CNN.com - 23 dogs killed by toxic dog food - Dec 30, 2005

Contaminated dog food which was sold in 23 states killed nearly two dozen dogs and sickened 18 more, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

How much espresso is too much?

Me: I'm on my way home.
Jaime: Are you going to stop and get me Starbucks?
M: Yes
J: Horray for me!
M: Yeah - I just need to decide if I should get a drink or not. I just had a Triple Venti Carmel Macchiato with Jeff. That's 3 shots and this would be another 2.
J: Hmm... then in her best little girl voice Well it IS vacation!

Turns out - 5 shots in two hours is NOT too much when "it IS vacation". Of course, we'll see how late I'm up tonight. ;)

Impulse Buying

Went into Whole Foods to get ingredients for Curry Chicken, stopped at the display out front and tasted their BBQ ribs... I spent probably 30 minutes at least there - looking at salads, tasting cheese, looking at flowers.

I left with BBQ Ribs.

Hi-Tech - sort of

Jaime is in her pjs, watching the big screen TV. She's got PIP (Picture-in-Picture) going, splitting the screen in half. On one half, Judge Judy. On the other half, Pac-Man.

20 years after Pac-Man came out, we now have the techology to play it on a $5000 TV at the same time we watch Judge Judy. :)

Holiday movies - the best and worst experiences

Went and saw two movies this holiday season. King Kong and The Chronicals of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

I thought Kong was excellent and Narnia was pretty good. I've never read The Chronicals, so maybe it would have been even better had I read it first. In any case, this post isn't about the movie, but about the experience and has nothing to do with the movies. (other than my quick critique above.)

Kong: We went an hour early and ended up at the back of the line just as they were opening for seating. We couldn't find 4 seats together; other than the very back or very front, so Tina and I sat together (in seats 3 and 4) and Jaime and Michael sat in seats 1 and 2 in front of us. After sitting there for a few minutes, Tina looked over at the lady on the end of row and asked, "If you don't mind, do you think you could move down one row, that way the four of us could sit together?" The lady gave her a rather pained look, so Tina said, "Well you don't have to. I was just asking." to which the woman replied, "Oh... then No." Sigh.

So then Jaime noticed that the row they were sitting in was occupied by them, a large family and then three empty seats at the other end. So after much "You ask them - no you ask them" going back and forth, Jaime (the introvert - way to go kid!) got up her nerve and asked, "Would you guys mind if we got up and you moved down one, then our entire family could have the four seats at the end." The mother looked up and down the row and then replied, "Sure" as she and several kids got up. Looking down at her husband she said, "Come on lets move" to which he replied, "No." She said, "What?" and he replied, "This is EXACTLY the center and I'm NOT moving from my seat." To which she just looked kind of dismayed and then sat back down.

Jaime got this total look of disbelief on her face and just turned and looked at us like, "Can you believe this?" to which Tina replied, "Its the holiday season. What did you expect?"

A few minutes later the mom looked up and down the row again and told some of her kids to switch seats, to which the dad replied, "Fine. But I'm not moving". So one of the kids switched ends and we were able to move down and sit all together. We told the woman thanks much, etc. But for the next several minutes and probably the rest of the day, Jaime just kept saying "I can't believe that guy wouldn't move ONE seat. I just don't get people."

Narnia: Jaime and I decide to go to the 10:20 AM show. Shouldn't be too many people there, should be easy to get in. Yup on both counts. But turns out that the 10:20 movie is the "kiddie" movie. (Something to keep in mind in the future). We get there and there are 3 women and probably... 15 or so 4 and under kids with them. Can you say Nightmare! We get popcorn, etc. amidst lots of "Do you think they are coming to see Narnia? Probably. No, maybe they are coming for something else. Yeah... not likely." When we get to the theater, the 3 adults have them all linedup and are trying to keep order. "Billy, stay in line." "Tommy, keep focused and move when the rest of the line moves." We are standing there along with some other adults, all with horrified looks on our faces. The "group" heads left, and the woman behind me says to her husband, "Stage right?" and he replies, "Yeah", and so we wall cut to the right entrance and go to find seats.

As we are going in, I notice that the "group" is heading to the very back. So Jaime and I get seats, with 3 moms and 6 kids in front of us, a few adults and a 3 year old to the right, and many kids sprinkled here and there throughtout the theater - with the "group" all across the back.

We are fifteen minutes early, so I spend the next 15 minutes alternating smiles and frowns at the 3 year old little blonde girl next to me - who isn't quite sure what to make of me. She alternates back either a straight face or a frown. I find I can get her face to go straight by smiling or looking away - the quickly look back and frown, at which point she will frown too. Great fun - I can't wait for grand-kids. Jaime totally believes that at any point she will start screaming or her mom will catch me and we'll get asked to leave - so I quit. Meanwhile, adults are making trips back and forth getting booster chairs for the "group".

We are a little worried about the quality of the movie experience - given we are worried that there will talking, worrying, etc. all through the movie. We are plesantly wrong!

The "group" was extremely well behaved - at least from what we could tell. No talking, crying, etc. And not many of the other kids around us made noise either. Once in a while some kid would let out some exclamation - which actually just added to the experience. Nothing like the wonder of a little kid caught up in make believe letting out a squel or whatever when something unexpected happens. Or when the table rock splits in half and the little kid in front of you - who has been quite the whole time, yells out "What the heck!!!" :)

My admiration for whatever day care, mother's group, or whatever it was that showed up with 15 kids, 3 adults, for a 10:20 AM movie - and where the kids behaved so well the entire time. It was great to see - and put some faith back that not all little kids in large groups are out of control. :)

THE Bowl Game

The 2005 Alamo Bowl game, Michigan vs. Nebraska, is going to start in 20 minutes. Sandwhich materials (ham, salami, pepperoni, turkey, tomates, onions, lettuce, banana peppers), dip (guac), potatoe salad and Cream Ale mixings (1/2 and 1/2 and Vernors) are all ready. The phone calls to Lana (and Dominick) have been made.

All is ready. Now need to just make the drinks, put the food together, and get ready to watch UofM beat Nebraska's butt. :)

Probably the only bowl game I'll watch - seeing as this is the only one that is important. ;)

Update: Michigan lost the game. :( 32-28. As Michael said in a comment "stupid refs". The refs did a really bad job, costing MI two timeouts and 10 seconds at the end of the game. Perhaps MI could have done sometihng with that, had the had it. And an obvious pass interference call that should have been made. Regardless - the Cornhuskers did a good job coming back, so I'll tip my hat to them for that. Maybe next year... The last three MI bowl games Jaime and I have watched, they have lost. Sigh.

And one more thing.

Someone asked in a comment on my Christmas Service post why I still attend and lead worship at ICC. I responed there.

(BTW: To be technically correct - I don't really *lead* worship, although I do lead people in worship. But I'm not the worship *leader*. Just one of my anal word things... which mostly comes up at work. LOL)

But one more thing... If you believe you have a personal relationship with God (which I do) and if you go to a church that believes in that, then the topic of what church to go to, where to serve, when is it time to leave, etc., etc. comes up in a lot of discussions and sermons. The normal answer is "You should serve where God tells you to serve." He knows how he wants a "body" formed (i.e., who He wants in which church, who will help further a church, etc. etc.), and He knows where he wants you placed. So you should go where He wants you to go - and stay there until He wants you to leave, gives you peace to leave, or whatever.

And when people leave they will frequently used the "God Card" - "I've got peace to go" - to which there is reall no answer - because you can't usually argue with someone when they say "God told me its what I'm supposed to do." - Unless it is something totally unscriptural, but leaving a church doesn't really fall into that category.

So - is God telling me to stay or to go? Well - I believe He is telling me neither. (And yet another soul bearing disclosure on the internet - blogging - how weird.)

I've left church's a few times. In one instance I "heard" as clear as I could that God was telling me to go. I was asking Him about something and He said, "Well why don't you just go to this other church?" Ironically enough, it had never occured to me until He suggested it. It wasn't something I was struggling with. I was just thinking about things. Other times its been some family issue that has caused me to leave a church.

A few times I believe that God has told me, "Do what you want. I love you - I always will. Which church you go to isn't going to come between us." I've gotten the feeling that He doesn't think I belong in a certain church, but because He understands me way better than I even understand myself; He knows how hard it is for me to change. And so He isn't rushing me. He's just letting me know that no matter what I do - it isn't going to effect our relationship. And that if I stay, He is ok with it (even if He doesn't think it might be the best for me), or if I go - He'll help me find a new place He'd rather see me at. But he isn't going to push me. And that is they way (even when He said "Well why don't you go to that other church?") He has always interacted with me. Gently. Never pushes too hard. Just helps me along.

So that's where I'm at right now - for those that care (and I can't imagine that many people find this all that interesting. But I blog it anyway. I'd rather read some funny blog personally...) I'm weighing the options. Looking at pros and cons. Trying to listen to God and see what He wants me to do. And if I decide to go - getting the "oourage" or whatever to go talk to someone about it.

Until I make a firm decision - I probably won't say that much more about it; other than when someone asks - which is what prompted this reply.

And again - even though everything on the public internet is out there for "everyone" to read... I don't think of these entries are so much as being a public critique of ICC. I think of them more as *me* working my issues though with a particular church - and a particular place in my life, at this point in time. No church is perfect. Every church has something to offer someone. The point is to find one where you think you are supposed to serve. Where your needs can get met, and you can offer something in return. Where it is a win-win for everyone. And that is the issue I'm having right now. Is ICC that place for me. Not whether anything is wrong there, or any person or person's are bad, etc. I've never left a church because I thought the church was "wrong". I've just felt (for whatever reason) that it was no longer the place for me.

Which is a reason for not serving and just hanging out at a church. The less involved you are, the less you have to deal with these issues. Because it is just somewhere you go on Sundays. But I've never been that kind of person - especailly because I always want to serve on a worship team.

But I'm starting to ramble now...

Popular Front: SnowDays

This is pretty cool. I added a snowflake with my name. Its kind of cool to just sit and watch all the snowflakes. Something you could do as a kid with paper and scissors, now you can do on the internet. :) Over 1.8M snowflakes. The things you find on the internet. :)

Tax Scam Preys on Refund-Hungry Public with Real Gov Site

Tax Scam Preys on Refund-Hungry Public with Real Gov Site: "The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers about a phishing scam that uses promises of tax refunds to steal sensitive financial information.

Phishing scams are getting more sophisticated.

In Search of the Spiritual - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com

In Search of the Spiritual - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com: "Seventy-five percent say that a 'very important' reason for their faith is to 'forge a personal relationship with God'—not fighting political battles.

Today, then, the real spiritual quest is not to put another conservative on the Supreme Court, or to get creation science into the schools. If you experience God directly, your faith is not going to hinge on whether natural selection could have produced the flagellum of a bacterium. If you feel God within you, then the important question is settled; the rest is details."

Good quote, and when you get right down to it, how I feel. I've been having some long discussions (as noted previously) with an atheiest friend, about ID being taught in school. And this is why I've been having the discussion - because to me, having a personal relationship with God is what is important; not whether or not he is taught in school. And I think that if more Christians would worry about the former, and not the latter - that not only would they do better, but they would spread the light better as well.

Pics

Family is starting to wake up (I hear some stirings upstairs). While I was waiting, I downloaded all the pics off the camera - so I'd have room for today.

I posted a number of them to my photo blog. To see them all start here and scan back thru all the photos posted today. There are some from the last day on Mackinaw Island, last few days at Pat and Wards, and then some Thanksgiving pics.

I can't believe everyone is still asleep

Its 6:30 - I've been up for 2 hours, and Tina and Jaime are still asleep.

Wow - Jaime must be getting older. When she was little she'd never sleep this late on Christmas. Of course she is almost 19 now... but in many ways (especially at Christmas) she is still just a little kid... But not when it comes to getting up at 6:00 I guess.

Guess I'll go back to surfing, email, etc. until they are up.

Christmas Services

Strangely enough (or perhaps not so strange), I find that I often do not like to participate in Christmas Services. I'm not alone in this. For some worship team members (and perhaps others), a Christmas Service is less about worship and more about performance. In many of my experiences, caroling (which is done by almost all churches that I've been apart of) is not something loved by many worship teams. And thus, we usually start very late practicing, which leads to stressful services. Additionally, the service is way more of a "performance" and way less worshipful. As one person said, "This is the one time of year some people come to church, and rather than having a great worship service, we do Christmas carols. What's up with that?"

I went to two services this year, one at ICC (where I was on the worship team) and one at NCF - where I was a visitor.

ICC's wasn't too bad. There weren't a lot of people there when we started (so we held off for 10 minutes while Michael just played Jaime's keys for a while. That boy can play - without any training or anything... another discuss someday perhaps). In any case, we started after 10 minutes and still many people weren't there. Partly could have been due to the snow, and partly because we had to do it on the 18th and maybe people just weren't in the Christmas spirit yet. In any case, it went OK. But it didn't seem all that worshipful - but that could have just been me.

NCF's Christmas Eve Service was awesome. A couple things. 1) In my recent experience with NCF Christmas Eve Services - they aren't done by the worship team. Which might be a good thing. That way the people that are doing the songs, etc.; are very much into it. They signed up for it. They wanted to do it. 2) Its always like a family reunion. Especiaclly this year, since we haven't gone for probably 4 years or so. So saw lots of folks we hadn't seen forever, lots of little kids that are not much more grown, etc. The format was very nice. A mix of carols, worship songs, and "memories" of Christmas' past, all discussing the love, spirit, etc. of Christmas and showing God's love. Cool stuff.

Very interesting to me though, seeing it from one side or the other. I guess when I'm worshipping, I want it to be worship type music, and when I'm participating in a Christmas program then I'm cool with it being just that... a Christmas program. I've done that at NCF before - where we did special music as part of the program - and that was cool. Its all a state of mind I guess - and what is the goal, etc. Something I need to keep in mind in the future....

In any case, NCF was very cool. It was nice to see how the church has grown. And it was great to see everyone I haven't seen for so long.

Get a move on girl

Whole Foods is packed. I mean, people waiting in line to get food samples, aiales jammed, packed. And the store is laid out artistically in spots, so there are places where essentially 3 "lanes" will come together at once.

I'm waiting to move into a lane when this guy is coming towards me with his daugther pushing the cart and an older woman in front of them. The girl kind of stalls looking around at people, etc.

Dad: Come on girl, git a move on. Get a move on girl, you're blocking traffic.

The elderly woman hurridly pushes her cart forward and off to the side and turns with a startled look on her face.

Dad: Oh... I'm sorry, I was talking to my daughter, not you. "Come on. Get out of my way.", he snarls, and then grins and gives a big hearty laugh.

Christmas shopping... its a blast! :)

And another thing that would have helped if I had known earlier...

So Jaime and I are cleaning the house, because Tina is at work, we are off and this way we don't all have to do it tomorrow on Christmas Eve.

So I'm vacuuming (dyson vacuums RAWK) and the container is kind of getting full so I figure I'll empty it. I look at various buttons and figure how to get the canister off the vacuum, but not how to open it. I take it upstairs to Jaime.

Me: Hey, do you know how to open this?
J: taking it and messing with some buttons Not really. I don't think I've ever done it before.
Me: Takes it back, spots another button near the top, and holding the canister downward and gripping one handle, push the button - at which point the bottom pops open and the contents shoot out in a nice big gray pile of dust, etc. into the middle of the bedroom floor.

Jaime and I turn and look at eachother like this --- :-S

J: Live and learn

High Altitude Baking Instructions

So I'm making some scones this morning, from a mix. Never done it before - and although I cook quite a bit, I don't bake all that much.

Step 1: Drain fruit and set aside.

Step 2: Blend water and mix

Step 3: Kned dough 6 times

Step 4: Form

Step 5: Cut and put on pan

Step 6: Bake

And then a few lines down from there...

High Altitude (over 5,000 feet): Add 2 taablespoons all-purpose flour and additional 2 tablespoons water. Prepare as directed.

OK... WHO WROTE THESE INSTRUCTIONS? Obviously not an engineer... Things after step 6 are LATER than step 6, not before.

This is the second things I've baked while on break where the high altitude directions were at the bottom of the instructions. You'd think I'd learn...

CNN.com - Judges ask tough questions in evolution sticker case - Dec 16, 2005

: "Jeffrey Bramlett, arguing for the American Civil Liberties Union and parents, cited the book's author, Kenneth Miller, who testified it would be misleading to say evolution is not a fact"

And there you go... Evolutionists don't want ID or Creationism taught "because it's not a fact" - but when someone says evolution is just a theory, they respond with "no - its a fact". Well it isn't. If both sides would stop taking such a hard stand and teach both sides... and let the kids decide religous questions for themselves, things would be much better. IMO.

CNN.com - Toobin: 'A very important precedent' - Dec 20, 2005

"TOOBIN: Including President Bush. And President Bush last year said very clearly that he thinks there should be alternatives to evolution taught, that he thinks -- as many of the supporters of intelligent design say -- you should teach the controversy. But those people suffered a real blow in the courtroom."

And I don't see what is wrong with teaching the controversy. If not in science class, then perhaps in history, government (or whatever a political science class might be called). We are so into showing all sides of the story, into discussing the controversies of the past, and of keeping students up-to-date on current events, etc. But this can't even be taught as a controversy? I think this is just the pendulum swinging the other way... My 2 cents.

CNN.com - Judge rules against?'intelligent design' in science class - Dec 20, 2005

"'Because Darwin's Theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The theory is not a fact,' said the statement that the old school board approved in a 6-3 vote in October 2004. 'With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind.'"

And as long as students are indeed encouraged to keep an open mind, and are told that there are alternative theories, then I'm cool with that.

F u t u r e M e . o r g

What to send an email to yourself in the future? You can by usingF u t u r e M e . o r g. I haven't actually done it, but it looks easy enough, and they say that won't spam you.