The Pros and the Cons

What's Methane

2008-05-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

You've probably heard a lot about greenhouse gasses. There has been a lot of talk about carbon dioxide causing global warming.

People talk about methane, but it seems there is still a lot of confusion regarding the role of methane in global warming.

First of all, what is methane? Methane is commonly known as natural gas. Anything organic that dies gives off methane. Cow poop gives off methane. Garbage dumps give off methane. Coal in the ground gives off methane.

Secondly, methane in the atmosphere retains heat 20 times more than carbon dioxide.

Finally, burning methane destroys it and makes it harmless in terms of global warming.

So what does all this mean?

We have a source of energy that will supply all our energy needs for heating and lighting our homes, and powering our cars, forever. Right here in the United states.

There are over 13,000 garbage dumps in the United States. Capping just one garbage dump can produce enough methane to produce over 5 megawatts of electricy. Enough to power over 6000 homes.

What men really think.

2007-04-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

I never hear my wife complain that I left the seat up. That's 'cause I use the sink.

I'll give you some insight as to what men really think. Earlier today, I was pleased to overhear two women compliment me. As they were walking past me, I heard one say to the other, "what an ass!"

Thank you for noticing.

I love my wife's sense of humor. A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I traveled to a small town in Ohio to visit with relatives, staying in a nearby hotel. The nearest town with a hotel was Seaman, Ohio.

The next day, she said "I can't wait to tell all my friends that last night, I slept in Seaman!"

Good Grief I'm Back

2006-11-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted a blog since August. How ridiculous. I have talking points:

I passed my board exam, got my RN license, and got a job working in the older adult unit of the mental health pavillion.

I saw Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and I swear it made me want to switch parties. I'm still very much conservative, but if the Republicans don't get more serious about the environment, they're going to lose a lot of us Christians who believe that God made us stewards of his creation and that we must take better care of it. I feel so strongly about it I'm thinking about renaming this blog.

That's about it. Since I've graduated I've had a load of time on my hands, which I've wasted watching "Lost". I post a lot on Guys, where are we?

Excellent time killer. I strongly believe that people with curious, intellectual minds are interested in those kind of science fiction stories

Thank you Meijer

2006-07-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

May 11, 2006

GENERAL MOTORS ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH STATE OF INDIANA AND MEIJER GAS STATIONS TO HELP MORE INDIANA MOTORISTS POWER THEIR GM FLEXFUEL VEHICLES WITH E85 ETHANOL

INDIANAPOLIS – General Motors today announced that it has facilitated plans for the addition of several new E85 ethanol fueling sites throughout Indiana thanks to a collaborative partnership with Meijer and the state of Indiana. GM has been the catalyst behind several similar partnerships across the country as part of a broader, national GM campaign to boost the use and awareness of ethanol-based E85 fuel in the United States.

The announcement was made today during a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of an E85 ethanol pump at the Meijer Pike Plaza 129 store. Governor Mitch Daniels and Lt. Governor Becky Skillman were on hand for the event along with U.S. Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman.

“Flexible fuel vehicles and E85 are proven options for substituting a clean burning renewable fuel for gasoline, and I believe it should be our common goal that E85 become a nationwide fueling option,” Secretary Bodman said. “I want to thank Governor Daniels, Lt. Governor Skillman, GM and Meijer for their commitment to this goal. Efforts like these—to educate the public and expand the network of stations that can deliver E85 fuel—will help us meet the President’s goal to reduce our reliance on foreign sources of oil.”

“Indiana is rapidly emerging as a producer of renewable fuels. That must be matched by greater availability and convenience for consumers,” said Gov. Daniels. “The commitment by GM and Meijer is a big leap forward on the demand side, and we’re hopeful others will follow suit.”

GM and Meijer will work together to identify up to twenty locations throughout the state over the next few months, with the first location, at the Pike Plaza 129 store, open for consumers today. General Motors will spend significant advertising and promotion dollars to help generate awareness of E85 flexible fuel vehicles—and where consumers can purchase E85 ethanol—with consumer marketing initiatives and dealer outreach.

“GM already has nearly two million vehicles on the road today that are capable of using E85 ethanol fuel. We appreciate that Meijer continues to join our efforts to make this great fuel alternative available to more people in Indiana,” said Elizabeth Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy. “We also appreciate the support of Sec. Bodman, Gov. Daniels, Lt. Gov. Skillman and the State of Indiana as we continue to promote the use of E85 ethanol and its many benefits for the environment, the economy and consumers.”

The effort is similar to announcements GM has already made with other state government, oil industry, ethanol producers, and retail partners in California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas. Since May of 2005, GM has announced partnerships with states and fuel providers around the country to locate, to date, up to 130 new E85 ethanol fueling locations by the end of 2006.

Corn is the leading source of income for Indiana farmers contributing $1.45 billion annually. Indiana produces 786.9 million bushels of corn a year, providing a basis for millions of gallons of ethanol to be produced in the future. There are currently nearly 70,000 GM flexible fuel vehicles in Indiana, with a total of 90,000 flexible vehicles in the state.

“Agriculture will be a chief economic driver in Indiana and we are very serious about turning this state into a national leader in the production of biofuels,” said Lt. Gov. Skillman. “Today’s announcement is another important step in expanding the availability of E85 ethanol so more Hoosiers can have access to this important renewable fuel.”

Meijer continues to develop partnerships to promote alternative fuels. “We are thrilled to partner with GM and the state of Indiana to promote the availability of E85 ethanol and provide our customers with choices such as E85 ethanol that will enhance the environment and provide greater independence from foreign fuels,” said Judith Clark, communications director for Meijer.

E85 flexible fuel vehicles can run on any combination of gasoline and/or E85 ethanol, a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 ethanol can contribute to energy independence because it diversifies the source of transportation fuels beyond petroleum, and it provides positive environmental benefits in the form of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Phil Lampert, executive director of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) was also on hand for the announcement. “The NEVC is pleased to see the number of E85 fueling sites continue to grow across the country,” said Lampert. “GM, the state of Indiana and Meijer are true leaders in advancing domestically produced alternative transportation fuels.”

GM has a long relationship with the state of Indiana. Indianapolis is the base of GM’s Allison Division and the state is home to over 10,000 GM employees and 40,000 GM retirees, as well as five plants and over 200 dealers. GM builds E85 capable trucks, as well as the only full-size hybrid pickup in America, at its assembly plant in Fort Wayne.

GM also partnered with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture last November to provide twenty E85-capable vehicles to residents of Reynolds, Ind. to use for two years. Reynolds, the first BioTown, USA, is developing a community that meets all of its energy needs through biorenewable resources. Phase 1 of the BioTown, USA plan for Reynolds revolved around making Reynolds the highest per capita usage city of flexible fuel vehicles in the United States.

In May, 2005, GM presented Lt. Governor Skillman with a one-year loan of an E85-capable Chevy Tahoe to help promote E85 in the state as part of an ongoing campaign by GM and the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition (GEC), a bipartisan group of governors devoted to the promotion and increased use of ethanol. This collaborative effort, which was launched in early 2005, is designed to increase awareness of ethanol and flexible fuel vehicles, and to promote the increased use of E85 as a renewable, alternative transportation fuel that is able to meet the demands of today’s drivers. Last year, GM loaned E85 flex-fuel vehicles to Indianapolis and 27 other states and organizations in order to demonstrate its commitment to ethanol, educate the public and promote the benefits of using E85. GM will continue the program through 2006 and will present the state of Indiana with a new E85 flexible fuel vehicle later this month.

Research has shown that many owners of flex-fuel vehicles do not know that their vehicles are capable of using E85. In January, GM announced a sweeping consumer education and advertising campaign aimed at promoting the benefits of E85 and GM’s flexible fuel vehicle leadership, and encouraging consumers to actively promote E85 in their communities. “Live Green Go Yellow” ads continue throughout the year with print, web (livegreengoyellow.com) and broadcast media components.

With two million flexible-fuel vehicles already on the road, GM is a leader in flexible-fuel vehicle production and sales. For the 2006 model year, GM offers nine E85 flexible fuel vehicles, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Impala, and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. GM also plans to add more than 400,000 E85-capable vehicles to the fleet in 2006. At the same time, worldwide production of ethanol is increasing every year, and is expected to triple by 2020.

About GM:
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

About Meijer, Inc.:
Based in Walker, Mich., Meijer is a family-owned and operated company operating supercenters throughout the Midwest. Meijer operates more than 170 stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. For more information, visit www.meijer.com

Decoded

2006-05-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and I'm obligated to say my piece.

First of all, would I recommend it?

Probably not. Although geeks like me who like puzzles and stories about treasure hunts would appreciate the pace and adventure of the story, the religious iconography and blasphemy muddle the narrative.

Did it cause me to question my faith?

Absolutely. But in a good way. But here are a few thoughts on that.
1) This notion that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalane is not original.
2) Even if He was married to her, it wouldn't have made Him any less Divine.
3) Jesus did refer to himself as the son of God. Here are a few references from the Gospel according to John:

John 2:16 ..."Get out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market"
John 5:17 ..."My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."
John 5:43 ..."I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me..."
John 6:42 ..."No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day."
John 8:58 ..."I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am."

In reading this book, there is no question that the author hates Christianity and Christians. The only goal of this book, except to earn money for the author, is to encourage Christians to abandon thier faith. But I'm reminded of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Read it. You'll be edified by the transformation of King Nebuchadnezzar through the simple faith of three Godly men.

Finally, if you read "The Da Vinci Code" and are still struggling in your faith, go check out Mark Roberts' weblog Da Vinci Opportunity.

Complete Idiots

2006-04-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

I just had my last regular clinical in nursing school, hopefully forever.

I was at one of the psych wards here in town. The actual ward I was on held patients who had both a personality disorder and a substance abuse problem.

The real scary thing about this particular visit was the staff. There was this guy there who, if you didn't know better, could just as easily have been a guest of the facility. He had been listening to the crazy for so long he was starting to believe it. He was talking about things like the Illuminati and the Rothschilds and secret societies. He was convinced that there was a secret society that owned the federal reserve, and that they used a paper currency that was "more valuable than gold. They have warehouses full of the stuff."

I politely told him that he was out of his mind.

I further told him that I thought it would be cool to be a member of a secret society. I bet they have secret handshakes and stuff like that. And really good secret beer.

What I wanted to say to him was that he should spend some more time online looking for instructions for making a tin foil hat.

It's episodes like this that make me realize that people don't get poor care when they are hospitalized because there is a conspiracy to keep them ill. No, the truth is much sadder. It's because of lazy care givers who are too involved with their own personal drama to provide any meaningful healing interventions.

Want proof? I saw one of the staff there reading the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Enhancing Self-Esteem?"

Busy Week

2006-04-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of things I did this week:

I held a woman's head while the doctor drilled into her brain.
I performed CPR on an 87 year old man in full-code.
I found my mother-in law passed out on the floor and had her rushed to the emergency room.
I spent the evening in a psychiatric hospital (for school, that had nothing to do with my mother-in-law).
I went bowling with mental patients. (They kicked my ass.)
I got an A on an exam.
I caught a large-mouth bass.
I got friendly with my wife.

See, it wasn't all bad.

He didn't "Walk the Line"

2006-03-25T22:49:00.000-08:00

I just saw "Walk the Line" the other day. In it, Elvis is depicted as having introduced Johnny Cash to drugs. In the movie, you see how his family, with the help of a pair of shotguns, are able to help Mr Cash to overcome his addiction. Elvis wasn't so lucky.

I like Elvis just as much as the next fellow. I don't work January 8th since, after all, that's Elvis' birthday. But do you suppose that Elvis would have taken all of those drugs if it said on the label, "Warning, use of this drug has been associated with dying on the crapper"? Maybe it did and, like so many people, he chose to ignore the warnings. Maybe he said to himself, "I'm Elvis, there's no way I'm going to die on the crapper."

It's a good thing Elvis is dead, otherwise, burying him was a real mistake.

Psych Ward

2006-03-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

I toured a mental hospital yesterday. I have a rotation in Psych nursing for the next eight weeks. I really thought that they would teach us some defensive moves before setting us students loose in a mental ward. Not full-on kung fu, mind you, but some basic don't-mess-with-me defensive techniques. Maybe they'll do that in the advanced course.

The psych ward was not really what I expected. I expected to see schizos sitting on urine-stained cots in their pajamas swaying back and forth and grunting. There was none of that. They acutally had nice furniture, and the facility was clean and well maintained. The few crazies I encountered were actually surprisingly polite. I was most surprised by the abundance of "Garfield" posters I saw taped to the walls. I wondered what Jim Davis would think of that.

Ethanol can reduce our addiction to fossil fuels

2006-02-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

Here's an article about how ethanol can reduce our addiction to fossil fuels. It basically says that within 5 years, the technology will exist that will allow us to derive up to 30% of our energy needs from biofuels.

Although production capacity has doubled in the last two years, we aren't producing a fraction of what we are burning as fossil fuels. As a nation, we consume roughly 170 billion gallons of gasoline, whereas we only have the capacity, right now, to produce roughly 5 billion gallons of ethanol a year.

Anyway, here's the article.

Going Postal

2006-02-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

You don't hear people use the term "Going postal" that much anymore. My belief is that the Post Office has a really good PR firm...or really good lawyers.

My brother is a letter carrier. I must admit, sometimes I'm jealous. He flunked out of a party college, and now he makes more money than I do. I have a Purdue degree for crying out loud. All he has to do is get the right letters into the right boxes. And not get bit by a dog or run over by a car.

Once I was at his house and I noticed his magazine rack. I said to him, "Did you ever notice that mailmen always have the best magazines?"

I guess I do owe a debt of gratitude to my mailman. Without him, I'd never get those advertisements for a free windshield replacement or breast enlargement surgery. And I'd have to get my magazines all wet by myself.

Bumper sticker logic

2006-02-18T22:47:00.000-08:00

"Honk if voted for John Smith. It's the big round button in the middle of your steering wheel."

I love that bumper sticker. However, I would never put a bumper sticker on my vehicle. For one thing, I notice that those who seem to love bumper stickers don't agree with me politically. Two, I guess I just don't think its polite to force politics down other people's throats. Also I'd be afraid of getting my vehicle vandalized.

Having said that, here's some more:

"Your stupid!"

"4 out of 3 people have trouble with fractions."

"I bet Jesus would have used his turn signal"

"Horn broke, watch for finger"

"It is better to have loved and lost than to have to live with that psycho"

Theft

2006-02-18T22:31:00.000-08:00

You should never steal.

Even if you go to a huge big-box store where they make billions of dollars by gouging people, you should never steal.

They'll never miss it, you might think to yourself. That's probably true. Even if they watched you do it, they probably wouldn't approach you about it. They'd be afraid of a lawsuit.

Maybe you need it. Maybe you need it really badly. Maybe you might suffer harm if you don't get it soon.

Doesn't matter. It's a sin to steal.

If you still haven't figured it out, just think: what if someone stole it from me? Which comes back to the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Feelings of Inadequacy

2006-02-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

The other day my wife and I were in Lafayette, the city where we met.

It was strange going back to Lafayette, Indiana. It's kind of a crummy city. Living here in Indianapolis, I guess I got used to never being more than 20 minutes from a TGI Friday's. Now that's what I call civilization. Also, Lafayette stinks. I mean that it smells badly.

It was strange returning to Lafayette because, after 12 years away, I ran into a woman that I knew when I was a student at Purdue. I felt like I had to apologize or explain myself. I didn't want her to think that I had never gotten away from Lafayette. I've seen penguins, for crying out loud. I've been sea kayaking with baby seals. I didn't want her to think that I had never accomplished anything in my life, that I hadn't even made it out of town.

Then she told me she still worked in a cafeteria. Suddenly my feelings of inadequacy disappeared.

Men's stuff

2006-01-29T22:20:00.000-08:00

I'm a big believer in the notion that men need their own thing. It might be a hobby, like fishing. It might be a sport, like bowling. Men need outlets for their stupidity. Some men have chosen internet porn, and promptly ruined their marriages. Other men have found less destructive ways to express their maleness. Sometimes that means beer, sports, and pool.

This is the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life.

ultimate shed
Watch it now on StupidVideos!

So long as we're on the subject of funny videos, here's one that never fails to put a smile on my face.

How Not to Skateboard
Watch it now on StupidVideos!

Coming clean

2006-01-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

My wife and I were having lunch with a friend of mine named John. After ordering, John excused himself to go to the restroom to wash his hands. He returned to the table laughing.

He said that when he was in there drying his hands, someone came into the mens room, walked over to the urinal, and said, "Hey, you forgot to flush."

John told the man, "I didn't use the urinal, I used the sink."

I would have paid money to see the look on that guy's face.

Faking It

2006-01-29T15:32:00.000-08:00

My standard fake name is “Otho”. My wife, even though she has never visited this blog to my knowledge, knows my standard fake name. If we have ever discussed a standard fake name for her, I do not remember what we decided. I’m thinking “Daffodil”.

My fake name is easy to remember and easy to decode, because it is an anagram of my real name, which is “Thoo”. Many people might guess that it really is an anagram of “Hoot”. However, to those people, I say, “Who would ever name their child “Hoot”?”

Polite Society

2006-01-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

When did the public library become a day-care center?

I can't believe how rude our society has become. The other day my wife and I went to the movie theater. Some high-school aged children were there jumping from theater to theater; which seemed odd to me because it's only $1 to get in. But that wasn't even a problem for me. My problem was when they started playing a radio and waving a flashlight around. The only way they could have been more distracting is if they started throwing water balloons and lighting off fireworks. The usher couldn't care less either way.

Here is a call to all higher life forms. I know you're a higher life form if you're reading this blog (ha ha). Take ten seconds and think before you do something rude. (The same rule applies to stupid behavior as well.)

-Maybe it's not a good idea to stand two feet in front of the entrance of a restaurant to enjoy a smoke. Not all of us are that into sharing your cigarette.

-If you see some clown with his turn signal on, get out of his way. Who knows, maybe the drama in his life is worse than you can imagine.

-If you must yap on your phone behind the wheel, at least don't do it in the hammer lane.

-While we're on the subject of hammer-lanes, remember, it's for passing. The DOT didn't put your name on that lane, so remember to share.

A friend of mine suggested that if everyone were required to carry handguns, the world would be a more polite place. Regardless of your feelings on handguns, I hope it doesn't come to that.

Psycho Killer and Cornish Hens

2006-01-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Who's a Talking Heads fan? I have a picture of my wife and me with David Byrne hanging over my computer desk.

A lot of bloggers can take the words of this vanguard band to heart. This is from the song "Psycho Killer":

You start a conversation you can't even finish it.
You're talkin' a lot, but you're not sayin' anything.
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed.
Say something once, why say it again?

Truly words to live by.

Of course, not everything they ever wrote is pure gold in terms of professing wisdom. How is one supposed to interpret this nugget from "Once in a Lifetime"?

Water dissolving...and water removing
There is water at the bottom of the ocean
Carry the water at the bottom of the ocean
Remove the water at the bottom of the ocean!

What's my point? I have no idea. I forgot what I was talking about. Anyway, here are a couple of jokes:

--Did you hear about the dumb guy who was so proud of himself for finishing a jigsaw puzzle in under six months? It said on the box "Four years and up".

Warning, the next joke appears vulgar, but I assure you it isn't.

--The other day my wife asked me why you can only buy cornish hens. "Why don't they sell cornish cocks?" she asked me. I said "Who's going to eat a cornish cock?"

Men Behaving Stupidly

2006-01-18T10:10:00.000-08:00

I've never regretted listening to my wife.

I have this theory; it's almost an axiom by now: Men love to do stupid things. Given that, it is the role of women to keep their husbands from doing stupid things. Here's an example: do you think any of those crazies would have blown themselves up if they were in positive, supportive relationships? People who are happy tend to not blow themselves up. Not deliberately, anyway. If one of those guys had told his wife that he wanted to blow himself up as a political statement or whatever, the conversation would have gone something like this:

Him: "So I'm going to blow myself up, and hopefully take some infidels with me."
Her: "Like hell you are. And why didn't you take out the garbage like I asked?"

No blowing up there.

However, men still want to do stupid things. But their smart wives have helped their mates to engage their "stupid" gene in a way that is less destructive. That is why you see men screaming at sporting events or driving too fast. It's the stupidest behavior in which their wives will allow them to participate.

The Curse of Sudoku

2006-01-14T15:12:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law has cursed me.

My otherwise thoughtful and caring mother-in-law, who sometimes is the only one who gets me a birthday card, gave me for Christmas a Sudoku puzzle book. This is the book edited by Will Shortz which gives a brief history of how Sudoku was invented right here in Indianapolis by an architect. It also walks you through getting started if you've never played before.

Since then, I've done at least two or three of these puzzles a day. I've advanced to where the "medium" puzzles on Websudoku.com are fairly easy to me.

Is there a support group for people like me?

Rappin' with the best of them

2006-01-08T03:45:00.000-08:00

I remember listening to rap music during its infancy. I remember listening to bands like the Fat Boys, Run DMC, and Public Enemy back when the music was about fun. Artists had stage names like Ice Cube and Ice Tea and Ice Tray. It was ridiculous.

These days I think it's even more ridiculous. Am I the only one that thinks it's silly that they all spell the titles of their albums with Y's in place of I's and Z's in place of S's.

I've come up with a really cool stage name I could use if I ever became a rap musician. Are you ready for this?

Douglass.

What do you think of that?

Joy of Blogging

2006-01-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

I love hitting the "next blog" button and surfing blogs, and I've written about some of my observations. While blogs are as unique as the people who write them, I can't help but notice patterns emerging.

For example, I've noticed that the most prolific bloggers seemed to be politically motivated. It makes me wonder about the people who write them. Are they really political in person, and reading their blogs is like being cornered into a conversation with them? Or are they really quiet, not showing their true selves outside the anonymity of cyberspace? It't like they say, "it's always the quiet ones."

I have to admit, I do get annoyed with some of the things I've read. A lot of Christians, (self proclaimed or otherwise), have confused "sharing their faith" with "picking a fight". A lot of his followers forget the fact that the man they are trying to emulate was referred to as the Prince of Peace. I seem to remember a passage in the new testament where Christians are told that they will know other Christians by their love.

Penguins

2006-01-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

As is commonly known, penguins are adorable.

My wife and I, traveling to Patagonia, got the opportunity to see penguins in their natural habitat. It was amazing. They gathered at the shore together. They jumped in the water and went fishing together. They returned with their prizes together, returning to their respective homes within the colony. Then they gathered together again at the shore after feeding their families. It made me think of guys who go to a sports bar after work.

Over Christmas break I got to see the animated movie "Madagascar". The movie was okay; better than Shrek, during which I fell asleep. But the highlight, of course, was any scene in which a penguin appeared. I bought the DVD solely because it had the short "Christmas Caper", featuring the penguins . When we watched them in the movie taking over the bridge of the cargo ship, my wife shrieked, "they're so cute!"

I see there's a sequel to Madagascar scheduled for 2008 and a straight-to-dvd penguins movie due in 2009.

My only question is, why the wait?

Simple Reminders

2006-01-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

It can be shocking how God answers prayers.

My wife has decided to put off grad school. They wanted eight grand for the first semester. Yikes. I told her that I'd like to spend some time with her, since we've both been in school for so long. It would be nice to get re-acquainted. I'm so pleased we're both graduating in May. Me with my RN and her with a BS in Psychology.

With us both working and not going to school, we should have enough money to replace our clunker vehicles we've been coaxing along for the last year.

So, getting back to how God answers prayers. It was Christmas eve, and I hadn't bought presents for my nephews. So I figured I'd just dart into WalMart and pick something up for the boys. Yeah, right.

So I got my things, including some groceries for Christmas day. It was beginning to rain. I went out to my old jalopy and behold, the thing wouldn't start. Not a peep. Not a peep after 10 minutes of turning the key and stomping on the clutch. Not even a desperate clicking noise like you get when you've left your lights on. I even got out and looked under the hood. I opened it up, looked at the engine, or whatever that stuff is under the hood, and figured I had a terminal case on my hands.

I walked back to the store, thinking I'd call my wife so she could pick me up. But on the way back to the store, I prayed a quick prayer. I said "God, you could make that thing run on water if you wanted. Surely you could make it kick at least one more time. And in praying this, I decided to turn around and go back to the truck to give it one more try.

Behold it started immediately. I was overjoyed. And with such a simple thing as turning the key and expecting my vehicle to start, I was blessed with a simple reminder that God always watches over us.

Made my day.

***Update***

It turns out my truck needed a new starter. I still thank God that the vehicle is still running and that I could afford to replace the part. God continues to provide for me and my family.

A houseful to convince me

2005-12-30T21:52:00.000-08:00

My wife and I had talked for a long time about adopting kids.

I don't think my wife knew that my aunt had adopted two children until we were at her funeral. I could hear the gears turning.

Then came Christmas at Dad's. He has an annual ritual of serving a giant prime rib, so the kids are sure to come. Along with their kids. Even my sister, whose two-year-old is getting over a stomach flu. Plus, get ready for this, my cousin with her three boys. There were six boys in the house, five of which were under the age of five.

On the way home my wife said, "nothing about tonight convinced me that we should have children."

Well said.

Body Bag

2005-12-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

I helped put a dead man in a body bag tonight.

He wasn't cold. He had died just a few hours earlier. Just as I came in, I think.

Also, he didn't "look" dead. He just looked like a human being. He had been doing well, recovering in the hospital from some condition or other. Then, finally, the mortal shell gave out. It didn't matter that his toe nails needed to be trimmed. He isn't going to need toe nails where he's going. I imagine someone may give him a shave if he is to have an open casket funeral.

The thing that surprised me is that it didn't bother me. It was a little strange putting a human being into what amounts to a giant sandwich bag. It is counter-intuitive to have a bag over one's head, never mind the whole body. But the act of dying is as natural as the act of breathing, or the act of being born.

Goodbye Aunt Kay

2005-12-23T15:32:00.000-08:00

My aunt passed away on Saturday.

My wife and I drove down to Kentucky to attend the memorial service on Wednesday.

I saw my cousins, whom I hadn't seen since I was about seven years old. My aunt had adopted two boys when they were 12 and 10, rescuing them from a household of abuse. And if you would ask her, she would proudly (and perhaps loudly) proclaim that "these are my sons!" They were there with families of their own, who shared fond memories of their adopted mother.

She was a woman with a lot of heart and passion and she will be missed.

blog this!!

2005-12-10T01:47:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed how many blogs seem to be dedicated to cats? Not the musical. But domesticated house pets.

I've noticed that blogs seem to fit into categories. There are a lot of blogs out there that are written by teenage girls who have dedicated their blogs to the worship of their respective boyfriends. At first charming, then very frightening, in a boiled bunny rabbit kind of way.

Then there are the ones written by narcissistic women who find it necessary to document every bite of food they have eaten in a day. It's the insecure y-chromosome diet.

Admittedly, my blog isn't exactly what I had envisioned when I decided to start it. I really wanted something that people could read and get a chuckle over. Something that would be thougth provoking, but most of all, amusing.

But then again, I don't own a cat.

Jesus and the Indiana house

2005-12-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Who else thinks it is ridiculous that a federal judge has ruled that opening prayers in the Indiana house of representatives may not invoke the name of Jesus?

A friend of mine revealed his relief with the decision. He thinks that pushing a particular religion from the pulpit of the state representative government is "offensive".

I said to my friend that the Constitution doesn't guarantee us the right to not be "offended". He turned his back to me and we didn't speak any more that day.

In a conversation I had with another friend later that day, I said that the governement is "Public", and that the government has no right to interfere with free speech in public. I said that if the government can abridge our right to religion and free speech in that manner, then what other rights are we willing to give away?

This is all in the name of the "separation of church and state". I challenge anyone to show me in the constitution where we are guaranteed a secular government. The first amendment reads as follows: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Dancing Orcs

2005-11-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

My wife and I took my mother-in-law to the Lord of the Rings exhibit at the Indiana State museum on Wednesday. I was impressed by the salesmanship of the clerk at the gift shop. He tried to convince me that Gimli's ax would come in handy at my next pinata party. Why not? I went to a birthday party at my brother's house once, and he had a pinata for his son. I tried to convince my nephew that there was candy in the table lamp. My brother was not amused.

They also had a feature at the exhibit that showed how they do computer animation. My wife got to play the role of an animated Orc. She made him dance around. Who knew the spawn of evil had such moves?

They had posters of some of the characters. My wife was disappointed that they didn't have any for sale. They had a poster of Gollum so big his head was four feet tall. I thought it would be charming to have that big leering goblin staring at whomever is unfortunate enough to visit our guest room.

Reason to celebrate

2005-11-19T03:37:00.000-08:00

There are 35 days until Christmas.

I saw that today and I was surprised.

This year has just wizzed by. I finished my first year in nursing school. My wife and I bought our first house. I witnessed a childbirth for the first time. I got my job working in the hospital. I turned 35.

I remember telling Treeboy that this was going to be a good year. Nobody outside central Indiana knows who Treeboy is, and nobody outside Indiana would care. I told him he'd be promoted to TreeMan. He still has about 40 days to make my prophecy come true.

In the meanwhile, I'm going to celebrate that I only have 19 weeks to go until I graduate. One of the nurses tonight told me that after a year in critical care, I could go to the float pool, where they make $45 an hour. She works 2 nights a week and earns over $50,000. That's reason to celebrate.

Famous People

2005-11-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of famous people I've met. By "met" I mean that I, at the very least, spoke to that person and he or she spoke back. In no particular order.

David Byrne, lead singer of the Talking Heads)
Prince William
Vice President Dan Quayle
Ken Langone, billionaire investor
Bob Nardelli, CEO of Home Depot
Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts
Jimmy "Mad Dog" Matis of the Bob and Tom Show
Chick MaGee of the Bob and Tom Show
Neil Armstrong, astronaut
Eddie Cheever, race car driver
Tony Stewart, race car driver

This is probably a very boring list, but nobody interesting lives in Indiana.

Flu Pandemic Revisited

2005-11-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

Back in September I wrote about the coming flu pandemic.

I love it when the media gets ahold of something alarmist like the sniffles and turns it into an opportunity to cause panic.

Hopefully Scott Adams will be proved right when we learn that all the birds infected were killed by global warming. (He said that in his newsletter, I don't think he said it on his blog. What do I care?)

By the way, let me take this opportunity to encourage all of those who have the means to get their flu shots. Once you get a virus, like the flu, IT CANNOT BE TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTICS!!

Violence Proves Nothing

2005-11-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

I hate violence.

I hate waste, and violence is pure waste. It's a waste of effort. It's a waste of potential. It's a waste of life.

So I read that rioters in Paris have "doused a woman on crutches with flammable liquid and set her on fire". Also, there is rioting in Argentina where President Bush is attending the "Summit of the Americas".

I'm not impressed by any of the scenes of violence I've seen. It reminds me of when there was rioting a few years ago in Seattle and a Starbucks was ransacked. How does demolishing some poor guy's storefront prove a point about free trade or racial equality? For most of these morons it's nothing more than an excuse to participate in vandalism. A free-for-all.

Tacky.

I'll say this about the president, though. He really, really doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. I love that about him. He really didn't care what anyone thought of him before he was a lame duck either.

Meanwhile, I hope the police don't run out of tear-gas. Law and order used to mean something in France. You think the justice system is cruel here in the United States? France used the guillotine right up until 1977.

But I can't approve of that because I hate violence.

Preaching to my Kids

2005-11-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

I read this terrific post at Doug Tennapel's website about teaching your children about Jesus. I couldn't possibly improve on what he has written, except to encourage you to go there and read it.

My wife of 11 years and I have no children, so I would have no right to teach people how to raise their children. So far I'm baby enough for the both of us. I think she's getting tired of me drooling on her in bed.

More about E-85

2005-10-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

I set up another weblog so that I could rant about ethanol exclusively, since it is an issue that is very important to me. However, there are plenty of websites available online that can provide more official information. Someone clicked on this weblog after looking for a station in Washington state that sells E-85. I couldn't pretend to be able to keep up with that information. I would refer that person to E85 Fuel. It has the most up-to-date lising of stations and vehicle models I've seen. While this is the most current resource for finding information about new stations or new models of automobiles, there is breaking news every day. Not surprisingly it takes those folks some time to keep up with it all.

Ethanol seems to be catching-on. The number of stations here in Indiana that carry E-85 has quadrupled in just the last few months. It was probably due in large part to the demonstration they gave at the state fair.

Finally, the notion that ethanol production and use wastes fossil fuels is simply wrong. Of all the dozens of studies to the contrary, there has only been one that has shown ethanol production to be wasteful in terms of net energy production. Certainly farmers will consume fuel and tires and other such resources in farming and ultimately processing the corn into ethanol, the bottom line is that the fuel yielded is 65% greater than the energy expended to produce that fuel. That's like putting $100 in the bank and getting back $165.

Self-inflicted wounds

2005-10-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight is one of those nights when I question everything. I wonder if I made the right decision pursuing a career in healthcare. In less than a year, God willing, I'll be an RN. Sometimes I wonder why I chose to inflict myself this way.

Tonight I've been taking care of a patient who's primary problem is a history of drug abuse. She can't make it to the bedside commode without help. Sometimes she can't make it at all. She's wet the bed three times. Once it was more than just wet. Another time I had to take away her sandwich because she had fallen asleep with it in her mouth.

Sometimes a simple history of drug abuse doesn't give the whole picture. Sometimes there are patients who have lifelong chronic illnesses for which they self-medicate. Some folks have support systems and healthy coping mechanisms, like a strong family and a healthy relationship with God. Other folks choose to self medicate with alcohol or drugs. This lack of effective coping skills is a valid nursing diagnosis, but there are interventions available.

This is seen in healthcare frequently, unfortunately. Another patient I remember had cardiomegaly so bad her stroke volume was around 20% of normal. Naturally she was on a ventilator. It was all a direct result of her history of cocaine abuse.

We all go through rough patches in our lives. I went through a very difficult time right after I graduated from high school, and then again when I graduated from Purdue. Once those support mechanisms and friendships were gone, it was difficult to adjust to those changes and find my place. Someone else who is very close to me was in that same situation and tried to commit suicide. But the need for compassion is universal at some point in everyone's lives.

Some people are easy to care for. Some people make my job easy. You should have seen me in clinical caring for a one-week-old infant. I had never held a baby before, but you would have thought I was an old pro. How can one not love a baby? Especially one that was all but abandoned by its family.

However, it's times like tonight when it is hard to remember that God wants me to care for the sick, especially those whose wounds are self-inflicted.

Luke 4:40 (New International Version)

40When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one(emphasis mine), he healed them.

Ethanol and E-85

2005-10-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

I've been getting a lot of hits from people searching for information about ethanol and E-85, and I have to tell you I'm very pleased about that.

I've started another weblog that is dedicated to the advancement of the use of ethanol for automobiles. E-85 is an 85% blend of ethanol with 15% gasoline. It is much less polluting, costs less, and is produced right here in the United States.

You see, I believe that we are all stewards of God's creation. It is incumbent upon all of us to show our gratitude to God for the abounding blessings we enjoy here on this beautiful planet. To that end, it is our spiritual act of worship to do all we can to conserve the beauty of our planet by reducing waste.

Ethanol reduces the amount of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gasses that are released into the atmosphere. Partly due to the chemical nature of ethanol, and partly because it is composed of agricultural products that would have degraded anyway, returning carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Additionally, ethanol production benefits Indiana farmers.

Anyway, that other website is Fueling the Future. There you will find links to other websites that are equally enlightening.

Blogger archive game

2005-10-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

This is text from my 23rd blog. I posted it on Thursday, September 08, 2005 and it is titled "Presidential Super-Friends"

"I've heard conjecture that President Bush is the world's first Evil Genius Villian, like Lex Luthor in the Superman comic books."

This is an exercise I learned about from Restoration Station

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

2005-10-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read the story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? You can read about it in the Bible in the book of Daniel, chapter 3.

This is an amazing story. There were these three guys who served the king. The served him pretty well, even though the king was kind of a freak. He had built a statue and insisted that everyone worship it. But these three guys refused. Instead they worshipped their own God.

I won't bore you with my interpretation of the details; you really should read the story yourself. However, I will say that the thing that impresses me the most in this story is what they said to the king when he threatened to kill them if they didn't worship his statue. They said, in Daniel 2:16 "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

So what does one take from this story? I think it is an important illustration about faith. A lot of people have been asking "Why do you believe?" or even "Why should I believe?" It's especially difficult in the health care field. "How can you believe in a God that allows people to suffer?"

I think the answer is there in the words of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They believed in God because they believed He had the power to save them. But what is less obvious is that they believed in God because they knew they were already saved.

Find a penny, pick it up.

2005-10-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

Luke 15:8 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Lost Coin
8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

Today I picked up a coin I saw in the parking lot of the hospital. It was a penny. I don't know why I picked it up, but for some reason it seemed urgent that I do.

I know what my wife would say about that, "You picked up a penny you found in the parking lot of the hospital?" She's very concerned about germs.

I thought about it for a minute and I realized as I was walking into work that that penny was once worth something. Years ago, you could actually buy something for a penny. Years ago, that penny was once worth something to someone.

It brought to mind a conflict I've recently had about my role as a care giver and whether I actually do any good. Some of these patients are really sick, and it's hard sometimes to feel like anything I do for them does any good. Some of those patients are demented and will never recover. Some of them have lost their family, through time and distance. And yet, they still need to be fed and bathed and cared-for.

So what is that penny worth? What lesson did I learn about picking up a dirty penny I found in a parking lot? Even if it isn't worth anything to anyone else on the face of the planet, that "penny" is pretty valuable to God.

Matthew 6:20 (New International Version)

20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Prayer in schools

2005-09-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

I don’t know why there is so much controversy over prayer in school. I can tell you that it works. No reason for debate. If I graduate from nursing school it will be more a testament to God’s grace than my ability to comprehend anatomy and physiology.

Songs of comfort

2005-09-25T01:01:00.000-07:00

Revelation 1:1-3

1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

The words of the Bible are so full of encouragement. Have you ever had a pair of shoes, or maybe jeans, that you had had for so long that whenever you wore them, they felt like a second skin? I feel that way about the Bible sometimes. I can see why the Bible makes such comparisons.

Ephesians 6:15-17

15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

It's so easy sometimes to regard the Bible like a rule book. In a lot of ways even a rulebook can be a comfort. But the Bible is so much more than that. The Bible shows us a way that God can be a companion to us at any time, when He speaks to us through his word. I'm talking about familiar verses which sing comfort to us in times of trouble. It sings to us like a mother sings to her baby.

Fuel for thought

2005-09-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post, I had posted some comments about alternatives to gasoline, and it has occured to me that I may have been premature.

I did a little research that got me excited. Do you know that almost every major car manufacturer is making vehicles that can run on what they refer to as "flexible fuels"?

E85, in case you are unaware, is a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Legislation supported by Democratic senator Barack Obama "will triple the number of E85 pumps," Obama said in a news release. "This really makes the option of buying a flexible-fuel vehicle realistic when you save significant amounts per gallon of E85 and get substantially better gas mileage."

He's wrong about the mileage. E-85 boosts horsepower which most vehicles waste. The upside, however, is that we will be using more agricultural products and importing less oil from the middle east if this thing catches on. Also, from my conversation with a guy from the ag co-op, it will cost roughly $0.30 a gallon less than regular unleaded.

Here's the thing that really upsets me, though. I went to all the major oil company websites and typed into their search engines "e85", and every one of them came back blank. Finding a station that serves e-85 is nearly impossible. Not Marathon, not Shell, not BP.

Bork Bork Bork

2005-09-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I used to love The Muppet Show. I remember my two sisters and I would sing along with the opening song. Sometimes we'd change the lyrics..."This is what we call the dingy show!!"

My favorite part was the Swedish chef. Never has a nation's identity and culture been mocked more effectively than when the Swedish chef would start his show singing in that fake-Swedish affect. The best part was when he would say "bork bork bork" and throw some utensils in the air. Absolutely hysterical.

I kind of wanted to get it on DVD, but I bought Millennium Season 2 instead, since it was on sale. Millennium, in case you never saw it, was the scariest thing I've ever seen on broadcast TV before or since.

Maybe I'd be better off turning off the tv for now and getting back to my homework...

An Unnatural Disaster

2005-09-10T22:07:00.000-07:00

An Unnatural Disaster: A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the
Welfare State

by Robert Tracinski

September 2, 2005

It has taken four long days for state and federal officials to figure out how to deal with the disaster in New Orleans. I can't blame them, because it has also taken me four long days to figure out what is going on there. The reason is that the events there make no sense if you think that we are confronting a natural disaster.

If this is just a natural disaster, the response for public officials is obvious: you bring in food, water, and doctors; you send transportation to evacuate refugees to temporary shelters; you send engineers to stop the flooding and rebuild the city's infrastructure. For journalists, natural disasters also have a familiar
pattern: the heroism of ordinary people pulling together to survive; the hard work and dedication of doctors, nurses, and rescue workers; the steps being taken to clean up and rebuild.

Public officials did not expect that the first thing they would have to do is to send thousands of armed troops in armored vehicle,as if they are suppressing an enemy insurgency. And journalists--myself included--did not expect that the story would not be about rain, wind, and flooding, but about rape, murder, and looting.

But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster.

The man-made disaster is not an inadequate or incompetent response by federal relief agencies, and it was not directly caused by Hurricane Katrina. This is where just about every newspaper and television channel has gotten the story wrong.

The man-made disaster we are now witnessing in New Orleans did not happen over the past four days. It happened over the past four decades. Hurricane Katrina merely exposed it to public view.

The man-made disaster is the welfare state...

Full article is at:
The Intellectual Activist

This article has been posted with the express permission of www.TIADaily.com.

Presidential Super-Friends

2005-09-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

It has been suggested that President Bush did not cause the hurricane that destroyed New Orleans.

I for one am disappointed. Wouldn't it be cool to have the ability to create a hurricane? And unleash it on your enemies?

I've heard conjecture that President Bush is the world's first Evil Genius Villian, like Lex Luthor in the Superman comic books. Think about it, he amassed a fortune in his business dealings, he had a life altering experience (when he became a Christian), then he came to power as president to avenge his father. The only thing cooler than that would be if he did have super powers.

If he had the ability to talk to aquatic mammals, like Aquaman, maybe he could get a walrus to eat Howard Dean. It's hard to imagine an animal with worse social skills or a bigger mouth, but I think the walrus is a close second.

Flu Pandemic

2005-09-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

According to an article in the September issue of Nursing 2005 magazine, the CDC considers an avian flu pandemic "likely".

"If the avian flu virus acquires the ability to spread easily, from person to person, it could trigger a world-wide epidemic (pandemic). The flu pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 21 million poeple worldwide, was also caused by an influenza A virus that may have originated with birds." (Avian influenza: Are you ready for a pandemic? pg 26)

What can you do to protect yourself? The article was directed at health care workers, and so most of the information provided is directed at patient care. However, the article did provide family and patient teaching, which amounts to cough etiquette, disposing of used tissues, the importance of hand hygiene, and food handling tips.

According to the article, the Department of Health and Human Services is stockpiling the antiviral drug, oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which prevents the virus from replicating and shortens the duration of the illness. It can also be given to prevent infection. (ibid)

Driving woes

2005-09-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

I just got my car back from the shop. I noticed I was charged for "turn signal fluid" refill. Should I be worried that my turn signals were low on fluid?

Truthfully, I'm grateful I've found a good shop that does honest work. When I brought my 7 year old Hyundai into the shop for transmission problems and the work took longer than expected, the shop put us in a rental car. Eventually they were able to locate the source of the problem. I'm not all that mechanically inclined, but apparently there was some kind of "loose nut behind the steering wheel". I've got a pair of pliers in my toolbox, why didn't I think of that?

Actually, the problem was with the aftermarket cruise control the previous owner had installed. I love cruise control because it allows me to do one of my favorite things when driving down the interstate highways, pretend I'm asleep. I know it sounds silly, but that's better than annoying people with a cell phone.

Thanks for the info

2005-09-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

All the footage I'm seeing of people signaling to aircraft on TV reminds me of a story. There was a helicopter pilot flying around Seattle one day when the weather abruptly changed, as it frequently does there. Fog rolled in so thick he couldn't tell where he was. So he flew by an office building where he could see someone working in her office. He had a notepad and a Sharpie with him, so he wrote a sign that said "Where am I?" The office worker saw his sign and, in a dutifully helpful fashion, responded with her own sign which read "You are in a helicopter".

Immediately the helicopter pilot knew he was hovering near the Microsoft building. He knew this because, who else but a Microsoft employee is capable of giving an answer that is both completely correct and completely useless? That's like saying Louisiana has had some trouble with the weather lately.

Driving on rainbows and smiles

2005-08-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk about the high price of gasoline lately. There’s even been talk (and in Hawaii more than talk) about legislation to fix prices. I think this is just plain ludicrous. Also, I took MSN's little poll and was shocked to see that over 80% of those who took the poll think that there should be a federal gas cap. Don't those people remember the 70's when there were gasoline shortages and rationing? Don't those people remember the long lines and only filling up on odd or even numbered days?

There are alternatives.

I'm no treehugger. I've been a Republican for as long as I have been able to vote. However, as someone who embraces the free market, I will be exuberantly declare that alternatives are available. There are alternatives to gasoline that have fewer toxic effects or political ramifications. Alternatives such as E85 or propane. And who could forget our old friend "walking"?

I see these people on TV complaining about the price of gasoline and it is almost amusing. I wonder if the dealers hoodwinked them by telling them that their new car would run on rainbows and smiles.

My bottom line is, I get frustrated when I hear about people relying on the government to fix their "problems". It breaks my heart to see firsthand how much Americans have developed such an acute sense of entitlement. Personally, I'd rather walk to work than rely upon the government for anything.

More Bang for the Buck

2005-08-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

Work can be such a trial sometimes. As busy as my wife is at work (she’s a dedicated worker), her boss Kevin told her that she hadn’t really seen busy. He said that busy was what they were at the Wal-Mart where he used to work. My wife, (let’s call her “Iris”), said to Kevin, “If I go to Wal-Mart and none of the employees give me the finger, I figure I got pretty good customer service.” How’s that for low expectations?

Iris and I decided we weren’t getting jerked around enough at work, so we decided to go to King’s Island. King’s Island is an amusement park in southern Ohio. It’s the only place in the world, I’ve been told, where you can see Spongebob in 3-D. If you thought he was annoying on TV, just imagine adding another dimension to his absorbency. What really freaked me out was when that painting of the pirate popped out of the screen at me. It was marvelous fun. They staged it in the old theater where they used to have the “Days of Thunder”. Basically you sit in a chair and it bounces around. It’s a little more elaborate than the two vibrating metal ponies in front of the supermarket.

Going to King’s Island on a weekday was pretty awesome, especially since it was raining in the morning when we arrived. Most of the better roller coasters had empty seats on them most of the time. The only time we really had to wait was when we went to the Scooby Doo’s Haunted Castle. That was, like, creepy man.

Once the day was over, we figured that we had ridden eighteen roller coasters for just $22.50 each. That’s only $1.25 per ride. Take that, you stupid Indiana State Fair!

I did not succumb to cannibalism

2005-08-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is hope.

According to 1 Corinthians 13:13 ; “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Hope made the top three. I think that is important, because once you have love, and once you have faith, hope can sustain you.

Sometimes life comes at you pretty hard. I remember a story in the old testament about a famine so severe people were eating their children. 2Kings 6:28-29 (New International Version)

"28 Then he asked her, "What's the matter?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we'll eat my son.' 29 So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, 'Give up your son so we may eat him,' but she had hidden him.""

Makes my problems seem trivial. And yet they are problems none the less. Even minor problems can distract one from what is important; namely faith, hope, and love. It's easy to get irritated when one finds out that one's car is going to need $2000 in repairs. It's easy to get irritated when one's electric bill is 50% higher than one expected. And yet it is at a time such as this when one can give thanks to God. Because no matter what the trial, we know that God will never present us with a challenge that we cannot overcome. Each new challenge is an opportunity for God to show us how much he loves us.

So sometimes when it seems the whole world is conspiring to ruin your day, remember, Matthew 28:20"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Amazing woman

2005-08-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

My wife was sad today.

She was disappointed that we didnt' eat together, but that isn't the reason she's sad.

Last night, she withdrew from school.

She had been doing so well, too. straight A's. She was working on her bachelors in Psychology and had to cut back to part time when I was accepted into nursing school. The trouble is, since I'm in my final year and can't work as much, she's afraid she'll need to get a second job and doesn't know if she can juggle it all.

I feel so humbled. She is an amazing woman and I am not worthy of her. I'm going to encourage her to at least take one class so she doesn't feel like she's abandoning her dream of a masters in occupational therapy. We'll get through it together.

Scenes from a hospital

2005-07-31T03:19:00.000-07:00

I watched someone die tonight.

The patient was DNR, meaning "do not resuscitate". Someone hit the code button, and therefore everyone in the building knew that a patient's heart had stopped beating. But the family asked that the doctor honor their loved-one's DNR request, and so he died.

Working in the hospital late at night is strange. The lights are down. The recessed lighting gives it the feel of a fancy restaurant. Monitors start beeping almost always ignored. They never beep for long.

There are people wandering around that may or may not have business on the floor. They shuffle past every few minutes or so. Doctors, respiratory technicians, janitors, visitors. Usually the visitors stay in the rooms with the patients. Sometimes the stress of a loved one in such a helpless state is too much to bear, or maybe they just want a cigarette. Nurses are doing endless paperwork and the secretary is shopping on e-bay. Some of us are wearing bathrobes because it gets so cold here overnight.

It's 3:14 in the morning and it might be hours before I do any real work. Four o'clock vitals and six o'clock accuchecks. Plenty of quiet time to think...read...pray.

Faith in action with a Sawzall

2005-07-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

I turned 35 recently. When I first thought about my 35th birthday, the first thought in my head was that I was halfway to 70. I think it was Oprah who said that 50 is the new 40. I thought that kind of inflation ended in the 80’s (thank you, Gipper).

It comes to times like these where one reflects upon life, weighing accomplishments against time spent watching cartoons. I have a Bachelors degree from Purdue University. I’ve traveled through South and Central America. I’ve been sea kayaking with whales. I was once close enough to a bunch of bald eagles to throw a rock at one. (I didn’t. Those things are huge!!)

In spite of all these things sometimes I wonder whether I’m using my talents or burying them in the basement, see Matthew 25:13-30
I’ve recently learned from my new internet blogging friends that I would benefit from being more bold. When I was in high school, I was guided by the principles of anger and snap-judgement. Hopefully I will find a middle ground. Next week I am going to give of myself by helping to build a playground with an organization called kaboom If you see someone on the news injuring himself with some kind of power tool, that will probably be me. I heard that racing legend Tony Stewart will be there. He once threatened me with a Sawzall. I can’t wait to see him again.

Kaboom is a wonderful organization. My wife and I helped build a playground through Kaboom in 2003 at a shelter here in Indianapolis. Kaboom benefits children who have parents who are in and out of jail. God forgive those people if total strangers can appreciate how precious their children are better than their own parents.

Fishing for comments.

2005-07-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hardly anyone ever posts any comments on any of my blogs; my well-prepared, painstakingly thought-out blogs. I was wondering if my posts are just too vanilla to evoke any response or if it is simply a case of being a grain of sand on an endless beach.

So I considered that, if I wrote a post evocative of controversy, perhaps I might get an answer to my question.

So here goes.

I call myself a Christian, and yet I don't like to talk in public about controversial subjects, such as abortion, gay rights, or who I think God will let into heaven. To be fair, I'm not certain I've made up my mind of some of these issues.

I long for the days when I was a teenager and knew everything. I was such a pain in the behind if you ever had the misfortune to argue with me.

But these days, I prefer to "live and let live", for the most part. I'll share my faith with people I know, telling them how God has blessed me or how God has answered my prayers. But I'm so afraid of taking a philosophical stand that I haven't been to Church in more years than I can count. I'm afraid someone will ask me to explain myself. I'm afraid to visit a church uninvited for fear I'll be asked to leave, or worse, asked to share my faith. It should come as no surprise that no one has invited me to church in years.

So you can tell me: am I really a Christian, or does being a Christian require putting my faith into more action than posting anonymous blogs where nobody will read them?

Where did I leave my soul?

2005-07-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

I haven’t posted in a while.

I’ve got things I want to talk about; I just haven’t had time to compose them. I got a job working in a hospital as a care technician. The job is rather demanding. Right now it’s demanding my soul.

You see, I deal with people who are sick. I’m working in critical care, so the people here are really sick. One of my patients right now isn’t expected to recover. The family is in there right now discussing what to do. One of them is holding onto the false hope that, since Grandma opened her eyes, she understands what is being said. Another is crying because she knows she’ll never have her Grandma back like she was before.

It makes me think of a poem I once read. I can’t remember the author’s name or even quote from the poem, but the essence is that people sometimes leave their souls at home. I haven’t decided if I can pour my soul into my work, making myself vulnerable to the needs of my patients, or if I should leave my soul at home and do my job with clinical, detached professionalism.

I don’t know what to do.

Notes on eternity

2005-07-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

Before I begin, let me preface by saying that I’m neither a scientist in the traditional sense, nor am I a theologian, but I’d like to share some thoughts about the divinity of God and the nature of the universe.

First of all, we as mortal beings are bound by three dimensions. We are trapped in time. Time is a trap because it is simply an illusion created by our inability to perceive everything all at once. This may be enlightening to anyone who has ever wondered about the nature of God, since the Bible tells us that He neither has beginning nor end.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (New International Version)
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Psalm 90:4 (New International Version)
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

Since God has dominion over time, then the passage of time is meaningless to him. Each moment that passes in our lives is eternal. Everything that ever was will always be.

When I was a kid I was frightened by the concept of eternity. Of course, to a child, sitting through a church sermon was an eternity. I’ve heard of women going into labor that lasted for over 24 hours. I can’t even imagine doing something I like for 24 hours, let alone something as painful as childbirth. Imagine what an eternity spent somewhere unpleasant would be like…

Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about this anymore. At the end of our lives we can be like children on their way home from the amusement park. We can sleep in the back seat, fully confident in the knowledge that our dad is behind the wheel and that we’ll get home safely.

Matthew 28:19-21 (New International Version)
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

All Bible references were taken from BibleGateway.com

Grace under pressure

2005-07-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

I’ve been away for a while. Like anybody cares. But I’ve been busy, since I just got a new job.
Now this new job is a huge step for me, since it’s working in healthcare and I’ve never done that before. Up until now, I’ve mainly worked in retail, since that is what my degree is in. But after a year as a student nurse, I figured it was in my best interest to get a job in that field.

So I went to the hospital to fill out a proper application. I didn’t know what to think when I parked in the garage and read the sign warning me that the hospital would not be responsible if someone broke into my car and stole my C.B. Radio. I wondered if my C.W. McCall 8-track tape was safe.

So I’m left to wonder how I’ll perform, how best to deal with the pressure. I considered joking with the patients. That seems to be the easiest thing to do. I got some practice when I was just a volunteer at the hospital delivering flowers. What do you say to someone who has just had brain surgery and doesn’t know the person who sent him flowers? “Looks like you have a secret admirer”? Joking with patients can help iron out the rough spots, like when you've accidentally walked in on a new mother who is breastfeeding.

Of course, the best way to deal with stress or adversity is to pray about it. I've been doing that a lot lately. I've found that prayer is a marvelous paradox in that, in the act of letting go, we gain more control over our situation.

I predict that working as a nurse requires a sense of control. Some of my nursing instructors were definitely control freaks. But I find more comfort in gaining control through letting go.

Consider the Source

2005-06-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

DNC Chairman Howard Dean: “I hate Republicans and everything they stand for.” “The struggle between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is a struggle between good and evil–and we’re the good.” Republicans are “brain-dead,” “have never made an honest living their lives,” and “They all look the same. They all behave the same.”, and are exclusively “white Christians.”

I got the above quote from The Anchoress Online in the middle of a lively discourse about political rhetoric and apologies.

I just hope that Howard Dean can do for the democratic party what he did for his own campaign: bring it to a grinding halt by opening his big mouth and inserting his foot. I found it amusing that he had to reassure his audience that, in his good and evil scenario, that his party was the “good” one.

Kids First

2005-06-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here in Indiana, one can get specialized license plates for one’s vehicle. I’m not talking about clever wordings, such as "D8 B8" or "TRUSTNO1" or "I8 AGAIN". I’m talking about the plate itself.

Here in Indiana, one can opt to pay more for a license plate that expresses social concerns, like breast cancer awareness or public safety. The ones for Purdue and Indiana Universities feature their respective team mascots. Except for those, there doesn’t seem to be that much logic behind their choices for the pictures they put on the plates. The one to support the firefighters features the state bird, a cardinal. You might be disappointed to learn that the one for breast cancer awareness features a ribbon. If I had my say, it would at least feature a nice pair of ribbons. Who doesn’t like a nice pair?

The ones featuring state universities make more sense to me. I have, however, noticed something about them, and you can tell me if I’m mistaken. It seems all the ones I see featuring IU are bolted to Hondas; usually Accords. The ones for Purdue are a mixed bag, however, I do see them on a lot of German cars.

The one plate that amuses me the most is the one that says “Kids First”. I have no idea what that means. The plate features multi-colored lettering and two brightly colored hand-prints. That one I invariably see on the backs of vans driven by road-raged PTA moms. As I watch the “Kids First” vans tear diagonally through parking lots, I wonder if by “Kids First” they mean “Kids First” to fly through the windshield as Mom t-bones a Honda driven by an IU grad.

Dance for Joy

2005-06-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

The joys of warehouse shopping

My wife and I are members at Costco.

If you’ve never been to Costco, let me paint a picture for you. It is 150,000 square feet of savings…economy sized.

Don’t let the size fool you. Costco only sells the best stuff. We once got leg of lamb there for $4.00 a pound. Right next to the Michelin tires and designer jeans. Or how about a 21 cubic foot Whirlpool refrigerator for $300 after rebate?

The other day I was there with my wife. They had our favorite brand of frozen pizza on sale, two for $8.00. I got so excited I did a little dance. The “Robot”. My “Robot” is uncanny, to say the most. Strangers might be amused by my “Robot”, but who cares? It’s not my fault if they don’t appreciate the joys of warehouse shopping like I do.

I don't go to church

2005-06-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

I don't go to church

I used to go to mass every week when I was still in middle school. Sometimes I had to practically drag my parents to take me. Every night, before I went to bed I would read my Bible and pray. I studied my bible and tried to live like God wanted me to.

When I was a teenager, I started going to a Methodist church with my friends. It was great. It was a United Methodist Church. I was in the choir and we went on retreats. I really liked the minister, too. I even shared some of my teenage secrets with him. I volunteered to cold-call people on the phone to invite them to attend.

Then, when I was a student at Purdue, I joined a different church. It was the Boston Church of Christ. At Purdue, they were known as “Campus Advance”. Real hands-on discipleship and such. I met the woman who would become my wife there.

They were one of those groups that believed that they had the one way to God and that everyone else was lost. I didn’t want to be lost, so I stayed with the group right up until the time the congregation I attended in Indianapolis split away from the international organization.

Since then, most of the folks I knew from back then aren’t interested in talking to me. They’re polite, but short. Except for my wife, of course. She’s polite, but of normal height. She’s the best thing going in my life and I thank God for her every day. We’ve been married for over 11 years and, if you ever met her or had a conversation with her, you’d be happy for me.

Now I’m at a point in my life where I want to be a part of a congregation where I can feel at home. I want to share my faith and attend Bible studies. I want to volunteer.

Maybe I could go back to the Methodists. I wonder if they’d have us…

Howdy, neighbor!

2005-06-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

My wife and I just moved into our first house in April. It is weird living in a house and having neighbors who are mostly neither transients nor deadbeats. Living mostly in apartments, those are the types one usually encounters.

Now, instead of neighbors who play their car stereos too loudly and hog the laundry machines, we have neighbors who walk their dogs in the evening and wave as they pass by. They have rummage sales (inviting strangers into their garages to look at their things) and offer to loan tools to their neighbors.

Here’s a story to tell you what kind of neighborhood my wife and I have moved into. We moved into our house in one day; taking three trips in the moving van. Between our second and third trips, one of our neighbors mowed our lawn. Is there a better way to say “welcome to the neighborhood” than by mowing one’s lawn?

And yet, in spite of all this, I still find myself avoiding eye contact with my new neighbors. I have caught myself turning my back as people walk past, pretending to be absorbed by a weed growing in my lawn. My Cheer is in my laundry room and my Joy is under the sink.

forgiveness

2005-06-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

I just read this fantastic posting about forgiveness. You can find it here:
http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/sinsagainst.htm

The Mouth

2005-06-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, we would go down to Race Street to the railroad tracks, followed the tracks about a half mile to the south to a bridge, and cut through some trees, where we came to a place we used to call the "mouth." The mouth was a place of quiet, solitude, and entertainment for many of the "River Rats," as the children in our small town were known. It was not an uncommon sight to see a gang of energetic boys on dirt bikes, myself included, carrying fishing tackle, radios, and thermoses full of warm iced tea toward the railroad tracks on a warm summer morning. It was not a very long trail, unless we were in a hurry.

The trail following the train tracks was usually cool depending on the time of day. The trail was lined with trees and filled with the sound of birds complaining of our presence. It was bumpy and rocky and usually at least one of us would have to stop to retrieve something dropped. The trail passed an old cemetery hidden deep in the woods which had probably been forgotten since the time of the French and Indian War. Further down was an old garbage dump. There lay the remains of what once were a refrigerator and an old couch which looked as though it had been through a fire, a flood, and a Van Halen concert.

I do not know how the others felt, but I never liked riding next to the train tracks. I hated the loud noise and the immense machine that shook the ground and blew leaves and dirt into my eyes. Maybe I was scared that what had happened to the kid from Middletown might happen to me. I never quite forgot how I felt when I found out that one of my friends had been playing on the tracks and what had happened to him. The adults left out the really bad details.

As we left the train tracks, we were led through weeds which climbed up our legs and stuck to our clothes, leaving us to pick tiny itchy burrs out of our socks for the rest of the afternoon. Riding through them, we learned that the weeds were a hiding place for millions of different biting insects. Those large, flying, carnivores were always after us for a nibble. None of us could never remember to bring our insect repellent.

Once through the weeds the cool shade of the small wood comforted our tired and overheated bodies. To the left a small bubbling creek flowed lazily into the river from under the bridge into dangerous rapids. There was a clearing to the right where we would stash our bikes. The river swept through from the north, which was on our right, and flowed south to neighboring communities which all seemed identical to ours in size and personality...small and lazy.

If we continued toward the river, we would go over a steep, rocky hill and then the terrain leveled out. The mouth was to the left. There was a log near the water where we would sit for hours and talk, fish, and sometimes sing. It was not always fun to swim as it was to fish there because the river was muddy and the creek was very cold. Once we waded downstream with our poles toward the center of the river. We got completely soaked but failed to get as much as a nibble. Usually, we just sat on the log and told wild stories of the battles we had fought with the "dangerous" fish which inhabited the territory. My friend Tyler tried to convince me that he had once almost caught a catfish the size of his little brother, Logan. We knew he was pulling our legs, but that's just the kind of story telling we loved.

The mouth was always a place of refuge for us and will always be a fond memory. I cannot say I enjoyed every last minute I spent there, but it is a place I will never forget.

Mission Accomplished

2005-06-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

I decided to name my blog “The Pros and the Cons” because that’s mostly what my writing is…prose. I tried to write a novel once and it came out sounding like VCR instructions.

I have wild ideas all the time; I just lack the discipline to collate them logically. For example, who else thinks the “Joan of Arcadia” show should have been called “Oh God, It’s Joan”?

These are the types of things that I think about when my mind is really fatigued, like when I’m trying to comprehend modern pop culture. The problem is that most of my best ideas are completely impractical at best. That would explain why nobody has offered a service whereby one can get his cat euthanized and made into a robot. It’s an impractical idea, regardless of how original it may be.

These are the types of issues best left to the realm of fiction. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t pull it together. Does that make me a failed writer? So far, there’s no evidence that anyone has read anything I’ve ever written but me. Even my wife is afraid to look at my notebooks. On the other hand, at least I’m writing. And if my goal is simply to write, then, in the words of our beloved president, “mission accomplished”.

Blessed Television

2005-06-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have no idea if I have the brainpower to keep anyone’s attention long enough to actually read my rantings and my ravings. Yesterday my boss told me I’m smarter than a third of my coworkers combined. It sounds like a compliment, but he didn’t mean it that way.

This is my first posting, and it’s about distraction and attention.

I remember going on an errand with my dad once. I had no idea what we were doing when he asked me to go, but I like hanging out with my dad. We were going to see a man about a dog.

The dog was nothing special. It was a pointer or a setter or something like that. Who knows? It was hairy and it wet the carpet. That’s what I remember about that dog. My dad finally decided to get rid of it when it came into the house and wet on the Christmas tree.

The thing I remember most about this dog was when we went to go get it. When we went to the guy’s house, we got confused because he didn’t tell my dad that he lived in a garage. We went into the detached two-car garage and there he was, sitting on a couch with, presumably, his wife and child. They were watching “The Worst Witch” on cable. This guy had probably snaked a cable from the house of the guy who owned the garage and was watching it on a console TV. His family’s eyes were glued to it. They never looked up from Tim Curry singing some ridiculous song about Halloween the whole time my dad and I were there in their home.

This has happened to me on several occasions and it always makes me feel the same way, sick. I don’t mean indignant or offended, but ill. It makes me dread the future Ray Bradbury wrote about in his book “Fahrenheit 451” in which everyone watches television like they’re hypnotized and books are banned.

This is my cognitive dissonance: I like watching TV just as much as the next guy. Maybe not “just as much” since I won’t spring for cable. But does my watching TV interfere with my perceptions of my immediate surroundings and the world beyond?