I heard Joe Biden say that he wants to "take" money away from rich people, via taxes, to redistribute through government. Conservatives will call this the Robin Hood theory.
Riding the train in and out of Manhattan for 3+ hours each day doesn't leave much time for the gym. So I have instituted a little program called the work-out at work.
"It is a mistake to think business men are more immoral than politicians." John Maynard Keynes
We have been staying up late watching both party's conventions. I will be glad when this week is over and I can get some sleep.
Wednesday night, Guiliani's speech was uncomfortable for me. The applause from the convention crowd was obnoxious and wouldn't help your view of Republicans if you are an undecided voter. Obviously he is there to fire up the delegates so I can take it with a grain of salt.
Anyone expecting bipartisanship at a convention is delusional. (However it is interesting how the Republicans will invite Democrats to speak, e.g., Zell Miller & Joe Liberman and those in their own party like Rudi and Arnold who lean left on social issues.)
Palin's speech was actually rather refreshing. I enjoyed seeing her family there. They seemed so genuine and real.
Some of her jabs at Obama were uncomfortable and unnecessary although I am glad she made his experience a major theme. I do not think she came across as smug. She was having fun as well as making serious statements.
Here are the excerpts that surprised me:
To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House
In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.
Our nominee doesn't run with the Washington herd. He's a man who's there to serve his country, and not just his party.
And though both Senator Obama and Senator Biden have been going on lately about how they are always, quote, "fighting for you," let us face the matter squarely. There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you ... in places where winning means survival and defeat means death
To the most powerful office on earth, he would bring the compassion that comes from having once been powerless ... the wisdom that comes even to the captives, by the grace of God ... the special confidence of those who have seen evil, and seen how evil is overcome.
Gov. Palin has helped me see a different side of John McCain. During the primary debates he appeared angry and dull. Now he seems almost likable as a person and candidate.
Started a new book on the history of the Great Depression. Just read the introduction and I am excited to get into this book. The title is called, "The Forgotten Man" which comes from a 1883 essay by William Graham Sumner. Here is his quote:
I was given Kid Rock's new album Rock N Roll Jesus. I am not endorsing it cause I am just listening to it for the first time. The reason I mention it is because of the quote on the inside cover of the album:
To unwind after work I have been indulging in a few games of Chess on my computer. (That yelling you hear in the background is my wife calling me a loser.) I am not an avid Chess player. I will play twice a year at most, but I get the basic gist...so I thought. I am taking on all the forces of Chess playing against the computer. It is humiliating....
A few years ago I was asked to speak to a group of people about friendship. Now everyone knows how to be a good friend right? So how do you put an interesting twist to this topic of friendship? Well for me, I entitled the talk, "Being a Friend to the World". These words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian churches guided me:
Started reading a new book - Saving the World at Work, What Companies and Individuals Can Do to Go Beyond Making a Profit to Making a Difference - this weekend. The author is Tim Sanders.
N.T. Wright says (at the risk of gross oversimplification) there are two quite different ways of looking at the future of the world.
A year ago you would never have been able to get me to part with my Birkenstock sandals. I have consistently worn (through) a pair for the past eleven years. Last September blasphemy came into my house when Laura purchased me a pair of Sanuks. And that is all she wrote.
Saturday as I was walking in the bank parking lot after getting some cash out of the ATM, a car rolled up blaring AC/DC's "Highway to Hell". For a moment I was whisked off to my youth when the ringing of church bells drowned out the 1979 classic and gave me a smile. I don't want to read into it, but with all that is going on in my life, this brief moment in my weekend was a humorous reminder of who is to be heard - rather who will be heard.
Starbucks has a new label/logo. I kinda like the brown. The weird posing mermaid is not very very appealing
I was a a gas station and saw the price of cigarettes is $6 a pack. Being a nonsmoker I cannot fathom how someone can drop six bucks every few days or everyday on a pack of cigs. Then I thought about those how will casually spend the same amount at Starbucks everyday. Choose your habits (or addictions) wisely.
That being said it is hard to sympathize with some who is complaining about not having any money as they stand there with a Starbucks in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It wouldn't surprise me if the same person is an anti-capitalist.
I don't know how much longer I can live in a country that will put Kevin Federline on the front of their magazine and think it is a good business decision. Or maybe I should say that I can't live much longer in a country where it is in fact a good business decision to put Kevin Federline on the cover of their magazine.
This is my first blog post from my MacBook. No more blue screens!!!
Is there a term for a person who doesn't update their blog regularly, or even yearly?
Just paid my tax burden, or I should say my remaining balance. I'll stop there before the explicatory language flies.
I live in Islip, NY. We spend $9962 a year for each student in school. The average expenditure in the U.S. is around $6000 (according to Sperling's Best Places). There is an 89% graduation rate here in Islip. Not bad I guess. Should we have those students who don't graduate pay back the money?
I ran some numbers and if a child chose to forgo the education system and put the cash in an interest bearing account (say 3%) they could have about $144k by the time they are 18. Doesn't seem like all that much. If they were savvy and found a way to get 8% return they could have $200k. That's enough for a quality liberal arts education.
I think that when something is "free" it is less appreciated. That's why making college free for all is probably not the best idea. I wonder what the unintended consequences of free health care would be. It's already free for many of us cause our employer takes care of it. I have little to no responsibility for my health care.
The other night I watched "As Good As It Gets" with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. I was too much of a young head full of mush to realize when the movie came out in 1997 that it was one big universal health care infomercial. No wonder it won a Golden Globe.
Thomas Sowell has another "Random Thoughts" column so I figure I would go with a "Rumblings" of my own.
This past weekend I turned 30 years old. Three decades - not bad. It is weird to think that some of my family members have known me for thirty years. And they still talk to me!
I have decided to forego the traditional wallet and use a money clip that holds credit cards (Special thanks to Steve Schmidt for the groomsman gift.) It has been much easier sitting down whether at my desk or while driving. With the added space I have been carrying other items in my back pocket: keys, pens, cell phone, etc. Letters and envelopes are particularly bad to carry in the back pocket. Somehow they just work themselves way out. I almost lost a couple. Must be the swivel hips.
What is it with women and their fear of running out of toilet paper? Since I got married I never had so much tp. Everytime I open a closet more falls out. I have a toilet paper storage bin next to the toilet paper dispenser in the bathroom. Each week at the grocery store I hear the line, "We need toilet paper." I just roll with it.
For some reason I find it more interesting to flip through a magazine backwards. I actually read more articles this way. I think it is because I can never find the damn table of contents.
With all the emails, text messaging and online bill paying do you think the post office will ever go out of business?
If I buy fair trade coffee at Wal-mart am I just cancelling myself out? Is it like a carbon credit? Where's Al Gore when you need him.
We recently moved into an apartment with tile floors. I never broke so many glasses. Forgive me if I offer you a drink in a plastic cup. We are all out of glass.
So I picked up Hillary Clinton's book, "It Takes a Village" from my local library. Unfortuately I couldn't get through it. I read about half of it actually finding myself agreeing with the ideas and beliefs of our former First Lady and my current State Senator. Why couldn't I get through it? My problem is that I don't believe her.
Perhaps my personal politics have clouded my objectivity and that adds to a predisposed bias to the woman who claimed to be named after the man who first climbed Mt. Everest - Sir Edmund Hillary? But I don't think that is the case. There is a list of eyebrow raising events that would cause me to not trust Senator Clinton. Bill doesn't help matters either. However I will try to keep an open mind ;)
The point of the book is a good one - it takes a village. A child needs a safe environment to grow up in, people looking after his or her best interests, people on their side, encouraging and clearing a path to maturity and self discovery. The problem is the village has not necessarily owned up to this responisbility and has even shirked it.
I think about how a teacher friend of mine was told by her assistant principal that "it is not our job to teach responsibility" when she wanted to give her student a zero for not turning in an assignment. The policy at this public school is that there is no deadlines. You can turn your homework in anytime. The sad part was that the student whose homework was late was actually the child of the principal!
Or I think about my father-in-law who teaches Spanish to public high school students in New Jersey. During one of his final exams the proctor caught a student smearing chapstick on the computer graded "scan-tron" answer sheet. This supposedly makes the machine unable to read the answers and marks the answers as correct. When the incident was brought before the assistant prinicipal (the one in charge of discipline) his answer to my father-in-law was to grade the test by hand because it wasn't their job to determine the student's intent. Can you believe that?
The village's hands are tied my friends. And in some cases it is glorifies the very behavior that we are trying to avoid. The latest example of this comes from the campus of Virginia Tech, my alma mater. I believe that the evil and violence that has destroyed the lives of so many will end up saving hundreds more. Our eyes have been opened, our souls torn open, and our hearts bruised. But there has been so much love, hope and strength flowing in around and out of the campus. I truly believe the goal of this evil will prove counter productive.
Hopefully there will be changes to the Virginia Tech village. An interesting article by James Lewis at the American Thinker illustrates the need. Now this is just one side of the story. A side I'm sure we won't hear. I would enjoy reading a response.
And hopefully Hollywood will wake up too. On the very night of the murders, during a commerical on American Idol, we saw a movie trailer for Disturbia - subtitled "every killer lives next to someone. The disturbing part of the trailer was hearing the words, "You made me do this". The same words I was hearing all day on the news about the killer from the campus of Virginia Tech.
The village needs leadership. It needs people of faith to step in (to be allowed, encouraged, welcomed) to step in and aid in the maturity and self discovery of our young people. I know I am not doing enough. I work too much. Not because I want to accumulate toys but because that's what my job asks of me, it's what I need to do to pay the cost of living in our Long Island, NY. The price is too high on too many fronts. How will the village respond? I am hopeful.
"I am much more interested in long-term living than in long-term care." -- Newt Gingrich
Polling has indicated that Newt Gingrich is one of the most favorable of possible candidates for the 2008 Presidential election. However, those who find him favorable do not think he can win. (I heard this on a Saturday radio show.)
After reading his book and hearing him do interviews I am inclined to favor him as well.
Chapter 8 of Gingrich's book, "Winning the Future" is titled A 21st Century Health System. Interesting how he does not use the word "care." I think he does this because the issue affects us all and is so much bigger than just being cared for as we have become accustomed. Gingrich emphasizes personal responsibility and involvement in taking care of our health and medical needs. This requires us to be informed and involved in matters regarding our health.
Gingrich does not want to reform the current health system because he considers it profoundly wrong in three specific areas.
The truth is that the current health system cannot be reformed because its approach is profoundly wrong in three specific areas. First, it emphasizes acute care rather than wellness, early detection, and prevention. Second, it focuses on third-party payments, an area in which the individual has little responsibility, little knowledge, and no control. And third, it relies on paper (i.e. paper medical records and paper prescriptions) rather than information technology.
Newt is attractive to a lot of people because he brings real ideas to the table. He doesn't talk about having a plan and he isn't making any promises. His book is titled "Winning the Future". There is something exciting about moving forward and making changes where necessary.
Gingrich will build the 21st Century Intelligent Health System around three big changes: 1. Move knowledge from the doctor's office and scientific laboratory to the individual as rapidly as possible; 2. Help the health care system adopt top quality information technology systems to increase productivity, accuracy, and cut costs. 3. Center the process of health on the informed individual so he or she can have the knowledge, desire, responsibility, and opportunity to live the longest life, with the best health, at the lowest cost.Currently I am reading Hilary Clinton's book "It Takes a Village". I just finished a chapter in which she talks about health care. I hope to post her views in do time. Until now soak up what Newt says, visit his website, or buy the book.
Thomas Sowell will go through "Random Thoughts" every now and then in his column. I love it when he does this. He is very insightful.
I don't presume to compare with him, but there are what I will call, "Rumblings":
Does it make me lame that I have a “tape player” in my car? What if I still have tapes?
Even on an empty tank, yellow light flashing I will forgo a full service only gas station in search of a self-serve. I just want to do it myself.
Do you find it mildly satisfying to make it through a yellow light or one that just turns red as you are passing through the intersection? Well that feeling is squashed here in Long Beach, NY cause if you make it through one, there is a red light waiting for you 100 yards ahead at the next intersection. The man keeps you down.
Somewhere between 25 and thirty the body (at least mine) confuses growing hair on the head with growing it on the back. How does one deal with a receeding hairline?
Henry Petroski says that past success is no guarentee against future failure.
Even though I know little about her Mother Teresa is one of my favorite people. She says, "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We only have today. Let us begin."
if you can get past the source, you just might enjoy Ann's latest column.
i laughed out loud a couple of times!!!
My hope for our country and world is not is some politcal candidate or party. I do hope Newt Gingrich will run for president in 2008. He hasn't declared anything. He is just out there giving speeches and debating ideas. He may be the only person with ideas.
I read his book Winning the Future and found it to be quite inspiring. Here is the dedication:
To my grandchildren Maggie and Robert and all the other grandchildren who deserve to
inherit an America that is as free, safe, healthy and prosperous as the America we
inherited.
I will post more on Newt as I learn more about him. Maybe my mind will change as i dive deeper into what this man believes and how he will go about accomplishing his plans for America. I am open to that. We live in the "information age" so there is no excuse to be uninformed and swept away by rhetoric.
My high school cheated me out of an economics class. I had a teacher named Mr., you know what, I don't remember his name. But he gave us a stupid project where we pick stocks and see how we much fake money we made. We learned supply and demand and that's about it. So my surrogate teachers in economics are Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell. These two men should be weekly reading for everyone.
Several years ago I was introduced to ING Direct. It is an online bank. I opened a savings account with them because they have the best rates around plus the convenience of the internet.
Along with mortgages and cd's ING just started an electronic checking account. It is completely paperless so you don't write checks. Everything is wired through the internet. The also offer a 4% APY for the account. That is unbelievable for a checking account.
I just found out about it so I figured I would pass on the info. When I signed up for an ING savings account I got 25 bucks free and the person who refered me got $10. The same deal applies if you put in at least $250. If you want to take advantage let me know and I will refer you.
Duckets are duckets.
"The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda."
This post is inspired by Al Gore's presence at the Oscar's.
For interesting thoughts on enviromentalism, climate change and global warming check out www.michaelchrichton.com and click on speeches.
Crichton is speaking at the Asia Room in NYC next month. It is sold out and I am unable to get a ticket. If anyone out there has connections and can hook me up let me know!
Balance - our goal for 2007...
Laura and I just moved from Holbrook, NY to Long Beach, NY fulfilling one of our life goals of living at the beach. In a perfect world that beach would have been in a warmer climate - but we are making the best of it!
This move has cut my commute to work from 4 hours total, door to door, morning and night to a little over 2 hours total. So I have about 2 hours of my life back. I get to walk to the train station- partially fulfilling another goal of being able to walk to work- so I get a little exercise thus adding to the "balance".
I am trying to work an 8 hour day. It is almost impossible, but if I keep it at the front of my mind the more I achieve it. Can you be successful only working 40 hours a week? I guess it's all how you define success.
Keeping in touch with people has been very difficult and I do not help matters. We have been so blessed with great friends in each of the places we have lived. And it seems like no matter how much time pasts between the time we talk or see each other, it is never hard to pick right up where we left off. Hopefully I will be more balanced in this area.
I haven't been a regular blogger but I want to be.
Here's to being balanced
Everywhere I turned there were eyes watching me: Jesus, Saint Paul, Mary and many other figures of church history. It was was eerie. I did not like it.
The engineering company I work for was retained to perform a structural review of Our Lady of Vilnius Church in Manhattan. So I spent four hours avoiding contact with statues and stained glass as I did my job.
The church is in danger of being sold if it is beyond repair. The people associated with the church very much want us to be able to fix it. Joy, the care-taker, asked that I would put her request that the church be repaired into my report.
The very place that I could not wait to get out of was of immense importance people. I viewed all the eyes in the room as looking at me. Others must see the faces as watching over them.
I wouldn't say it was a goal of mine but I did attempt something in early spring and just finished this past weekend. I read an entire book in the bathroom. Not one of those bathroom readers or chicken soup for the soul ones but an actual book - a non-fiction book on a current political figure. Come to think of it, the bathroom was a pretty good place to read this one. I may have finished sooner if Laura didn't hide the book everytime guests came over. She would put my book under the sink and I'd forget about it. I have to figure out a way to test my reading comprehension to see if it was worth it. I don't have any plans to start a new one. I'll keep everyone posted.
Due to limited computer time my posts are few are far between to say the least. I just started a new job in NYC. I have about a 2 hour door to door commute in both the morning and evening. I take the train so I get to do a lot of reading and that has actually been refreshing. One of my subtle joys is watching people run for the train at the different stops. And at the end of the day you should see people "book it" through Penn Station. My first day on the train a guy talked my ear off the whole way. Now I know why people don't make eye contact with you.
The Solis Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on ending poverty and creating economic sustainability in developing communities in foreign countries and the US. I am excited about what they are doing and am glad to make donations toward their efforts.
Please check out their website when you have a chance.
Most of Kid Rock's music is too crude for me but some of his songs are awesome. He has a great voice and his sound is memorable. A couple of his songs require a shower after listening to them but I just delete them.
On the inside of one of his albums he makes this quote:
"If it looks good, you'll see it; if it sounds good, you'll hear it, if it is marketed right, you'll buy it; but...if it's real, you'll feel it."
Okay, enough Kid.
Laura and I saw Superman last night. We had free tickets so what the heck right? Well if you are teetering on the fence to see it or not I suggest you save your 10 bucks. Some of the special effects were cool and I enjoyed watching Kevin Spacey play Lex Luther. Other than that I'd say its a snoozer.
Hollywood wasted my time - a whole 2.5 hours on this one. Good-bye Lois.
I treated myself to an ipod for my birthday. It is awesome. The design is so cool, especially the wheel.
Right now I have 574 songs on my ipod or two days worth of music. I also can watch videos and I love the podcasts.
June 30th is my last day of work at my current job. I resigned for "personal" reasons. On the 5th I start a new job in NYC. I have an hour train ride from our apartment. The ipod is going to be crucial.
Let me know if you have any book suggestions. I just finished The Da Vinci Code, in time to see the movie, thus completing one of my life goals of reading a book before watching the movie. And like everyone always said, the book is better...much better.
I tried to access my blog at work the other day and I was blocked by our "Surf Control".
They have tightened things up so I can't really view anything not related to work. Even some work related sites get blocked. I think someone downloaded a virus.
I think that since we are in the year 2006, internet access at work should be one of the perks. If someone cannot "police" themselves from wasting time or doing inappropriate things than police them. Not me.
I pay bills online, communicate with family and simply enjoy a five minutue break from work via the internet. I am not outraged over this but I am disappointed.
By the gov't.
"The media sounded the alarm last year when the largest U.S. oil company, ExxonMobil Corp, announced profits of $36 billion. But according to the Tax Foundation, the biggest price gouging profiteer was the U.S. government, cashing in to the tune of $54 billion in oil and gas taxes. The think tank, the Tax Foundation, said, 'Tax collections on the production and the import of gasoline by state and federal governments are already near historic highs.' In fact, in recent decades governments have collected far more revenue from gasoline taxes than the largest US oil companies have collectively earned in domestic profits."
New York taxes are out of control. The sales tax is 8.625%
And look at the taxes on my cell phone bill. It is 17% of the bill. We need to revolt. Vote all incumbents out this election cycle.
Walter E. Williams says this,
The founders of our nation would be horrified by today's level of American servitude to their government. From 1787 to the Roaring '20s, federal government spending, as a percentage of GDP, never exceeded 4 percent, except in wartime, compared to today's 20 percent.
The average taxpayer, depending on the state in which he lives, works from Jan. 1 to May 3 to pay federal, state and local taxes. That means someone else decides how four months' worth of the fruits of the average taxpayer's labor will be spent. The taxpayer is forcibly used to serve the purposes of others -- whether it's farm or business handouts, food stamps or other government programs where the earnings of one American are taken and given to another.
This situation differs only in degree, but not in kind, from slavery. After all, a working description of slavery is the process where one person is forcibly used to serve the purposes of another. The difference is a slave has no rights to what he produces each year, instead of just four months.
Recently I've experienced poor customer service and incompetence from my bank, cell phone provider, my credit card company and computer company.
Are you experiencing it too?
I blogged about my computer hard drive burning up. It just quit one night when I was working on it. It is a Dell and less than a year old. Dell sent me a new hard drive but it was refurbished. Shouldn't I get a new one if it is under warranty. I would complain but I'd have to spend half my day on the phone like Laura did trying to install the hard drive and the lost programs. It is ridiculous.
Dell was a really good company but I think they got too big too fast. I wouldn't recommend buying a computer from them. I can't say anything about their other products.
My next beef is with my cell phone company Sprint. I have been trying to cancel my automatic payment from my checking account for a year. Every time I call they say they cancel it but I keep getting the bill deducted from my account. The worst part is I don't use that checking account anymore so I do not deposit into it as of a month ago. I don't recommend Sprint either.
Onto my bank. When Laura and I set up the account here in New York I wasn't able to be on it because I didn't have any paperwork with my name and address on it. So we just put it in Laura's name. We had a wonderful experience with the staff member who helped us. Last month we went back to get my name on the account. Again the woman was excellent. I asked if I could sign the checks even if my name wasn't on the check itself. She said now that my name was on the account it didn't matter. Well I had to call Citibank the other day to ask a question and I couldn't because my name isn't on the account. Incompetence.
Now here's the deal with my credit card. It kept getting declined. So I called them. The bill was returned to them when they tried to mail it. I just moved. I changed my address with company before that. It must not have happened. You would think they would call me if my bill was sent back?
I called up the company to change my address again. The woman I spoke with didn't know how to do that. As she fumbled around, I was disconnected. I couldn't call back because I was on my lunch break and didn't have time to call back and wait on hold. I am cancelling the card.
These aren't complaints, just realities. Realities that waste time. We all shell out a lot of money for these services (which we really don't need). We should call out companies that have poor quality and service and patron those that excel in it.
One company that went above and beyond for us is DHL, a shipping company. So there's a shout for DHL.
I recently signed up for my company's healthcare plan. It basically costs me 100 bucks for medical and dental care. Within that coverage I have a copay and certain procedures are split 80/20.
The 100 bucks a month ($1200 a year) seems fairly reasonable with the high costs of medical care in the event that I may need it. In reality I believe it is costing me more because my employer is paying whatever else it costs to insure me as a perk for working there.
I'm not someone who requires a lot of medical care at this point in my life. In fact I do not remember the last time I went to a doctor. So that money I pay each month is "just in case" something happens which I am sure I will be greatful to have in case something happens.
I look at all the money that is spent on me "just in case" and I cringe. There's gotta be a better way to do it. fI looked into a health savings account but unless my employer pays me the money that they are spending on my health care it wouldn't be worth it.
Massachusetts recently passed a bill that will insure nearly all of its citizens. Very interesting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/us/05mass.html
I want to see how this plays out.
My hard drive burned up so I've been out of commission. Not that I would have been blogging anyway! We haven't even had the computer for a year and it already went bad. It is a Dell Inspiron 600m. The customer service was pretty much a bad experience. I don't know how many hours we spent with the phone to our ear trying to get things fixed. I think that I will look into Macs for our next one.
Famous words a football coach of mine uttered when he saw one of these signs. Always makes me laugh. He was an ornery guy.
Laura and I saw "Thank You for Smoking" this weekend. Nick Naylor is a smooth talking lobbyist for "big tobacco" who is on a mission to get more people smoking. It's a good movie. Probably better to rent it than shell out cash at the theater.
Billy Joel played his 10th show in Madison Square Garden Saturday night, March 4th. Laura surprised me with tickets for our anniversary. He is one of my favorites.
Our seats were not very good, all the way at the top of the Garden. As we circled our way around to our seats a guy tapped me on the shoulder and asked if we wanted to sit in the 2nd row - all we had to do was trade him our tickets for the 2nd row seats. Yeah right. He had an all access pass around his neck and said he worked with Billy Joel and that Billy himself reserved seats in the front rows for fans with not so great seats to show his appreciation. Only being in New York for a couple weeks we couldn't help but think we were getting scammed but how did he get in? We bantered with him for a minute or two and decided to go for it. We immediately found the nearest usher and asked if our tickets were legit. Sure enough they were! So that's were we watched the show, from the 2nd row. It was amazing.
It has been three weeks at my new job. I like my work and the people are nice. To sum it up in non-descriptive terms, it's going well.
However there is one thing I am not used to yet...the community bathroom. Now I'm one of those people who do not mind using a public restroom. In fact I kind of enjoy it. Maybe because it appeals to the animal instinct of "leaving my mark". The same feeling doesn't ring true when the possibility of running into my manager or even the president of the company resonates in the back of my mind while I'm taking care of business.
The community bathroom in the work place. Is it some employee building technique thought up by some crazy consultant or just a way to save a buck?
So I just finished ironing my shirt for work. It has become a daily ritual. The dress code at my job is a shirt and tie (pants are optional). Personally I choose to wear the pants and I wear shoes too. My new favorite tool to put my shoes on is the shoehorn. I just have a simple one but you can choose from a large variety of shapes and sizes. Who knew? There are even shoehorns for women!
Take a moment and collect yourself.
Excuse me while I go tie my tie.
A coworker of mine, Eddie, used to say that a lot. I get the jist of it, but not until now have I experienced it. Our apartment has a gas stove and man is it nice. My scrammbled eggs are done in less than two minutes. I burned the butter yesterday not paying attention!
Our heat is gas too. Funny how they allow open flames in the house and how people don't really think twice about it. Not me, its always in the back of my head that I could get blown through the wall while making my eggs in the morning. That's why I never cook in my skivvies.
Other Ramblings...
My lastest obession, next to my wife:
Oops...wrong picture
The Aston Martin Vantage
New York politics are a little different than in North Carolina, to say the least. I'm looking forward to this election year even though I still find the current political climate nausiating. Anyways, I am an avid listener of talk radio. My latest find is Air America 1190 WLIB, Progressive Talk. It is liberals answer to Rush Limbaugh.
More and more people these days seem to have a problem with capitalism. I can understand their beef in some ways. As of right now I don't have a problem with it, but I will continue to allow my thoughts to be shaped. A book Laura and I are reading is by Ron Sider called, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. We haven't read enough to comment on. Just speaking out of my you know what for right now, I'd say the problem is more with marketing and Hollywood.I would like to pose a question that nobody else (to my knowledge) has. Is Kanye West overrated? I really don't know anything about him other than his song "Gold-digger" which I think is clever. Oh and that he criticized the President on national television during a Hurricane Katrina fund-raiser. I think that is his claim to fame. Nothing is more popular right now than hating the President.
I saw Brokeback Mountain. I wonder how many people comment on it (positively or otherwise) without even seeing it? It wasn't what I expected.
And finally one complaint about New York living. People do not put their shopping carts in the shopping cart return cage. They just leave them in the parking lot strued about haphazardly obstructing reasonable peoples like myself ability to park. It's not just one or two but dozens!Evangelicals Join Global Warming Initiative read the headline.
All those tv preachers with the excessive use of the hair spray probably has a lot to do with it.
For the past five weeks Laura and I have been in the process of moving from Greensboro, NC to Long Island, NY. Laura started a new job on January 3rd so she moved to NY while I continued working in NC. I stayed with friends (thanks Ray and Tere!) after we moved all of our furniture out of the apartment. I officially moved to LI on Sunday, driving the 10 hours on Super Bowl Sunday, because I started a new job myself with LKB, Inc.
I packed up our stuff myself instead of hiring movers. It was quite a job. It took me over a week. I figured I saved about 3000 bucks doing it that way. I rented a truck and drove the 600+ miles. It was a haul and the truck was a hoss (a 22 footer). I left at midnight and made it to NY at 2pm the next day. A couple extra hours longer then I expected because I was lost in Brooklyn, after I smashed the passenger's side mirror at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll booth. It was a circus there for a little while as I passed back and forth JFK International airport trying to find my way. The Van Wyck saved me and I finally made it to our apartment.
Special thanks to Ray, Lou, Vick, Jonathan, Mom, Dad, Bri, Corrie, Cand and Josh for helping us move. We couldn't have done it without you!
...
My lovely wife has joined the blog world lovetolaughoutloud. Check it out when you get a chance. She is an excellent writer. Warning: high drama.
And speaking of my lovely wife, we are currently in a battle over the thermostat in our apartment. She tried to make a truce but I am refusing. It is more like a cease-fire on my part.
Laura has the heat jacked up to 78-79 degrees! She wanted to call a truce at 75! Yeah, that's what I'm saying. The heat is so intense I can smell the paint burning. I can handle 70, maybe 72. I don't know what to do. I need some help on this one.
What is a reasonable temperature to heat your home to? And keep in mind that my Laura as wonderful as she is, is not reasonable.
Since we moved to Long Island, I've been doing the job search. Simplyhired.com is an awesome site that pulls from careerbuilder, monster, and many other job search engines. Thought I would pass it along in case anyone else is looking. It is my favorite site so far.
Monster and Careerbuilder are good for posting resume's. I have had success with people looking at my info and even got an interview this way. But I find them lacking when doing specific job searches.
If you know of any other sites please comment below.
My grandfather-in-law who is in his 80's started a blog: revdandugan.blogspot.com He is a cancer survior and he wanted to encourage others who are fighting it and have survived it.
He is a pastor of a church in West Paterson, NJ. He is also a phenominal cook. Oh the manicotti!
Check it out and pass it on to those you think it may help who are suffering with an illness or disease
Who invented it and why. Do you really want onion breath all morning??? A mouth wash or gum company probably thought this one up to boost sales.
This came up in our Bible study group last Tuesday night. I can't take credit for it, Carrie is to thank for that. I will share what we discussed.
Somehow we were talking about the differences between my wife Laura and myself. When it comes to personality we are extreme opposites. Most of the couples in our group would consider themselves opposites on many aspects, not just personality. EHarmony boasts more matches that become marriages than any other service. You can get a free compatiblity report right on their website! One of their commercials has a couple all starry eyed saying how they find more and more in common with each other every day.
I think Laura and I find more that's different than the same! I'm not saying that one way is better than the other, but I would like to know if more marriages are two people of "compatibility" or "opposabiltiy" (if that is even a word).
Maybe EHarmony factors this into their "compatibility" tests but I would venture to say that they do not.
Anyways we all thought this to be odd. Can anyone help me out?
My car needed new brakes so I took it to the Toyota dealership. I figured I'd continue reading a book I got for Christmas as I waited. The title is called Overdosed America The Broken Promise of American Medicine. It is a book written by a family doctor who through personal research discovers that many of the new drugs heavily marketed do little to help the medical condition they were invented for and even cause more harm to the patient. Sometimes simply exercising will be more effective than taking a drug!
From what I've read so far it seems that the health industry is just as interested if not more in your money than your well-being. It is a good lesson for us to stay informed as to what is happening out there and pay careful attention to what we are putting into our bodies.
I just read this article today about over-the-counter cough medicine being ineffective.
I'm a little slow starting the new year. As for resolutions, no specific ones. Only that I want to be more creative and the I want to read more. I did a personal inventory and found that I only read two books (cover to cover) in '05. There were a lot of books I rummaged through but didn't completely read.
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!
Two of my favorite subjects that at least in the past are a faux pas to discuss or inquire about. I have generally lived by that principle; confrontation really isn't my thing. But there is no fun in keeping silent, plus we will never learn if we do not challenge each other's points of view.
My latest thought is about those who try and bring about God's kingdom through political persuasion and even legislation. Is that the vocation of the church? I think it is overcompensation for the church's waning influence in popular culture. There is an appearance of momentum and political weight by people of faith (mostly from the "religious right" or "moral majority") - okay maybe it is more than just an appearance, there is some legitimacy as proven in the 2004 election. However when I listen to and read the rhetoric from "D's" or "R's" of faith I am disappointed.
I guess I believe that the church shouldn't look to the government to get things done. The church has become small in public life. The current followers of Jesus need to rise up as a community that embodies the words and way of life of the Teacher. We need to be a community that is big again. Not for the sake of political pull or so we can get our way, but so we can experience goodness, grace and truth.
No one political party can encompass my views and convictions. It is impossible. God's kingdom functions and operates in a certain way and the government of the United States in another. They are focused on accomplishing different goals and bringing about certain ends. At times these goals and ends coincide, somes even the means are similar, but I feel the differences will tip the scale (one way or the other).
In our political ideology we must allow for the differences in kingdom and state. As followers of Jesus it is of utmost importance to learn how he wants us to live and be the men and women he has called us to be.
I am thankful for 2005. In it I have learned more about marriage, faith, and love. Hopefully the learning will translate into action and a better quality of life. Funny thing is at the same time I am thankful that 2005 is almost over.
I am thankful for Laura's love and encouragement.
Also I am thankful to be with family this week.
My first question, to myself and whoever else is out there reading, thank you by the way, is am I ignorant to think that politicians really do care about people? Or are they in the tank for themsleves and the special interests/lobbyists that fund their campaigns? How many do you think has sold out? Republican, Democrat, I don't care about parties. My target is any elected official who works in Washington or any state capitol.
Right now all I hear from Democrats is whining and complaining; finger pointing and placing blame. And where's the leadership from the Republicans? It's a damn circus (one of the reasons I stopped watching the news). We, the people, need to figure something out because I don't want a bunch of sell-outs with "D's" and "R's" next to their name determining my future.
I mentioned I stopped watching the news. It is all sensationalism. They must think we are stupid. I was for constantly watching. Now I read and listen to the radio which I turn off every now and then because it is just as ridiculous.
Newt Gingrich has written a book called Winning the Future. I am reading it right now because I heard he may run for president so I want to see what he is going to do. As other candidates throw their names in the hat we should see what they have to say as well. I am anxious to see if they talk in public what they write in their books. Too many go with the flow, say what people want to hear and politically posture themselves to get votes.
What has set me off tonight is what I read in this article by Jim Rice on the Sojourners website. I read Sojourners because of their attention to social justice. Their Democratic rhetoric is disappointing coming from men and women of faith. I want an alternative to viscious politics that is actually quite boring. Instead I get paragraphs like this one:
He had to throw in a jab about Halliburton? Unfortuanately most of the articles in the site will have similar sarcastic remarks about the current administration or towards views contrary to those held by the Sojourner staff. Why? I am looking to this site for some direction in how to shape my politics and way of life as a follower of Jesus. But as of right now I do not really have much respect for the way they present their message.
Lately I have been thinking about how we read and understand the words of Scripture. A couple of authors have been challenging me - Brian McLaren in his book A New Kind of Christian and Walter Wink in his article "Homosexuality and the Bible". History and context are, I am finding, of the utmost importance. N.T. Wright has given me some great insight in the books The New Testament and the People of God and Jesus and the Victory of God. Consider this from Paul's letter to the church in Rome:
Disturbing news in our society but is it surprising??? Funny that they would have to make a rule. You would think that it was understood?
today i rode in a maserati. my friend vic works for foreign cars italia and he had a show today at grandover resort. i don't really have the "car gene" but i can definitely say it was a sweet ride.
the title is from a billy joel song
Today I read a couple articles that were thought provoking. I will post the links
below.
*
*The United Nations scandal in the "Oil for Food" program hasn't received a lot of press. Several countries (US allies) were beneficiaries of illegal kickbacks from Saddam Hussein. Read comments by one
member of the media .*One of the ways I learn best is by listening to different speakers share their thoughts on a variety of subjects. My opinions are shaped and my views are challenged by hearing others (more knowledgable than me) expand and expound on issues of the day, history, politics and religion. Laura and I have been listening to a friend of ours, JR Woodward, talk on
"A Call to Live in Reality" . Today I was able to listen to his fifth talk in a series of eleven on "Eyes Remade for Story."*My mom gave me a book to read called In Search of Identity by Anwar el-Sadat. He was the President of Egypt. This book is his autobiography. I just finished chapter 3 and hope to share what he says soon.
I'm not sure if "observations" is the right word. If you think of something else please let me know. I've been thinking about how to be a better steward of what I have and consider how what I buy affects (or is it effects?) those who produce (workers especially) the products I consume. An example would be buying free trade coffee or produce grown without pesticides. Recently I was encouraged to shop at Wal-mart versus brand name stores so that I will save money so I can in turn give more away. But the irony (literary scholars correct me if my use of irony is wrong) in this is I buy from Wal-mart to fight materialism to give to the poor and oppressed when the very products I buy are so affordable because they are produced by the poor and oppressed. It seems like an unavoidable circle of doing the "right" thing prevents any possible solution. ??? And totally unrelated to the above thought is for you ladies. I noticed something each time my wife, Laura, went to a salon to get her hair colored. Now this event happens once every three months (thankfully because I pay for it) and she always looks great. Along with the "coloring" Laura will also get her hair trimmed. It is so insignificant that I don't even notice. Sometimes the stylist will talk her into doing something different with her bangs. This service is not free of charge. It doesn't come along with the color. No it is a significant amount more for a couple snips with the shears. I'm convinced I could do it here in the comfort of my own apartment. I always ask Laura why she gets it cut. And she never really has an answer. Then it dawned on me that it has to be a money making scheme. While the women are getting their hair colored, talk them into some sort of cut and charge 'em out the yang. I'm onto the scheme. I wonder if this is why a majority of women have short hair? I know it is so much easier to manage and take care of but doesn't make sense that there really isn't any money in "long hair." Of course long hair requires more products to keep it looking nice but far less than the monthly cut and style that I see so many women wearing. It's all a ploy by the "big stylist industries." I'm onto you Paul Mitchell.
We just got rid of our cable. Other than not being able to watch football I'm doing okay. It's keeping me away from the news channels (of which I'm junkie) which isn't even news anyway - just sensationalism to get you to watcha and keep watching. It's even in print. Read this headline and then the text. Here' a funny one from t.v.
