Laura and I are moving to Long Island, NY. She starts a new job on January 3, at a radio station WBLI. So for the last week we have been checking out apartments.
Seeing all my family was a true blessing this holiday season. Right now it is a little stressful figuring out all the details of moving.
Jesus once said not to worry because worry doesn't change anything. Good advice.
A wise person once said that a merry heart is good medicine and that laughter is good for the bones.
I believe him.
For the second time this week I got behind the same car that touted the driver's personal (extremist) political views on the bumper. The bumper stickers were all about bicyclists/bicycling. The extreme ones said "It doesn't take a war to power my bicycle". Another one had a picture of the bike with the saying, "Zero $ Per Gallon".
The funny thing to me was that his statements were on his car that I am assuming is powered by the war I mean gasoline. He could have been running on bio-diesel but I didn't smell French fries.
I do want to live a life that is conscience of consumption and take steps to conserve where I can. One way that I am conserving oil is by using natural laundry detergent. Seventh Generation brand detergent says this on the label:
"If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 100 oz. ultra petroleum based liquid laundry detergent with our 100 oz. vegetable based product, we could save 200,000 barrels of oil, enough to heat and cool 11,400 U.S. homes for a year!"
Another thing I read recently was that if cities and towns would use flashing yellow and red lights at intersections during the overnight hours, it would save a lot of wasted idling at red lights when there is no traffic coming in the opposite direction. Some of the intersections in Greensboro use this technique and I believe there is a push in the local government to use it more.
A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart.
Nasty weather delayed Laura's flight so I sat down to read the book I brought, Dinesh D'Souza's What's So Great About America. I already read it once but it is that good I decided to go through it again. As I sat there reading about the author's interpretation of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's way of thinking and living (I've been stuck re-reading this because it is confusing me), when this women busts out her cell phone, starts yapping and ruins my concentration. Before she started talking there was other people having conversations that I somehow blocked out. Even the noise of a busy airport was no distraction. This lady, however, was. I don't know if she had an especially annoying voice or there is a phenomena where the brain cannot distinguish someone who appears to be talking to themself as normal.
I did a Google search (which buy the way is a hot stock right now. I personally can't afford it but my sources tell me to start purchasing) - to see if there was some weird phenomena where the brain will not block out something abnormal like a person, appearing to talk to themself, on a cell phone. It could just be that this women uses a louder voice when on her cell. Or maybe this woman was from New York or Jersey.
My search results returned nothing but it wasn't a very rigorous one. I'm going to conclude that it is people being too loud. Oh wait, more evidence is coming in now to support my loud theory - Laura, my lovely wife who happens to be a New Jersey native, is talking (more like shouting) on her phone intruding into my blog time. She's even in another room. Yo! Shut the door!
Receiving gifts is one of the five "love languages" in Gary Chapman's book The Five Love Languages. Some (of us) do not jive with the whole giving and receiving of gifts; we are not wired that way. So it can make this time of year stressful and even unenjoyable. Laura loves giving gifts. She takes the time to find the perfect gift for each person. If there is an accesssory that will make it extra special, she will find it. Then she buys the most expensive, highest quality, fancy wrapping paper (I didn't know anyone actually purchased their wrapping paper at Barnes and Noble!!!) and perfectly wraps the gifts. You can't even see the Scotch tape! My only contribution is an index finger so she can tie a bow for the finishing touch (and maybe I will fill out the little taggy thing).
Wisdom tells us that everyone is a friend to someone who gives gifts, and that a gift can open the way into someone's heart. We can make important connections with each other by giving gifts. Consumerism and retail chains do not have to rule the day...we can. This is something for me to keep in mind as I trudge through the mall and swipe the credit card.
...
Where did the tradition of giving gifts originate anyway? Perhaps from Chris Cringle or St. Nick? Or maybe from the Maji who travelled from the east bearing gifts to "the one who has been born king of the Jews". Consider the action of these "3 Wise Men" this holiday season for they are the ones who got it right.
What gifts can I to give the King in 2006? An important question to reflect on in the midst of holiday busyness and as we celebrate the new year.
So after a week vacation over Thanksgiving eating lots of good food and desserts (filled with preservatives and non-food like substances) I noticed the scales tipping not in my favor. No problem, I will just hit the YMCA (after a month sabbatical) and get back into it. Well it's not so easy getting back into it.
Our bodies have a way of speaking to us. Whenever my body is sore in the morning, for no apparent reason, I take that as a sign something is wrong. If I get winded running up the stairs of my apartment, there's a problem.
My conclusion is to not get out of shape. That would be the wise thing to do. With another holiday coming I forsee more food and lots of couch time watching football. I better try and stay active. Perhaps a couple extra laps around the mall could count as a days worth of exercise? Or go with a lady friend and make a marathon out of it.
Today I received my annual bonus at work. Not only did I get a bonus but Uncle Sam did as well. The government graciously accepted 27% of my Christmas bonus (would "Holiday Bonus" be more politically correct? is "holiday" suppose to be "holyday"? whoa). Enough with the pc business, 27%...it's an outrage!
