Posts from — October 2004

I used to think I knew a lot more than I actually knew. And I think my blog shows it. Nowadays, I don’t post as much theological stuff. It’s because I now know I know less than I know. I know more than I knew, but I think that is part of realizing that I don’t know enough.

Plus, it isn’t my job to go around waxing theological, particularly in a sterilized, cold fashion. I was reminded of this yesterday, when I saw an old friend say something on a messageboard. I hadn’t talked to her in ages (because it’s a damaged relationship) and I learned yesterday that she’s changed a bit, and gone through some “stuff”. And one of my first impulses was to post on here about how sad it is for people to get so mixed up in screwy thinking and practice. But what good is that? I didn’t tell her what to do. Many others did, and they used the Bible to prove how right they were. Instead, I wrote a message to her. I just told her that I was moved for her, and that I prayed for her. Somehow, I think what I did was far more helpful than what some of the others did.

So anyhow… that experience sort of encapsulates my blog story. I think much more can be accomplished than nit-picking this or that. Of course, nit-picking is very self-stimulating, and helpful. That’s why I still do it privately – if you could only see all the drafts stored in blogger. But, I don’t have a whole lot to offer in that department.

Is WindowsXP Professional a better option than WindowsXP home edition? I’m asking because my work has a license for employees to get an XP Pro upgrade for home use. I wonder if I should do it.

(not that I even have a computer running XP… I’m still on 98 at home. But hopefully one day soon we’ll be able to get a non-extinct computer)

Don’t miss the recipe for Megan’s Honey Pecan Triangles, found in the comments here

Jonathan Edwards: “If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again.”

sigh

Happy Boss’s Day. ooooooooh I’m stuffed from our little division party. Whoever brought the Krispy Kremes deserves honorable mention.

The printer for everyone on my floor is next to my desk. One colleague just came in to pick up something he printed. It was apparently an article of some sort, and as he picked it up, he said to me, “Did you know that 1/3 of the world’s amphibians are endangered?” and then promptly swooshed out to do his work.

A moment after he left… a moment of processing what he said, and I said (now to myself), “That’s not true”.

See, the statement just isn’t qualified in a way that is meaningful. I suspect what he was saying is 1/3 of the species of amphibians in the world are endangered. This might be true. But, 1/3 of the amphibians in the world is not the same as 1/3 of the species of amphbians. There are millions of frogs hopping around these united states that are doing just fine. The ‘big’ species aren’t likely endangered. It’s probably the small ones… the species that are isolated to one very small geographic location, like an island, that are endangered. The ones where, under normal circumstances, the population numbers only in the thousands. So if 50 of them are killed, that’s a substantial piece of the population. And it’s not like all the frogs are going to die if one species of frogs goes extinct. That’s the way of things. Natural selection and all that rot.

Of course, I’m not saying the small species is unimportant, and that we shouldn’t do what we can to protect them. Diversity of life is an amazing thing, worth protecting. But sometimes these environmentalist statistics are so screwy…

Sunday afternoon, while Megan was preparing some party treats (for Fiona’s baptism party!), I took Geneva and Ashley outside to have lunch on the picnic table. We gave thanks for our food, as we typically do, and as we were praying… with our eyes open… a bird landed about three feet from us. So we proceded to watch it and thank God for His creation. And then we saw a snake resting on the driveway a few feet from the bird. So I quickly finished the prayer and we all got up and played with the snake! Except, I didn’t let the girls touch it because they were about to eat. It was another Northern Brown snake. So far, I’ve found four of them in our yard.

Then, Monday, as I pulled in the driveway from work, I had a greeting committee on the front porch waiting for me. Everyone was there. As I walked up to the porch, Megan asked if I had heard her scream. I said I hadn’t, and so she proceded to tell me about their “friend” on the porch. It was a praying mantis. About four inches long*; a pretty big one. I picked it up, and she quickly went inside with Fiona. The girls, though… they danced around and screamed as they watched it crawl on me. I told Geneva to go inside and bring me the camera**. She did. I took a few shots of it… with it’s beady little eyes. Should be cool.

Then I asked if anyone wanted to hold it before I let it go. Geneva did, so – with some difficulty – I got it to crawl onto her. I got a great shot of her looking down at it as it crawled down her shoulder, onto her back.

I’m glad I have little biology-nerd children.

*This measurement is disputed. There is a report of it being “at least 5 or 6 inches”.
**it was the real camera, so no pictures.

Apple cider is a wonerful drink. I mean, really… what other beverage can you have ice cold one minute, then piping hot the very next? We got some cider for Fiona’s baptism party, and have quite a bit left over. We also have some leftover pecan triangle things that Megan masterfully makes.

So I am happy. Or, so my belly is happy. But I am happy, too.

I bought Caedmon’s Call’s new cd, Share the Well. I’m about halfway through the album now, and it’s not bad. After their last album, which I thought was pretty poor, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, trusting some of the folks at caedmonscall.net, who said it was a departure from their more recent sound, I bought it. They were right, I think.

Randall Goodgame has his name on over half the album as writer or co-writer. That’s a good thing… Randall is one of the best song smiths out there.

And even Josh Moore, the young’un, wrote music that doesn’t make me roll my eyes, or cringe.

I’ll probably be posting more once I listen to the whole thing a few times. And I’ll be sure to post more about Andrew Peterson’s new cd soon.

I hope they put audio up for this.

Fiona was baptized yesterday. I welcomed her to the real world.

We also had a party for her yesterday evening. Good times… the good life.