AC is broken in my wife's car and in my house. Welcome Summer.

Is there anyone who can either train me to catch ice that is falling or invent a device that will not allow it to fall from the icebox to the floor?

Why I miss Greenville

Mixed Signals

"Mopped the floor, counted the register, turned out the lights, locked the front door...feels like I'm forgetting something..."

Honestly, I'm surprised I don't see this more often. 

Bad Boys

My wife recently witness what should be a crime - from what should never be a criminal.  She was driving down a four-lane highway with a center lane in the middle.  She was in the right-most lane behind a cop.  The left-hand lane that was moving the same direction was packed with traffic moving at the normal 45 miles per hour.  Suddenly, the policeman in front of her threw on his lights and hit his brakes with a sense of urgency, leaning into the lane to his left.  Everyone mashed their brakes (as we say in North Carolina) to make way for the officer.  He swerved into the left-hand lane and then made his move, veering across the entire road to a gas station.  He then stepped out of his car, picked up the nozzle, and began to pump his gas.

Bad Boy.

The Civilization of C.S. Lewis

    I recently checked out a new bookstore downtown with my family when I spotted a used copy of a C.S. Lewis compilation.  It has topical entries that are short from the various writings of C.S. Lewis.  This author of the famous Chronicles of Narnia and Screwtape Letters has an even greater gift than storytelling:  This man saw God and humans and the relationship in between so clearly that he makes me feel that I can understand the whole mystery in just 60 seconds.
    I just read the other day his thoughts on civilization in a light I have never even considered, into a field I have never even wandered.  To summarize, Lewis says that we cannot maintain a civilization if we are focused on maintaining a civilization.  It has to be about something other than the civilization in order for us to preserve it.  That explains a lot:  The fall of Ancient Egypt, Rome, Hitler's Germany, the list goes on and on, but these notables qualify the point to its edges.  Lewis compares this failure to preserve civilization to the failure to preserve an infatuation of love, where a man tries constantly to please a woman in every way - but ultimately cannot because his focus is not where it should be.
    Lewis' view of course is a Christian one of the heart, and it makes all the logical sense in the world.  By focusing on being a Christian and moral civilization, a true civilization can thrive.  This makes me reflect on this country, America, and how much I want to preserve it in its greatness.  Now I see that this can only happen through my faith and my life, not through political attempts at preservation.

Does Not Equal

To my kids:

"Go" does not equal "Run"
"Yes, you may" does not equal "There are no rules"
"No" does not equal "Let's Fight"

Another reason why I do like Blackberry...

Blackberry saves woman's life from bullet

Fighting Stupid

Hey DOT, please repaint the white lines on the white-surface bridge at NC 55 over HWY 64 in Apex to a darker color. Let's say...black?

I just heard that our SSNs can be found online through public records, like deeds.
My fix: Let's get rid of SSNs, we're not getting a check anyways!

About the "Unnecessary Invention" for February

I know it seemed a shallow overstatement, so I feel compelled to explain why I said Meteorologists are an "Unnecessary Invention".

First you need to know that I was not kidding.  Second you should know that I participate in making the weatherman "necessary", and I am the first to turn to the Weather Channel.  Third, maybe it is a bit of an overstatement, but just hear me out.

Most of the weather we can perceive, or be prepared for in advance just by knowing that it's winter and prone to ice, or summer and prone to hurricanes.  As Jesus said, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does."

Maybe we need meteorologists the way that we need calculators today.  I think we have lost the art of interpreting the heavens, and are now dependent on something that is no more certain than who will win the Super Bowl.  Not to put down meteorologists, I think it's a fascinating field, just not accurate enough for us to be dependent.

Consider this:  You may see very destructive weather, but you don't see a massacre of animals as a result.  God has equipped them, and also us.  We've just grown insensitive to our environment.  And that's spiritual too brotha.

Super Mardi Gras

If the New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl on February 7, fans will only have to wait 9 days to celebrate in the mother of all city-wide festivals: Mardi Gras.  Can you imagine it?  Almost makes you want to root for the Saints just to see it.  Which brings me to my real point:  Are people more likely to see an indecent exposure during the Super Bowl, or on TV for Mardi Gras?  With "The Who" band members over the hill, let's certainly hope it's not the former.

It should be noted that I do not condone public nudity, I am simply reporting the trend.

Signs of the Apocalypse

Apocalyptic: An hourly wage worker who was actually too busy eat his lunch, or even to remember where he left it.

Forgive and Forget

Forgiveness was the topic at church tonight. Best point: People who you have not forgiven for the wrongs they have done cannot pay that debt. Forgive them.  There were about 6 people on my list whom I forgave for good, and yes, I do feel better about my past and better about my future with them and as a Christ imitator.

Signs of the Apocalypse

Taken from the upstairs storage area at work, you can see how serious we take signs and how hard we work to read them.  As you can see, it's barely winning the fight against gravity perched atop a few 2x4s intersecting.  I wasn't able to find out what is in the box, it was too risky.

Signs of the Apocalypse

 New Chinese place near my house, obviously catering to more than just Chinese and Native North Carolinians.  What was wrong with the universal language of "#1 China?"

Why Kids Exist

Not going to go deep or sappy here, but once again I was reminded today as to why we have kids.  I went to the bathroom, with Seth of course who just has to be there, and got the same loud question (that I know my wife can hear) I get every time when I finish:  "Is it gonna flush daddy?"

I think kids exist so that we will lighten up and laugh, and of course, to be humbled if not humiliated.

Signs of the Apocalypse

Hard to believe, but someone spent the money for this sign to mark an obvious path, which sits in Durham's University Tower parking lot.

Great NFL season

I have been amazed this year with how unpredictable the outcomes of games are. I could not imagine anyone trying to cover the spread with any real success. Last night the Saints score 36 points to avoid getting embarrassed in the second half. The Giants couldn't put anything together against Arizona, who looked like they were running Pittsburgh's entire playbook. Pittsburgh upset the mighty Vikings on Favre's watch and Cincinnati apparently had a sex change operation in the off-season. This is obviously going to be a great second half of the season no matter what, and who knows who will be the team to beat in the end.

Fantasy Football Catch-22, week 5

Here's a good spot to put your Catch-22 situations. I'll start.

DeAngelo Williams v. Clinton Portis. I have both. They are playing each other. I am a huge Redskins fan, but DeAngelo is expected to do much better, so I played him. Besides, I'll still be happy if Portis does well.

Update: In the first minute of the game, DeAngelo fumbled the ball and the Redskins recovered. Two plays later, TD for Clinton Portis. I am happy, but with regrets at this point.