Practice With Me

GRE

Since I have been out of school and "in industry" just 4 months short of 5 years, I'm required to take the GRE for grad school. Since my grades were high enough in my undergraduate work, I was provisionally admitted and can take the Graduate Record Exam anytime during the spring semester.

I'm taking it at the end of this week and completed a full timed practice test several days ago. As expected, I felt like the writing and quantitative (math) portions were pretty straightforward and didn't really give me any problems. The part I did the poorest on was the verbal reasoning section.

Now I have no illusions and I know that I don't have the same extensive vocabulary as my journalism-majored sister, but I tend to think that it's at least adequate. Apparently, knowing the meanings of such words as doppler coupling and radar range do you no good when taking the GRE.

I scored high enough above the minimum to get my "provisional admission" upgraded to full time student, but it's still annoying to know that I'm not as good in one section of the test as I thought I should be.

Take a practice set of questions here. Or, download the software for the full-length, timed practice tests here (it will give you an approximate score at the end of it).

20/30's Christmas Party

Okay, if you aren't burned out with all of the Christmas get-together photos yet, I hope you'll enjoy these. They're actually pretty late in coming as we had the 20/30's Christmas party almost two weeks ago.

But, better late than never, right?

This year's party was probably the best yet. (It's definitely getting better each year as we grow and add new members). Susan had a great suggestion to make it a traveling party, where we took the church shuttle between homes for appetizers, a meal, and then dessert.

I was a little worried beforehand because over 30 people RSVPed and I wasn't sure how we'd fit everyone into our little house, but it worked out quite well. I don't know the final count, but I think we had around 40+ people come. What an answer to our prayers (Matt and I were the only couple our age when we moved back from Dallas 4 1/2 years ago).


Food = Fun.


Anna and Manda are really excited about making the numbers for the dirty Santa game.


Mark P. and the Lynns


Jason, Dave, and Eric.


Heather and Julie.


Brittany, the Pies, and the Jameses.


Daniel, Luke, and Ryan. Three engineers in a pod.


Richard and Lisa make quite a nice looking couple, don't you think?


I think this should be our new blog id photo. "The Happy Harnation."


Penny is one of those babies that makes me think that I could handle being a parent to a small child. Maybe I can just talk her parents into loaning her out on occasion.


The Dirty Santa game was a riot. The best part was when the "My First Christmas" onesie and pregnancy test were opened by one of the single guys. He took it like a champ though and was later relieved when someone switched gifts with him.

Until next year...

Movie Highs and Lows

Recently, we Netflixed two movies of contrasting worth.


First up was Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. We actually had this movie at the house for several weeks before we finished it, but really enjoyed it when we did.

Wikipedia says: "The plot revolves around three main characters: Charles Eastman né Ohiyesa (Adam Beach), a young, Dartmouth-educated, Sioux doctor held up as living proof of the alleged success of assimilation; Sitting Bull (Schellenberg), the proud Lakota chief who refuses to submit to U.S. government policies designed to strip his people of their identity, their dignity and their sacred land—the gold-laden Black Hills of the Dakotas; and Senator Henry Dawes (Quinn), an architect of government policy on Indian affairs."

The film culminates in the assassination of Sitting Bull and the murder of hundreds of men, women, and children of the Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek (which occurred on this day in 1890). The US government was trying to meet the demands for more land (by engineering a plan to "buy back" some of the Indian reservations for railways and gold mining) and tensions were running high when the massacre occurred.

It's a sympathetic look at some of the American Indians during their horrible treatment by the US government and a very good watch. I'd recommend.



The other movie of note was Love in the Time of Cholera. I say "of note" only because I should note that I would not recommend it. It was absolutely DREADFUL! From what I have read (only after having endured the film), it apparently did not do the book on which it was based any honor.

Wiki says: "Time rated it "D" and described it as 'a serious contender [for] the worst movie ever made from a great novel ... Skip the film; reread the book.' "

The basic plot is this: a young man, Florentino Ariza, falls in love with a girl, Fermina. They exchange letters, vow to marry, then her father finds out and moves her away. She eventually rejects Florentino and marries a doctor. Florentino is heartbroken but still loves Fermina. To "mend" his heart, he sleeps with some 670+ women while waiting for her husband to die. Meanwhile, the audience is subjected to more topless women than a Friday night at Jimmy's. In the end, Fermina's husband dies, she and Florentino are reunited, fall in love, and then the movie culminates with a very disturbing 70+ year olds' sex scene.

I can't believe that we actually sat through the whole thing. It was terrible! I haven't read the book, but I sure don't want to after seeing this movie. Yuck!!

Christmas, Harnation-Style

On Friday, we were able to eat a delicious Christmas dinner with the other side of the family. Diane made a great meal and we had so much fun catching up with one another and sniffing out her neighbor's garage.

I always love getting together with family the day after Christmas... maybe it's silly, but sometimes that day can feel a little depressing. The get togethers are over and all that's left is the cleanup. Fitting in a meal that day seems to make it feel like the holiday might just last a little longer.

Anyone else think that the day after Christmas can otherwise feel a little bit depressing?

(from left) Becca, Matt, Diane, and Michael.


Macho really thinks that he is a lap dog.


But in Michael's lap, Tyson knows he is one!

Christmas Merriment Japanese-Style

We are blessed to have most of our immediate family within an hour radius. It's really nice around the holidays because we can see everyone without having to travel to one side and sacrifice time with another.

For the Craig side, we always have a traditional Japanese meal for Christmas. It's a lot of fun and I look forward to it all year. I especially enjoy that we are able to celebrate our Asian heritage with friends and family.


Wok city! All of the food was prepared in three different woks. I really need to find my wok. I got one as a Christmas gift while at Auburn and none of us know where it disappeared to.


Since mom and dad's house remodel, the dining room has been opened up so that we can make the adjacent study part of the dining area. It works great when you have ~23 people over for a meal!


Poor Roo... er, I mean Santy Claus.


I really enjoyed having Joe and the Dawsons join in all the fun. Did you know that Pat and Dale recently celebrated their 35th(!!!) wedding anniversary? Congratulations!


The newlyweds and newly-engaged PJ.


Amanda enjoying her Pie.


Grandma and Herb make such a sweet couple!


Mom, don't be holding out on the sake. ;)

Tons o' Guns

I've never seen so many guns in my life!

Road Courses

A couple of people have asked me about the tracks that I've been driving. Here are a few short videos of laps at Road Atlanta and Barber Motorsports Park.

American Royalty

America is a democratic republic, right? Well, sort of. We still have a semi-royal family, or actually several sets of semi-royal families in the U.S..

Take the Bushes... Pappa George H.W. Bush was President No. 41. His sons have since become the governors of two large states (Texas and Florida), with Dubbya moving onto become Pres. No. 43.

The Roosevelts (Teddy and F.D.R.) were cousins. Also, Teddy - who was Eleanor's uncle - became Franklin's uncle-in-law when FDR wed his fifth-cousin's daughter.

Of course, the most well-known (recent) American political family would have to be the Kennedys. Three of Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy's sons held/still hold prominent federal political positions (JFK: former Congressman, Senator, and President; Robert: former U.S. Attorney General and Senator; Ted: current U.S. Senator). Several members of the subsequent generation have gone on to become Congressmen, Leutenant Governors, and also to marry future politicians (think the Governator).

Now, the spotlight is on Caroline Kennedy, who has announced her interest in taking over Hillary Clinton's Senate seat when she leaves the Senate to become Obama's new Secretary of State.

I figure that it's not surprising that Caroline has decided that she would like to become a senator. However, even with her experience in political fundraising and activism, I don't think that she's qualified to be handed a position as a senator. State senator, maybe. Even possibly a U.S. representative. For a position as valuable as a place in the U.S. Senate, I think you should at least be elected to office (especially if you've never served in a position of public office before).

With all of the hoopla surrounding Governor Blagovich's abuse of power to appoint someone to fill Obama's soon-to-be-vacated Senate seat, I hope that more states will enact legislation that calls for special elections fo fill vacated positions.

This article talks about how not everyone thinks that Caroline Kennedy deserves to be given the vacant New York Senate seat. "[When the news that Kennedy was interested became public], Long Island Congressman Peter King was sitting down with members of his family and staff to plot out a possible run for that same Senate seat in 2010. "

"I have nothing against Caroline Kennedy," he said, "but the fact is that I don't believe anybody has a hereditary right to a senate seat from New York State."

Kennedy will most likely get the position, but I think it will be more about who she is than what she's personally accomplished (politically).

Go Slow

Ever cursed when driving over one of those kidney-jarring speed bumps? Becca hates riding in the Bimmer because it takes those things without any grace.

Now you don't have to worry about them. If you go slow over these speed bumps, they flatten out and save you a headache. Go too fast, and you'll take a hit.

When Presidents Had REAL Pets

"Benjamin Harrison kept a goat named Old Whiskers, who once escaped the White House grounds with the children in tow, forcing the president to chase them down Pennsylvania Avenue. (National Archives)"

With president-elect Barack Obama mulling one of the most important decisions of his political career, what breed of dog to get his girls as their first pet (and as THE First Pet), many reporters are weighing in with their 2 cents on what he should pick.

Mo Rocca suggests that Obama skip the K9s and go for something more... interesting.

Did you know that Woodrow Wilson had a pet ram that died of a nicotene addiction? Teddy Roosevelt had 36 pets, including a one-legged rooster.

Rocca says, "Calvin Coolidge had a raccoon named Rebecca, and a wallaby. (I think it would be neat to have a pet with a pouch.)

"Look, I'm not saying that the Obamas should get a pet with a pouch. But another pooch? That's not change we can believe in … that's not change at all!"

Outlet Outing

A few of us took a quick shopping trip to Atlanta last weekend. I went to this outlet this past spring during Matt's last track weekend in Atlanta and had a great time. I really love shopping when I feel like I'm getting a good deal!

Besides filling up mom's trunk with some great stuff, I especially enjoyed listening to Mom and Angie talk - and laugh! Those two are so much fun and kept Amy and I laughing all the way to Alpharetta.

I want to go back again sometime in '09. I know a few ladies I can probably sweet talk into joining us (Manda and Mrs. A - I'm looking at you). Let me know if you would like to make our next girls' weekend even more fun!

Solenoid Concert

So, I haven't kept up with blogging properly. I've been busy and uninspired (you guys can always email me post ideas). :)

Here's something super geeky. If you can overcome the crazy, nauseating camera maneuvers, it's a pretty neat video.

How Much is Life Worth?

How much is 6 months of your life worth? If you're a British citizen, it's only worth about $22,750.

Bruce Hardy has cancer, and his health care provider (the British government) has decided they can't afford to pay for his treatment. "If the Hardys lived in the United States or just about any European country other than Britain, Mr. Hardy would most likely get the drug, although he might have to pay part of the cost. A clinical trial showed that the pill, called Sutent, delays cancer progression for six months at an estimated treatment cost of $54,000.

"But at that price, Mr. Hardy’s life is not worth prolonging, according to a British government agency, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The institute, known as NICE, has decided that Britain, except in rare cases, can afford only £15,000, or about $22,750, to save six months of a citizen’s life."

"Private and public insurers in the United States must pay whatever Celgene [the drug manufacturer] and other makers of unique cancer medicines decide to charge, so prices are soaring. Spending on cancer drugs and other such specialty medicines rose 9 percent last year and now represents 24 percent of the nation’s drug bill, according to Health Strategies Group, a New Jersey consulting company. Drug expenses in 2006 grew faster than any other part of the nation’s health bill except home care.

"But because of the institute, Britain’s National Health Service has been among the first to balk at paying such prices, which has led many companies to offer the British discounts unavailable almost anywhere else."

Since Britain runs on a state-provided health care system, I wonder if the lack of competition between health care providers affects the cost of care and pharmaceuticals. I know that my doctor's bills always have two prices: what they charge, and what they actually accept from a patient that has health insurance. They difference is remarkable. It doesn't really make sense to me that the uninsured are charged more - except for the fact that the health insurance companies cover a lot more patients and are able to negotiate rates with the doctors. Doctors know that they're better off accepting a lower payment from the insurance companies than having those companies pull them from their "preferred provider" list. I'd have to think that the price of prescriptions can be affected in a similar manner.

Steal Me a Building

The New York Daily News demonstrated just how easy it is to steal a BUILDING when they drew up phony paperwork and had the ownership of the Empire State Building transferred to Nelots Properties, LLC. (Stolen, spelled backwards).

"The News swiped the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper by drawing up a batch of bogus documents, making a fake notary stamp and filing paperwork with the city to transfer the deed to the property.

"Some of the information was laughable: Original "King Kong" star Fay Wray is listed as a witness and the notary shared a name with bank robber Willie Sutton."

Although such a famous building wouldn't go unnoticed for long, it demonstrates how crooks can - and have- used falsified deeds to gain cash taken out against the property value.

"The FBI says financial institutions filed 31% more Suspicious Activity Reports involving mortgage fraud last year than in 2006. Nationwide, lenders' losses totaled $813 million, and New York was one of the top 10 mortgage fraud states."

Efficient Energy

My aunt sent me this article. It was really interesting and had some really good ideas that we can actually use to lower our monthly electricity and heating costs. You always hear "turn down your thermostat to 68 (in the winter) and the water heater to 120", but this article had many more helpful examples. It's a bit of a long read, but worth while.

(From Debt Proof Living)

Monday, December 01, 2008
Mr. Janke’s science class takes on the power company
The least you need to know
By by Ray Janke

As a toddler, an electrifying encounter with a light socket taught me to respect the power of electricity. As a teen, I learned to respect the high cost of electricity when my father would fine me five bucks every time I left a room without turning out the lights. But it was during my service in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Silversides that I became passionate about electricity.

After completing my stint in the Navy and becoming an electrical instructor with Technical Careers Institute, I was introduced to a phenomenon known as the phantom electrical load. Phantom loads are electrical devices that draw electrical power even when they are turned off! With my curiosity piqued, I set out to disengage every single phantom load in my home. My motivation was driven by the desire to stop paying for electricity that was not benefiting me in any way.

Upon receiving my Master’s of Education degree I started a new career as a high school science teacher. My love for science and making complex scientific theories understandable opened many students’ minds to the possibilities of science. One of my more philosophical students challenged me to show the application of the scientific principles in ways that the students could participate.

At the time, I was in the process of buying my first home. It seemed like the perfect idea to involve the students in experiments to see how much we could reduce my new home’s electricity consumption by applying sound scientific methods.

The house experiment was successful on many fronts, especially to the many students who made the connection that scientific principles have the power to affect changes in their own lives, in their homes, and in the communities of the world.

During the first year of the house experiment, we purchased Energy Star rated appliances
(energystar.gov). Although Energy Star products can cost more initially, my wife, who is an electrical engineer, understood that the difference in price would be quickly recouped in reduced electricity consumption, making them more cost efficient over time.

We decided to do nothing more than switch to the Energy Star appliances for a few months so we could get an average monthly kilowatt-hour use baseline. This would allow us to accurately measure the cost-cutting efforts we would be making. Our average monthly electricity bill was $120.

Soon we adddressed our heating and hot water energy consumption. We noticed that the furnace ran constantly in cold weather, and six-foot-long icicles hung from the roofline to the ground after the first snowfall. These observations told us that our heated air was escaping, causing the furnace to work overtime and the snow on the roof to melt. I quickly discovered the problem: More than half of the attic insulation was missing. With new insulation in place, we determined we were using 1,200 gallons of fuel oil per year.

Switching from incandescent to fluorescent light bulbs became our next challenge. Making the decision to switch was easy. Finding the money to cover the high initial cost of fluorescent bulbs was the difficult part. I made a deal with my wife that I would initially replace the incandescent light bulbs that were on for long periods of time each day. Through a smaller monthly electric bill and the use of electric company-sponsored sales and rebates for fluorescent light bulbs, I was able to save enough money each month to buy more bulbs. Once we achieved a complete conversion to fluorescents, our electricity bill dropped below $100 a month.

We have frequent electrical surges and lightning strikes in western Massachusetts, which can zap sensitive electronics causing them to stop working. I purchased Tripp-Lite and Belkin surge protected power strips to protect phone equipment and other electronic devices.

That’s when it dawned on me that power strips could also help us deal with all the phantom electrical loads lurking in the house.

Remembering to crawl under tables or behind furniture to unplug electrical cords to stop the phantom loads had not proven to be practical or convenient. We needed an easy way to unplug all the devices that were producing these pesky phantom loads. Power strips became the perfect solution. With everything plugged into a handy power strip, all we have to do is push the rocker switch to the off position to disconnect every item plugged into that power source.

Not all phantom electrical loads are bad. My automatic coffee maker stays plugged in on standby so it’s ready to make coffee each morning. I am grateful to pay for the power required to keep it in ready mode. Some phantom electrical loads are less obvious like chargers for cell phones, Game Boys and laptop computers. Once the device is charged, leaving the power-sucking charger plugged in serves no purpose.

A handy device like the Kill-A-Watt meter (see sidebar) lets you determine what devices in your home are guzzling electricity needlessly. Once you know, you decide whether to keep it plugged in and drawing power, or attaching it to a power strip that you turn off when you are not using it.

By eliminating offending phantom electrical loads, we were able to get our average monthly electricity bill below $40. We would soon learn, however, that conserving electricity can have its problems.

As I involved my ninth grade science class in my home energy experiments, the power company decided to test our electric meter for possible tampering issues. They knew my wife was an electrical engineer, which only added to their suspicions.

The company insisted that our energy use was way below what is required to run a 2,200 square foot home. They removed the old meter and sent it in for testing. To their surprise, it was working properly. That’s when they contacted us to find out what we were doing to use so little electricity. We were glad to share with them our conservation efforts. Thankfully, that lifted the cloud of suspicion. Hopefully, such a thing will not happen to you, but if you do get audited or your electric meter is checked by your power provider, consider it a compliment for your efforts in electricity conservation.

In the years that followed, we tested other methods to conserve electricity. Having three years of data helped us to determine within a month or two if the variable change was working to reduce our electricity and energy expenses.

We tackled the heating oil consumption by getting the furnace repaired and cleaned so it would function at peak efficiency. We turned the hot water heater down to 120 F, a temperature that minimizes accidental scalding but is hot enough to kill germs in the laundry. We installed low flow shower heads and have limited our showers to fewer than five minutes.

We covered all accessible hot water pipes with foam insulation tubes to minimize heat loss. We sealed the foundation of the house, including every hole we could find and all the seams around the windows and doorways with caulk. These combined efforts reduced our heating oil consumption to below 1,000 gallons per year.

To further reduce our heating oil consumption, we installed programmable thermostats to regulate our heating system around our work and weekend schedule. We also insulated the basement ceiling and wall joists. This reduced our heating oil consumption below
800 gallons a year.

We found great success in customizing the temperature using the start and stop times on our programmable thermostats. They are now programmed so the heat comes on half an hour before we get up for work and stays on for thirty minutes (66 F upstairs and 68 F downstairs). Both programmable thermostats are set to 60 F for the rest of the day, until they are set to come back on half an hour before we arrive home from work. At 10 p.m., both thermostats are set back to 60 F for the rest of the night. On weekends we program the thermostats to accommodate a slightly different schedule.

Many people have asked why we set the upstairs temperature two degrees cooler than the downstairs temperature. Simply put, heat rises so we count on heat from the downstairs moving upward to help warm the upstairs. We have found that the two-degree temperature difference works well with our home and is well tolerated by friends and family.

Another variable that proved successful was purchasing an Energy Star (Maytag) front-loading washing machine. Not only did we reduce the amount of hot and cold water used per load, we have cleaner clothes. My wife loves her front-loading washing machine and wonders why we didn’t do this sooner.

Most recently, we added an additional layer of R-19 insulation to the attic of our home. We are now averaging less than 150 kilowatt-hours of electrical use per month and our heating oil consumption has dropped below 700 gallons a year. Even with soaring energy prices, our average electricity bill is less than $45.

People often ask my wife how we find the money to implement energy conservation changes. What works for us is to initially reduce our energy costs by doing free or low-cost energy conservation measures. As we spend less on the electricity bill, we use the difference to seed energy conservation upgrades for our home. Then these new upgrades begin to seed future energy conservation projects.

Within the next year or two, we plan to install a solar panel array that will produce three to four kilowatts of energy which we will sell back to the electric company. Our goal is to reduce our electricity and heating oil costs to a net sum of zero—a challenging goal, but one
we are confident we’ll be able to achieve.

Baby Sitting Mayhem

Did you hear about this baby sitter who left the two kids she was watching in order to go out for a drink? The mother returned home to find the children alone in the house, littered with beer cans. The sitter returned, got in an argument with the mom, and slapped her. Wow!

We were pretty rough on some of our baby sitters, but they were always really good to us (and our mom). Poor Christine Nicol put up with a lot from us. We loved her (she really was our favorite), but she was put through the wringer during the two summers that she kept us. We pretended we didn't hear her when she tried to get us to dry off at the pool to go home and even locked her out of the house one time.

The first summer we were allowed to stay home without a sitter (mom was working part-time), we were also a mess. Dad's program secretary fielded lots of tattle-tale calls and apparently we were the entertainment for the group. I remember going to a family picnic with Dad's group once where they were swapping Shipman girl stories. Like the time two of us put the other's underwear in the freezer, or when Manda lit Amy's carpet on fire... and I subsequently put it out. Good times. ;)

A Very Merry Christmas Story

Love Love Love this movie!





The bell rang!

Gobble Gobble

I got these in an email from Matt's uncle. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. :)

A Little Bit of Tempura...

... goes a long way!


I don't usually post photos of our food (at least not the food I cook), but I was so pumped about our dinner that I had to share.

We went to the Asian food store this weekend and loaded up on some goodies - including tempura batter. One of my favorite Japanese meals is tempura. Anyway, we tried it out tonight and ended up with a feast of golden fried goodness. Add a little miso soup and some sushi and voila! A (mostly) home-cooked Japanese meal.

We tried to keep it simple with one each of our favorite tempura veggies (zuchinni, sweet potato, green pepper, and broccoli) plus some shrimp, but it turned out to be a lot more than we anticipated. Next time, we'll know to invite friends.

If I Could Do Anything

I've been thinking a lot lately about what kinds of jobs I'd like to have if I could do whatever I wanted (this includes being gifted with the talents necessary to do these jobs). This isn't to say that I don't love my work - I really do - it's just that I think there are a lot of things I would love to do (at least in my mind, anyway).

Here are some of them, in no particular order:

1. Political Writer/Analyst/Columnist. Michelle Malkin is my new hero. I love reading her stuff and I just love her logical method of presenting what is going on in the political spectrum to her readers. I have grown more and more interested in politics over the past several years and I think it would be a lot of fun to spend my time researching current votes and bills and giving my opinion about them - just without all of the hate mail.

2. High school math teacher. I don't know why, but I've always been able to imagine myself as a high school math teacher. I think I'd especially enjoy teaching algebra and geometry. Maybe it's because I had really good teachers for those classes, but I have also thought that it would be really rewarding to be able to become a good math teacher and find a way to make the basics understandable to students. I even delayed getting an EE master's for a while because I debated getting a Math masters instead so that I could teach later on if I wanted to.

3. Architect. All of those personality/career-path tests have always said that I should be an engineer or an architect. As a kid, I loved making my own dream home floor plans. I also played with Legos a LOT. I know a lot of people who played with Legos, but not so many who spent countless hours designing house layouts.

4. U.S. Senator or Congressman. I think we have a couple of pretty good senators for our state, but boy are there a lot of crooks out there - both Republican and Democrats alike (Stevens, Rangel, Murtha, Jefferson - I'm looking at you!). I just cannot understand how these stooges keep getting re-elected. I guess felony convictions, tax evasion, slander, and getting caught with bribe money in your freezer qualify you for public office. I think I'd enjoy debating new bills and making decisions as honestly and fairly as possible, and hopefully with at least a small dose of common sense.

5. Tent maker. I don't really mean a "tent maker", just that I wish I had a profession that could be used anywhere in the world. I admire a lot of missionaries who not only move across the globe to evangelize, but to serve. There are many places where the people are not only spiritually in need, but physically in need too. Sometimes I wish that I were able to use my profession in any part of the world to be a self-supported missionary and serve these people. I guess I've kind of come to terms with the fact that I feel called to "send" rather than to "go" (at least for now).

6. "In Charge". This is probably the one that I say the most often. Whenever I see Congress making stupid decisions or when I'm driving behind an idiot driver, I always think, "Man, if only I were in charge!" I wouldn't necessarily want everyone to know I was in charge, just to have the ability to make things happen the way I wanted anonymously. When that jerk cuts me off or pokes around in the fast lane, I'd make them become a conscientious driver. Whenever an asinine proposal was made to Congress, I would squash it like a bug. When my neighbors broke out the tacky Christmas lawn ornaments, they'd immediately be given some good taste. Cue my evil laugh: Muwahahaha!

I you had several lifetimes worth of careers to choose from, what would you choose?

Automotive Ballet

What would you do with an abandoned Air Force base, a 530 horsepower all wheel drive Subaru, 4 sets of tires and some free time? Here's an idea...



It's the automotive equivalent of ballet, but the car control is amazing.

Also, Becca has given me a hard time since all of my posts are somehow car related, but this is one that she requested I post.

Anti Prop. 8 Rage

Michelle Malkin's column this week talks about the rage from the anti-Prop. 8 group. (Thomas Sowell also has a really good read on the subject here).

Proposition 8 was the amendment to the California Constitution that defined marriage as between one man and one woman. To my understanding, it does not affect the legal rights of gay couples in "domestic unions" that married couples have (hospital visitation, property ownership, etc.). The measure passed overwhelmingly by 52 to 48% (the same as Obama's margin).

The measure was pushed after 1. a law defining traditional marriage was overturned by the California Supreme Court after being passed by the people of the state a few years ago 2. it became clear that those who held traditional marriage views (one man, one woman) were no longer "free" to hold these views (children being taken on field trips to see their teacher marry another woman, gay marriage being taught in the classroom, discrimination against those who held to traditional marriage, etc.).

The measure was passed with the help of minorities who voted for Obama, so this is not a straight-party issue. However, the gay rights groups are not targeting the racial minorities for their vote to protect traditional marriage. Instead, they're going after the small percentage of Christians and Mormans with violence and rage.

What aggravates me is that the people who shout the loudest about tolerance are the ones threatening and carrying out violence against those who don't share their views. There is no inequality in the legal rights of gay couples in California because domestic partnerships are legal there and offer the same protections, so why are they railing against those with personal and religious convictions? They are boycotting businesses where members of the business (not the business itself) donated to the Pro-Prop. 8 campaign (for as little as $100) and publicly posting the names of all donors so that they can run them out of business.

Now, the groups are devising a way to overturn the measure. What ever happened to the will of the people? Republicans aren't rioting in the streets, defacing Senator Obama's Chicago Church, boycotting and punching his supporters, or devising schemes to legally block him from taking office! If they were, they'd all be prosecuted with hate crimes, so why are these clowns allowed to get away with this behavior?!

Where is the ACLU and the other organizations now, defending Prop. 8 supporters' rights?? Why are elected officials who "support traditional marriage" (Governator, I'm looking at you) encouraging these hooligans to continue with their shenanigans even after the majority of their constituents have voted against gay marriage?

I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I also believe that when you change that definition, you enter a slippery slope and it will not be long before 1. marriage can include multiple sets of wives or even animals (look at some Muslim countries that allow you to marry animals... yuck!!) 2. people who believe in traditional marriage will be legally and culturally prosecuted and equated with racists and bigots.

Home Sweet Auburn

Matt and I spent the weekend in Auburn. We scored some tickets and were able to catch up with old friends. It was so much fun - I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. We really enjoyed ourselves, but it was strange seeing how much Auburn has changed since we were there last year for the Iron Bowl. There are lots of new buildings going up and the campus has changed a lot.

I realized that I'm in a completely different phase of life now than I was while a student. I opted for long underwear plus a couple other layers instead of a skirt and heels.


One thing that will never change - Samford Hall (view from the back side).

I had so much fun in college. I laughed and learned a lot. Next to our four years of marriage, it was the best four years that I can remember. I loved Auburn, and I wouldn't change a thing!

ACC Ad

When you open your Toyota Trails magazine, you'll see Michael's new ad for ACC, his Toyota restoration. maintenance, and modification shop. (Click to zoom in).

Officially Enrolled

I went to talk with an adviser today and am now signed up for my first graduate-level course. (Hooray for me). I feel like pulling an Amanda and telling everyone that they are now free to worship and adore me. ;)

I'm particularly excited about it because I've been talking about getting a master's degree for almost 5 years now. The timing has really worked out. Matt's been finished (at least for now) with school for a year and a half, we have the money to pay for my tuition upfront, and I'm at a company that encourages and will work with me to pursue higher education - they offer flex time so that I can make up hours missed due to class and will reimburse my tuition and fees. Since I'm just going part-time, it'll take me a few years to finish, but I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm also excited because I feel like I've finally picked a "specialization" that I can enjoy: radar theory. I know I'm a giant geek, but I've really liked the work that I've done for the past couple of years and know that this area has a lot of potential for me. On top of that, my paternal grandfather was one of the first "radar guys" on the arsenal, and even though I never got to know him very well (he died when I was 4), I feel like he'd be proud to have a granddaughter interested in the same kind of technical work as him.

So, if you want to talk white noise and range-doppler coupling, feel free to strike up a conversation. I may not understand what you're talking about, but I'll at least nod and pretend I do.

What a Way to Die

This lady in Brazil was killed when the hearse she was riding in was hit from behind and her husband's coffin struck her head. Yikes!! I guess that this scenario cut down on a lot of grieving for the 67-year-old widow - but man, what a way to die!

I don't really think about death all of the time, but I do remember one time when I was probably 10-12 years old and my dad had picked us up from school. I started thinking about what I would do if my parents died and left us orphaned. By the time we got home, I had figured out who would sleep where at my Aunt and Uncle's house, where I'd get the money for college, and had tears streaming down my face. My father probably thought I was in some strange hormone-induced, emotionally-unstable pre-teen mood. No, just me and my worrying-got-the-best-of-me runaway imagination.

Last year, I think I really freaked Matt out on our way to San Francisco to visit his dad. We were sitting on the plane, waiting for it to take off when I leaned over and told him, "You know, I could die right now and be happy. It'd be okay with me." - all with a smile. His response was, "WHAT?! Where did that come from?!" I know I sounded crazy, but it was the truth. I'd hate to go out knowing I'd left him alone, and I'd hate to be left here without him even more - but the thought of leaving this world together in a fiery ball of 757 seemed strangely comforting at the time.

I used to always think, "Oh God, please don't take me, at least not until I get to...", especially whenever Mr. A did his "Lord, come quickly" prayer during the morning service. I have gotten over that and am a little more at peace with death. Not that I'm saying that I don't have a lot of things that I want to accomplish in my lifetime, but I know where I'm headed and it's an awfully wonderful place. If I had my way, I'd arrive at those pearly gates peacefully in my sleep (simultaneously with my husband) after a long, blissful life together filled with children, travel, laughter, and love.

By the way, did you know that Costco sells coffins (photo above)?! Weird.

Australian Healthcare

Just like when the government controls anything, the bureaucratic garbage can ruin a perfectly well-intentioned program. I know health care in this country is often unaffordable to working families, but I'd hate to trade in my free choice of program(s) for something like Australia's state-run health care program.

Take this example: a specialist doctor in Horsham, Australia, is being denied permanent residency because he has a son with Down syndrome. "The Immigration Department this week rejected Dr Moeller's application for permanent residency, saying the potential cost to the taxpayer of 13-year-old Lukas's condition was too great."

" 'It is sad that in this modern day we are still viewing people with a disability, such as Dr Moeller's son, as a burden,' Senator Bernardi said. 'They can and do make significant contributions to our society.' ... Horsham business community wants the Moellers to stay. Business Horsham's Andrea Cross said: 'We are desperate for doctors in the country ... The decision to reject residency is crazy.' "

When you start treating people like statistics and financial burdens, you create a whole world of other problems. When families with special needs children are discriminated against like this, people are discouraged from carrying to term babies that are diagnosed prior to birth. These actions say that life is only valuable if it's a healthy, "burden-free" life, which is disgusting. All life is valuable, not just those deemed "worthy".

Stories like this are not only sad, but infuriating.

Why I'm Not a Socialist

During Sunday School, this verse stuck out to me. It pretty much sums up a lot of my political beliefs in addition to the scriptural application.

"If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat."
~ II Thessalonians 3:10b

Throughout the Bible, God provided for his people over and over again - but his provisions were never hand outs; the Israelites always had to work. When God provided manna, they had to collect it (and collect enough on the 6th day to last through the end of the week). When the farmers harvested their grain, they left parts of their fields for the poor so that they could harvest some themselves. These provisions required that the people put out some effort in order to receive them.

There is a major difference between helping the working poor and enabling the lazy. Just as Paul told the Thessalonians - if someone isn't willing to work, he should not be able to partake in the spoil. I believe that when you give things away for nothing ("trickle-down"/"redistribution of wealth"), it encourages laziness instead of hard work.

I'm Glad My Daddy Drives a Polaris

I read this article about the Yamaha Rhino which is now being blamed for 30 deaths. The goofy-looking ATV is facing over 200 lawsuits, mostly alleging an unsafe design.

My gentleman-farmer father and knitting-fiend mother both have Polaris ATVs. They're used as "farm tools" (they really do have legitimate farm uses) and we have taken my dad's down to the Shipman Family Reunion at the farm every Thanksgiving for the past several years. They're really handy for navigating the "mud pond" and are also useful for fast fleeing in case the crazy estranged relatives decide to try to kill us.

As kids, we didn't have any four-wheelers. I always wanted one, or a go-cart. One day we were playing in the yard and my dad told us to get in the car so we could go by a coworker's house. We complained and moaned about it. We were such brats! Once we got there, we quickly realized that we were at this guy's house in order to pick up an old golf cart that my dad had bought for us. Thankfully, he didn't change his mind and decide not to buy it after all of our whining and we came home with our very own electric play cart.

That cart was so much fun! It was electric, so you couldn't drive it all day long, or else we would've never come inside. Our 2-acre yard wasn't nearly big enough for its potential, but we still had a lot of fun. I ran into a lot of stuff with it. I put a decent dent in one of the garage doors, pinged a fence post, and probably hit several other things all over the yard. It was probably a good learning experience before I got a real license.

One day, Amanda and I got tired of Amy hogging it and concocted the stupidest plan ever to stop her - we're lucky we didn't kill our baby sister when we stretched out our homemade rope in front of her moving vehicle as a sort of "trip line". (Charlie, don't think Amanda's kidding when she says she's going to get you jogging by her house!)

Maawage

Man and Wife!



Billy Crystal sure is an ugly old man!

Otay

Something to cheer you up

TRFG: Chapter Five

Since we're discussing chapters six and seven of Tim Keller's The Reason for God tonight, I figured I'd better hurry up and post what we discussed three weeks ago.

Chapter Five: "How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?" This was a tough chapter and we ended up spending the whole discussion on it instead of the planned two chapters. There are so many good points in this chapter that I can't even begin to discuss them all.

Keller describes a common view of hell: God gives us time, but if we haven't made the right choices... he casts our souls into hell for all eternity. As the poor souls fall through space, they cry out for mercy, but God says "Too late! You had your chance! Now you will suffer!" This caricature misunderstands the very nature of evil. The Biblical picture is that sin separates us from the presence of God, which is the source of all joy and indeed all love, wisdom, or good things of any sot... if we were to lose his presence totally, that would be hell - the loss of our capability for giving or receiving joy.

He also points out that those in hell aren't wishing for God's eternal presence. Just like Jesus' parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16), the condemned souls never ask to get out of hell but instead proceed in blame-shifting and denial. "Hell is simply one's freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity... All God does in the end with people is give them what they want most, including freedom from himself." (emphasis added)

Keller quotes Becky Piper in explaining God's wrath with our sinfulness. "Anger isn't the opposite of love. Hate is, and the final form of hate is indifference." If God didn't really love his own creation, he wouldn't become (rightfully) angry with us for our depravity. Through this, he is able to restore us to him and we can have the peace of the knowledge that when others wrong us, it will be made right. Because God is a loving and just god, not only will he restore his chosen people unto himself, but he will also right all wrongs.

This chapter hit me especially hard because I've really struggled in the past with the question "Why would God create people that he knows will end up in Hell?" And even though I can't fully answer that question, I am strengthened by the fact that 1. Just because I don't understand His reasoning doesn't mean that it isn't right and that He doesn't have a good reason (this goes back to the arguments discussed in previous chapters) 2. Who am I to say what He does with his own creation? ("Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" - Romans 9:21) 3. We are ALL deserving of death and it is only by His infinite grace and mercy that a few are saved.

Sweet Savannah

So, I did my patriotic duty and voted first thing this morning. Now I am settling down with a drink and preparing to drown my sorrows (not really, Mom). Instead of dreading the imminent downsizing of NASA and defense spending (i.e., both of our jobs as well as the backbone of our community), I've decided to concentrate on happier times.

Like this past weekend. We left Thursday for a short and sweet trip to Savannah, GA. I've always wanted to go and since Matt got to pick our last Harnation getaway (Asheville, NC), it was my turn!

I did a lot of research beforehand and had a whole list of places to go and things to see (and eat). I think we made it through just about everything and still had time to relax. We started off on Friday with a lunch trip to Mrs. Wilke's Boarding House and were greeted to family-style dining that consisted of something like 24 dishes. Yum!



When we went to the hotel to check in, they told us that our room wasn't quite ready and suggested some things for us to do... the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) was having its annual Film Festival, or there was the Savannah Historics going on at the Westin...

Car Show?! Matt's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. Of course, he didn't want to make us spend our time at yet another track on our vacation (High Performance Driver's Education at Thunderhill and the American Le Mans Race at Leguna Seca last year, Daytona's Track Tour this summer, etc.), but it sounded interesting and we decided to check it out. The inn owner gave us some free hot lap passes and we got to ride with a professional driver in the new BMW M3 for two very fast laps. Plus, we got to see some neat restored cars, like this really old race car.


After breakfast on Saturday, we heard a parade going on. We decided to check it out and had quite a cultural experience. We think the parade was for a local college's homecoming, but it was not like the "parades" we had at Auburn! A big truck pulling a trailer loaded 6' high with mega speakers (powered by the generator in the truck bed) and a yellow school bus labeled "Urban Christian Academy" blaring Christian Rap music was something we'd never seen before. It was a lot more fun than our college homecoming parades though and I felt jipped.



We went on a downtown "Gates and Gardens" walking tour and got to go into a few private residences' gardens - which was probably my favorite part. I loved seeing how these historic homes have been restored and how every inch of their small lots is put to use.

Here's my new dream home, the Kehoe House. All of the white is painted wrought iron - the original builder owned the iron works and used it extensively in the house design. I'd have to have a much bigger yard, however, to house my plants and puppies.


We also saw the Mercer Williams House (of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil fame), and looked through this incredible antiques store next door that filled every available inch of a run down 4-story mansion. (I say looked because we couldn't afford a single thing in there! Who knew antiques were so expensive?!!) We checked out Forsyth Park and people watched before walking to SCAD's Gryphon Tea Room for "high tea".

On Sunday, we headed over to Independent Presbyterian Church (an oxymoron, if you ask me). The church was beautiful - not really WPC's style, but still gorgeous with its coastal/Southern charm. Matt and I were both excited by how much the service had in common with our own. We loved being in a place away from home that had the same solid scriptural teaching and preaching of the Word. I do think, however, that Charlie should start catching up with the times and posting his sermons to public podcasts. ;)

IPC - the white part of the steeple is iron

We spent the rest of the day driving over to Tybee Island, checking out Bonaventure Cemetery and Wormsloe State Park, and topped the trip off with dinner at The Olde Pink House. Phew!

Now we just have to figure out where to go next. I say Spain (if we're both still employed by then). I've been begging Matt to take me there for several years, but I think he gets to pick next and he's been leaning towards D.C. - which is much more affordable.

Prayer for Politics

From Michelle Malkin:

Pray for our country. By God’s grace, we live in a Republic where we may govern ourselves. Pray God would guide us to do so wisely.

Here is the prayer for our country from the magnificent old 1928 Book of Common Prayer. While my private intercessions are a bit more…specific than this, these sentiments still ring true, across party lines, across the years, and across the issues:

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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