breath-freshening dog treats, called Greenies, for Indy. Well, I’ve got to say that they really work! They leave Indy’s breath smelling sort of like minty dental floss.
But…
Greenies give Indy the worse smelling gas either Julianna or I have ever smelt. Seriously. It is bad.
So, was this an intentional joke played by the makers of Greenies? Probably not. But, it is not funny.
I called my mom (who used to work at a veterinarian’s office) and she told me that the gaseous side-effect is a common one (she also reminded me that it used to happen to our family’s old dog as well).
People still buy and endorse Greenies, though. Why? Is their dog’s gas less pungent than ours?
Needless to say, I don’t think we’ll be purchasing any more Greenies anytime soon. Does anyone have a recomendation for a good dog treat that freshens breath and doesn’t cause this unfortunate and odiferous side-effect? I’d appreciate it.
Informatio: Family, Humor, Introspection
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December 20, 2005
Talk about convergence...
I recently finished a favor for a friend in which I digitized a bunch of records (and, I’m talking vinyl LPs). My friend, Jami, had the idea of giving some of her family members some of their old favorite albums on CD for Christmas.
Cool idea, lot’s of work.
These are pretty old records that probably aren’t too easy to find on CD (well, maybe a couple of them), so I was happy to help out. When I was finished, I even took the liberty of going one step further and coverting the audio files to MP3s so that I could play them in iTunes.
As I was sitting in my office over the weekend converting solid black vinyl into intangible digital bytes, I was laughing about how funny it looked to combine all of the different technologies that were required: a record player plugged into an amplifier plugged into a mixer pluggined into a computer… See? Funny.
So, all this to say that I’ve always been curious about how the conversion from vinyl to MP3 would turn out. And, it’s really not that bad. Aside from occasional pops, clicks, and scratches (which all depend on the shape of the record to begin with), the sound quality actually turned out pretty good. If any of you would like any tips from a (now) seasoned expert, let me know.
Informatio: Music, Photography, Computing, Flickr
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December 18, 2005
"It's Time That We End All Arguments About: What is a Bar-B-Q!"
Kansas Citians pride themselves on their barbeque. In fact, I’d bet that if you would ask a older Kansas Citian, they’d most likely tell you that barbeque originated here.
There are two main arguments that a Kansas Citian will use to describe what barbeque is: (1) that it’s all in the sauce, and (2) that the meat has got to be slow cooked (either over wood or hot coals). Some people will even argue that the meat should be smoked (ala Gates Bar-B-Q) to be true barbeque. But, most who live in this fine city will all agree: Kansas City has the best barbeque.
Continue Reading...Informatio: Family, Fun, Humor, Life
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December 16, 2005
The real King Kong...
Did you know that I know the real King Kong? Really. And his name is Andy Michael.
Want proof?
Allow me to whisk you back in time for a moment. Picture this in your minds. I was once a beast on the Island of Great Britain minding my own business, swinging from tree to tree and, on ocassion, beating my chest and roaring at things. Then, one day, a helpless young unemployed American girl found herself on my island…You really should read the rest here. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, I have taken the liberty of officially entitling this particular Blog post as the “Best Blog Post of 2005.” For real.
Informatio: Humor, Linkage
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December 13, 2005
I won!
Thanks to the super-cool and the super-blessing Ganns, from Superblessed, I have been named the “Most Enjoyable Male Christian Blog (International, Non-Filipino)” of 2005!
From the list of winners post on Superblessed:
Tim has gone through a lot in his life, but his faith and his God have sustained him, and in the process, served to inspire hundreds of visitors and guests to his blog, including me. I know that with every day that passes, he continues to grow joyful in God, and I know God will superbless Tim as Tim has superblessed me. Gallstones, begone, in Jesus’ name!When I read Ganns’ description of my Blog, it put the biggest smile on my face. Thank you, Ganns. I am honored beyond words!
Informatio: Blogging, Life, Linkage, Milestones
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My Top 5 in 2005...
Bob Carlton is asking for our top 5 Blog posts of the year again (here are my picks from 2004).
This year covered some widely varying subject matter. It was easy to think of a couple posts that were to be included, and difficult to cut a few of them out. So, anyway, without further adieu:
- Daily dose of heresy #1 (Creation) (February 11, 2005)
- Lent 2005: Reflections #1 (“Disciples Descry”) (February 15, 2005)
- Bad oranges… (March 08, 2005)
- “O’ Joyous Hope of Morn Returned” (May 31, 2005)
- “A hero gone” (October 25, 2005)
Informatio: Blogging, Life, Linkage
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Notice...
I was with a great amount of sadness that I gave my notice of resignation at work this morning. I don’t talk much about work here, but it’s been a fun couple of years since I started. Anyway, the three guys whom I work with are great people and I wish them all the best. They are probably some of the most dedicated folks I have ever met.
I am moving on to something new. My official title will be “Multimedia Designer” and I’ll be part of a team of twelve artists and programmers. Our job will be to create all of the internal marketing and educational materials needed by the company (which consists of about 20,000 employees). And, I will still be in Kansas City.
The job is right. The timing is right. Here we go…
Informatio: Life
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My CAT...
If you click on the picture, you’ll see one of the CAT scans taken of me two Fridays ago. What you’re seeing is a cross-section of my body and, more importantly, a cross-section of the gallstones in my gallbladder (I’ve drawn a circle around the gallbladder and an arrow pointing to signs of the gallstones).
On Friday morning, I am going to have an ultrasound taken of my gallbladder (my third ultrasound within the last year, mind you) so that they can see the extent of the damage.
The Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy is set for January 3rd.
Informatio: Life
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My talented wife...
A couple of weekends, my wife asked me to paint a canvas that she had black. A couple of hours later, she was finished with this lovely acrylic painting of a blue flower.
Informatio: Art, Family, Life
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December 09, 2005
It's cold!
I just wanted to send a shout-out to all of my friends still living in California. Um… I wish I was there.
Anyway, my heart and prayers go out to the family of the six-year old boy who was killed this morning in the freak plane accident.
How very sad.
Informatio: Life, Linkage
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"Your Last Dig"
I’m stunned…
From today’s Bruderhof Daily Dig:
Dear Reader:The Daily Dig has been one of the most enjoyable parts of my morning for a long time now. I will miss getting these daily e-mails as well as the thoughts that they have always provoked (as you probably know, I’ve quoted a few of them here).
We will no longer be publishing online, so this will be your last Daily Dig. This is only the beginning, not the end. We want to thank you for your friendship over the years, and look forward to meeting you face to face. Now the real contact can begin. We welcome you to drop by any of our communities any time to join us in our daily life and work.
Goodbye Daily Dig. I will miss you.
Informatio: Life, Linkage, Faith, Milestones
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December 08, 2005
Workin' on a foot...
Here’s a picture of our backyard (or, “The Wonderland”) this morning. The snow on the railing looks like about eight inches, but the accumulation was more like a foot.
Oh, and if you were wondering how Indy likes the snow… Click here. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen an adult dog revert back to the puppy stage so quickly. It was pretty fun to watch.
Informatio: Fun, Life, Photography
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December 07, 2005
"Snow Decends, a Colder Christ"
Snow decends
A colder Christ
To join us
Here on Earth
To touch its lips to
Virgin ground
To dance a jig
On poisoned dirt
And maybe if
We hope and pray
Snow will grace us
With a stay
The snow is fickle
Though you see
And might visit only
For today
Informatio: Photography, Poetry, Flickr
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The Superblessed Christian Blog Awards 2005!
This humble Weblog has been nominated for the Superblessed Christian Blog Awards 2005. I’m in the “Most Enjoyable Male Christian Blog (International, Non-Filipino)” category.
I’d like to thank Ganns over at Superblessed for thinking of me. You really made my day!
Informatio: Blogging, Fun, Linkage, Milestones
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Results are not always what I'm looking for...
I got the results back from my CT Scan today: Gallstones.
Neverending to be sure. Double-Ugh.
So, here’s my next step (that first paragraph there).
Prayer is good and I thank you for it.
Informatio: Life
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Amahoro...
Amahoro means peace. It is a word of Bantu origin used widely across Africa. It has special meaning in places like Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo, where violence and genocide have inflicted such pain and suffering. When people from various tribes embrace, shake hands or kiss, and say “amahoro,” they are expressing a deep hope for a better future.
Yesterday, I “finished” a new website for Amahoro, the international counterpart to Emergent (“finished” is in quotes, because it’s not really finished: there are still many features to add, as well as a ton of translations). The site is simple and straight-forward. I went for more of a no-frills approach, with an eye for beauty and grace rather than something that was more interactive and cluttered, so I hope that comes across. Likewaise, I had to design something that would be easily viewable by people here in the U.S. as well as Central Africa.
There are still a few bugs in Windows Internet Explorer (when aren’t there?), but I’m working on them (one of them has to do with the right-hand sidebar appearing under the main content and not on the right side of the page). I’m still cleaning up some of the code so that it all validates, etc.
Upcoming features include: user database and community, multimedia resources like audio and video, etc. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to all of this stuff (I designed the site on a voluntary basis), but they will come at some point.
Informatio: Design, Linkage, Faith
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December 02, 2005
Neverending story...
This morning, I had to visit the hospital on an empty stomach. Once there, I had to drink a cold, milky solution of iodine and water that wasn’t too pleasant (although, it could have tasted much worse). Then, I laid down on a small bed and was injected with contrast. I then had to follow computerized instructions that were recited to me through an intercom: “Hold your breath. Don’t Breathe. Now, breathe.” All the while, x-ray pictures were being taken of my abdomen.
This is all because my liver count has been a little high in the last few blood tests I’ve had.
This is the life.
Informatio: Life, Photography, Flickr
Posted at 09:32 am | Permalink | Trackback | Comments (5)
