((lambda (x) (x x)) (lambda (x) (x x)))

America? Okay, not really, but that was the first thing I thought about when I was reading this:

Rejoice not, O Israel, for joy, as other people: for thou hast gone a whoring from thy God, thou hast loved a reward upon every cornfloor. The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her. They shall not dwell in the Lord's land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria. They shall not offer wine offerings to the Lord, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the Lord. What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the Lord? For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles. The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins. I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved. As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception. Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them! Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer. Give them, O Lord: what wilt thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars: according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images. For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord; what then should a king do to us? They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field. The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it. It shall be also carried unto Assyria for a present to king Jareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel. As for Samaria, her king is cut off as the foam upon the water. The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us. O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them. It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows. And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in they way, in the multitude of they mighty men. Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall be spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Betharbel in the day of battle: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children. So shall bethel do unto your because of your great wickedness: in a morning shall the king of Israel utterly be cut off.

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. I taught Ephraim also to go, talking them by their arms: but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.

He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king, because they refused to return. And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels. And my people are bent to backsliding from me: though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him. How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man: the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city. They shall walk after the Lord: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar, then the children shall tremble from the west. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the Lord. Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints.

Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation; and they do make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oil is carried into Egypt. The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.

He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial. Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on they God continually.

He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress. And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin. And I that am the Lord thy God from the land of egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast. I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets. Is there iniquity in Gilead? surely they are vanity: they sacrifice bullocks in Gilead; yea, their altars are as heaps in the furrows of the fields. And Jacob fled into the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egrypt, and by a prophet was he preserved. Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproach shall his Lord return unto him.

When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died. And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney. Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me; for there is no saviour beside me.

I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me. Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them: I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid. The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction; repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the Lord shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels. Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thin iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless find mercy.

I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dweell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him,, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

Talk about absolutely amazing. I loved my little trip to visit the Swetnam family. I think it had a very different feel to it than the other two “physical” meetings that we have had. In the last two meetings—if that is what you can call them—were really more along the lines of joining up and going to an event. This time, I actually made it to their house. You know…after five years I have finally seen their house! Now that was fun. Keep in mind that it was actually much more fun than anything that I am going to say here, because I am writing this half asleep, or mostly asleep, in the rear of a cramped airline heading home: my creativity and memory is not all that great at this point.

The big difference, I think, was that we were at their home, entertaining ourselves with thoughts, ideas, and activities which were of our own methods and our own inspiration, rather than following the scheduling and general out of town limitations of events and such. This means that I really felt quite a bit more free. I have known them for so long, and yet I had never met Mrs. Swetnam. That was really cool, because she was not at all what I had expected. (Sorry, for anyone who wants to know, I am not giving more details than that.) Actually getting to sit down and talk more with Mr. Swetnam was also a whole lot of fun. Meeting all the rest of the family was something really great.

Honestly, I think it's hard for me to even realize that it actually happened. Why? Because it just did not seem like it would happen, and then it was so fast and so loose and free that I really don't know that I have fully grasped everything that I observed. I don't know how the rest of them took it, but I know for one thing that I had a great great great time.

You know something else that I realized, the day that I was leaving to head over to the Swetnam's? I could not believe that I actually had all the backups to do serious work with my freshly re-installed laptop. How pathetic is that? I had spent all week thinking that I did not have any of the information, and then it just comes out and I do have it. :-/

Now, of course, that's not the most interesting thing that I have to say about the trip though. I have actually convinced all of the elder Swetnam children to learn 2 languages in 1 year. I have the whole contract set out and everything and I am just waiting to get on an Internet connection so that I can research the curriculum that I am going to be using, and what it is going to cost. This time I actually have a working contract in place and the provision for parental authority to step in, just to make sure that we actually achieve our goals here. I am really looking forward to it, because it was just a challenge that I felt really needed to be met. If anyone wants to look at the contract, I think I'll be posting it sometime soon, either on my website or in my blog.

I suppose I ought to get back to working on something else now, such as restoring the rest of my backups and what not. I think I have a neat little program that I am going to enjoy using, but I have to make it work first. I think I am also going to be adding a bit to the BOBBY program soon, as some things have come up which would fit in there perfectly.

What am I saying? I think you all will still want to hear more about what went on at the Swetnam's house. The problem of course, is that I can't exactly tell you what went on, because I don't know how to explain it. You could say that I really just had a lot of fun, but that would be missing something a little deeper. I really really had such a satisfying time there. It was great. We danced the last night I was there, and we got to learn all sorts of cool moves and work things out. We even made up a really cool move, which I don't know the name of yet, maybe the…Pull-out to a Tornado Spin! Hehe, well, we'll see. Actually, that was really fun because I saw a side to Sarah that I had not seen before, where Sarah just outright screamed/screeched when I first tried that move with her. Hehe…it was great. ;-)

All in all, I feel like my mind is incapable of grasping anything right now, so I am just enjoying everything right now, and I'll sort out all this stuff happening in my life right now later.

You know what I did not get though? Picures! Well, at least not pictures of that day. I received plenty of wonderful Moscow Photos though.

P.S.: I have quite a few comment replies in the works, but I don't have a great Internet connection here, so I am going to be doing them in big spurts, which means that I write them all out first on my computer before I upload them. So some of you may be finding a great deal of comments in your inbox over a very short period of time. It is not because I can really write that fast, it is just that I have delayed posting them.

P.P.S.: I know that there are a great deal of things about which I have or have not hinted at posting, and they are still on my mind, but it just takes time to get these things all in order. I hope to have them out soon for you all.

This was a meme that was requested by redbandanna a very long time ago. I owe it to her to at least put it up here.

• Bold what is true about you.
  
• Italicize what you wish was true about you.
  
• Add one true thing about you to the end of the list.
  

• I miss somebody right now.
  
• I don't watch much TV these days.
  
• I love olives.
  
• I own lots of books.
  
• I wear glasses or contact lenses.
  
• I love to play video games.
  
• I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.
  
• I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.
  
• I have broken someone's bones.
  
• I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal.
  
• I hate the rain.
  
• I'm paranoid at times.
  
• I need money right now.
  
• I love sushi.
  
• I talk really, really fast.
  
• I have at least one sibling.
  
• I was born in a country outside of the U.S.
  
• I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past.
  
• I like the way that I look.
  
• I think Britney Spears is pretty.
  
• I have a hidden talent.
  
• I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.
  
• I am currently single.
  
• I enjoy talking on the phone.
  
• I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.
  
• I love to shop. (but only when it's stuff for me and I'm with friends. )
  
• I enjoy window shopping.
  
• I would rather shop than eat.
  
• I'm bourgie and have worn a sweater tied around my shoulders.
  
• I'm a pretty good dancer.
  
• I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
  
• I have a cell phone.
  
• I believe in God.
  
• I've rejected someone before.
  
• I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.
  
• I want to have children in the future.
  
• I have changed a diaper before.
  
• I'm not allergic to anything.
  
• I have a lot to learn.
  
• I have tried alcohol before.
  
• I enjoy some country music.
  
• I'm obsessive, and often a perfectionist.
  
• I know all the words to Slick Rick's "Children's Story".
  
• I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it.
  
• I am punk rockish.
  
• I am preppy.
  
• I go for older guys/girls, not younger.
  
• I study for tests most of the time.
  
• I tie my shoelaces differently from anyone I've ever met.
  
• I can work on a car.
  
• I love my job.
  
• I am comfortable with who I am right now.
  
• I have more than just my ears pierced.
  
• I walk barefoot wherever I can.
  
• I have jumped off a bridge.
  
• I plan on achieving a major goal/dream.
  
• I am proficient on a musical instrument.
  
• I worked at McDonald's restaurant.
  
• I love sci-fi movies. (For the most part... hehe.)
  
• I think water rules.
  
• I like sausage.
  
• I am a pyro.
  
• I love kisses. (But I'm waiting for mine. )
  
• I fall for the worst people and have been hurt every time.
  
• I adore bright colors. (I do, sorta. But I don't think they look very nice on me for some reason).
  
• I don't like multi-textured ice cream.
  
• I think John Cusack is adorable.
  
• I watch Food Network way too much.
  
• I can pick up things with my toes.
  
• I can't whistle.
  
• I can move my tongue in waves, much like a snakes slither.
  
• I have ridden/owned a horse.
  
• I still have every journal I've ever written in.
  
• I talk in my sleep.
  
• I've often thought that I was born in the wrong century.
  
• I try to forget things by drowning them out with loads of distractions.
  
• I can't stand at LEAST one person that I work with.
  
• I know who Santos L. Halper is.
  
• I read trashy romance novels and I am ashamed.
  
• I love wrestling.
  
• I will collect anything, and the more nonsensical, the better.
  
• I enjoy a nice glass of wine with dinner.
  
• I'm an artist. (Uh. Sorta)
  
• My computer has a name. LOL!
  
• I have lived in either three different states or countries.
  
• I am extremely flexible.
  
• I spend way too much time on the computer than on anything else.
  
• I am proficient in the use of many types firearms and combat weapons.
  
• I don't like it when people are unpleased or seem unpleased with me.
  
• I have been described as a dreamer or likely to have my head up in the cloud.
  
• I read the labels on food, shampoo, and other things just because.
  
• I can't stand being alone.
  
• I have at least one obsession at any given time. (Usually... yes. That's probably true).
  
• I'm a HUGE drama-queen
  
• I was a Spice Girls fan and I'm proud of it.
  
• I'm terrified of moths.
  
• I am a geek and proud of it.
  
• I don't like clowns.
  
• I wish I could play tennis.
  
• I love the Scottish Psalter.
  
• I have developed a Sudoku addiction.
  
• I can sing the Peter Panda Dance song
  
• My hair is more than 2 feet long.
  
• I reveal more of myself than others, but hide more of myself than others.
  

Wow, life has been very busy of late. I think that has been good, because I have managed to stay away from the computer for extended periods of time. The result, of course, has been that I have enjoyed a remarkable level of freedom and have managed to actually have some real fun outside of the computer. My time with my cousins has been really really fun, though there is a great deal of "non-fun" involved as well.

Overall, I think this trip has been very good for me, and it is not over yet, either. I think my college plans are coming along quite nicely, and if I have anything to say about it, I think the future is looking bright in that regard.

This blog post is really meant more to test out the new system than anything. As you may realize, it's kind of a different bent than the one's I have been chasing. Whether it will work out or not, I don't know. Why do I not use LJ, when most of my friends are on it, though? That can be answered easily: all my friends are on it. You know me, I have to be different, so I want to use something else. Of course, traditionally this has meant that I just code everything myself, but this has resulted in way way way too much work for me, so I have been looking for a good solution to cut this back, with the photo album, the blog, and the trackback features, I think that everything is pretty well solved with this solution. Of course, my main website will still remain up for non-photo and non-blog content, but much of my content will be up on these servers just to ease my workload.

I will hopefully be able to write more about the trip later one, but for right now it is almost time for me to go to bed, and I really ought to be doing other stuff with my time. Not to mention, being away from the computer for so long has caused me to really lose my mind computer-wise, and I can't say that I really have all that much of a desire to post anything just yet. This is my attempt at putting something out there for right now. Hopefully I can work on something. All this is a work in progress, and my head is all over the place anyways right now. More on that later. For right now, I'll just say it's good to be back, in some ways, and at the same time, I almost wish that I did not have to be back here. Oh well, I'll leave the interpretation to these open messages to others, and I'll be sure to try to fill you all in later.