Discussions around the dinner table

John Calvin

7/10/1509 - 5/27/1564

Last night after dinner with some really good friends - my belief system seemed to become open for discussion - yet again. I have come to understand that when people want to discuss what I believe about a certain topic, they are seeking clarification of their own belief systems.

I am a Calvinist - I ascribe to all "5 points" that seem to be gris for the mill when theology discussions arise. The latest discussion - Predestination. I, being a Calvinist, believe that God predestines folks for salvation. I believe it to be biblically correct and generally discussion on the matter proves entertaining. The best part is I can see the struggle people have with trying to get their mind around what God has done/is doing. I enjoy dinner table discussion around things theological because they tend to solidify my beliefs. Though, many who discuss these topics with me believe they are making me change my mind.

I find it educational to see both sides.

In support of my belief's I offer this article I found while writing a position paper on Predestination last night.... I find it a great synopsis.

You can find it online here:

What is predestination? Is predestination Biblical?



Question: "What is predestination? Is predestination Biblical?"

Answer: Romans 8:29-30 tells us, “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” Ephesians 1:5 and 11 declare, “He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” Many people have a strong hostility to the doctrine of predestination. However, predestination is a Biblical doctrine. The key is understanding what predestination means, Biblically.

The words translated “predestined” in the Scriptures referenced above are from the Greek word “proorizo,” which carries the meaning of “determine beforehand,” “ordain,” “to decide upon ahead of time.” So, predestination is God determining certain things to occur ahead of time. What did God determine ahead of time? According to Romans 8:29-30, God predetermined that certain individuals would be conformed to the likeness of His Son, be called, justified, and glorified. Essentially, God predetermines that certain individuals will be saved. Numerous Scriptures refer to believers in Christ being chosen (Matthew 24:22, 31; Mark 13:20, 27; Romans 8:33; 9:11; 11:5-7,28; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1-2; 2:9; 2 Peter 1:10). Predestination is the Biblical doctrine that God in His sovereignty chooses certain individuals to be saved.

The most common objection do the doctrine of predestination is that it is unfair. Why would God chose certain individuals and not others? The important thing to remember is that no one deserves to be saved. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are all worthy of eternal punishment (Romans 6:23). As a result, God would be perfectly just in allowing all of us to spend eternity in hell. However, God chooses to save some of us. He is not being unfair to those who are not chosen because they are receiving what they deserve. God choosing to be gracious to some is not unfair to the others. No one deserves anything from God – therefore no one can object if they do not receive anything from God. An illustration would be me handing out money to 5 people in a crowd of 20. Would the 15 people who did not receive money be upset? Probably so. Do they have a right to be upset? No they do not. Why? Because I did not owe anyone any money. I simply decided to be gracious to some.

If God is choosing who is saved, doesn’t that undermine our free will to chose and believe in Christ? The Bible says that we have the free will choice – all we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ and we will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). The Bible never describes God rejecting anyone who believes in Him or turning away anyone who was seeking Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). Somehow, in the mystery of God, predestination works hand in hand with a person being drawn by God (John 6:44) and believing unto salvation (Romans 1:16). God predestines who will be saved, and we must choose Christ in order to be saved. Both facts are equally true. Romans 11:33 proclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!”

Recommended Resource: Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer.

TAG....

Thanks Michelle! I really appreciate being part of the tag game. This is my day in history – my birthday, March 18th.

March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). There are 288 days remaining in the year.

Events
3952 BC - According to the Venerable Bede, the world was created. <----TOP THAT ONE! 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Caligula emperor.
731 - Saint Gregory III begins his reign as Pope.
1229 - Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor declares himself King of Jerusalem during the Sixth Crusade.
1241 - Kraków is ravaged by Mongols.
1314 - Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar is burned at the stake.
1438 - Albert II of Habsburg becomes King of Germany.
1608 - Susenyos is formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia
1673 - John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton sells his part of New Jersey to some Friends (Quakers).
1766 - American Revolution: The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act, which was very unpopular in the British colonies.
1793 - The first republican state in Germany, the Republic of Mainz, is declared by Andreas Joseph Hofmann
1850 - American Express is founded by Henry Wells & William Fargo.
1865 - American Civil War: The Congress of the Confederate States of America adjourns for the last time.
1871 - Declaration of the Paris Commune; President of the French Republic Adolphe Thiers orders evacuation of Paris.
1874 - Hawaii signs a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trading rights.
1893 - Former Governor General Lord Stanley pledges to donate a silver challenge cup, later named after him, as an award for the best ice hockey team in Canada; originally presented to amateur champions, the Stanley Cup has been awarded to the top pro team since 1910, and since 1926, only to National Hockey League teams.
1906 - Traian Vuia flies a self-propelled heavier-than-air aircraft.
1909 - Einar Dessau uses a short-wave radio transmitter, becoming the first radio broadcaster.
1913 - King George I of Greece is assassinated in the recently liberated city of Thessaloniki.
1915 - World War I: Massive naval attack in Battle of Gallipoli. Three battleships are sunk during a failed British & French naval attack on the Dardanelles.
1921 - The second Peace of Riga between Poland and Soviet Union.
1922 - In India, Mohandas Gandhi is sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience. He would serve only 2 years.
1922 - The first public celebration of Bat mitzvah, for the daughter of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, is held in New York City.
1925 - The Tri-State Tornado hits the Midwestern states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 people.
1937 - The New London School explosion kills three hundred, mostly children.
1937 - Spanish Civil War: Spanish Republican forces hand Italian forces a grave defeat at the Battle of Guadalajara.
1938 - Mexico nationalizes all foreign-owned oil properties within its borders.
1940 - World War II: Axis Powers - Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini meet at Brenner Pass in the Alps and agree to form an alliance against France and the United Kingdom.
1945 - World War II: 1,250 American bombers attack Berlin.
1953 - An earthquake hits western Turkey, killing 250.
1959 - American President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill into law allowing for Hawaiian statehood, which would become official on August 21.
1962 - The Evian Accords puts an end to the Algerian War of Independence, which began in 1954.
1965 - Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov, leaving his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space.
1967 - Supertanker Torrey Canyon runs aground off the Cornish coast.
1968 - Gold standard: The U.S. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency.
1970 - Lon Nol ousts Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.
1971 - A landslide at Chungar, Peru crashes into Lake Yanahuani killing 200.
1974 - Oil embargo crisis: Most OPEC nations end a five-month oil embargo against the United States, Europe and Japan.
1980 - On Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, 50 people are killed at an explosion of a Vostok-2M rocket on its launch pad during a fueling operation.
1985 - The Australian television series Neighbours airs its first episode.
1989 - In Egypt, a 4,400-year-old mummy is found in the Pyramid of Cheops.
1990 - In largest art theft in US history, 12 paintings, collectively worth around $300 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.
1997 - The tail of a Russian Antonov An-24 charter plane breaks off while en-route to Turkey causing the plane to crash and killing all 50 on board and leading to the grounding of all An-24s.
2003 - US enters war in Iraq. About $1 billion was taken from Iraq's Central Bank by Saddam Hussein and his family, just hours before the United States began bombing Iraq, biggest bank robbery in history. [1]
2003 - FBI agents raid the corporate headquarters of HealthSouth Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama on suspicion of massive corporate fraud led by the company's top executives.
2003 - British Sign Language is recognised as an official British language.
2005 - The first-ever Muslim Friday prayer led by a woman in a mixed-gender congregation is held in New York City, marking a break with a 1426-year Islamic tradition.
2005 - Terri Schiavo's feeding tube is removed at the request of her husband, fueling a worldwide debate on euthanasia.
2007 - Steven Avery convicted for homicide because of DNA evidence, DNA having shown his innocence following a previous conviction.

Births
1395 - John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, English military leader (d. 1447)
1496 - Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII of England and queen consort of Louis XII of France (d. 1533)
1555 - François, Duke of Anjou (d. 1584)
1590 - Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (d. 1649)
1602 - Jacques de Billy, French mathematician (d. 1679)
1603 - Simon Bradstreet, Massachusetts Bay colonist (d. 1693)
1634 - Marie-Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne, comtesse de la Fayette, French writer (d. 1693)
1640 - Philippe de la Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1719)
1657 - Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian composer (d. 1743)
1679 - Matthew Decker, English merchant and writer (d. 1759)
1685 - Ralph Ersine, Scottish minister (d. 1752)
1690 - Christian Goldbach, Prussian mathematician (d. 1764)
1701 - Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish merchant and philanthropist (d. 1776)
1780 - Milos Obrenovic, Leader of The Second Serbian Uprising and Prince of Serbia (d. 1860)
1782 - John C. Calhoun, Vice President of the United States (d. 1850)
1813 - Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German writer (d. 1864)
1823 - Antoine Eugène Alfred Chanzy, French general (d. 1883)
1828 - William Randal Cremer, English politician and pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1908)
1837 - Grover Cleveland, President of the United States (d. 1908)
1840 - William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (d. 1901)
1842 - Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet (d. 1898)
1844 - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer (d. 1908)
1858 - Rudolf Diesel, German inventor (d. 1913)
1869 - Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1940)
1872 - Anna Held, Polish actress and singer (d. 1918)
1874 - Nikolai Berdyaev, Russian philosopher (d. 1948)
1877 - Edgar Cayce, American psychic (d. 1945)
1877 - Clem Hill, Australian cricketer (d. 1945)
1882 - Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer (d. 1973)
1886 - Edward Everett Horton, American actor (d. 1970)
1898 - Jake Swirbul, American aircraft manufacturer (d. 1960)
1893 - Costante Girardengo, Italian cyclist (d. 1978)
1893 - Wilfred Owen, British poet (d. 1918)
1899 - Jean Goldkette, Greek-born jazz musician (d. 1962)
1904 - Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet (d. 1926)
1905 - Robert Donat, English actor (d. 1958)
1905 - Thomas Townsend Brown, American scientist (d. 1985)
1907 - John Zachary Young, British biologist (d. 1997)
1909 - Ernest Gallo, American winemaker (d. 2007)
1910 - Chiang Ching-kuo, President of the Republic of China (d. 1988)
1911 - Smiley Burnette, American singer and songwriter (d. 1967)
1913 - Werner Molders German WWII pilot (d. 1941)
1913 - René Clément, French film director and screenwriter (d. 1996)
1915 - Richard Condon, American novelist (d. 1996)
1918 - Al Benton, American baseball player (d. 1968)
1918 - Bob Broeg, American sports writer (d. 2005)
1922 - Egon Bahr, German politician
1923 - Andy Granatelli, American motorsports entrepreneur
1926 - Peter Graves, American actor
1926 - Dick Littlefield, American baseball player (d. 1997)
1927 - John Kander, American songwriter
1927 - George Plimpton, American writer and actor (d. 2003)
1928 - Julia Mullock, Princess of Korea
1928 - Miguel Poblet, Spanish cyclist
1928 - Fidel V. Ramos, President of the Philippines
1930 - Pat Halcox, British musician
1931 - John Fraser, Scottish-born stage, film and televison actor
1932 - John Updike, American author
1935 - Ole Barndorff-Nielsen, Danish mathematician
1936 - Frederik Willem de Klerk, President of South Africa, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1937 - Mark Donohue, American race car driver (d. 1975)
1937 - Rudi Altig, German cyclist
1938 - Charley Pride, American musician
1939 - Giannis Markopoulos, Greek composer
1941 - Wilson Pickett, American singer (d. 2006)
1943 - Kevin Dobson, American actor
1947 - B.J. Wilson, English drummer (d. 1990)
1947 - Patrick Chesnais, French actor
1947 - Patrick Barlow, English actor, comedian and playwright
1948 - Guy Lapointe, Canadian ice hockey player
1949 - Alex Higgins, Northern Irish snooker player
1949 - Åse Kleveland, Norwegian singer and politician
1950 - Brad Dourif, American actor
1951 - Bill Frisell, American jazz musician
1951 - Ben Cohen, American co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream
1952 - Mike Webster, American football player (d. 2002)
1956 - Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish skier
1957 - György Pazdera, Hungarian bassist (Pokolgép)
1959 - Luc Besson, French producer, writer, and director
1959 - David Brookman, American philosopher, writer, and sex symbol
1959 - Irene Cara, American actress and singer
1960 - Richard Biggs, American actor (d. 2004)
1960 - Guy Carbonneau, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
1962 - Thomas Ian Griffith, American actor
1962 - James McMurtry, American folk singer/songwriter
1962 - Mike Rowe, American television personality
1962 or 1963 (it’s a long story) Richard Bambrick, III, devout Calvinist
1963 - Jeff LaBar, American guitarist
1963 - Vanessa L. Williams, American beauty queen, actress, and singer
1964 - Bonnie Blair, American speed skater
1964 - Courtney Pine, British jazz saxophonist
1964 - Rozalla, Zambian singer
1966 - Jerry Cantrell, American musician
1967 - Miki Berenyi, British singer
1968 - Shinichiro Miki, Japanese seiyu (voice actor)
1969 - Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukrainian chess player
1969 - Shaun Udal, English cricketer
1970 - Queen Latifah, American singer and actress
1972 - Dane Cook, American comedian
1973 - Max Barry, Australian author
1975 - Brian Griese, American football player
1975 - Tomas Žvirgždauskas, Lithuanian footballer
1975 - Sutton Foster, American actress, singer, and dancer
1976 - Tomokazu Ohka, Japanese baseball player
1976 - Jovan Kirovski, American soccer player
1977 - Danny Murphy, English footballer
1977 - Zdeno Chára, Slovak ice hockey player
1977 - Devin Lima, American singer
1977 - Willy Sagnol, French footballer
1977 - Terrmel Sledge, American baseball player
1978 - Khalilah Adams, American actress
1978 - Yoshie Takeshita, Japanese volleyball player
1978 - Jan Bulis, Czech ice hockey player
1979 - Adam Levine, American singer (Maroon 5)
1979 - Brandon Lee, American adult actor
1980 - Alexei Yagudin, Russian figure skater
1980 - Sophia Myles, English actress
1981 - Jang Nara, Korean singer and actress
1982 - Chad Cordero, American baseball player
1982 - Pedro Mantorras, Angolan footballer
1984 - Vonzell Solomon, American Idol Contestant

Deaths
978 - King Edward the Martyr of England
1227 - Pope Honorius III (b. 1148)
1314 - Jacques DeMolay, Frankish noble, the 23rd Grand Master of the Knights Templar (b.1244)
1583 - King Magnus of Livonia (b. 1540)
1584 - Tsar Ivan IV of Russia (b. 1530)
1675 - Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier (b. 1606)
1689 - John Dixwell, English judge (b. 1607)
1696 - Robert Charnock, English conspirator
1745 - Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1676)
1746 - Anna Leopoldovna, regent of Russia (b. 1718)
1768 - Laurence Sterne, Irish writer (b. 1713)
1781 - Anne Robert Turgot, French statesman (b. 1727)
1823 - Jean-Baptiste Breval, French composer (b. 1753)
1835 - Christian Gunther von Bernstorff, Danish-Prussian statesman and diplomat (b. 1769)
1871 - Augustus De Morgan, Indian-born British mathematician and logician (b. 1806)
1898 - Matilda Joslyn Gage, American suffragist (b. 1826)
1907 - Marcellin Berthelot, French chemist and politician (b. 1827)
1913 - King George I of Greece (b. 1845)
1936 - Eleutherios Venizelos, Former Prime minister of Greece
1939 - Henry Simpson Lunn, English humanitarian and religious leader (b. 1859)
1941 - Henri Cornet, French cyclist (b. 1884)
1947 - William C. Durant, American automobile pioneer (b. 1861)
1962 - Walter W. Bacon, Governor of Delaware (b. 1880)
1963 - Wanda Hawley, American actress (b. 1895)
1964 - Sigfrid Edström, Swedish sports official (b. 1870)
1965 - King Farouk I of Egypt (b. 1920)
1969 - Barbara Bates, American film actress (b. 1925)
1973 - Lauritz Melchior, Danish-born American opera singer (b. 1890)
1975 - Alain Grandbois, Quebec poet (b. 1900)
1977 - Marien Ngouabi, President of the Republic of the Congo (b. 1938)
1978 - Leigh Brackett, American author (b. 1915)
1978 - Peggy Wood, American actress (b. 1892)
1983 - King Umberto II of Italy, (b. 1904)
1983 - Kenneth E. Boulding, English economist (b. 1910)
1984 - Charlie Lau, American baseball player (b. 1933)
1986 - Bernard Malamud, American writer (b. 1914)
1988 - Billy Butterfield, American jazz trumpeter (b. 1917)
1990 - Robin Harris, American actor and comedian (b. 1953)
1995 - Robin Jacques, illustrator of children's books (b. 1920)
1996 - Odysseus Elytis, Greek poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
1999 - Elizabeth Huckaby, American educator (b. 1905)
2000 - Eberhard Bethge, German theologian (b. 1909)
2001 - John Phillips, American musician (The Mamas and the Papas) (b. 1935)
2002 - R.A. Lafferty, American science fiction writer (b. 1914)
2002 - Gösta Winbergh, Swedish tenor (b. 1943)
2003 - Karl Kling, German race car driver (b. 1910)
2003 - Adam Osborne, British computer pioneer (b. 1939)
2004 - Harrison McCain, Canadian businessman (b. 1927)
2006 - Bill Beutel, American journalist (b. 1930)
2006 - Dan Gibson, musician (b. 1922)
2007 - Bob Woolmer, English cricketer and Pakistan national coach (b. 1948)

Holidays and observances
Aruba - Flag Day (1976)
Ancient Latvia - Bindus Diena
United States - National Biodiesel Day (yeah! I drive a diesel)
Mothers Day (Ireland, United Kingdom, Nigeria)
Mexico - Expropiación Petrolera

Liturgical feasts
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (d.386)
Saint Alexander of Jerusalem
Saint Anselm
Saint Edward the Martyr (d.978)
Saint Narcissus
Saint Salvator

So this is as comprehensive a list as possible – no photos, I am not that creative….
Now I get to return the favor…

Tag:

Christina Walker
Maureen Borillo
Norma Porras
Rachel Marchessault

Get goin’!

The Weenie patrol!

THANK YOU!!!

This weekend was "Weenies and Wheels" - the event where we gave away the street team car to 1 lucky 'new attender' to Revolution Church.

I want to THANK the team that pulled off a great event, and served 500 hot dog lunches!

You volunteers are what make these events possible! Thank you very, very much!

We even had a team of pre-teens helping out - many hands make light work!

Thank you (in alphabetical order)

Dawn Bambrick
Ashley Bambrick
Garhett Bambrick
Keith Bambrick
Janice Boyd
Terry Costa
Aly Geere
Chris Hoff
Tim Lasch
Michelle Lasch
Chandler Lasch
Regan Lasch
Dylan Platt
Samantha Todini
Rene Uribe
and Kaylee (the daughter of Gary & Sharon, the winners of the car!)

Here are a few photos of the event!

Tim & Dawn rollin' them weenies!

Keith, Dylan, Sammy & Michelle stuffin' the boxes!

Keith, Chandler, Terry, Janice and Ashley

"The assembly line"

Michelle mugging for the camera!

Dylan, smiling and servin' soda!

Nachoooooooooooooooooo!

Our lifegroup & the Lasch 4x4 and friends had a Nacho Libre party at my house last night - - it was Fan'tastik (said with a heavy latin accent).

We watched Nacho Libre and ate nacho themed foods. We have never had this many people in our house before - I think everyone enjoyed themselves and everyone enjoyed the movie. I even heard chuckles from Dawn - who doesn't really like the movie!

Although, we don't know who had more fun, the adults watching the movie, the kids outside chasing Desmond, or the adults watching the adults watching the movie - while watching the kids... Or maybe it was watching Andrew solve the mystery cross tanagram!

I have to post some of my favorite scenes!

Thanks to Michelle Lasch for being the coordinator extra-ordinair! Karla Goddu for suggesting the whole thing and to all the friends who brought their culinary delights and came to enjoy the show...

What's next...

LOST Season Finale'
24 Season Finale'

I can't wait!

HE DID IT!!!

This morning Dawn took Garhett to cut his hair !

He was able to donate his pont tail to Locks for Love!

He told the 'student' stylist (via a picture) that he wanted the new "Billy Ray Cyrus" look... NOT A MULLET!

This is what he ended up with.... OH NO!!!!

The back of his head is really bad... where she just chopped off the pony the hair is really, really short!!!

Of course, we learned the hard way that having a 'student' cut your hair is not always the best thing to do! So after the major mess up of his hair - we rushed him to Jon Douglas Salon to have it 'fixed'. After the millions of questions, and the numerous gasps (Did he take scissors to his own head????), Stacey, the miracle worker with scissors snipped and scrunched and viola!

My handsome son is BACK! I can see his face!

Ain't he cute!

The moral of the story... unless you are shaving your head - DO NOT go to a student to get your haircut!

Let's get real...

Ok, all you MAC vs. PC people, give a quick watch to these, then let's talk...


At work...





About Money...




The Girl...




Music...




Ok, in case you haven't figured it out by now I am NOT a fan of MACs. Here's why. They aren't all that people - yeah, they do have cool colored cases, neato neon designs and are the latest 'trendy' thing to own - but let's face it. The WORLD is run by PCs and SUN products. By the way, SUN Microsystems are the BEST computing devices on the planet.

You see, those really cool videos, music files and graphics that are created so perfectly on the MAC, are transfered to all your friends and stored over the Internet, which is run nearly completely by PCs and UNIX based SUN systems. You see, you really can't run a true 'operating system' on a MAC. There is no programming functionality on a MAC. There is only "emulations" of true operating systems. So in essence you could say that the WORLD is run by computing systems that have true operation/programming systems.

Computers that run complex diagnostics in medical labs - PCs and SUNs
Computers that piolt airplanes and the space program - PCs and SUNs
Banking - PCs and SUNs
Most businesses - PCs
The Internet - Pcs and SUNs
Printing and print shops - ah, you thought you had me... well the art may be created on MACs or Apple products, but the complex printing and compiling is done on PC, SUN or CPM based brains... hmmm... leaving the 'fluffy' stuff to MACs.

You see, back when Jobs and Woz stole the original OS for the apple from Xerox (don't believe me, look it up), I was using a PC and have used them ever since. When I owned the Internet Service Provider (www.keyway.net) we used SUN products and I fell in love with the UNIX operating system because it is darn near bullet proof (they don't get viruses either - I think most truley awful virii are created in UNIX). When I worked for Xerox back when the Internet was called Arpanet (no, Al Gore didn't invent it), we used Apples & MACs to do graphic design work, but had to compile and print these files using PCs and DEC VAXs because the mathmatical computations required to sixel encode images was just not possible on the math-challenged MAC... so...

MACs are great if you are into being trendy are all about the exterior of a product - but I perfer to look at the inside of the computer and admire its brain, much like people. It is whats on the inside that matters anyway - right? After all, you can create graphics and video and music on a PC as well - it just takes a little longer and requires more 'programming' ability to do it - rather than just pushing cool little buttons on the keypad.

So back off the PCs and no one get's hurt - or to quote a friend of mine, "Don't hate the play'a, hate the game".

update: for those interested... the PC has a BSOD (blue screen of death) when the system crashes - sometimes you get a complex dump screen that gives specific details about memory cache errors, etc... the MAC you get this...

This generic message doesn't tell you why your MAC has ceased operation - just that you need to restart it. So MACs are impervious to failure. Now the SUN Microsystems products do not crash - the Kernel sometimes has to 'dump'. But the system keeps on working. The Sun Unix systems are impervious to crashes. Not physical failures - everything is prone to that...

Hot Weiners... coming through....

I love that line from "Never been kissed"...





But not as much as the 'catchy phrase' heralding our next event!

Who are you?

I just watched this weeks episode of 24. The BEST hour on TV!

Which 24 character are you?

Turns out I am:
(relax Jamie)

Special post... for some special friends!

"Schooner tuna, the tuna with a heart!"

Mr. Mom (1983)

Ballads

While checking on my bloglines feeds I found this post which asks…

So, here's this week's question: What oft-maligned ballad will you never stop defending?

They offer a few suggestions, which I immediately remembered.

Here are mine…

Little River Band’s “Reminicing”: 1978. Get past the bowl haircut and fly glasses and enjoy the groove.

Kim Carnes’ “Betty Davis Eyes”. It is 3:40 of pure gravelly voice heaven.

Bobby Caldwell’s “What you Won’t Do for Love” . What better way to start a video then to have the album cover come to ‘life’… amazing eh?

And for the best of all…

Culture Club’s “Do you Really Want to Hurt Me”. ‘nuff said..

I will take you to the mat over this one…

Heatwave’s “Always and Forever”

…and the song my wife and I used for our wedding…

Taylor Dane’s “I’ll Always love you”. She was smokin’ hot back in the day… I am a huge fan (pun intended) of BIG HAIR… and this is it man!

NOW WHAT ARE YOURS?

bye, bye Paulina!

The first elimination from "Dancing with the Stars"

Paulina porizkova & Alec Mazo

Catching up!

A REAL BLACK ANGUS DINNER...
We had the luxury the past two nights of attending the Arkansas-Oklahoma Angus cattle auction and dinner. On Friday night we went to, what I thought was a dinner - and later found out was an appetizer meal... yeah right.. this photo is of the 24" wide prime rib that they cut into LARGE slabs for us to consume... my gosh. If you know how I am - you know I LOVE ME SOME RED MEAT... and I was in shangri-la-baby!

On Saturday night we returned for dinner and dancing. The dinner again... prime rib. This time it was individual Grade A - Angus prime rib slabs. My gosh, these cattleman can cook some red meat. The only person I think I know that can cook meat this well is my friend Rick Mysse!


And Cattlemen are very friendly. These were some very nice people to be around. Dawn & I danced like crazy both nights. The first night we visited the local senior center - so I can now officially say that I have fulfilled my "dare" by spending over 2 hours with a whole grip load of seniors.



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SETUP AND TEAR DOWN, ARKANSAS STYLE

Last night we went with my mother-in-law to set up church for Sunday morning.







Set up for their church is considerably less than at Revolution... it involved copying the bulletin and placing two in each row. Church today was packed with 45 people in attendance. I was VERY impressed with this little country church. These folks are genuine... they love each person that attends the church - it seemed like EVERY person at the church welcomed us, gave us a healthy handshake or a hug and we didn't even know these folks. They even welcomed the new comers from the pulpit and said, "we aren't welcoming you because it is the right thing to do, we are welcoming you because we are truly glad you are here" (and they meant it). The best part is that we received numerous invitations to lunch. Now THAT is community. Granted the service is not what I am accustomed to - all acapella hymns - no hi-tech lighting, no instruments, no video - just God's word, straight from His text. No topical discussion, just scripture.

Ashley was bummed, no REVO...


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A WALK IN THE COUNTRY....

Before dinner and after a long 2 hour nap (after lunch), Dawn & I went on a walk along the 1.78 mile dirt road that leads to the family property. It was very nice as we walked along with Desmond and his new friend "milo". A stray that just appeared at the property this morning - he looks like the dog in the movie Mask, so we named him Milo.



As we were walking, it began to rain and a beautiful rainbow appeared - a double rainbow, over the family property. It was really beautiful - what a great way for God to close this beautiful day.

Along our walk Dawn & I talked about the possibility of buying some land and putting a few chicken houses and cattle on it - 'guaranteed income' is what I called it. There is a small property just down the road for sale; 18 acres of pasture land with a small 1500sf home on it, $100,000 is the asking price. Can you imagine that being offered for sale in California... it would easily be over $1mil. Anyways, it is a dream, but with the uncertainty of the Real Estate market (my employment) and the possibility of having a 'foreman' live in the house and run the ranch, it could be a guaranty of income should the market crash miserably... Just a dream... Oh, Heck no - I would never move here, but it would be nice to own something out here. We wouldn't have to bring our 5'er with us, we could just travel to our 'summer home' ha-ha!

Well, that is the update so far...