Welcome to my blog . . . Look around, kick the tires and I hope you enjoy a perusal of "things". If you want to know what sorts of things are covered by this blog, click the "read more" link below.
When we heard you were coming There was love mixed with fear Excitement and a bit of dread For it was you and we didn't know you yet. What would you be like? Who would we be with you? But it was love that we held for you.
And yet the years of prayer and hope that preceded you The desires for good and protection for you The dreams on your behalf Came and stayed and grew For it was you, you at last!
So much change, so fast! We prepared as much as we could Adapted to the unexpected Chuckling together at the memories taking root... Memories we would hold on to for you until you could understand And smile And laugh And share those moments with us again And again.
So many were sweet yet fleeting Milestones we wish we could recall More than can be counted More than we could hold And yet...details long gone We recall the warmth and joy of it all Unforgettable.
To hold this is in is impossible. The ever-spring always overflows the banks. The streams and brooks will form Along oft remembered and traveled pathways Shaping In hope of filling anew those down stream who listen and receive.
Those dry, rocky bits and sandy spots that are never filled We learn them, hopefully Shore up guides along to allow the stream to continue Unstopped. Unhindered. Imperfectly...but as best we can.
The many eddies can seem like the horizon For a time... Filling all we see How and why Help and stop Where to reach next from here?
And yet, the flow is unmistakable If we look The end is known If we see clearly The landscape is dark and ever moving But what we need is there.
White blankets all that is behind me, A cool warmth surrounds Rough weave grounds my set As bows support a gentle rock
No breeze No sting No drag of cold Despite a shoulder's look at boughs bobbing in that and more Just past those that shield & protect
A shadowless grey presses Warmth's embrace is almost forgotten Yet longed for still Where & Why, What & How?!
Oh, to bask such savor once again! To grin from soul to soul And all Through & thorough
Framed before Clear doors open & beckoning Towards beyond & deep That revived breath would draw In unison In step In rhythm In life In that one heart as dreamed
There are times when I wish things were different. There are times when I wish I had chosen differently. There are times when I recognize my own mistakes for what they are. There are times when I lose hope and get frustrated. There are times when I think the world does or, at least, should revolve around me. There are times when I realize that life is messy. There are times when I wonder how I let things get to be the way they are. There are times when I just wonder. There are times when I doubt. There are times when I acknowledge that much in life is quite frail. There are times when I lose sight of reality and spiral down into my own little world. There are times when I don't know how to express or even identify what I'm feeling at any given moment.
...but...
Those times are temporary. Those times are expected. Those times are not without growth. Those times are not without reasons for thanksgiving for at least something, somewhere. Those times have their place in a larger picture and context. Those times have been predicted from before the beginning of the world. Those times have a predetermined end. Those times have purpose. Those times result in focus. Those times result in a deepening. Those times result in a realization that I am small and the world is quite large. Those times result in either determination or surrender...each has its place. Those times result in cutting through all the maundering piffle to what really matters. Those times, if we allow the fog of our misperceptions/predispositions/bliks to be rolled back and blown away, result in a grounding in Reality: the way things really are.
...so...
Read the Bible. Pray. Ponder. Evaluate. Think. Do. Be. Persevere. Hope. Have courage. Hate Evil & injustice. Love Good & pursue what is right. Hold together.
Well...it's been FOREVER since I posted much of anything to my blog. Mostly, it's because I'm having too much fun reconnecting with people via Facebook. It's really sort of addicting in a fun way.
My sense is that I'll come back now and again to post things here on Opera...but the "daily" stuff will be in FB.
Sometimes…you just need to use a word that doesn't exist yet.
Here's a list of words that we've come up with and try to work into conversations in work on the sly.
C.
____________________
Title
Terminology Type
Definition or Usage Example
Abraider
Noun
Breeson Plug
Noun
"You better check the breeson plug to see if it is seated properly."
Canurken Regulator
Noun
Cruxidate
Verb
Cruxidation
Noun
Duplification
Noun
Feldratic empathactions
Noun
"See those patterns in the heat grease? Those are feldratic empathactions of the magnetic field."
Flommonizer
Noun
Flowsion Array
Noun
"The flowsion array got gummed up by the spreedle...better get some influsion emulsifier on that thing and quick!"
Fluxonribber
Noun
Grayson Field
Noun
Hypercongealing Aluminitrate
Noun
"We've run out of self-clamping isobolts to repair the nanofibrous retangulator. We'll need ten liters of hypercongealing aluminitrate...and one toothbrush"
Hyperspacial
Noun
Of or pertaining to HyperSpace
Influsion Emulsifier
Noun
"The flowsion array got gummed up by the spreedle...better get some influsion emulsifier on that thing and quick!"
Isolinear Alignment
Noun
"The fluxon ribber is out of isolinear alignment...again!"
Kaneuter Valve
Noun
"That kaneuter valve needs adjustment."
Lubridium Block
Noun
"The heat was so high that we had to replace the lubridium block."
Mckhizzaus
Noun
A McKesson shop...fo' shizzle!
Meta-Subset
Noun
Everything
Muffler Bearings
Noun
Multi-Dimensional Oscillator
Noun
Nanofibrous Retangulator
Noun
"We've run out of self-clamping isobolts to repair the nanofibrous retangulator. We'll need ten liters of hypercongealing aluminitrate...and one toothbrush"
Open-Source Sublimification
Noun
Prusifier
Noun
Recordificator
Noun
Right next to the "Pawzay" button
Relitration
Noun
Relitrative
Adverb
Resublimate
Verb
"We may have to resublimate the reysion circuit due to the temporary spoxeffusion on the sprellixer assembly."
Reysion Circuit
Noun
Self-Clamping Ion-Bolts
Noun
"We've run out of self-clamping isobolts to repair the nanofibrous retangulator. We'll need ten liters of hypercongealing aluminitrate...and one toothbrush"
Spoxeffusion
Noun
Spreedle
Noun
"Watchout, because sometimes the kaneuter valve can get hung up on the spreedle."
Okay, so now I'm finding that I'm spending a lot more time with Facebook than my Opera page. That' probably due, in large part, to both the Facebook application that resides on my Blackberry Curve and the fact that there have been so many reconnections to old friends there.
That being said, Facebook isn't really a blog, although it has many blog-like features. So…I'll definitely be keeping my opera site updated more – especially since I found the integrative feature of MS OneNote/Word for posting to this site. It rocks and makes it really easy to do!
Unfortunately, as you can see by me earlier postings, I've not figured out how to post pictures or attach tags (yet) to each post. But…it's still nice to be able to get the thoughts out there.
Okay, so I just joined Facebook so that I could look at a site for an old HYACK student that was getting married. I figured that I'd just join quickly, look at his site and then forget about it as it's one of a myriad of minimal registrations that I've done on other sites for various reasons.
And then...
...I received a bunch of friend requests from people I hadn't connected with in years. What a riot! So, I'm still thinking this will by my primary blogging-outlet, but Facebook is a nice add-on.
Okay, so I've been cycling a lot over the last year and a half. It's been really fun to learn how to cycle in a pack as well as improve in various skills (climbing, sprinting, spinning, etc.). I've also been commuting to work 2-4 times a week for bit over a month so far. As I've spent this time trying various pieces of equipment for both my road bike and my mountain/commuter bike here are the things that I've found most helpful:
Halo sweat band: this is both simple and ingenious. It's a dryfit sweat band that has a simple rubber strip on the front half of it that forms a solid seal against your forehead. That routes all sweat along the strip to where it ends on the sides of your head thereby keeping it from dripping into your eyes. I've tested it in my commute and on group rides and...it works perfectly! Now I don't have sweat dripping down my cycling sunglasses skewing my view. Excellent!
TransIt Epic Dx Paniers: These things are huge and seem to be very well made. Love the storage space as well as the thoughtful & expandable top pockets. They even include rear pockets for extra storage (I keep an emergency rain jacket in one with room to spare and a tire/tool kit in the other...with lots of room to spare in that one). They hang on to my Blackburn rack solidly and don't move at all. I've carried shoes, socks, pants, dress shirt, undershirt/underwear, belt in one side and a laptop, lunch, extra cycling jacket in the other side. Still have room to spare. I also like the fact that they come with rain covers that are florescent yellow. I use them all the time just for visibility's sake as well as for keeping them clean. There are only two things that I would point out as needing improvement: 1) taking them off the rack is a test in finger dexterity and strength. When those things are on there...they're really on there. 2) it'd be nice to have a top carrying handle or strap. Once they're off, they are awkward to carry. It looks like there are spots to clip a strap to the top...but they didn't come with any.
CamelBak water bottles: Both Jodi and I really like these new water bottles. It's nice because to drink from them, you just squeeze them and they automatically open and shut...kind of like a kid's sippy cup...but much cooler. The plastic is supposed to not impart any taste to your water/drink. Whatever. I've never really noticed that sort of thing from our other water bottles anyway. I also like how you can lock the nozzles shut when transporting them. It's nice not having to do the old chin- or hip-slap to shut the nozzle like on our other bottles. It's the little things that make the difference.
Forte Bar Ends: I put a set of these on my mountain-bike-turned-commuter and they really help eliminate any wrist discomfort for me. The allow me to put my hands in a position that is very similar to riding on the hoods of my road bike. The only bummer is that this puts my hands away from my brake levers...but they're still close enough.
Campus pedals on my commuter: I like these because one side is a clip for my mountain bike shoes and the other side is flat so I can use regular shoes/sandals. Very convenient.
T-Mobile Dash with Motorola S9 bluetooth A2DP headphones: I really like listening to mp3 books or music wirelessly. The only complaint that I have...and it's kind of a big one... is that after I sweat a bunch on the S9's, it knocks out some of the buttons until they dry out. Actually, my Play/Pause button stopped working altogether months ago after a particularly sweaty spin session. I think this could have been avoided if I had my new Halo sweatband from the beginning. The bummer thing is that the S9's are supposed to be for active lifestyles and sweat resistant. Too bad they're not sweatPROOF. I might just switch back to the stock wired mini-usb headphones that came with my smartphone.
CatEye cycling computers: it's great to automatically capture speed, duration, top speed & distance as well as cadence (on my road bike). I use the wired versions rather than wireless because I've heard that the battery life is better.
Timex Heart Rate Monitor strap & watch: it's just good to keep an eye on the ticker to see just how hard I am or am not working. It's also handy for managing my zone training.
Helmet mounted Rear View mirror: it's nice to not be surprised by a passing car while commuting or a passing rider when in a pack. In fact, in today's pack ride...it helped me fend off an attacking rider because I could see him coming and speed up hold on for the "win". Admittedly, it's dorky looking...but it's functional!
Performance Ultra Riding tights: the chamois is very comfortable and the 10 panel construction rocks. I don't know what the material is, but it's amazingly light, wicks moisture away instantly helping me keep dry, comfortable and cool.
Pearl Izumi Vagabond cycling jacket: nice jacket overall with good pocket layout. The distinctor is that I can unzip the sleeves and use it as a cycling vest with a mesh back panel. Very functional, comfortable & stylish (if I do say so myself).
Okay, I saw it twice in two days. Saturday with my two younger kids. Sunday with my oldest. I made this sacrifice for the kids. Clearly for the kids.
...and maybe a little bit because I enjoyed the movie...
Honestly, I grew up watching Samurai Sunday chop-sockey movies. So most things martial arts, I will enjoy. This Kungfu Panda was really entertaining. Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and the rest of the cast really hit their vocal performances well. The animation was excellent. The story had me laughing aloud in the theater...both times. Kylie, Gabs & Caleb enjoyed the film as much as I did and we find ourselves quoting from the movie as much as we can.
My favorite lines:
"It mattered not how many warriors he faced, for they were no match for his bodacity!"
"They were blinded by his awesomeness...Ack, I'm blind. He was too awesome!"
"How can we ever repay you? There is no charge for awesomeness...or attractiveness."
Those were all from the same scene, but they did a great job delivering it. Hysterical!
The story: back in 1987, some friends in the Marhofke neighborhood decided to put together a small movie. Here is the fruit of their labor. As unbelievable as it may be, this was an acting & filming first for all involved. :-)
Part 1...with Scott as a thug among friends.
Part 2...with Jodi as the secretary (follow the dialog closely)
Great site for new worship music. The New Song Cafe is truly a great guitar resource where you can learn how to a play a song from the original artists.
My Opera
