Some of you may have forgotten about the other blogs that I update. That's OK, I occasionally forget about them as well.
There is a new post on What's Inside. For those of you who have forgotten about my other blogs (or did not know about my other blogs) this is your reminder to go read it the new post. It's all about love.
6.15.2007
6.09.2007
animal recognition
Saturday is zoo day. That has been the thing that we have been using to keep up Chistian's excited about our trip to Seattle. This morning, Christian woke up and wandered into the living room, rubbed his eyes, and stared at his grandma.
"Hi," my mom said. "Did you sleep well?"
"No." Christian replied. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Christian go to zoo." For some reason, my son refers to himself in third person. That may seem egomaniacal in a grown adult; for my son I think it is more due to a lack of an understanding of the concept of self.
Regardless of narrative point of view, his statement was accurate. Today is Saturday, so today is the day we go to the zoo. And there are animals at the zoo. Christian loves animals.
Christian is great at recognizing animals. Thanks to the Brown Bear Brown Bear series, Christian knows his basic animals, as well as some more exotic animals (like macaroni penguin, whooping crane, & water buffalo).
This morning, while everyone was getting ready to leave, Christian looked at pictures of animals and trucks - one of his other favorite things - on the computer with grandpa. All I could hear was my dad asking "what's that?" with Christian giving his response in toddler speak.
My favorite exchange included an animal that Christian has never seen before.
"What's that?" asked my dad.
"Turtle." said Christian.
"No," my dad instructed, "It's an armadillo."
"Arma-turtle?" This is how toddlers learn. You say it, they repeat it.
"Hi," my mom said. "Did you sleep well?"
"No." Christian replied. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Christian go to zoo." For some reason, my son refers to himself in third person. That may seem egomaniacal in a grown adult; for my son I think it is more due to a lack of an understanding of the concept of self.
Regardless of narrative point of view, his statement was accurate. Today is Saturday, so today is the day we go to the zoo. And there are animals at the zoo. Christian loves animals.
Christian is great at recognizing animals. Thanks to the Brown Bear Brown Bear series, Christian knows his basic animals, as well as some more exotic animals (like macaroni penguin, whooping crane, & water buffalo).
This morning, while everyone was getting ready to leave, Christian looked at pictures of animals and trucks - one of his other favorite things - on the computer with grandpa. All I could hear was my dad asking "what's that?" with Christian giving his response in toddler speak.
My favorite exchange included an animal that Christian has never seen before.
"What's that?" asked my dad."Turtle." said Christian.
"No," my dad instructed, "It's an armadillo."
"Arma-turtle?" This is how toddlers learn. You say it, they repeat it.
6.06.2007
Lightning strikes and typos
Lightning struck my office building during Monday night's storm. According to a fellow trainer, the strike happened at 9:45 pm. He was in the bathroom and his description of the whole ordeal is quite entertaining - however quite irrelevant to the point of this post.
As a result of being struck by lightning, the building suffered a few traumatic side effects (assuming that buildings can experience trauma).
1. The electricity shut off the instant that lightning struck. This is really a given. Thankfully, we have a diesel generator that kicked in to restore power. Unfortunately, the lightning short circuited the automatic shut of switch that controlled the diesel generator. So, once normal electricity was available, the generator would not shut off and allow us to return to our normal electrical supply.
2. Verizon's phone services had issues, but that was true for most businesses in this area.
3. The power supply for the freshly repaired air conditioning was not connected to the diesel generator. It had been non-functional Monday morning. Yesterday morning it was functional, but had no power.
4. And the most noticeable of all lightning side effects: the elevator was broken. Actually, I think fried is a more applicable description.
Around noon, the elevator repair man was talking to our building's maintenance man - trying to figure out when the elevator would be fixed. Judging by the elevator repair man's response (Every time I push this button it shocks me!) ETA of repair was not any time soon. The repair man said that if it wasn't fixed by 5 pm, he would resume repairs the next morning. It was finally fixed at 5 pm.
Here is the e-mail sent to announce the elevator's repair.
From: Receptionist
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 5:02 PM
To: Everybody
Subject: Elevatot
Is now working. Please feel free to use as needed.
Thank you for you patience and cooperation today we all appreciate it.
Front Desk
Receptionist
Elevatot?!? If one is going to be a receptionist, proofreading is a handy skill. Otherwise, you get responses like this.
From: Smart Alec
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 5:04 PM
To: Receptionist & Everybody
Subject: RE: Elevatot
That’s good to hear, but how’s the Elevator coming along
Thank you,
Smart Alec
normal employee
As a result of being struck by lightning, the building suffered a few traumatic side effects (assuming that buildings can experience trauma).
1. The electricity shut off the instant that lightning struck. This is really a given. Thankfully, we have a diesel generator that kicked in to restore power. Unfortunately, the lightning short circuited the automatic shut of switch that controlled the diesel generator. So, once normal electricity was available, the generator would not shut off and allow us to return to our normal electrical supply.
2. Verizon's phone services had issues, but that was true for most businesses in this area.
3. The power supply for the freshly repaired air conditioning was not connected to the diesel generator. It had been non-functional Monday morning. Yesterday morning it was functional, but had no power.
4. And the most noticeable of all lightning side effects: the elevator was broken. Actually, I think fried is a more applicable description.
Around noon, the elevator repair man was talking to our building's maintenance man - trying to figure out when the elevator would be fixed. Judging by the elevator repair man's response (Every time I push this button it shocks me!) ETA of repair was not any time soon. The repair man said that if it wasn't fixed by 5 pm, he would resume repairs the next morning. It was finally fixed at 5 pm.
Here is the e-mail sent to announce the elevator's repair.
From: Receptionist
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 5:02 PM
To: Everybody
Subject: Elevatot
Is now working. Please feel free to use as needed.
Thank you for you patience and cooperation today we all appreciate it.
Front Desk
Receptionist
Elevatot?!? If one is going to be a receptionist, proofreading is a handy skill. Otherwise, you get responses like this.
From: Smart Alec
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2007 5:04 PM
To: Receptionist & Everybody
Subject: RE: Elevatot
That’s good to hear, but how’s the Elevator coming along
Thank you,
Smart Alec
normal employee
6.02.2007
5.27.2007
If my class made a Mix Tape
For the last day of class, I had my class complete a survey to find out what they liked and did not like about class, what advice they'd give the next class, and some random questions that had nothing to do with work. (If you were a Star Wars character, which one would you be?)
One of the other random questions asked for their theme song. Those songs would make an interesting mix tape. So if I did turn their theme songs into a mix tape, here is the track listing.
1. 99 Red Balloons - Goldfinger
2. Steve Taylor - Meltdown (at Madame Tussuad's)
3. Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man
4. Gwen Stefani - Crash
5. White Snake - Here I Go Again
6. Lily Allen - Smile
7. Guns & Roses - November Rain
8. Al Green - Lean On Me
9. MC Hammer - Can't Touch This
10. Norman Martin - The Song that Never Ends
11. John Lennon - Imagine
12. Gary Portnoy - Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers Theme)
One of the other random questions asked for their theme song. Those songs would make an interesting mix tape. So if I did turn their theme songs into a mix tape, here is the track listing.
1. 99 Red Balloons - Goldfinger
2. Steve Taylor - Meltdown (at Madame Tussuad's)
3. Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man
4. Gwen Stefani - Crash
5. White Snake - Here I Go Again
6. Lily Allen - Smile
7. Guns & Roses - November Rain
8. Al Green - Lean On Me
9. MC Hammer - Can't Touch This
10. Norman Martin - The Song that Never Ends
11. John Lennon - Imagine
12. Gary Portnoy - Where Everybody Knows Your Name (Cheers Theme)
5.19.2007
5.15.2007
Eighth random fact - for good measure
I don't consider High Fidelity to be a great movie. Mildly entertaining? Yes, but only if you're a fan of obscure music and off-beat humor; that I am.
I can relate to John Cusack's character, Rob Gordon. Not because I am a compulsive list maker but because I am music obsessive. And like Gordon, I compulsively reorganize my music collection on a fairly regular basis.
Currently, I am trying to sort my collection by mood, but I have used many different methods of sorting. So here is random fact number eight: a short (incomplete) list of ways I have previously sorted my music collection.
1. Alphabetized by artist: I'm sure this is one of the most common ways that normal people use to organize their CD/record collection
2. Sorted by genre, then alphabetized by artist: Again, also common, although I have occasionally let my anal-retentive tendencies take over and once sorted by genre - then sub-genre
3. Alphabetized by album title: I do not know what ever possessed me
4. Sorted by relevance to my life: Also used by Gordon in High Fidelity
5. Sorted by quantity: I sort artists with multiple albums in my collection first, if I only own an album or two from a particular artist, they are sorted last. Therefore: Pearl Jam comes before Harvey Danger, The Clash comes before Simon & Garfunkel, etc.
6. Sorted in chronological order of release date: Newest albums first, oldest albums last
7. Sorted in color order: White, pink, red, maroon, brown, orange, etc... ending with gray and black; this was done mostly for aesthetic purposes
8. Sorted by listening patterns: any time I listened to a CD, I would pull it from its location and sort it and the end
9. Sorted by running time: Longer albums first, then gradually getting shorter in length, finally EPs, then singles. Tool's Lateralus is sorted before Fountains of Wayne's self-titled debut, which is sorted before Starflyer 59's She's the Queen EP.
I could go on, but I fear my psychosis is contagious. However, if you have sorted your music collection in a creative manner that is not listed here, please let me know in the comments section; I might be interested in trying it.
I can relate to John Cusack's character, Rob Gordon. Not because I am a compulsive list maker but because I am music obsessive. And like Gordon, I compulsively reorganize my music collection on a fairly regular basis.
Currently, I am trying to sort my collection by mood, but I have used many different methods of sorting. So here is random fact number eight: a short (incomplete) list of ways I have previously sorted my music collection.
1. Alphabetized by artist: I'm sure this is one of the most common ways that normal people use to organize their CD/record collection
2. Sorted by genre, then alphabetized by artist: Again, also common, although I have occasionally let my anal-retentive tendencies take over and once sorted by genre - then sub-genre
3. Alphabetized by album title: I do not know what ever possessed me
4. Sorted by relevance to my life: Also used by Gordon in High Fidelity
5. Sorted by quantity: I sort artists with multiple albums in my collection first, if I only own an album or two from a particular artist, they are sorted last. Therefore: Pearl Jam comes before Harvey Danger, The Clash comes before Simon & Garfunkel, etc.
6. Sorted in chronological order of release date: Newest albums first, oldest albums last
7. Sorted in color order: White, pink, red, maroon, brown, orange, etc... ending with gray and black; this was done mostly for aesthetic purposes
8. Sorted by listening patterns: any time I listened to a CD, I would pull it from its location and sort it and the end
9. Sorted by running time: Longer albums first, then gradually getting shorter in length, finally EPs, then singles. Tool's Lateralus is sorted before Fountains of Wayne's self-titled debut, which is sorted before Starflyer 59's She's the Queen EP.
I could go on, but I fear my psychosis is contagious. However, if you have sorted your music collection in a creative manner that is not listed here, please let me know in the comments section; I might be interested in trying it.
5.11.2007
Of memes and being tagged.
I've been tagged. Not in the elementary playground sense of the word "tag" but in the meme sense. A meme (rhymes with team) is a passing of cultural information, practice, or idea through rote from one person to another. Kind of like a chain letter - but less annoying. Memes are a cousin to the bulletins on myspace, but unlike the myspace bulletins, memes are individually assigned and do not end with the phrase "re-post this with in the next five minutes or else..."
For the most part I ignore those silly myspace surveys. Most of them were obviously invented by some one not yet old enough to have a myspace account. And I've made it a policy to never re-post the ones I do read.
I've never done a meme on this blog, but there is a first for everything, right? And I was tagged. Not just tagged by some random person, but by Sam the Reporter, a U of I journalism grad and seemingly cool guy. So I thought I'd participate.
Here's the "rules" of this meme: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules.
1. I believe that everybody has some obsessive-compulsive tendencies. I have many. One of mine has to do with public restrooms. Like a good citizen, I always wash my hands when I use a public restroom. There is nothing OCD about that. However, once I have washed my hands, I can not exit the public restroom until my hands are completely dry. The strange part about this obsessive compulsion: I do not have the same tendency at home. I have no problem leaving my bathroom at home with washed yet un-dried hands.
2. I all ready know which two songs that I would like played (or performed) at my funeral: Steve Taylor’s “The Finish Line” and Pep Squad’s “On That Day.” In case you are wondering, I am not planning on having my funeral anytime soon. I am only planning ahead – hopefully WAY ahead.
3. I can go for days listening to nothing but hip-hop. That wasn’t always the case. In 1992, I was a junior-high student living in the suburbs of Seattle; naturally, I was into grunge. Many of my friends considered it blasphemy to not be a fan of Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam. As a grunge-baby, I despised rap music – a trend that was shared with my father who also hated rap. Yet, the older I get, the more I relate to hip-hop. There is something about the prose, the beat, and the awkward lyrical disparity between self-conscious vulnerability and self-confident swagger that resonates with in me. Ten years ago, I did not own any rap music; hip-hop now dominates of at least 50% of my music collection.
4. While my wife was pregnant, I gained as much weight as she did. She has since lost that weight. I have not.
5. I used to be a DJ; I provided entertainment for wedding receptions, company parties, school dances and whatever other type of gig my boss would send me to. Interestingly, high-school dances were my favorite gigs. One of my least favorite gigs was a wedding reception in golf course club house with no air conditioning… temperatures and humidity both in the high 90’s. I also DJ’d for a reception during a severe storm. While the bride and groom were cutting the cake, I was outside watching a tornado touch down remarkably close to the reception hall.
6. I don’t have any piercings – not because I am opposed to them – I just don’t like needles. I had a bad experience. This strong aversion to needles has prevented me from getting my ears pierced, but it did not prevent me from getting a tattoo.
7. Many of the things I enjoy most are things that I did not enjoy in my youth. To begin, there is my previously mentioned love for hip-hop music. When I was in high school, I hated writing and avoided it at all costs. Now, I am constantly writing. Writing is one of my passions – be it my blogs, my slow coming novel, letters and essays, and my work for school. I would have never pictured myself teaching classes, or at least enjoying teaching. Now that I am teaching, I enjoy it beyond anything I ever imagined doing. And numbers. Math was not my strongest subject when I was in high school – still isn’t my strongest subject. That lack of math skills prohibited me from pursuing a career as an architect, by my analytical personality has driven a fascination with numbers. I enjoy creating spreadsheets. I like details, statistics, metrics, trending, etc. I like all of the reporting aspects of the corporate world that no one else wants to do, but needs to get done.
For the most part I ignore those silly myspace surveys. Most of them were obviously invented by some one not yet old enough to have a myspace account. And I've made it a policy to never re-post the ones I do read.
I've never done a meme on this blog, but there is a first for everything, right? And I was tagged. Not just tagged by some random person, but by Sam the Reporter, a U of I journalism grad and seemingly cool guy. So I thought I'd participate.
Here's the "rules" of this meme: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules.
1. I believe that everybody has some obsessive-compulsive tendencies. I have many. One of mine has to do with public restrooms. Like a good citizen, I always wash my hands when I use a public restroom. There is nothing OCD about that. However, once I have washed my hands, I can not exit the public restroom until my hands are completely dry. The strange part about this obsessive compulsion: I do not have the same tendency at home. I have no problem leaving my bathroom at home with washed yet un-dried hands.
2. I all ready know which two songs that I would like played (or performed) at my funeral: Steve Taylor’s “The Finish Line” and Pep Squad’s “On That Day.” In case you are wondering, I am not planning on having my funeral anytime soon. I am only planning ahead – hopefully WAY ahead.
3. I can go for days listening to nothing but hip-hop. That wasn’t always the case. In 1992, I was a junior-high student living in the suburbs of Seattle; naturally, I was into grunge. Many of my friends considered it blasphemy to not be a fan of Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam. As a grunge-baby, I despised rap music – a trend that was shared with my father who also hated rap. Yet, the older I get, the more I relate to hip-hop. There is something about the prose, the beat, and the awkward lyrical disparity between self-conscious vulnerability and self-confident swagger that resonates with in me. Ten years ago, I did not own any rap music; hip-hop now dominates of at least 50% of my music collection.
4. While my wife was pregnant, I gained as much weight as she did. She has since lost that weight. I have not.
5. I used to be a DJ; I provided entertainment for wedding receptions, company parties, school dances and whatever other type of gig my boss would send me to. Interestingly, high-school dances were my favorite gigs. One of my least favorite gigs was a wedding reception in golf course club house with no air conditioning… temperatures and humidity both in the high 90’s. I also DJ’d for a reception during a severe storm. While the bride and groom were cutting the cake, I was outside watching a tornado touch down remarkably close to the reception hall.
6. I don’t have any piercings – not because I am opposed to them – I just don’t like needles. I had a bad experience. This strong aversion to needles has prevented me from getting my ears pierced, but it did not prevent me from getting a tattoo.
7. Many of the things I enjoy most are things that I did not enjoy in my youth. To begin, there is my previously mentioned love for hip-hop music. When I was in high school, I hated writing and avoided it at all costs. Now, I am constantly writing. Writing is one of my passions – be it my blogs, my slow coming novel, letters and essays, and my work for school. I would have never pictured myself teaching classes, or at least enjoying teaching. Now that I am teaching, I enjoy it beyond anything I ever imagined doing. And numbers. Math was not my strongest subject when I was in high school – still isn’t my strongest subject. That lack of math skills prohibited me from pursuing a career as an architect, by my analytical personality has driven a fascination with numbers. I enjoy creating spreadsheets. I like details, statistics, metrics, trending, etc. I like all of the reporting aspects of the corporate world that no one else wants to do, but needs to get done.
5.08.2007
Chuck Norris has counted to infinity... Twice
Bekah and I don't get out much. Not to say we don't want to or try to get out more, socialization is a rare commodity in the Casey household. After all, we are both full time college students, full time parents, volunteer youth workers, and we both have full time jobs. If you do the math (or filter everything through an Outlook calendar) there is not much availability for romantic dates... or free time... or adult conversation.
Sure, we find time to laugh at each other, or be goofy together. We generally read the same books at the same time. And, we always make time to watch 24 together (DVRs are the greatest invention ever). Yet, those intimate "date" type experiences are fleeting, despite our greatest efforts.
All hope is not lost, however. We have found a new way to connect; to some extent you could probably call it a date. One thing is for sure - what ever you call it - it is cheaper and less time consuming than Spiderman 3. We cuddle up and turn on ABC Family during late nights; generally, ABC Family is not the channel I'd choose for romantic programming - but bear with me - we discovered this by accident. ABC Family plays back to back episodes of the awesomest TV show ever aired... Walker, Texas Ranger.
OK, so the show isn't really awesome, but Chuck Norris would hunt me like a drug smuggling criminal if I said the show sucked. And we don't watch Walker in the traditional sense, like we would Jericho. No, Bekah and I sit back and watch Walker MST3K style.
Really, this is quite fun; you should try it sometime. The bad acting, stereotypes, countless roundhouse kicks to the face, and jumping from helicopters found in each episode contains fuel for countless witty (sarcastic) peanut gallery responses - not to mention the abundant wealth of Chuck Norris jokes*. We remember how this show was the coolest show back in 1995. My how things change. It's funny how we never quite realized how cheesy the show was until now, ten-fifteen years after the fact.
Quality time, that's all it really is. If you don't believe me, ask Chuck Norris; he is all about quality time... and roundhouse kicks to the face.
*Warning: not all Chuck Norris jokes are workplace appropriate, but most Chuck Norris jokes are hilarious - depending on your definition of hilarious. Author of this post is not responsible for your lack of humor if you do not find any Chuck Norris facts to be funny.
Sure, we find time to laugh at each other, or be goofy together. We generally read the same books at the same time. And, we always make time to watch 24 together (DVRs are the greatest invention ever). Yet, those intimate "date" type experiences are fleeting, despite our greatest efforts.
All hope is not lost, however. We have found a new way to connect; to some extent you could probably call it a date. One thing is for sure - what ever you call it - it is cheaper and less time consuming than Spiderman 3. We cuddle up and turn on ABC Family during late nights; generally, ABC Family is not the channel I'd choose for romantic programming - but bear with me - we discovered this by accident. ABC Family plays back to back episodes of the awesomest TV show ever aired... Walker, Texas Ranger.
OK, so the show isn't really awesome, but Chuck Norris would hunt me like a drug smuggling criminal if I said the show sucked. And we don't watch Walker in the traditional sense, like we would Jericho. No, Bekah and I sit back and watch Walker MST3K style.
Really, this is quite fun; you should try it sometime. The bad acting, stereotypes, countless roundhouse kicks to the face, and jumping from helicopters found in each episode contains fuel for countless witty (sarcastic) peanut gallery responses - not to mention the abundant wealth of Chuck Norris jokes*. We remember how this show was the coolest show back in 1995. My how things change. It's funny how we never quite realized how cheesy the show was until now, ten-fifteen years after the fact.
Quality time, that's all it really is. If you don't believe me, ask Chuck Norris; he is all about quality time... and roundhouse kicks to the face.
*Warning: not all Chuck Norris jokes are workplace appropriate, but most Chuck Norris jokes are hilarious - depending on your definition of hilarious. Author of this post is not responsible for your lack of humor if you do not find any Chuck Norris facts to be funny.
5.04.2007
Spring Reading
I'm such a slacker.
Since the new year, I've Read through: Christopher Paolini's Eragon, Ted Dekker's Thr3e, Dean Koontz's Brother Odd, Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness, and I just started Piercing the Darkness - also by Peretti.
That gives me an average of one book a month; a wee bit slower than I prefer, especially considering the light content of the books I'm reading.
So, what's next? I'm needing something something a little mentally challenging (not to undermine the quality of Koontz and Peretti's writing - they are two of my favorite authors and biggest literary influences).
I'm debating three options: The complete works of Josephus, Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, or Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven.
Hmm, what to read?...
Since the new year, I've Read through: Christopher Paolini's Eragon, Ted Dekker's Thr3e, Dean Koontz's Brother Odd, Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness, and I just started Piercing the Darkness - also by Peretti.
That gives me an average of one book a month; a wee bit slower than I prefer, especially considering the light content of the books I'm reading.
So, what's next? I'm needing something something a little mentally challenging (not to undermine the quality of Koontz and Peretti's writing - they are two of my favorite authors and biggest literary influences).
I'm debating three options: The complete works of Josephus, Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, or Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven.
Hmm, what to read?...
4.22.2007
You might be a redneck if you live in Ponderay
April 19th entry in Jeff Foxworthy's 'You Might Be a Redneck If...' calendar: "You might be a redneck if people drive by your house to see the Christmas lights... in April."
Observation while driving home from Schweitzer Saturday night: The Ponderay police department still has their Christmas lights up.
Observation while driving home from Schweitzer Saturday night: The Ponderay police department still has their Christmas lights up.
deprived
A few weeks ago, the motherboard on our POS Dell went kaput. Upon returning from Schweitzer last week end, our laptop would no longer charge; the power supply had issues. We're still awaiting replacement for the desktop, but after a week with no working computer at home - the laptop has returned.
I am feeling internet deprived. Is that normal? I have internet access at work, but - generally speaking - I am there to work. Even if I went in outside of my normal hours, the two sites I use the most (blogger & myspace) are blocked by my office's security settings.
Oh well, all is good now. The laptop is working, and I was able to keep up with HBO during the interim.
I am feeling internet deprived. Is that normal? I have internet access at work, but - generally speaking - I am there to work. Even if I went in outside of my normal hours, the two sites I use the most (blogger & myspace) are blocked by my office's security settings.
Oh well, all is good now. The laptop is working, and I was able to keep up with HBO during the interim.
4.06.2007
I couldn't believe it either
The following is a real e-mail message Received in my inbox, shortly after 12:00pm on the 5th of April.
From: Captain Obvious
To: All Employees
Subject: Belching
Please don’t Belch out loud for everyone including your customers to hear.
Captain Obvious
Team Supervisor
From: Captain Obvious
To: All Employees
Subject: Belching
Please don’t Belch out loud for everyone including your customers to hear.
Captain Obvious
Team Supervisor
4.03.2007
White Easter
Yesterday morning, as I shuffled through the cold between my car and the main entrance of my office, I noticed a white flake or two floating out of the sky. Possibly my imagination, after all, spring has begun.
Yet, I saw another flake... then another. Shivering, I realized it was cold enough to snow. As much as I love winter, it is April. I am ready for warmer weather. What happened to the sunshine we had last week?
This is North Idaho, however. We really should expect this kind of thing. Four years ago, Bekah and I planned an April 5th wedding, assured that we would have nice enough weather for outdoor pictures. Nature disagreed and we woke up on the morning of our wedding to find a thin layer of wet snow, no outdoor pictures for us.
An inch of frozen precipitation on the 2nd of April, ridiculous. I guess we are getting more bang for our buck this winter.
So sing with me, you know the melody: "I'm dreaming of a white Easter..."
Yet, I saw another flake... then another. Shivering, I realized it was cold enough to snow. As much as I love winter, it is April. I am ready for warmer weather. What happened to the sunshine we had last week?
This is North Idaho, however. We really should expect this kind of thing. Four years ago, Bekah and I planned an April 5th wedding, assured that we would have nice enough weather for outdoor pictures. Nature disagreed and we woke up on the morning of our wedding to find a thin layer of wet snow, no outdoor pictures for us.
An inch of frozen precipitation on the 2nd of April, ridiculous. I guess we are getting more bang for our buck this winter.
________________
When I was little, I couldn't wait for snow to fall. Walking to (or from) school was a short walk. The trip between home and Pinewood Elementary rarely took more than ten minutes. A good snowfall, to my parent's dismay, could stretch that ten minute walk into an hour. With only a couple of inches on the ground, I created a softball sized snowball to roll home. Of course, it only started out the size of a softball. Hunched over, and sometimes crawling on all fours, from the moment I crossed the cross walk, I rolled that little snowball, watching it grow as more snow stuck. By the time I reached my house the snowball was now a boulder, nearly as tall as I was.
Soaking wet, cold, but possessing a joyous smile that could only be found on the face of a mischievous 2nd grader, I went inside to greet my panicked mother. "Mom, Mom, look what I made."
Crisis of the missing child over, my mom did what any sane parent would: scold and laugh. Or maybe she laughed, then scolded me. I can't remember which she did first. Some one wrote and published the story of my snowball, using me as an example of the faith of a child that is too often lacking in the Christian community.
As we approach the Easter holiday with Christmas like weather, I look back at that snowball fondly. Snow has long been a symbol of purity, so having snow fall so close to Easter is a fitting reminder that our sins have been purchased by blood, so that we may be white as snow. Looking back, that snowball could easily represent more than a childlike faith, but also a reminder of that stone that was rolled away to leave behind an empty tomb.
Maybe a fresh layer of snow would be the perfect way to celebrate Easter. We could build a massive snowball, and roll that "stone" away. It might make the Easter egg hunt a little more interesting, but I've never understood what hiding eggs has to do with a risen saviour anyways.
So sing with me, you know the melody: "I'm dreaming of a white Easter..."
3.27.2007
Quotable
"Pursue yesterday as if today never happened." - Dad Casey
Normally, my father is a great go to man for advice. Once in a while, however, he comes up with something a bit odd. I am sure he could find great success as an employee at despair.com, the creators of this fine piece of demotivational art...
Normally, my father is a great go to man for advice. Once in a while, however, he comes up with something a bit odd. I am sure he could find great success as an employee at despair.com, the creators of this fine piece of demotivational art...
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