The Discovery Channel and ESPN are the only two things I ever watch on cable, and much more of the former than the later. My new favorite show, in addition to my existing favorites (Mythbusters, Cash Cab, and Dirty Jobs) is "It Takes a Thief." Two former criminals are the hosts. One approaches a family/business and makes the proposal - we'll watch a burglar (the other host), take your stuff (to be returned, of course), then beef up your home security and provide general home-security tips.
It's an hour-long show on at 5:00pm.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Lent: Week Four
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!"
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted;they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm and not a man,scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On you was I cast from my birth,and from my mother's womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd,and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet — I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,and he has not hidden his face from him,but has heard, when he cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord,and he rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.
-Psalm 22, of David
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted;they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm and not a man,scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On you was I cast from my birth,and from my mother's womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd,and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet — I can count all my bones—they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,and he has not hidden his face from him,but has heard, when he cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord,and he rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.
-Psalm 22, of David
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Coffee Giveaway
Maybe, just maybe, I'm too pessimistic in life. About some things, at least. There are other things about which I think my pessimism is fully justified until I see some evidence to the contrary, but that's well off-topic.
On Saturday, we tried a second attempt at a hot coffee giveaway in front of Wal-Mart, the first having been called off on account of snow. The goal: give away coffee, refusing to take anything in return. Sounds simple, but lets face it - when you see tables and people in front of any store, do you (a) stop to consider what they are doing, or (b) avoid eye contact, speed up, and avoid them as much as possible - perhaps using little old ladies as a human shield?
I was sure it was doomed to failure, but I felt that way about our car wash, too. The initial experience confirmed my fears - lots of human shields, no one really wanting coffee. I took the easy task of holding a sign, which became harder as the temperature dropped and my fingers numbed... but it meant I didn't have to be the one getting rejected over and over, and that's a welcome change of pace (no. I promise. I won't go there, and I will stay on topic). I did, however, talk to a few brave souls that ventured over to the table - meaning, I answered questions if they asked. I also made eye contact with people, smiled, and wished them a good morning.
I was amazed that as the day went on, we had not a few people who were genuinely curious what in the world we were doing, but who didn't want any coffee. "What is this for?" "We're a new church in the south, and every two weeks we try to get out in the community to serve in some way, like..." It's really useful to be able to rattle off some of the events and service projects we've done, and it's proof that we're not out here trying to slip in under your radar but that we simply believe it's important to serve others, just because. Having a track record of doing so, both with a variety of non-partisan groups and on your own, is a useful way of demonstrating your motives, I think.
I also decided that "bless" is a Christianese word that we need to get out of the habit of using. I think it's a useful word, but when you shout at a passerby that you want to bless them, I wonder if they are curious who sneezed. I much prefer "give" and "serve," which both convey the what-we-are-trying-to-accomplish message, without unnecessary obfuscation.
Finally, it's always great when I see new faces at our Servant Evangelism projects. We had several at this one, and it's encouraging beyond words to watch people grow from being hearers of the Word to doers, also.
On Saturday, we tried a second attempt at a hot coffee giveaway in front of Wal-Mart, the first having been called off on account of snow. The goal: give away coffee, refusing to take anything in return. Sounds simple, but lets face it - when you see tables and people in front of any store, do you (a) stop to consider what they are doing, or (b) avoid eye contact, speed up, and avoid them as much as possible - perhaps using little old ladies as a human shield?
I was sure it was doomed to failure, but I felt that way about our car wash, too. The initial experience confirmed my fears - lots of human shields, no one really wanting coffee. I took the easy task of holding a sign, which became harder as the temperature dropped and my fingers numbed... but it meant I didn't have to be the one getting rejected over and over, and that's a welcome change of pace (no. I promise. I won't go there, and I will stay on topic). I did, however, talk to a few brave souls that ventured over to the table - meaning, I answered questions if they asked. I also made eye contact with people, smiled, and wished them a good morning.
I was amazed that as the day went on, we had not a few people who were genuinely curious what in the world we were doing, but who didn't want any coffee. "What is this for?" "We're a new church in the south, and every two weeks we try to get out in the community to serve in some way, like..." It's really useful to be able to rattle off some of the events and service projects we've done, and it's proof that we're not out here trying to slip in under your radar but that we simply believe it's important to serve others, just because. Having a track record of doing so, both with a variety of non-partisan groups and on your own, is a useful way of demonstrating your motives, I think.
I also decided that "bless" is a Christianese word that we need to get out of the habit of using. I think it's a useful word, but when you shout at a passerby that you want to bless them, I wonder if they are curious who sneezed. I much prefer "give" and "serve," which both convey the what-we-are-trying-to-accomplish message, without unnecessary obfuscation.
Finally, it's always great when I see new faces at our Servant Evangelism projects. We had several at this one, and it's encouraging beyond words to watch people grow from being hearers of the Word to doers, also.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Pew Profile of Religion in the USA
The PEW Research group has released a pretty broad survey of religion in the US. There's so much information, it will take a while to pick through it all. I took a glance at the figures for education by religion, and found some interesting nuggets.
Compared to the National Average, 6% more Evangelical Christians have only a high school diploma or less, while 7% fewer have at least a college degree. 11% fewer Mormons have only a high school degree or less, but only 1% more have at least a college degree. Fully 28% fewer Jews have at most a high school degree, and 32% more have at least a college degree (59%, compared to 27% nationally). The biggest discrepancy is Hindus, for whom 34% fewer are limited to a high school degree, and 47% more have at least a college degree (74% of Hindus in the US have at least a college degree). There's a variety of effects to sort out (my guess is that a significant share of Hindus are temporary/permanent immigrants who are here under immigration provisions that favor professional/college-trained workers).
With a few exceptions, most groups people who identify with a religion are more educated than society as a whole. Those exceptions are Evangelical Christians, Historically Black Christian Denominations, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslims, who all trend more toward the HS-or-less, and less toward "college-or-more" than the national average. JW's in particular are 20% higher than the national average in HS-or-less, and 18% lower in the college-or-more segments.
I'm not saying what any of this means. I just found it interesting.
Compared to the National Average, 6% more Evangelical Christians have only a high school diploma or less, while 7% fewer have at least a college degree. 11% fewer Mormons have only a high school degree or less, but only 1% more have at least a college degree. Fully 28% fewer Jews have at most a high school degree, and 32% more have at least a college degree (59%, compared to 27% nationally). The biggest discrepancy is Hindus, for whom 34% fewer are limited to a high school degree, and 47% more have at least a college degree (74% of Hindus in the US have at least a college degree). There's a variety of effects to sort out (my guess is that a significant share of Hindus are temporary/permanent immigrants who are here under immigration provisions that favor professional/college-trained workers).
With a few exceptions, most groups people who identify with a religion are more educated than society as a whole. Those exceptions are Evangelical Christians, Historically Black Christian Denominations, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses and Muslims, who all trend more toward the HS-or-less, and less toward "college-or-more" than the national average. JW's in particular are 20% higher than the national average in HS-or-less, and 18% lower in the college-or-more segments.
I'm not saying what any of this means. I just found it interesting.
Solutions
I had a dilema. I needed to track some data, and while spreadsheets would probably work it would be a cumbersome way to handle this particular type of data. What I really wanted was Access, so I could use some forms and reports to compile various pieces of the data as seamlessly as possible. But I don't have Access at home, and it would be good if I can put together a solution that would be portable - that is - a solution that I could hand off to somebody else without first seeing if they have a pricey suite of programs.
The answer? OpenOffice.org It's a suite of open-source programs that include programs to accomplish the same tasks as MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Access. And it's a free legal download (so anybody I would hand this file off to would be able to download this software and use the file I'm building).
It's pretty slick so far, but I'm still fumbling my way through it. Mostly, I'm waiting on some important source data so I have some real numbers to work with. That will go a long way to answering whether this will actually work.
The answer? OpenOffice.org It's a suite of open-source programs that include programs to accomplish the same tasks as MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Access. And it's a free legal download (so anybody I would hand this file off to would be able to download this software and use the file I'm building).
It's pretty slick so far, but I'm still fumbling my way through it. Mostly, I'm waiting on some important source data so I have some real numbers to work with. That will go a long way to answering whether this will actually work.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Movie Season Approaches
This is the first movie this year that I have been really looking forward to. Under 3 weeks to go!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Silly Songs With Dave
I get the randomest things stuck in my head. If you have iTunes and dare venture into my madness, feel free to check out "I'm Henry the VIII, I am" HERE.
Lent: Week Three
"Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother"
Others, I believe, have spoken about the incredible concern that Jesus shows for others in these lines as he is experiencing the torment of the cross. Honestly, I fail to see any remarkable message in these words at all. It's not that it may not be there, they just never strike me that way.
Really, they seem profoundly ordinary - the sad duty of a dying man arranging his affairs, as it were. Death is a terrible rending of the bonds we forge in life, and the damage is worst for those who were closest to the person who dies. Even knowing the end of the story, where Jesus walks out of the grave with shining lights and angelic choruses and every pomp and circumstance you care to insert, even as he appears to hundreds of disciples, still Mary is without her son. He's not the same, and he still leaves for good all too soon. And I'll bet she still missed him.
Even with the up-close look at grief I had this last summer of a young man dead before his time, I know that his family - old friends, mother, father, sisters, and wife - will be affected in a way I can't relate to, long after it's faded to an archive of experiences for me. With the recent furor over a girl who was raped, kidnapped, and murdered (some combination of the above) in Reno, I can't help but think that the community - as engaged as it is - still doesn't relate to the situation in the same way as the family who will never see their daughter again, and who lives with a horrible picture of how ugly her final moments were. And words I could use to try and describe it only cheapen what they feel.
Jesus words are ordinary - the sort of thing that a dying person is expected to do - he doesn't, for instance, provide Mary with a bottomless jar of oil, or some miraculous provision for her needs. He simply asks John to watch over her. I'm glad that Jesus is ordinary sometimes, because it enables him to be more sympathetic to an ordinary guy like me. Jesus' death was a sad, life-changing experience for his friends and family, and we cheapen it if we forget that.
Others, I believe, have spoken about the incredible concern that Jesus shows for others in these lines as he is experiencing the torment of the cross. Honestly, I fail to see any remarkable message in these words at all. It's not that it may not be there, they just never strike me that way.
Really, they seem profoundly ordinary - the sad duty of a dying man arranging his affairs, as it were. Death is a terrible rending of the bonds we forge in life, and the damage is worst for those who were closest to the person who dies. Even knowing the end of the story, where Jesus walks out of the grave with shining lights and angelic choruses and every pomp and circumstance you care to insert, even as he appears to hundreds of disciples, still Mary is without her son. He's not the same, and he still leaves for good all too soon. And I'll bet she still missed him.
Even with the up-close look at grief I had this last summer of a young man dead before his time, I know that his family - old friends, mother, father, sisters, and wife - will be affected in a way I can't relate to, long after it's faded to an archive of experiences for me. With the recent furor over a girl who was raped, kidnapped, and murdered (some combination of the above) in Reno, I can't help but think that the community - as engaged as it is - still doesn't relate to the situation in the same way as the family who will never see their daughter again, and who lives with a horrible picture of how ugly her final moments were. And words I could use to try and describe it only cheapen what they feel.
Jesus words are ordinary - the sort of thing that a dying person is expected to do - he doesn't, for instance, provide Mary with a bottomless jar of oil, or some miraculous provision for her needs. He simply asks John to watch over her. I'm glad that Jesus is ordinary sometimes, because it enables him to be more sympathetic to an ordinary guy like me. Jesus' death was a sad, life-changing experience for his friends and family, and we cheapen it if we forget that.
Eclipse Recap
The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 is behind us. I spent most of the day convinced that cloud cover would make it impossible to see the eclipse, and until about halfway through the total eclipse, I was right. I caught a glimpse of the pre-eclipse moon through banks of clouds, but that was it.
Determined to get a look at it (but uncertain if I would succeed), I set out for my apartment's hot tub around 7:15, and set the timer for a half hour when I arrived. If the jets died before the clouds, I knew I'd have missed the total eclipse - but at least it was a chance to soak my right knee (which had been bothering me all day) in hot water, and to be warm while I waited. Fortunately, the clouds broke around 7:30 and were gone by the time the eclipse ended at 7:50.
I had tried making grander plans to watch the eclipse, but such things really are more fun with someone else around to enjoy it (and keep you awake), and those plans never got off the ground. Disappointing, but at least I got to see the eclipse and my knee feels better today. It's a decent consolation prize.
Determined to get a look at it (but uncertain if I would succeed), I set out for my apartment's hot tub around 7:15, and set the timer for a half hour when I arrived. If the jets died before the clouds, I knew I'd have missed the total eclipse - but at least it was a chance to soak my right knee (which had been bothering me all day) in hot water, and to be warm while I waited. Fortunately, the clouds broke around 7:30 and were gone by the time the eclipse ended at 7:50.
I had tried making grander plans to watch the eclipse, but such things really are more fun with someone else around to enjoy it (and keep you awake), and those plans never got off the ground. Disappointing, but at least I got to see the eclipse and my knee feels better today. It's a decent consolation prize.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Last Chance!
Tomorrow (Wednesday) night, be sure to check out the moon between 7 and 8 pm. It's your last chance to see a full lunar eclipse until December 2010. This will be a shorter, brighter eclipse than the one photographed here (the moon will be crossing closer to the edge of the earth's shadow, not through its heart), but it's during prime viewing hours (as opposed to 2-3 am).
Saturday, February 16, 2008
A Year in Retrospect
It was a year ago that I started using Google Analytics to track activity on my blog. Since I have no money-making portion of this blog, it's purely an exercise in narcissism. But that being said, here's the rundown. A year ago, I averaged roughly 10 visits per day - now I'm at about 20. Aside from direct traffic (bookmarks, and people who type the URL in), the following people led the most people to my site: Ken and Alicia (16.19% of traffic), Steve & Katrina (10.53%), and Jose (7.24%).
Aside from searching for the title or URL of the blog, here are some of the search keyword terms that people have used to find my blog through the interweb tubes: "going cross eyed" (14 visits), "going crosseyed" (5 minutes), "you don't win friends with salad" (4 visits), "cafe standards" (3 visits), "evangelical lyrics," "evangelical lent," "famous aphorism," "irritated uvula," and "oh edna k, oh edna k" (2 visits each).
The following countries have not only seen the blog, but stayed long enough to read something: Vietnam, Belgium, Portugal, U.S.A., South Korea, Finland, Mexico, France, Greece, Mauritias, Egypt, Italy, Chile, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Germany, Argentina, India, Ireland, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Dominican Republic, Australia and Brazil. Only the US, however, has more than 50 visits total.
The only states that have not pinged my blog in the past year are Montana, Wyoming, Vermont, and Delaware. 32 states have actually had someone stay long enough to read something. Almost 3,300 visits are from Nevada, while Nebraska, Indiana, California, New York, North Carolina, Washington, Kentucky, and Utah have the most visits after Nevada (I can watch as friends and family move, and visits shift from North Carolina to Nebraska for instance).
For me, it hasn't been an eventful year. Looking back at my February 2007 blog archives, I was struck by just how similar it sounds, even the thought that the best time of year was February 15(ish) because it's a whole year before Valentine's Day comes around again. Next year at this time, I'll have been 30 long enough that I should be getting used to it. And I'll probably be talking about how wonderful it is that Valentine's Day is a whole year away again. Because some things never change.
Aside from searching for the title or URL of the blog, here are some of the search keyword terms that people have used to find my blog through the interweb tubes: "going cross eyed" (14 visits), "going crosseyed" (5 minutes), "you don't win friends with salad" (4 visits), "cafe standards" (3 visits), "evangelical lyrics," "evangelical lent," "famous aphorism," "irritated uvula," and "oh edna k, oh edna k" (2 visits each).
The following countries have not only seen the blog, but stayed long enough to read something: Vietnam, Belgium, Portugal, U.S.A., South Korea, Finland, Mexico, France, Greece, Mauritias, Egypt, Italy, Chile, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Germany, Argentina, India, Ireland, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Dominican Republic, Australia and Brazil. Only the US, however, has more than 50 visits total.
The only states that have not pinged my blog in the past year are Montana, Wyoming, Vermont, and Delaware. 32 states have actually had someone stay long enough to read something. Almost 3,300 visits are from Nevada, while Nebraska, Indiana, California, New York, North Carolina, Washington, Kentucky, and Utah have the most visits after Nevada (I can watch as friends and family move, and visits shift from North Carolina to Nebraska for instance).
For me, it hasn't been an eventful year. Looking back at my February 2007 blog archives, I was struck by just how similar it sounds, even the thought that the best time of year was February 15(ish) because it's a whole year before Valentine's Day comes around again. Next year at this time, I'll have been 30 long enough that I should be getting used to it. And I'll probably be talking about how wonderful it is that Valentine's Day is a whole year away again. Because some things never change.
When your clock's out of whack...
I took Friday off so that when I went home from work on Thursday I had the prospect of a 4-day weekend to look forward to, as a positive thing to think about other than the wretched holiday. And, for the most part it worked. But, since Friday felt like Saturday, today felt like - of course - Sunday. So when I got a telemarketer call to wake me up at 8:30 am (after being up until 4am!), my first thought was "Shoot! I'm going to be late for church!" The same thing happened when my sister called at 11:30 - I thought first of all "Shoot! I slept through church!"
Tomorrow's our first official day meeting at Double Diamond Elementary. And I need to be there at 9am for setup... though I honestly could get there at 10am as easily... the setup I have to is next to nothing.
It's a new era for our little church. According to people who know more about such things than I, the growth we've seen, especially given that we didn't start off with a typical "core group of families" from a "mother church," has been nothing short of phenomenal. God's been good to us, and provided all of our needs. I hope as we move forward, we can represent him well and continue to see growth in people's lives. All the trappings of things and stuff around us are no more than tools. Seeing people's hearts and lives transformed remains the best part about being involved with the church.
Tomorrow's our first official day meeting at Double Diamond Elementary. And I need to be there at 9am for setup... though I honestly could get there at 10am as easily... the setup I have to is next to nothing.
It's a new era for our little church. According to people who know more about such things than I, the growth we've seen, especially given that we didn't start off with a typical "core group of families" from a "mother church," has been nothing short of phenomenal. God's been good to us, and provided all of our needs. I hope as we move forward, we can represent him well and continue to see growth in people's lives. All the trappings of things and stuff around us are no more than tools. Seeing people's hearts and lives transformed remains the best part about being involved with the church.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Basketball as Simile
If you want to know what it's like to be 29, perpetually single, and blogging at 8:20 pm on Valentine's Day for lack of anything else to do, it's kind of like how this game felt. The only good thing is that it's over, though with the dreadful, lingering fear of what's to come.
And, as I've felt so many times concerning las chicas, I really thought the team had turned a corner this time, only to be utterly disappointed once more.
For me, Valentines Day is a day defined in two moments as I was on my way home from work. In Scholaris, seeing a bunch of guys in the card aisle and a bunch of people getting fresh food for their romantic dinner, and myself in Zee's Pizza buying a single slice of pepperoni, to go. Those moments just seemed... iconic.
And, as I've felt so many times concerning las chicas, I really thought the team had turned a corner this time, only to be utterly disappointed once more.
For me, Valentines Day is a day defined in two moments as I was on my way home from work. In Scholaris, seeing a bunch of guys in the card aisle and a bunch of people getting fresh food for their romantic dinner, and myself in Zee's Pizza buying a single slice of pepperoni, to go. Those moments just seemed... iconic.
Debt
In an earlier post about deficits, I mentioned that when you spend more than you earn (through credit of some sort), you are borrowing against your future earnings to do so. This is a choice we can make, and if you have no family to provide for, you affect only yourself in the process.
But it can be really easy to start using such practices to finance a lifestyle that goes beyond your means. You get used to spending a lot of money, and you use a little bit of credit here and there to "make up the difference."
And so, in late 2007 my credit card's minimum payment crept over $100 per month. That, for me, was a wake up call that I had more debt than I was comfortable with, and I needed to make a change. It wasn't that I was living an extravagent life, but in little things here and there I was spending too much money.
Starting from having roughly $4,800 in credit card debt on my October 2007 statement, I began taking bigger and bigger bites out of my bi-weekly paycheck, to try and spend my money well before I simply frittered it away somewhere. By the end of February, I should be at about $2,950 left on the card - or just over $1,800 (over 1/3 of the debt) paid off in 5 months. That average is creeping up, as I spent less toward debt during Christmas, and I'm trying to put $400-$500 a month toward the debt right now. If I can maintain this pace, I should have the card paid off by September-October.
Once that's done, I'd like to use that $400-$500 a month to pay off my car faster (twice as fast as right now, where I have about 22 payments to go). I still owe about $8,800 on it, and putting 20,000+ miles on it each year is hard on it. I'd like to get it paid off, so I can use the $400 I pay on it (actual payment, about $353, but I pay a little extra each month) in other ways.
My end goal is once I have my car payment and credit card payments done with, I'll have $800 more each month available. In addition to the $650 I pay in rent right now, that puts me much closer to being able to afford a house payment, so instead of monthly rent I can start building some equity (and getting a mortgage interest tax write-off).
My debt from the past is borrowed against my future earnings, until such time as they are paid off. I'd like to get that obligation settled so that I can free up my future earnings for more productive ends.
But it can be really easy to start using such practices to finance a lifestyle that goes beyond your means. You get used to spending a lot of money, and you use a little bit of credit here and there to "make up the difference."
And so, in late 2007 my credit card's minimum payment crept over $100 per month. That, for me, was a wake up call that I had more debt than I was comfortable with, and I needed to make a change. It wasn't that I was living an extravagent life, but in little things here and there I was spending too much money.
Starting from having roughly $4,800 in credit card debt on my October 2007 statement, I began taking bigger and bigger bites out of my bi-weekly paycheck, to try and spend my money well before I simply frittered it away somewhere. By the end of February, I should be at about $2,950 left on the card - or just over $1,800 (over 1/3 of the debt) paid off in 5 months. That average is creeping up, as I spent less toward debt during Christmas, and I'm trying to put $400-$500 a month toward the debt right now. If I can maintain this pace, I should have the card paid off by September-October.
Once that's done, I'd like to use that $400-$500 a month to pay off my car faster (twice as fast as right now, where I have about 22 payments to go). I still owe about $8,800 on it, and putting 20,000+ miles on it each year is hard on it. I'd like to get it paid off, so I can use the $400 I pay on it (actual payment, about $353, but I pay a little extra each month) in other ways.
My end goal is once I have my car payment and credit card payments done with, I'll have $800 more each month available. In addition to the $650 I pay in rent right now, that puts me much closer to being able to afford a house payment, so instead of monthly rent I can start building some equity (and getting a mortgage interest tax write-off).
My debt from the past is borrowed against my future earnings, until such time as they are paid off. I'd like to get that obligation settled so that I can free up my future earnings for more productive ends.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Lent: Week Two
Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
I'm a big fan of C.S. Lewis's "Lord, Liar, or Lunatic" argument - particularly the point that you can't say the sort of things Jesus said and be "just a good man." Yes, Jesus had admirable ethical standards, but he also says some things which seem incompatible with the idea of him being just a good man. One of those statements is what he says to one of the thieves on the cross.
We'll remember that Jesus is hanging on the cross when he says this, in physical agony, and speaking to one of two men who, in another gospel were "heaping scorn on him." He's sleepless, beaten, weak, thirsty, (mostly?) naked, and still being mocked.
This thief says almost nothing - certainly he doesn't repent of his sins and ask Jesus to be his personal Lord and Savior. The Romand Road is not yet written. He merely acknowledges that Jesus is innocent and asks to be remembered in Jesus' kingdom. Then Jesus says the sort of thing that a sane, honest, normal person simply cannot say.
"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
He offers a guarantee that this man will be in paradise. "Truly... you will be..." How could any man make such a declaration, especially a person whose crimes deserved crucifixion? Would you dare to promise anyone - on the basis of what this thief said - eternal paradise?
Either Jesus has inhuman knowledge of the destinies of others, or Jesus has the authority to determine them, neither of which is something to be regarded lightly. I believe both are true, and I think both are things a man who's merely sane and noble does not go around claiming.
In other scattered thoughts about the verse:
1) "Today... in paradise" - Today says "right away" to me. That the man's pain on his own cross will not last long, and then it will be over with paradise to come.
2) "you will be with me..." - Jesus promises not only paradise, but companionship. You won't be flung off to paradise to while away the endless ages alone, but in fellowship with Jesus. I'm reminded of how Jesus goes to prepare a place for us "that where I am there you may also be."
3) Jesus made lots of "Truly I say to you..." statements. That this is his last says to me that even in the grip of death, Jesus is not mastered by it.
I'm a big fan of C.S. Lewis's "Lord, Liar, or Lunatic" argument - particularly the point that you can't say the sort of things Jesus said and be "just a good man." Yes, Jesus had admirable ethical standards, but he also says some things which seem incompatible with the idea of him being just a good man. One of those statements is what he says to one of the thieves on the cross.
We'll remember that Jesus is hanging on the cross when he says this, in physical agony, and speaking to one of two men who, in another gospel were "heaping scorn on him." He's sleepless, beaten, weak, thirsty, (mostly?) naked, and still being mocked.
This thief says almost nothing - certainly he doesn't repent of his sins and ask Jesus to be his personal Lord and Savior. The Romand Road is not yet written. He merely acknowledges that Jesus is innocent and asks to be remembered in Jesus' kingdom. Then Jesus says the sort of thing that a sane, honest, normal person simply cannot say.
"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
He offers a guarantee that this man will be in paradise. "Truly... you will be..." How could any man make such a declaration, especially a person whose crimes deserved crucifixion? Would you dare to promise anyone - on the basis of what this thief said - eternal paradise?
Either Jesus has inhuman knowledge of the destinies of others, or Jesus has the authority to determine them, neither of which is something to be regarded lightly. I believe both are true, and I think both are things a man who's merely sane and noble does not go around claiming.
In other scattered thoughts about the verse:
1) "Today... in paradise" - Today says "right away" to me. That the man's pain on his own cross will not last long, and then it will be over with paradise to come.
2) "you will be with me..." - Jesus promises not only paradise, but companionship. You won't be flung off to paradise to while away the endless ages alone, but in fellowship with Jesus. I'm reminded of how Jesus goes to prepare a place for us "that where I am there you may also be."
3) Jesus made lots of "Truly I say to you..." statements. That this is his last says to me that even in the grip of death, Jesus is not mastered by it.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Silver Saturday
The only way to get everyone at Lawlor Events Center wearing the same color to a basketball game is to give the shirts away to everyone. They did that last Saturday for our game on ESPN, and this was the result:
Monday, February 11, 2008
Stimulus Update
I heard on the news this morning that the URGENT ECONOMICS STIMULUS CHECKS will be arriving in.... August. They even speculated that the money is likely to be spent "quickly" because people will be doing their back-to-school-shopping around that time.
This is nothing - absolutely nothing - more than the government giving away money to placate an unhappy electorate a few short months before a national election. Think about it - at that point, the checks will be 6 months removed from the current conditions, but only 3 months removed from the election.
Aren't you glad that the $160ish billion in pure deficit spending is going to such a worthy cause? Every person in the country - regardless of political affiliation, as this was a bipartisan fleecing - should be outraged by this.
To put that $160 billion into perspective, consider: The additional debt for that $160 billion will cost the country roughly $7.3 million in additional interest each year until essentially the end of time. What could the country do with $7.3 million annually over the lifetime of that debt? It may be a grain of sand in a sea of budgets, but it's a grain of sand matched by another gran from the non-boondogle deficit the budget already had, another grain from postponing the AMT adjustment, another grain (or twenty) from the war in Iraq, another grain from...
$7.3 million is enough that my annual salary is dwarfed by the $0.3 at the end ($300,000).
This is nothing - absolutely nothing - more than the government giving away money to placate an unhappy electorate a few short months before a national election. Think about it - at that point, the checks will be 6 months removed from the current conditions, but only 3 months removed from the election.
Aren't you glad that the $160ish billion in pure deficit spending is going to such a worthy cause? Every person in the country - regardless of political affiliation, as this was a bipartisan fleecing - should be outraged by this.
To put that $160 billion into perspective, consider: The additional debt for that $160 billion will cost the country roughly $7.3 million in additional interest each year until essentially the end of time. What could the country do with $7.3 million annually over the lifetime of that debt? It may be a grain of sand in a sea of budgets, but it's a grain of sand matched by another gran from the non-boondogle deficit the budget already had, another grain from postponing the AMT adjustment, another grain (or twenty) from the war in Iraq, another grain from...
$7.3 million is enough that my annual salary is dwarfed by the $0.3 at the end ($300,000).
Friday, February 08, 2008
Stimulus?
The Senate passed a barely-modified version of the House stimulus bill. My prediction - it will do essentially no good in the short run (which is all its designed to do). It's $160 billion in election year feel-good deficit spending. If we need stimulus now it's worthless, as not a dime will go out for 3 months. 3 months! If the economy is at a tipping point, 3 months from now is an all-but-worthless time to try and do a single thing about it.
When my $300 comes, it's going right to pay down credit card debt. Not a dime will be spent immediately. The "rebate" in my case won't do a single thing to influence the economy. But it will represent a 60-80% increase in the federal budget deficit this year.
The government very often chooses form over substance. This is a blatant example of it. And it's a reason why I don't trust government in more arcane and less obvious matters, like how to simultaneously bring down the cost of health care while increasing the demand for its services. They just failed to pull a cat out of a tree. You think I trust them to stop a speeding train?
When my $300 comes, it's going right to pay down credit card debt. Not a dime will be spent immediately. The "rebate" in my case won't do a single thing to influence the economy. But it will represent a 60-80% increase in the federal budget deficit this year.
The government very often chooses form over substance. This is a blatant example of it. And it's a reason why I don't trust government in more arcane and less obvious matters, like how to simultaneously bring down the cost of health care while increasing the demand for its services. They just failed to pull a cat out of a tree. You think I trust them to stop a speeding train?
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Global Warming
Often lost in the hysteria over Global warming are the facts. We keep hearing about biofuels as though they are the savior of the environment, but in a recent issue of Science...
"A study published in the latest issue of Science finds that corn-based ethanol, instead of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by a hoped-for 20%, will nearly double the output of CO2 and other gases that trap the sun's heat. A separate paper in Science concludes that the clearing of native habitats around the world to grow more biofuel crops will lead to more carbon emissions, not less."
This is beside the fact that since corn, sugar, and other sources of sugars for ethanol are commodities, buying lots of them to go into distilleries drives up the prices for everything from cattle feed to tortillas to bread to popcorn. Not to mention that ethanol's lower vapor point than gasoline makes it more difficult to distribute by pipeline, so it has to be trucked around, limiting the distribution for it. Dropping huge subsidies on a problem just because it looks like change is something the government is good at. Actually bringing about the desired effect is something else entirely.
"A study published in the latest issue of Science finds that corn-based ethanol, instead of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by a hoped-for 20%, will nearly double the output of CO2 and other gases that trap the sun's heat. A separate paper in Science concludes that the clearing of native habitats around the world to grow more biofuel crops will lead to more carbon emissions, not less."
This is beside the fact that since corn, sugar, and other sources of sugars for ethanol are commodities, buying lots of them to go into distilleries drives up the prices for everything from cattle feed to tortillas to bread to popcorn. Not to mention that ethanol's lower vapor point than gasoline makes it more difficult to distribute by pipeline, so it has to be trucked around, limiting the distribution for it. Dropping huge subsidies on a problem just because it looks like change is something the government is good at. Actually bringing about the desired effect is something else entirely.
Amber Alerts
I added an Amber Alert ticker to my webpage not long ago. I thought it might occasionally show something, but it has been yellow (meaning there is an Alert or update) more often than it has been white (meaning no news) since I got it.
I guess that's today's world. Must be scary to be a parent.
I guess that's today's world. Must be scary to be a parent.
Good Show, Mitt
It's tough to fight so hard and invest so much in something you believe in, only to walk away before the bitterest end. But un-fracturing the party can't come soon enough, and the ability to do that rests largely on your shoulders.
Thanks.
I only hope that someone has the foresight to put you in a position where you can still use your knowledge, skills, and organizational ability for the benefit of the country.
Thanks.
I only hope that someone has the foresight to put you in a position where you can still use your knowledge, skills, and organizational ability for the benefit of the country.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Lent: Week One
"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
It's hard to forgive people. It's especially hard when they've hurt you deeply. It's especially especially hard when they've done so unjustly. Sometimes, it's a fight simply to not hate them. I want to hold on, to get repaid for the hurt, to make sure they know the pain I've felt. After all - how are they going to every know any better if they don't feel the sting of my rebuke? It's even harder, having willed myself not to loathe a person, to seek their good - to stand with them, and represent them with someone I may be able to influence.
Surely, this was unfair. Evil men, given the freedom to execute a lamb, not simply by slitting its throat, but by beating, abusing, flagellating it, and then nailing it on a pole to slowly suffocate for the amusement - the enjoyment of others. Here was a man that everyone knew was on the cross because he was seen as a threat by the rulers. He was a warning - a sign that these authorities are not to be crossed.
Why, here, is ignorance suddenly an excuse? Surely they know enough to know that this is wrong, so why is "for they do not know..." the justification for seeking forgiveness? In times past, God has used evil men to accomplish his purposes - the Assyrians, and the Babylonians for instance. But that did not free them from judgement for their attacks on God's people. Why now?
Why should Jesus stand beside the justly condemned - guilty, unrepentant men wallowing in their own wretchedness - and seek pardon?
Is it too little to say "Because that's what Jesus came to do?" To stand alongside fools wallowing in the dirt, and to enter the Most Holy Place by his own perfect sacrifice and intercede before the Father for us.
It's hard to forgive people. It's especially hard when they've hurt you deeply. It's especially especially hard when they've done so unjustly. Sometimes, it's a fight simply to not hate them. I want to hold on, to get repaid for the hurt, to make sure they know the pain I've felt. After all - how are they going to every know any better if they don't feel the sting of my rebuke? It's even harder, having willed myself not to loathe a person, to seek their good - to stand with them, and represent them with someone I may be able to influence.
Surely, this was unfair. Evil men, given the freedom to execute a lamb, not simply by slitting its throat, but by beating, abusing, flagellating it, and then nailing it on a pole to slowly suffocate for the amusement - the enjoyment of others. Here was a man that everyone knew was on the cross because he was seen as a threat by the rulers. He was a warning - a sign that these authorities are not to be crossed.
Why, here, is ignorance suddenly an excuse? Surely they know enough to know that this is wrong, so why is "for they do not know..." the justification for seeking forgiveness? In times past, God has used evil men to accomplish his purposes - the Assyrians, and the Babylonians for instance. But that did not free them from judgement for their attacks on God's people. Why now?
Why should Jesus stand beside the justly condemned - guilty, unrepentant men wallowing in their own wretchedness - and seek pardon?
Is it too little to say "Because that's what Jesus came to do?" To stand alongside fools wallowing in the dirt, and to enter the Most Holy Place by his own perfect sacrifice and intercede before the Father for us.
Lent
It's a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I want to give up hamburgers for Lent. There's health reasons, too, but I want to use the longing I feel for one of my favorite foods to prompt myself to reflect on the Easter season.
I'm also going to be following Jose's lead and commenting once a week on Jesus' last words on the cross. More to come...
I'm also going to be following Jose's lead and commenting once a week on Jesus' last words on the cross. More to come...
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Deficits
Kenny asked me in a recent blog post why I'm strongly opposed to deficits. There's a number of technical reasons why I have been told deficits are bad, but the strongest argument in my mind is from Alan Greenspan. He talks repeatedly in his book about his fear in the early years of the current Bush Administration that a hard-won sense of fiscal responsibility in Congress that developed in the late 1990's would be lost.
Budget deficits tend to be persistent because there are two ways that Congress can change the situation - higher taxes, or cutting - not just slowing - spending. Neither is popular. (there's a third way, seen in part under Clinton, where the economy does well and covers the gap... but I think that's beyond the realm of Congress's ability to control it).
According to an economist at the Cato Institute, there's a good chance the actual/realized budget deficit for 2008 will pass $500 billion . That's half a trillion dollars. (note: the proposal currently calls for some $260 billion for the deficit, but that conviniently ignores some war funding and the $150-200 billion "stimulus" proposal currently in Congress).
In FY2007, the interest payments alone on the national debt were over $400 billion. Running through the total discretionary budgets for major agencies in the order listed in the President's budget the following TOTAL to $400.4 billion: Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health & Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing & Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State and other International Programs, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Meaning: if we weren't paying interest on over $9 trillion in debt, we could, without changing the budget at all, double the size of ALL of those agencies. Or, more realistically, we could totally eliminate our current budget deficit without touching a single Government agency.
Deficits borrow from the future to fund our own excesses now. When you do that personally, you borrow from your own future earnings. When the nation does it, you do it from children and those not even born. We are bankrupting the future to buy votes now. That is truly shameful. And every member of Congress who supports these excesses is guilty.
Budget deficits tend to be persistent because there are two ways that Congress can change the situation - higher taxes, or cutting - not just slowing - spending. Neither is popular. (there's a third way, seen in part under Clinton, where the economy does well and covers the gap... but I think that's beyond the realm of Congress's ability to control it).
According to an economist at the Cato Institute, there's a good chance the actual/realized budget deficit for 2008 will pass $500 billion . That's half a trillion dollars. (note: the proposal currently calls for some $260 billion for the deficit, but that conviniently ignores some war funding and the $150-200 billion "stimulus" proposal currently in Congress).
In FY2007, the interest payments alone on the national debt were over $400 billion. Running through the total discretionary budgets for major agencies in the order listed in the President's budget the following TOTAL to $400.4 billion: Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health & Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing & Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State and other International Programs, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Meaning: if we weren't paying interest on over $9 trillion in debt, we could, without changing the budget at all, double the size of ALL of those agencies. Or, more realistically, we could totally eliminate our current budget deficit without touching a single Government agency.
Deficits borrow from the future to fund our own excesses now. When you do that personally, you borrow from your own future earnings. When the nation does it, you do it from children and those not even born. We are bankrupting the future to buy votes now. That is truly shameful. And every member of Congress who supports these excesses is guilty.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Super Bowl
The SuperBowl - what a game it was. I was rooting for the Patriots to go 19-0. But it is hard to be upset after the Giants earned the respect of football fans everywhere by giving their all against the Patriots at the end of the regular season. It seems somehow fitting that they should end the year by matching up against those very same Patriots and throwing the winning touchdown with 35 seconds to go.
Friday, February 01, 2008
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