It Was Good...Too Good!

I'm having extreme difficulty achieving re-entry into the blogosphere, following a fine Thanksgiving week. Is it possible to dwell in a trytophan lethargy for days at a time?

But I press on, dear friends, for you; such is the depth of my devotion, and my desire to avoid doing anything truly useful for a while longer.

Our actual Thanksgiving observance was somewhat subdued, coming less than two months after the unexpected death of my wife's mother. No one was strong enough to speak of her directly at our family dinner, but she was on everyone's mind. We did give thanks for the grace and peace that God gives us to get through times like this, and for the renewed strengthening of bonds among family members still remaining, as we realize how tenuous those bonds truly are.

Nevertheless, the fellowship was sweet and the food was, well, sinful. Joyfully sinful. Ecstatically sinful. Hours-and-hours-on-the-treadmill-doing-penance sinful.

Friday was perhaps even better than Thanksgiving Day (with one large exception). Nine of us -- everyone but my mom -- headed out to my brother's place to do some target shooting. We had a dozen or so firearms in an amazing variety of flavors: .44 and .357 Magnums, a .410, an old M1 with a folding stock, a 9mm pistol, a couple of .38 Specials with 2" barrels and several varieties of .22LR, including the new rifle I bought the previous week for my nephew.

None of us are very good marksmen, but we all had a great time. The nephew was in hog heaven...I think he shot everything except the .44, and I know he can't wait to tell his high school freshman ROTC buddies about the experience when he goes back to school tomorrow. Even our 16 year old niece enjoyed the time. OK...it's a given that she would have preferred to be loitering in the street with the cute neighbor boy, but he had other plans, so we were an acceptable second choice.

My wife and her sister both decided that in the event of a confrontation with a bad guy, they would be better off just throwing the gun at him. I don't think I've ever seen anyone miss a target from 5 yards with every shot, but they managed to do it.

Earlier in the day, I took the kids up to the high school parking lot and let them drive the Durango. They get a big kick out of tooling around the big lot, practicing their cruising moves. The niece is actually old enough to take driver's ed, but that's not in the cards for her just yet. Anyway, I think I'm quite a bit more mellow than their mom as a driving instructor, although I'll confess to putting a pretty good indentation in the passenger's side floorboard as I attempted to help with the braking on a couple of occasions.

My dad's 80th birthday was on Friday. We celebrated by going out for Tex-Mex that evening. Nothing like some asado puerco to relegate the turkey and dressing to distant memory status. The only downer for the day was the A&M-UT football game, which, if truth be told, has ruined more Thanksgivings over the years than I care to recall. My dad's a die-hard Aggie... not a 2-percenter like his sons and daughter-in-law... so he was a bit, um, miffed at the [not unexpected] lousy performance put on by the Aggies. But, as we're good at saying, wait 'til next year.

If that's all the sorrow we have to endure each year, then we are blessed beyond measure. And, looking back, I'd have to say that's the case.

Hope yours was good, too!

Gazette on Holiday

Bloggage here will be light-to-non-existent through the weekend. I hope you've got more compelling things to keep your attention, anyway.

Stay safe, be healthy, set aside some time to be with family and friends...and above all, express your gratitude to the One from Whom all blessings flow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yet Another Time-Travel-To-The-Dark-Ages Book

Michael Crichton's 1999 novel "Timeline" is getting a lot of attention nowadays, in anticipation of the movie version. Lileks gives it a mention today, and Jen blogged about it a few days back.

I haven't read the book and I have no reason to doubt that it's up to Crichton's usual standards, although I wonder why it needed a movie to push it into the limelight. Regardless, I have a hard time believing that it could be much better than a novel entitled "The Doomsday Book," written by the award-winning sci-fi writer Connie Willis. Ms. Willis' novel was published six years before "Timeline," and the plots sound quite similar, in theme if not in actual detail.

If you read some of the reviews on Amazon.com, you'll see mixed reactions to both books. Crichton fans will love "Timeline" and Willis fans will love her book, and there may or may not be room for crossing over. Both have been knocked for having plot flaws, and for providing more history than science, but neither of those criticisms are entirely valid. After all, we're talking about time travel, and despite any advances we've made in quantum physics and other disciplines whose theories I can't describe, let alone understand, we're still no closer to doing it than the 14th century alchemists.

Crichton's always had a knack for making technology accessible. Willis' strength is character development and "world re-creation." If you've read neither book, keep that in mind when choosing.

Pots and Kettles

Given reports like this, I'm not sure what Dell thinks it will accomplish by doing this.

No offense intended against my brethren in Tennessee and the other parts of Texas, but have you heard the way they talk!?

Leaves of Death

Please forgive the rather macabre post title. It's an allusion to our dog's reaction to this time of year. More in a moment.

First, though, we need to come up with a new term to describe this time of year, climatologically speaking. It's too early to be winter and it's too cold to be fall (at least for this part of the country). We could call it "pre-winter," but that's awfully clinical. "The cold season" sounds too much like a Ny-Quil commercial. "Late fall" is technically accurate, but isn't emotionally engaging. Abbye votes for "the season of death falling from above," but that's her private neurosis.

Whatever you call it, in my opinion Mother Nature got it just right this year. We had a hard freeze overnight, a killing freeze. That's good. There's nothing more annoying than having the first cold snap of the season be a tentative freeze, one that merely maims. When the first freeze is hard, you can make decisions, and stick to them. The lawn mower can be mothballed, and you can make a firm date with the leaf blower/sucker for a week hence, when the deciduous trees will be bare. Whatever has been producing that horrid pollen that's been triggering your allergies for the past month is satisfyingly dead or dying, and you'll have some relief on that front for a while. And, although the jury is still out on this one, the bitter cold might just persuade the flocks of Sonoran ravens which find our oak trees to be such hospitable toilet facilities to seek warmer environs.

Yes, when the first freeze is a hard one, we homeowners have reason to rejoice. But our dog becomes a nervous wreck.

Have I mentioned that Abbye has tendencies of timidity? Well, to say that she's timid is like saying that the Grand Canyon is a ditch. It's accurate without being meaningful.

Our dog's timidity is brought into full flower in the presence of tree-free leaves. In her tiny little mind, a leaf is nothing more than a Claymore, a Bouncing Betty, a MOAB; the lethalness varies only by delivery method. Leaves on the ground may explode with the least provocation. Leaves falling from trees are, simply, death from above. And windblown leaves are the worst, for you never know when and where they might strike.

As far as we know, Abbye has never been seriously injured in a leaf attack. But to her, every day that goes by without a fatal leaf incident is simply a day that brings her closer to one. And so, we enter the worst of all possible seasons for her, when leaves are dropping from trees like, well, leaves, and the winds are gusty, and a simple walk to the park and back is a night patrol on the Mekong Delta in 1967.

Think I'm exaggerating, do you? Well, just follow us at a distance some day. What you'll see is as odd a dance as St. Vitus ever executed. The human half of the pair is tip-toeing around the fallen leaves, trying to avoid stirring them with a foot, as that is the cue for the canine half to spaz out. In the meantime, the canine half is bouncing around like a junebug on a string trying to dodge the windblown enemy (think Neo on the rooftop in the first Matrix movie). Every now and then, you'll hear a woeful yelp, as the dog-like creature's leaf-avoidance circuitry fails her. This strange inter-species ballet would be hilarious were it not so darned serious.

Thus, it's with mixed feelings that I greet the first real signs of winter. I'm happy that Nature has scored an effective surgical strike, but I'm not looking forward to the next week's worth of walkies. And if you see a wild golden ball of fur whirling on the end of a leash, please don't call Animal Control. Instead, would you happen to have Dr. Phil's number handy...?

Guns n' Posole

I bought another gun today. I took my 14 year old nephew to Wally World and we checked out a couple of cheapo .22 rifles, looking for something he can use for target practice and general plinking while visiting his granddad in Fort Stockton. We settled on a Savage Mark-II, which came complete with a 10x scope, cable lock and earplugs for about $130. What a deal.

The kid was thrilled beyond words, as I knew he would be. His father is, um, inaccessible, and it pretty much falls to me and his grandfather to provide the male role models that a boy needs. I'm really not very good at it, having never been a dad myself, but I figure that anything I do is better than nothing, and so far, that seems to be a viable strategy.

It's been at least fifteen years since I bought a firearm. I wasn't surprised by all the paperwork, but I was caught a little off guard when, having completed the transaction, the Assistant Manager escorted me to the front door, carrying the gun herself. Standard procedure; you don't wander around Wal-Mart armed (did I mention I also bought a brick of ammo?). If you want to continue shopping, you put the gun in your car, and come back inside. I found the whole thing eminently sensible, actually.

I returned to a house permeated with the tantalizing odor of MLB's green chile posole. It's been cooking All. Day. Long.

Remember in the Bible where Esau sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob, in exchange for some red stew? Esau would have thrown in his right arm had he smelled MLB's green chile posole. She starts with the standard posole mix, which she buys in Santa Fe, where they know about such things. She then adds a few vital ingredients, such as cubed pork, chorizo and green chiles, and sets it to simmering for hours. And hours. And hours.

Serve it up with some homemade guacamole and a stack of hot flour tortillas, and you have a meal so good that it borders on erotic.

It's been a good day, a day that could easily inspire a C&W song, preferably sung by Marty Robbins (who put the "Western" in C&W). But I'm really too stuffed (the phrase "full as a tick" comes to mind) to think about that. Maybe Scott over at The Fat Guy can come up with something.

Update - 2003-11-25:The posole recipe is now published in the comments to this post, courtesy of MLB, who claims that it's such a secret that even she doesn't always remember it! Just another way of saying, YMMV.

Why blog? Why read blogs? Here's one good reason...

In the previous post, I mentioned John Dvorak's column about the "futility of blogging" and how it's doomed, apparently because we can't all be all things to all people, and, by implication, can't make any money at it.

That column merits a lot more dissection, but that's not what Saturday afternoons are made for.

Instead, I want to point to one absolutely perfect reason for blogging and for reading blogs: Dawn Eden's post from early this morning titled "Summer of Love." (I'm giving you the title in case the Blogger permalink is hosed, which it probably will be.)

Dawn has brought to life the passion and drama (literally!) of her grandparents' courtship, as viewed through the pages of her grandfather's journal. It makes for fascinating reading, funny and romantic and sad and happy...and you would never have known about it were it not for Dawn's blog.

Connecting to people whom you'd otherwise never have known existed -- that's the strength of blogging. We can get our news and opinions from a thousand other sources. We will, however, never run short on the need for additional sources of beauty, wit, wisdom and creativity.

Blogs are Passé [Dvorak Says So]

Tech columnist John C. Dvorak sounds the death knell for blogging in this article. His arguments are twofold. First, blogging is a Dead Man Walking because, well, many people have started blogging, only to quit. Imagine that.

Second, blogging is a dying fad because you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a "mainstream publisher's" blog, which, apparently, takes all the fun out of it.

I don't think John really understands the motivation behind many (most?) bloggers' efforts and devotion.

[Thanks to Jessica's Well for the link.]

Update: In a rare move, I've done some post-publication editing of the preceding post, after realizing that I had Dvorak mixed up with another semi-well-known tech columnist. The rarity is not that I made a mistake, but that I caught it. And, if you're bugged by the fact that I took out the improper references rather just striking through them, well, I'm sure you'll get over it.

Dr. Romano...Buh Bye...?

Could it be? Are we finally rid of that boil-on-the-rear, one-armed sorry-excuse-for-a-human-being doctor on E.R.?

What pathos! What irony! What a hoot!

[Hey...it's a fictional death of a fictional guy on a fictional show. My glee is only fictional.]

True Relief

I just about had a smothering spell today when I pulled an envelope out of the mailbox and spotted that all-too-familiar black-and-white logo and seriphed font designating the correspondence as originating from the official bowels of the Infernal Revenue Service (official motto: "Causing Smothering Spells Since 1862").

This isn't exactly the normal time of the year to be hearing from the good folks at the IRS, so all I could think of was the A-word. No, not that one; this one: audit.

Our tax returns have never been audited, in 35 years of filing. For one thing, we probably have the most straightforward returns possible, given our income level. We never do anything financially adventurous, which makes for boring tax returns, I suppose. But now that I'm self-employed and have business income and expenses to roll into our personal return, I figure I've become a bigger bogey on the radar screen. (I don't claim any home office deductions, though, which helps keep me out of the quicksand.)

So, I gritted my teeth, and ripped open the envelope, mentally preparing to devote the next month to building a defense, and wondering if I should have kept all those receipts.

Of course, it wasn't an audit notice, otherwise the title of this post would have been very different. It was, however, a really weird bit of correspondence, in that it was actually from BP, my former employer. They said that they had lost my address, and had asked the IRS to forward this letter to me, so that they could send me "important benefits information."

This whole situation is odd on an least two accounts. First, BP has no problem finding me to send me a monthly bill for my medical insurance. And second, is this the "new IRS"...a mail-forwarding service?

So, on the one hand we see the incompetence of one of the world's largest corporations, and on the other we see the desperation of one of the world's formerly most feared agencies. How fallen are the mighty!

"True Religion"

I think I've mentioned before that one of my goals each year is to read the Bible through, cover-to-cover. I began this discipline in 1990, when I assumed a position of responsibility for a Bible study group, and figured I'd better increase my familiarity with the Owner's Manual.

I use as my guide a little publication from LifeWay called "Open Windows." Each day, it has a reading from the Old and New Testaments*. There's also a short devotional and related passage, although I usually don't take the time to dwell on it. This routine works well for me, but it might not be for everyone. If you've had a hankering to try something like this, January 1, 2004 is coming up pretty quickly, and that would be a great time to begin.

I'm always amazed at what I see in Scripture that I missed the last dozen times I read it. Also, it's interesting how often the OT and NT passages touch on the same theme, on the same day. Which leads to the true subject of this post (finally!).

I wrote a post about wisdom a while back, and one of the comments it generated had to do with the difficulty of knowing what pleases God. I guess I'm a pretty simple-minded guy in this area, and I tend to point to the little book of Micah for the answer to that issue.

Micah is one of the so-called "Minor Prophets," nested inside a series of mostly short writings obviously arranged by God to give fits to anyone trying to memorize the books of the Bible. Most of the MPs focus on a couple of themes: the heavy price Israel is going to pay for ignoring God's will, and the amazing grace that will [once more] bail it out if it will but repent. Really, it's hard to imagine a more chuckleheaded nation than post-Exilic Israel, unless you include every other nation on the face of the earth today.

Anyway, we don't really know much about Micah, but it seems that he lived during one of those Bubble Periods in Israel's history when things were just peachy, and so there was a lot of general moral dissolution and mistreatment of underlings that seems to accompany those times when money talks and holiness, um, doesn't. God, through Micah, expresses some pretty heavy dissatisfaction with this general state of affairs. And one of the things He points out is that it's really not all that hard to please Him.

That's not exactly rocket science, is it?

[Micah's got some other cool stuff in his little seven chapter book, including that great line about beating swords into plowshares and not training for war anymore, plus a prophecy that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem.]

So, I read this, and thought, yeah, that's all good, even if it is Old Testament medieval-type stuff. Then I pop over to the New Testament, where we're reading what Jesus' half-brother, James, has to say.

There you go. What better example is there of acting justly and loving mercy can there be? And the bit about not being "polluted by the world"? What does this world teach us to value more than anything else? I submit to you that the Double Jeopardy question would be: "What is pride?" We're lousy with the stuff, individually and as a nation. (Perhaps you're not...but are you proud of that fact?)

Well, I could ramble on and on about this, but instead I'll just close by giving mad props to the Author and Finisher for once more shining a bright light on something so that even my blind eyes can discern it. And guess what? There's a lot more where that came from!

*You can find an online version of this schedule, sans devotional, via my church's website.

Christian Music Downloads -- Not for Everyone

Bryan over at Arguing With Signposts is exercised over Lifeway's new music download service that doesn't work for Macs. He argues that not only is it unfair, but it's downright dishonest, because the Lifeway site uses language in its promotional materials that might lead one to believe that the service works for everyone. Only when you get to the guts of the service do you find the caveats (no *nix users need apply either).

I have a hard time getting as twisted off as Bryan, although I, too, am excluded from this service. For one thing, I don't understand why LifeWay, whose budget is strapped nowadays anyway, wants to venture off into something that doesn't seem to fit with its core competencies, most of which relate to Christian publications.

In any event, this unfortunately makes that organization look like another poorly-conceived and executed Christian knock-off of a successful secular model. We already have plenty of those burdens to bear ("Left Behind," anyone?). I wish, for once, that a Christian recasting of a venture could actually exceed the original in terms of quality and service.

After all, would Jesus have turned away Mac users if He'd been programming a service like this? (Yeah...a smilie goes with that statement.)

Update (same day): Coincidentally, today's Wall Street Journal has an article about the proliferation of competitors in the music download business, and cites LifeWay as but one of the new entrants. The article also has this to say about the profitability of this business:

Perhaps LifeWay knows something the others don't.

A&F Catalog a.k.a. "Moral Relativism Today"

Dawn over at The Dawn Patrol has a great post explaining why she popped over and signed the "Stop Abercrombie & Fitch" online petition.

Two words punched her buttons: moral relativism. Read the post to find out why, as Dawn so ably explains, this is not "just another boycott."

World Magazine Blog

John...well, actually, John's ultra-cool wife...over at Le Sabot Post-Moderne clues us in on the existence of a new blog from World Magazine. Makes for great reading... current events quickly dissected from a Christian perspective.

As soon as Blogrolling gets its act together, I'll make a spot for it on my roll.

Apple: Gazing Deeply into the Gift Horse's Mouth

[Update (2/8/05): I've just been notified by Bill Catambay, Editor in Chief of The Macintosh Guild that detailed instructions for a do-it-yourself inverter board replacement are now available via the MacGuild website. Bill says that the fix is pretty simple, costs about $130, and the replacement part is advertised as being more reliable and, we hope, longer lasting than the Apple replacement. YMMV, of course, but you might want to check it out.]

[Update (9/22/2004): The repair described below went bad today. It lasted about nine months. I've just ordered a new NEC monitor (with a three year warranty) to take the place of Apple's. You can read more about it here.]

Apple just repaired my out-of-warranty 17" LCD monitor and waived all fees; they even paid the shipping costs and sent me a box to pack it in. And, boy, do I feel awful.

Some history is in order. It's a long narrative, so grab another cuppa before clicking the continue link.

Last September, my 14-month old Apple Studio Display monitor suffered a "brain cloud" (you can read a previous post if you want the gory details). All the symptoms matched up with Apple's own description of a bad backlight. At that time, the monitor was two months past the warranty expiration date. Apple has a schedule of flat fees for repairing monitors, and the cost for mine would be $509, plus $49.95 for shipping. That's outrageous, especially when you think all that's needed is a new fluorescent lightbulb.

I went to the Apple website and found a discussion thread where scores of other people had found themselves in a similar situation: a few weeks or a couple of months after the warranty expired, their monitors dimmed. New folks were showing up almost daily to report the same problem. It was beginning to appear that Apple had a quality control or systemic problem on their hands. But no one had been able to get Apple to either acknowledge the problem, or provide some relief in the area of repair cost.

Someone suggested writing Apple, to at least get on record about the problem, in the hope that the company might begin to take notice. They suggested using PlanetFeedback.com to draft an email to Steve Jobs, Apple's Messiah CEO. I figured it couldn't hurt -- probably wouldn't help, but couldn't hurt -- so I did just that.

On September 14, I sent an email to Jobs. It was nothing special. I didn't use a single exclamation point, but I did point out my disappointment with the product and Apple's apparent lack of sympathy to it. And, I did promise that I wouldn't buy another Apple monitor, nor would I recommend to anyone else that they do so.

A month passed, then six weeks. No response from Apple, but the discussion board thread was now up to 150+ messages and growing. Then, during the last week of October, I got a call from someone identifying himself as representing Steve Jobs, in Apple's Executive Relations Group. I was out of town when the call came in; he left a message on my machine saying that if I didn't return his call that afternoon, he would call back on Monday (this was on Friday). I picked up the message on Sunday, and thought, "yeah, right." But, sure enough, on Monday afternoon, the same man called me again and we discussed my situation.

Again, I think I was very calm and logical -- although in my mind I was a raving lunatic, slowly being blinded by eyestrain trying to cope with my darkened monitor -- and I tried to focus on two things: the apparent frequency with which this seemed to be happening to others, and the exorbitant flat fee charged by Apple for repairs.

He didn't do much talking...just asked a few questions and mainly listened to me. Then he said he'd visit with their engineering department and get back with me. However, he didn't hold out any hope that they would provide me with relief in this situation.

A week later, he called back and said that he had decided to make "a one-time exception" and repair my monitor at no cost. He put me on the line with a repair coordinator, who got all the information needed to set up the repair order, and to ship a packing box to me. The box arrived the next day via Airborne Express. This was on a Monday. I packed the monitor, called Airborne, and it was shipped back to Apple that same evening. On Friday morning of that same week, the monitor arrived at my doorstep, repaired and working like new.

The repair order said that the AC/DC inverter and the logic board had been replaced, so this was more than a simple backlight replacement. That was interesting because the message board threads were beginning to lean toward the inverter as the culprit, as more people researched the problem (and a few found 3rd-party repair shops willing and able to work on the monitors. Incidentally, those repair shops were doing these repairs for about $150, vs. the $500 Apple was charging.).

And get this. The Apple rep even called back last week to make sure I was happy with the repair!

So, there I was, the recipient of apparent and unexpected corporate beneficence. So what if I didn't understand why they had deemed me worthy of such largesse? Well, I'll tell you.

I felt bad and a little guilty -- survivor's syndrome? -- because so many others in the same situation were not getting the same relief from Apple. I debated whether or not to post my experience to the discussion board. On one hand, if I kept quiet, I wouldn't be leading folks to develop unrealistic expectations about getting similar treatment. Also, while the Apple rep hadn't asked me to keep it quiet, the way he kept referring to this as a one-time exception seemed to indicate that this really wasn't something that the public would benefit from knowing about.

On the other hand, however, how could I not tell folks that there was, indeed, something that might convince Apple to make another exception, even if I didn't know what that something was? And, truthfully, I was a little ticked-off at such apparent arbitrary behavior by Apple, even if I was the beneficiary. I know; that sounds really stupid, but it's how I felt. So I did it. I posted my experience on the discussion board. And, interestingly, rather than getting upset about it, the people who responded seemed to take some hope from it. "If Apple made one exception, perhaps they'll make another." Several decided to send their own letters to Jobs, the way I did.

I don't know how this will turn out for the others in this situation. I hope that Apple will at least review its service fee schedule, and revise it to be closer to market. And I hope that someone is looking seriously at the idea that they might have a systemic problem with their monitor parts, assembly or design, and that a solution will be found to eliminate future occurences.

The one lesson I got out of this is not to assume that nothing can or will be done simply because you're dealing with a big company. If you can approach the company not as an irate maniac but rather as a partner in the attempt to identify the problem and locate a solution (as hokey as that sounds), I think you'll have a much better chance of arriving at a happy outcome.

Will I buy another Apple monitor after this experience? I don't know. They're still priced higher than the competition, and their performance specs fall short in some areas. But there's a much better chance that I'll continue to be a customer now than there was back in September. And maybe that's the best they can hope for.

Today Nevermore

Is it just me, or has Katie Couric lost it? By "it," I mean, of course, her journalistic objectivity. This morning's show was a good example.

She interviewed Paul Bremer (who pointedly referred to her as "Ms. Couric," eluding the more familiar first-name basis hobnobbing that most interviewees fall prey to, taken in as they are by Her Cuteness), and led out with one statement that just really got on the wrong side of me: "we've had more than 400 military fatalities in Iraq; that's more than we experienced during the first three years in Viet Nam."

I'm sure I could hear Alec Baldwin cheering from the wings (he was on later in the show, yet another reason to switch off). Ah, yes...the old "it's another Viet Nam" card, dressed up in an ostensibly presentable suit of historical context. The moth holes in that fabric are embarrasingly large, and her failure to recognize that is pitiful. I was neither amused nor deceived.

It's getting easier and easier to jump to another alternative for my 7:00-7:30 a.m. viewing.

Blog Comment Spam: No Hope?

Dive Into Mark has a fascinating post explaining why current efforts to defeat weblog spam are doomed to failure. The magnitude of the problem is enough to make you assume the fetal position and trade blogging for thumb-sucking.

IOW, it's not a pretty picture.

Personal Yearly Milestone

It's a beautiful fall afternoon in west Texas...almost 70 degrees, only the slightest of breezes, high thin clouds that remind you that winter is lurking around the corner but can't yet work up the courage to make his move. We've not yet had our first freeze -- although today is the average date for that event -- so the pecan trees that limit the view from my back patio are still in full foliage.

I'm blogging from a chaise lounge on the patio, watching a congregation of sparrows play hide-and-seek in the big Mexican broom growing up against the back fence. All-in-all, it's a fine time to be alive.

I noticed in my exercise log (which is really just an Excel spreadsheet) that I've achieved something of a milestone this month: over 1,000 miles of year-to-date cycling on the tandem, another 1,000+ miles on the single bike, and over 500 miles of running. Those are numbers with a satisfying synchronicity.

I'm sure some of you view these numbers as pitifully underachieving, while others believe them to represent some unattainable goal requiring an obsession bordering on insanity. In fact, the truth lies somewhere in between.

It's taken two decades, but I've finally found an exercise regime that works for me. I don't necessarily advocate it for someone else, because everyone has different needs, goals and capabilities. My goal is to find a good compromise between doing what's necessary to stay fit, without become a slave to the schedule. In my case, daily discipline is required, for I've found that if I neglect a workout for two or three days in a row, the setback is more severe than you might think.

On the other hand, rest and recuperation is essential, especially as we (I) age. Again, in my case, that doesn't necessarily mean taking off days at time, but it does mean stopping at the right time during each workout. So, I run 4 miles, even though I'm tempted to go 5. I cycle 20 miles, even though 25 is within reach. I take off one day a week, even though my "numbers" would look better if I didn't.

Also, I don't measure these things by mileage, even if I do keep track of it. My goal is to devote a certain amount of time each day to exercise. In my case (notice how I keep using that disclaimer?), it's an average of 35 minutes per day, day in and day out, year-round, of aerobic activity. This year, I'm closer to 40 minutes, but that's hardly worth mentioning.

The discipline is what's important, and what's difficult. That, and convincing myself that this seemingly selfish use of time is really necessary. It is, just as the thirty minutes each morning that I spend in Bible reading and prayer are essential. One gives my body a boost, the other energizes my spirit; both make me better able to do what I'm supposed to do the rest of the day.

Why am I telling you this? I guess I'd just like to encourage you to find a routine of activity (you don't even have to call it exercise) that gets you up and moving around, that challenges your body and distracts your mind for a few minutes each day. Keep track of your progress, whether it's via an Excel spreadsheet or some shorthand notation on a desk calendar (that's how I started). See if it doesn't make a difference in your ability to enjoy a beautiful fall day.

Friday Five: A Looney Variation

I'm not a Friday 5 kind of guy, but in honor of our recent viewing of the Looney Tunes movie described below, I offer my own variation of this exercise:

1. Jessica Rabbit or Betty Boop?
   
   I'm a pushover for brunettes, so despite Jessica's buxom imagery of rabbiticious pulchritude, I've got to go with Ms. Boop.


2. Goofy or Bullwinkle?
   
   Bullwinkle is the ultimate hapless sidekick; Goofy is just, well, goofy.


3. Marvin the Martian or Bluto?
   
   Bluto. Marvin gives me the creeps; who can truly understand the alien mind?


4. Daffy or Donald?
   
   This is too easy...Daffy, of course. I might be tempted to go with Donald, if I could ever understand a freakin' thing he says! Somebody find this duck a speech therapist (and throw in a little anger management while you're at it).


5. Rocky or Pogo?
   
   Oof. This is the tough one. They're both stand-up, um, mammals...you wouldn't balk at either marrying your cartoon daughter. I give the barest of edges to Pogo for his sartorial splendor. The striped ref's shirt beats out the aviator's cap any day.


6. Bonus Question: Michael Moore or Wimpy?
   
   I have to go with the buffoonish, puffed-up burger-abusing dope.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action

We went to see the Looney Tunes movie this afternoon, and boy, was it fun. I am not ashamed in the least to admit that I enjoyed it more than "Matrix: Revolutions."

This movie is wasted on the kids. There are more throwaway lines and scenes than can be absorbed in one sitting, and many of them require some knowledge of Warner Brothers trivia, as well as a long history of movie watching in general. There were also some arcane references to really old classic cartoons. Cameos by people like Jeff Gordon, Michael Jordan and Peter Graves were funny, but most younger kids won't grasp the humor. Product placement jokes were abundant -- and hilarious.

What we all could relate to was the slapstick signature of the Looney Tunes menagerie...and if they left anyone out, I didn't notice. In fact, characters appeared that I had completely forgotten about (and even a couple I didn't recognize).

There is a plot, of course, but it's not important. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck did their Martin & Lewis routine throughout the movie, cracking jokes with the audience and providing a running narrative while also being the primary cartoon focus. Brendan Fraser is perfectly cast in his role as the goofy-but-lovable human hero, and manages to work in a reference to the "Mummy" movies. Steve Martin is over the top...waaaaaay over the top, even by his standards, but it somehow works.

The cartoons themselves were nothing special, compared to the animation miracles from the folks at Pixar, but they were true to their origins, and that, too, worked.

I loved "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and this new offering is a separate but equal answer (as another cartoon icon might put it). If you're in the mood for some fast-paced entertainment that doesn't take itself too seriously, but also rewards your close attention, then I think you'll enjoy yourself immensely.

Oh, by the way...we sat through all the credits to see if there were any additional scenes, and there is one. If you don't have the patience to wait for it, you won't really miss anything, but it does exist, if you live for that sort of thing.

Addendum: I almost forgot...one of the trailers at the movie was for "Scooby Doo 2." MLB leaned over and asked, sotto voce, "is that the same as Scooby Doo Doo?" See, that's why I'm in love!

Exxon Verdict in Alabama

I predict that this will never stand up on appeal.

The verdict might, but the punitive damages won't.

McJobs: Don't Knock 'Em

When I first heard reports of McDonald's expression of corporate outrage over the inclusion of the word "McJob" in Merriam-Webster's latest dictionary as a synonym for a dead end job, I'll admit that I rolled my eyes and chalked it up as yet another example of PCidity gone amok. "Lighten up, guys," I thought.

But this article in today's Wall Street Journal points out some very good reasons why we ought to think twice before tossing aspersions in the direction of such jobs.

And, in a revelation that succeeded in making me feel about three inches tall, the article states that McDonald's itself has a special category of positions which it calls "McJobs": a 20-year-old program that trains the mentally and physically handicapped for jobs they otherwise might never get.

I'm not proposing that the dictionary publishers should ignore the popular usage of terms or words...they're just trying to describe the realities of language usage. But perhaps the general public (including me) needs to better understand the implications of some of those words before throwing them around.

Bleatalicious Blogging

I'm getting really tired of having to quote James Lileks, but as long as he keeps writing stuff like this, well, I have no choice:

This gem comes after another brilliant whacking of Michael Moore, which in and of itself isn't that hard to do thanks to the plentiful raw material (and I don't necessarily mean Moore's bulkiness), but very few can do it with the practiced nonchalance of our midwestern friend. And, there's much more, so RTWT.

Blog Discovery

Oscar Jr. has been doing an interesting series of reviews of randomly selected blogs, and has discovered one that might be a keeper.

The Dawn Patrol is written by New York free-lance writer and self-described "popular music historian" (make a note, Bryan!) Dawn Eden. And, as Oscar points out, she's even got her own jingle and caricature. Trés cool.

What really sealed it for me was this quote at the bottom of her home page:

Drop by and see her...she'll appreciate it.

Update: I got curious about Oscar's methodology and rationale for these random reviews; I had noticed them previously, but missed the introduction. It's an excellent idea, and I applaud his initiative.

Workplace Motivation is Overrated

I'm sure you've seen these "demotivational" posters before. Since I've been out of the corporate ratrace for a while, I had almost forgotten about them, until a catalog showed up in our mailbox last week.

Despair, Inc. has a great schtick going; their catalog is a hoot ("Operators are waiting to take your money." Motto: "Motivational posters don't work. But our Demotivational™ posters don't work even better." Even their logo is funny — :-(

Being in the consulting scam profession myself, I was partial to this poster. But you really need to visit the webpage on which it's featured, and check out some of the "Perfect For..." links. And their "Corporate Spin" section is great, too.

Sounds like a cool place to work. Wonder what's hanging on their walls?

Domain Registrars: The Jekyll & Hydes of the Internet

What is it about domain registrars that causes them to be your best friends while enticing you to use their services, then immediately turning into sociopathic creeps once they have your business? Is this really a viable model for long-term success?

I give you Exhibit A: Register.com. I currently have 31 domain names registered with them, on behalf of various clients or for my own use. It should be 32, and therein lies a story of intrigue and woe.

I was notified late last week by a client that their email no longer worked and their website was gone. Some quick investigation revealed that their domain name had expired in September (don't ask me why they were just now letting me know of their problems...that's a different story entirely). I never received a notice from Register.com, because the registration record still carried an old address.

How odd this was, considering that the registrar had managed to update the other 31 domains with the new address I provided more than a year ago. In any event, it looked like a simple matter...they had not yet released the domain name, so it should be easy to have them simply reactivate it, right? I mean, right there on their website is this entry in the FAQ regarding expired domains:

What could be more simple? So I try to put this process into motion. I gave up trying to reach anyone by phone; they don't return phone calls. It took them four days to reply to my message submitted via their online help desk (and then only after I submitted a rather testy follow-up 'why are you ignoring me?' message).

Their response? "Sure, we'll reactivate your domain name...for $235.00 ($200.00 to presumably change the "i" in their database to "a" and $35.00 for a year's extension...never mind that their usual extension fee is $20.00)."

I politely point out to them that their own website says the reactivation fee is $20.00; they reply, "you'll need to take that up with the main office." Which puts me back in the apparently endless cycle of unanswered phone calls and ignored emails, because, after all, who really wants to deal with a customer who is pointing out a significant discrepancy between your printed policy and the one you're trying to enforce?

Long story shortened...we're paying the $235, because the client needs to get back online, and can't afford the time to fight for the principle involved. So be it; Register.com has won the battle, and I wish them well.

However, I will never again send them new business (GoDaddy.com has, thus far, been a really swell registrar), nor will I have anything good to say about them in public (hence this post).

You may have wonderful dealings with Register.com; if so, rejoice. But you might want to double-check your account settings on every domain just to make sure you don't find yourself dealing with Mr. Hyde.

What's Your Digital IQ?

MSNBC has an online test designed to test your "digital IQ." It's an interesting -- even fun -- way to spend a few minutes answering questions about a variety of things related to the "digital lifestyle."

Some interesting things about the test:

• You get big points if you have a "weblog" (would have been more revealing if they'd used "blog")
• You get big points if 5 or more blogs link to your blog (so...they at least know about the Ecosystem!)
• Some of the questions are just dumb; I lost points because the choices related to updating my virus protection definitions were "within the last week" and "what's a virus definition?" I use a Mac, so updating virus definitions isn't exactly at the top of my list. That cost me 10 points. Forewarned is forearmed.
• If you work in a real office, you can score more points than if you work at home.

My score flags me as a nerd (I didn't know people actually used that term anymore). Only 45% of the test takers to-date (about 21,000) scored at the "nerd-level," which surprised me a little.

Midland Shooters Association Website is Live

A number of folks have expressed interest in the progress of the new website for the Midland Shooter's Association. I'm pleased to announce that the site is now up and running.

Some sections of the site are still incomplete, but that is hopefully just a temporary situation. It's also pretty bare from a graphics perspective, but I trust that will change as folks start providing photos from various events for display on the website.

Additional information about MSA can be found at the "unofficial" The Ready Line.

Signs of the Times: "Rivalry Merchandise"

I guess I'm not rabid enough about college sports to have noticed this phenomenon, wherein rival college mascots are depicted on various items of merchandise as victor and vanquished.

But don't think that colleges have sold out completely; there's still quite a bit of sensitivity employed in the licensing process:

The article by WSJ staff reporter Jeffrey Zaslow goes on to say that "the school being mocked usually earns a smaller cut than the school being celebrated because the celebrators do most of the buying."

I would think that the humiliated school would ask for a bigger cut. You know... the pain and suffering approach.

Is this a negative sign of poor sportsmanship, or is it a positive sign that we don't, after all, take ourselves too seriously? Can we expect better behavior on the field when things like this are taking place off the field? Or is this just another piece of evidence pointing to the dismal financial condition of many of our universities, and their desperate search for revenue (where much of said revenue is needed to pay their football coaches... but that's another issue entirely)?

Veteran's Day Thanks

I thought about this all day, and didn't decide until now to act on it. I don't normally write about family members in much detail, in consideration of their privacy. But I think my dad won't mind my sharing a bit about him and his wartime experiences on this Veteran's Day 2003.

He was in the army during WWII. He interrupted his college education to enlist, and after being stationed in various spots around the US, was shipped to the European theater. He was there only a few months, but managed to get wounded twice. He was hit in the foot by a piece of shrapnel, patched up and sent back into service. His outfit landed at Omaha Beach...not during the historic D-Day landing, but shortly thereafter.

The account gets a little fuzzy here, but he somehow ended up in Belgium, where a Nazi sniper shattered his arm, ending his military career. He still carries fragments of that bullet in his arm.

An interesting twist to the story is that he was rushed to the field hospital, where surgery was immediately performed to save his arm. He later learned that the surgeon who did such a great job was, in fact, a German doctor, a POW.

Incidentally, the sniper that nailed him was himself put out of commission -- permanently -- by one of my dad's platoon buddies.

I was probably forty years old before I heard this complete account from my dad. He just didn't talk about it; not many of his peers did. I'm not sure what changed... I suspect the interest level of the audience had something to do with it, as those of us who had never experienced war firsthand began to realize the enormous debt we owe these men and women.

There's no way I can ever repay that debt, but there's one thing I can do: listen. And then say an inadequate but nonetheless heartfelt "thanks."

P.S. I failed to mention something, something that many of us in these Boomer-and-later generations gloss over or never consider. My dad was the first in his family to be born in America. My grandfather's native tongue was... German.

Fashion Advice, Lone Star Style

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while, and keep getting distracted. I'm still distracted, and I've decided that it's a permanent situation that I'll just have to get used to.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, Scott over at The Fat Guy provided us with some valuable Texas Fashion Tips. There was almost nothing I would take exception to, primarily because I'm the last guy you'd ever want to consult in matters sartorial. (As I've written before, I keep my clothes organized thusly: the casual t-shirts here, and the dressy t-shirts there).

But he did write one thing that perhaps reflects the invisible-but-real line separating West Texas from the rest of the civilized world (that being non-West Texas, of course), and that is the rules for the donning of el sombrero negro, or the Black Hat.

Scott scribes thusly:

Well, that rule may work for the good folk up around Big D, and perhaps even for the denizens of Foat Wuth, but no such rule exists in the dustier, more deserty parts of the state. In fact, black hats are de rigeur year 'round round these parts, and a fella won't be judged by the shade of his Stetson.

For proof, I give you my brother, a honest-to-gosh cowboy who also happens to be a darn fine western artist, when he sets aside the time for it. The well-worn manly headwear that you see in the first photo is the only way you'll ever see him in public. (I would say that he showers in it, but that's obviously not true, as the photo will attest.) To his credit, he does have a formal version, reserved for weddings, funerals, and livestock auctions.

So, the next time you get some fashion advice from a Texan (and you really oughta be seeking it out regularly), you might want to know which side of Tarrant County he's referring to. It could make all the difference in the world.

Al Qaeda to Saudi Arabia: "Oops"

CNN reports that some Saudi officials believe that the recent bombing in Riyadh, for which Al Qaeda has apparently claimed responsibility, was a mistake...the result of faulty intelligence. The terrorists thought the compound in which the car bomb exploded housed Americans.

If this event weren't so tragic in terms of loss of life and its political implications, it would provide a straight line for more jokes than a single post can hold.

Bye-bye Boomtown

The "vast wasteland" that is network TV just got more barren, for me and Jen, anyway, as I finally found confirmation of what I suspected: NBC has canned "Boomtown." It is another victim of the network's impatience and foolish "tweaking" of an intellectually-challenging premise to make it more appealing to the masses. Turns out the masses aren't always as dumb as they make us out to be.

Here's how the Wall Street Journal describes the fate of this and other initially-high quality shows:

Count me as one of those who was a little disappointed by the new story-telling approach in "Boomtown" -- and yet the storylines and characters continued to fascinate, so I wasn't going to abandon the show. But NBC never gave it a chance. Here's to hoping that another network or cable channel will retrieve and polish this dusty gem.

Common Home Page Design Mistakes

Website usability expert Jakob Neilsen has a new Alertbox article entitled "The Ten Most Violated Homepage Design Guidelines." He lists ten common problems found on the home pages of large corporate clients whom, he says, have "demonstrated commitments" to usability (interpretation: "they pay me $10,000 to tell them what's wrong with their websites"). His point is that if these big-budget guys make these mistakes, just think how bad the rest of us schmoes must be.

Here, without comment, are the top 3. Read the article to get the other seven, plus Neilsen's comments.

1. Failing to emphasize what your site offers that's of value to users and how your services differ from those of key competitors
2. Failing to use a liquid layout that lets users adjust the homepage size
3. Failing to use color to distinguish visited and unvisited links

I don't agree completely with all of his observations; at least, I don't share his perception of how serious some of these things are. But, directionally, I think he's right.

I especially agree with #1, above. In my experience with commercial clients, the hardest thing to get them to do is to provide meaningful, descriptive content in place of marketing babble on the home page. It's hard to convince them that customers don't like marketing babble, and neither do search engines.

This list should be somewhat instructive to blog design, as well. Many of us tend to dismiss things like using different colors for visited and unvisited links as pandering to newbies, and some of us probably do things such as having links to the main page on the main page without even realizing it. It's not a bad idea to stop and take a fresh look at your blog to see if you can make it easier to read and navigate.

OTOH, I'm not as dogmatic about these issues as I was when I started blogging. In a way, these are our own personal playgrounds, and we ought to be able to make 'em look like we want. The point is to make sure you're making an informed, conscious decision about certain design elements.

Operation Christmas Child

The week beginning November 17, 2003 is the collection period for Operation Christmas Child, a international program of Samaritan's Purse. This is a good way to provide some happiness to children around the world, and it's sooooo easy.

The website has complete instructions, but in a nutshell, you simply pack a regular shoebox with new (not used) small toys, school supplies, hygiene items, etc. and then drop it off at one of the hundreds of collection points (also listed on the website). Enclose $5 for shipping and handling, and a note to the child if you like, and Samaritan's Purse handles the wrapping and delivery.

This is a big deal. Last year, SP collected 2 million shoe boxes and delivered them to children in 95 countries. If you're looking for a hands-on, relatively simple way to help a child during the Christmas season, this is a good one. I recommend it!

But you need to get going...November 17 is coming up quickly. (If you're in the Midland area, we're collecting the shoeboxes at First Baptist Church, and I suspect many other churches in the area are doing likewise. Feel free to drop yours off at FBC - Louisiana and Garfield - if it's convenient to do so.)

Iraqis cheer as Southern Baptist volunteers distribute food

The headline pretty well says it all...but you might want to read the whole story anyway.

A sample:

I'm sure this was reported in the "mainstream" media and I just missed it.

Well, at least he was injured...

Matt Laurer unintentionally drew a laugh from this viewer this morning as he ran down the list of upcoming stories on The Today Show. He mentioned an interview with Jerry Curry, the tree-hugging lawyer who somehow escaped death by evading the gun-wielding fat guy. Matt then employed the oft-used segué -- "and on a lighter note" -- to preview a feel-good story about the previously conjoined twins.

Implied message in this stream of [un]consciousness? "Lawyer survives shooting...but on a lighter note..."

Well, I thought it was funny.

Lileks on Al Qaeda

James Lileks ends up today's edition of The Bleat with an observation about the bombing in Saudi Arabia:

Good question, but perhaps a better one is this: what makes them this desperate?

Ever use "Surfer's Voice"?

This article by Dennis K. Berman in tomorrow's Wall Street Journal documents an increasingly-observed phenomenon: web-surfing, email checking or other computer-centric activity while talking on the telephone.

I confess to be ever-so-occasionally guilty of this behavior. Well, more than occasionally. In fact, I can see the irony in the fact that I was skimming the WSJ article while talking on the phone with my parents during our regular Sunday night call. But I quickly stopped (skimming, not talking) when I realized what I was doing.

I'm sure we can all relate in some way to the increasing demands on our time that require -- require! -- the spasmic behavior that we like to dress up in the term, "multitasking." Again, from the WSJ article:

So, how about it? Do you engage in such behavior? I've admitted my propensity; it's your turn!

Roscoe+Alicia

Why is it that this post by Roscoe Ellis makes me feel like I'm in junior high all over again?

[Roscoe, I wish you all the luck in the world in this endeavor, but permit me one word of advice: try to avoid using the adjective "horny" in any post directed toward a woman whose last name you can't yet spell. Other than that, I think you're doing fine!]

"We Know More Than Our Pastors"

Clarence, over at Can You Hear Me Now? responds to a rather lengthy and interesting post at e-Church entitled "We Know More Than Our Pastors: The Rise of Spiritual Bloggers."

The e-Church post is ambitious and contains enough material to fuel many different discussions. The author, Tim Bednar, holds it out as a "white paper on how spiritual bloggers are creating the participatory church." However, I can't get past the title.

Tim writes that the research he's done - a series of interviews with other bloggers about motivations and perceptions - leads to this (emphasis mine):

It's only fair to note that this statement didn't become a recurring or even significant theme through the rest of the article, but the fact that it was used as an introduction seems to give it significance that cries out for a response.

There's a common saying in ministry: people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. It's a cliché, but that doesn't mean that it's inaccurate.

I can't speak for others, but for me, having a pastor that "knows more than me" is not at the top of my list. Granted, I'd like to hear messages that stimulate me intellectually, but that's just gravy. And if my pastor's overriding characteristics aren't love, compassion, joy and encouragement -- all of which have as their source an ongoing love affair with the Gospel -- then no amount of fancy preaching is going to make up for the shortcoming.

Face it -- there will always be someone smarter or better educated than your pastor (or you, for that matter). God and His will are not found exclusively in the realm of the intellectual (or even logical).

I believe that if the creation of the "participatory church," one that exists only in the blogosphere, is successful, it will still ultimately prove to be unsatisfying (and thus will not last). However, Tim's post includes a number of very good points about the strengths of blogging as an alternative medium for presenting the Gospel. If you're interested in how the evolution of blogging might be used for this purpose, you'll find much in his essay worth considering.

Musical Sermon Theme

Our pastor is currently preaching a series on issues that are common to the human situation. This morning, his message addressed the issue of... oh, not so fast!

Let's try a little quiz, shall we? I'll give you a hint, and you can guess at the topic of his sermon.

Why would I do this? Well, it's because of a somewhat unusual technique our pastor used to introduce the topic to us this morning. He had the media team play clips from four songs, each of which related in some way to the message. The common link was obvious after listening to them. Much too easy, in fact, for a discriminating, perceptive and sophisticated reader like you. So what I'm going to do is just tell you the four artists, and let you decide which of their songs have a common theme, and thereby figure out that theme. Make sense? OK, here the list of musicians:

• The Beatles
• America
• Roy Orbison
• Celine Dion (actually a cover of a very popular song from the mid-70s)

This should be a piece of cake for some of you. I'll post the answer in the comments section, or acknowledge the correct answer from you, and let you know via an update to this post.

Update [2003-11-12]: The answer to this admittedly unfair quiz is now in the Comments section.

Aggei Aggie Bloggers

OK, I feel bad for ranting about the Ags and their lousy football showing today. In an act of atonement, I've added a new blog to my roll: Boots and Sabers, by a couple of fellow Former Students and BQs (if you know what that means, you know what that means).

Update (2003-11-09): Boots and Sabers has kindly reciprocated with a blogroll link to the Gazette, and for that we're truly grateful. If you visit their site, and are a tad confused by the headings for their blogroll categories, I'll be happy to explain.

Warning - For Your Health

Wallace over at Streams posts a really scary entry, highlighting a danger that most of us never think about: carbon monoxide poisoning in the comfort of our own houses. I've read such accounts before, but never one so close to home. You might want to drop by, read the post, then see what you need to do to ensure that you and your family are protected.

Does it get much better than this?

It's cold outside - you can smell fireplaces throughout the neighborhood; someone's burning piñon pine and you can't help but channel Santa Fe - and damp. But it's cozy inside: a warm computer on my lap, a hot cup of tea (Kousmichoff Smoky Earl Grey, the best in the world) by my side, and a really bad movie on TV ("Boa," one of those terrible "original Sci-Fi Channel Productions"; this one's about a huge snake that lives in... Antarctica?).

Boy, wouldn't you think one could blog up a storm in those conditions?

Maybe I'm too comfortable.

Saaaay, let me ask you a question. Have you seen "Matrix: Revolutions" yet? (If not, skip this part...spoilers are just ahead.)

If you have, I have another couple of questions for you. First, you know that scene where Trinity ("Trin," to those of us who know her really well), Morpheus and Seraph are in a Mexican standoff with the gang at that fun and wacky Merovingian's hangout? You know the scene...the one where about 80 people are standing around holding firearms pointed at one another's head, and Trinity's heat is focused on Mero's forehead. She's deadly serious about blowing him away; you can cut the tension with a knife. It's a hair-trigger situation. You can't stir the cliches with a stick. But that's beside the point. Trin delivers her ultimatum, Mero is squirming like the French weasel he is and it's now or never. And then...and then...she pulls back the hammer on her pistol! If it had been me, that little detail would already have been attended to. (Never mind that that particular little action is unnecessary anyway.)

OK, that's a pretty minor thing, but they made a big deal out of it in the movie. It just bugged me.

Then there's those great hulking wearable weapons (APUs?) that were prominently featured in the Zion battle scenes. They were wonders of hydraulics and mechanical joints and questionable gyroscopic stability. I loved 'em, even if they were derivative of the loading 'bot used by Ripley to off the queen in the climax of "Aliens." But, with all the engineering expertise that was obviously brought to bear in the design, why did it require a forklift to reload them with ammo? At the very least, if you had to have another guy run a wheelbarrow full of ammo out to the APU, couldn't you have designed the ammo chamber so that it was at waist-level? If there's one thing that I can't tolerate, it's poor usability and accessibility in my battle machines.

Well, I've enjoyed this little chat, but I need to close with a rare, but legitimate rant. 77-0. That's the damage done to A&M's football program by OU this afternoon. I don't usually waste time (or pixels) on Aggie football, but I gotta tell you... 77-0 (and it was really worse than the score indicates, based on what I've read) is the sign of a poorly-prepared, poorly-coached team that has given up and is coasting, however painfully, to the end off the season. Sure, OU is ranked #1 and undefeated this year...just like they were last year when A&M beat them. Sure, the revenge factor was strong, and sure, OU is probably a better team than they were last year. But, still. This is just pitiful. Three first downs, none in the second half. Never crossed their own 40 yard line. 54 yards of total offense. 12 punts. Franchione had better reassess where his team is and where it's going, and figure out something else.

Let's do this again sometime, shall we? I'll bring the tea.

Partial Birth Abortion Ban Update

[First, have you noticed that I choose to place these postings in the category of "Religion"? That's a conscious decision. I believe God is watching our actions, as a nation, in regard to this issue, and that we're running out of time to do the right thing, in His eyes. You may choose to think that this is a political issue, but the ultimate consequences of treating it as such will be hard to bear.]

Jessica's Well links to a post on The Brazos de Dios Cantina (translated, "Brazos de Dios" means "Arm of God") in which the author provides insight with far more credibility than I (or most other people I know) could ever muster. Her language is strong, but so are her feelings, and her convictions.

This is not a complicated issue, no matter how abortion rights supporters try to color it.

IDOP: Daily Focus #7

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is tomorrow. In a series of posts that began last Sunday, we're providing a daily "snapshot" of the work of the primary sponsoring organizations.

For a quick review of what IDOP is all about, you can visit the IDOP website, which provides links to the 10 sponsoring organizations.

Voice of the Martyrs is an interdenominational organization headquartered in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and working with Christians around the world who are suffering religious persecution. VOM has over 30 offices around the world with staff members from many different denominations, all working with the common goal of helping the suffering church. WEA is headquartered in Edmonds, Washington.

VOM is a member of the Evangelical Council for Accountability (ECFA).

The World Evangelical Alliance
is a "global network of 7 regional and 121 national evangelical alliances, 104 organizational ministries and 6 specialized ministries serving the worldwide church." While the WEA focuses on Christians, it also works to ensure religious liberty for all faiths.

WEA is a member of the Evangelical Council for Accountability (ECFA).

MatrixRev - My $0.02

Not that I have anything earthshattering to add to the conversation, but since we saw "Matrix: Revolutions" this afternoon, I might as well blog about it.

I went in with low expectations, because of the overall lousy offering of "Matrix: Reloaded" (which we still bought on DVD, giving you some insight of how truly indiscriminating we are). I was prepared for long periods of dull and indecipherable dialog, and hopeful for some shining moments of sci-fi cinematic brilliance. My expectations were fulfilled on both accounts.

The movie could have been 20 minutes shorter without losing any of its impact. That may not sound like much, but 20 minutes of boring dialog is a lot, even when it's spread out over 2+ hours.

OTOH, when the movie was good, it wasn't just good, it was wonderful. I'm referring to the sci-fi action scenes, of course, and they surpassed anything I've seen. Man does not live by action scenes alone, but for every "Bruce Almighty" there must be a "Rundown."

In the end -- and I truly hope this was the end -- the overriding perception of this episode, like the previous two, is its utter humorlessness. Would it have killed them to insert a joke...even gallows humor...into the script? (The several scenes where I had to stifle laughter at the dialog don't count.)

Nevertheless, I recommend the movie for anyone looking for an entertaining popcorn-delivery system.

IDOP: Daily Focus #6

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is next Sunday, November 9. In a series of posts that began last Sunday, we're providing a daily "snapshot" of the work of the primary sponsoring organizations.

For a quick review of what IDOP is all about, you can visit the IDOP website, which provides links to the 10 sponsoring organizations.

Open Doors USA is the US arm of one of the oldest (founded in 1955) and largest (23 international offices) organizations created to battle religious persecution around the world. Open Doors provides teaching and instruction to indigenous pastors and church leaders, training them to persevere amidst persecution and lead their congregations effectively.

The organization works actively in countries such as China, Vietnam, Sudan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Colombia, Israel, the West Bank, Iraq, Lebanon, and more.

Open Doors is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Accountability (ECFA).

IDOP: Daily Focus #5

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is next Sunday, November 9. In a series of posts that began last Sunday, we're providing a daily "snapshot" of the work of the primary sponsoring organizations.

For a quick review of what IDOP is all about, you can visit the IDOP website, which provides links to the 10 sponsoring organizations.

Jubilee Campaign USA is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. The organization "campaigns" for the release of prisoners of conscience by informing Congressmen and Senators about atrocities. It also promotes and provides financial support for children's rights internationally.

The Jubilee Campaign's website is primarily designed to provide up-to-date news and research reports regarding instances of persecution.

That didn't take long

Almost immediately after President Bush signed the ban on partial birth abortions, a federal judge in Nebraska blocked its implementation.

The judge expressed concern that the bill doesn't do enough to protect the life of the mother seeking the abortion.

There was no word regarding the protection of the life of the baby being aborted.

The judge also voiced his concern that he could find no record that any doctor who performs abortions in the second and third trimester testified before Congress on partial birth abortions. Is it possible that this is due to the fact that even those who perform such procedures can't defend them?

MatrixRev

Well, who're you gonna believe, guys like this, or guys like this?

Sigh. I guess there's just one way to find out.

My home church gets media focus...

My home church, First Baptist of Midland, is the subject of a recent article published by the Baptist Press. The article focuses on our church's commitment to missions, including our ongoing annual pledge of over 30% of our undesignated giving to direct missions support.

The article also details a few of the many programs we've implemented to reach out to Midland and the surrounding area. Not all missions work is done in foreign countries.

It's a great article, if I may tread dangerously close to the sin of pride! ;-)

Matrix Timeline: File this under "Who Cares?"

The only thing more ridiculous than the fact that someone obviously spent a lot of time constructing the "historical" timeline of events depicted in the series of Matrix movies is the fact that our local newspaper devoted almost half a page, including a photo, in section one of today's edition.

At least the story didn't make to the MRT's website, although that probably would have been a better use of media than committing it to newsprint.

IDOP: Daily Focus #4

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is next Sunday, November 9. In a series of posts that began last Sunday, we're providing a daily "snapshot" of the work of the primary sponsoring organizations.

For a quick review of what IDOP is all about, you can visit the IDOP website, which provides links to the 10 sponsoring organizations.

Iranian Christians International is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ICI ministers to the approximately 8 million Iranian and Afghan refugees living outside their countries today. It publishes Mojdeh (Good News), a bilingual (Persian/English) magazine.

ICI is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

B.L.O.G. - A noble, but failed, experiment

I was sure that it was an idea whose time had come. I mean, a bunch of you bloggers had written about how you wanted to get in shape, how you lacked motivation or structure, how you just needed the right impetus. You needed a program with a huge amount of flexibility (because you're busy) and with some built-in accountability (because you're, well, lazy).

The President's Challenge seemed just like the ticket, and so B.L.O.G. was created and announced.

In short order, we had five members, worthy comrades-in-sweat, seething with resolve and aerobic potential.

So, let's recap our achievements to-date, shall we?

The measurement of progress in a P.C. group is done through the accumulation of points, which are awarded based on the time spent in physical activity. As each group member logs his or her activity, the point totals grow. As of today, our group total stands at 48,982. Good, huh? Unfortunately, just one of the group members accounts for, um, 47,685 of those points (or 97.3%). The person in second place (not that this is a competition, mind you) is a mere, um, 47,112 points out of first place.

More telling, I think, is the fact that none of the members (except the curve-buster) has logged any activity since August.

It's time to face facts...enthusiasm for the B.L.O.G. concept has...well, I was going to say it has waned, but it would have to improve significantly to get to that point. Therefore, I propose to put this noble experiment out of its misery, free up a little space in my archives, and move on to bigger and better things.

However, I still recommend the P.C. program to anyone looking for an easy and fun way to add some structure and accountability to her or his fitness program.

If wisdom stunk, could you clear a room?

OK, right up front, I do apologize for nearly everything about the title of this post. I didn't know how else to entice someone to read an entry about "wisdom." But, now that you're here, you might as well stick around for a moment.

I'm currently reading the Old Testament book of Daniel as a part of my annual RBT pilgrimage. I've read this book many times, as have you, I'm sure. But this time, something new occurred to me as I read the 12th verse of chapter 2:

If you haven't read Daniel in a while, a little background might be helpful, although not essential. King Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream, and called on his cadre of magicians, conjurers, sorcerers and astrologers to interpret it. Simple, right? Well, except that Nebbie wouldn't tell them in advance the nature of the dream. They had to interpret it, but first, they had to figure out what he had dreamed.

We