Elinor

After Heather ("your good intentions and creative spirit make you someone anyone could like") first posted the quiz and then Amanda put up her results ("impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a bit too brutally honest"), I had to take the quiz too.

Not so sure I agree completely - some of it sounds legitimate, but here it is:

Take the Quiz here!

Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

"Sharing" Political Opinions at Awards Shows

What's up with that anyway? It's so annoying. I don't get the people who preach "acceptance, open mindedness, tolerance, etc." and then viciously attack those who don't agree with them.

Even though I generally disagree with Bill Clinton, I did agree with his recent statement on Sarah Palin: "I come from Arkansas, I get why she’s hot out there, why she’s doing well [because people feel they can relate to her]... My view is … why say, ever, anything bad about a person? Why don’t we like them and celebrate them and be happy for her elevation to the ticket? And just say that she was a good choice for [McCain] and we disagree with them?”

I like hearing differing opinions from my own. It's the only way I can learn more about what I really believe in, as well as why others believe what they do. I think good debate (in an appropriate forum/setting... not every time someone from Hollywood gets an open mic) breeds growth and learning.

I'm glad that we don't all think the same things - how boring would that be? I just wish that people would be more respectful of those who disagree with them.

The Sandlot

After last week's terrible movie posting, I felt like I had to redeem myself with a movie that I enjoyed as a kid and still enjoy today.

The Sandlot was one of my favorite movies (and still up there). Here's a few of the most classic scenes (I couldn't find a good one of the s'mores scene, but you get the idea).


(The original trailer.)


"I've swam here every summer of my adult life. And every summer, there she is. Lotioning and oiling. Oiling and lotioning. Smiling. Smiling. I CANT TAKE THIS NO MORE!"



"I almost forgot. Chaw! I was savin' it for a good time!"

The Reason For God Pt. I

We started reading The Reason for God by Tim Keller in our small group a few weeks ago. So far, we've read the intro and first two chapters. I've really enjoyed the book so far. It's been extremely easy to read and I really enjoy the fact that it's an intellectual book (about the arguments for and against Christianity).

I figured I'd start posting some of the things that have stood out to me. I'll start off with what we covered the first week.

Have you ever felt like Christianity is dwindling - like the anti-religious groups are becoming all-consuming and will eventually have control of everything? I was surprised to learn that a lot of atheists feel the same way about Christians (and other religions); that they often feel that we are everywhere and are the majority. Keller says that the fact is that both groups are growing, and neither is about to overtake the other.

Chapter One is titled "There Can't be Just One True Religion." One common argument against Christians is that we're arrogant and narrow to believe that we're the only ones with the truth. I don't think that anyone has all of the answers, but I do know that my faith isn't based on fairy tales. It's based on true, accurate historical facts.

I also like when Keller talks at the end of the chapter about how Christianity can save the world. He writes:

"Christianity provides a firm basis for respecting people of other faiths (Matthew 5:16, I Peter 2:12)... [it] not only leads its members to believe people of other faiths have goodness and wisdom to offer, it also leads them to expect that many will live lives morally superior to their own... Why would such an exclusive belief system lead to behavior that was so open to others? It was because Christians had within their belief system the strongest possible resource for practicing sacrificial service, generosity, and peace-making."

The Worst Witch

I was trying to think of a good movie clip to put up for this week. I've already covered a lot of my favorites (Raising Arizona, Napoleon Dynamite, O Brother Where Art Thou...)

Matt got me a copy of The Worst Witch a few years ago. It was a movie I remember watching in daycare a LONG time ago (my parents probably would've been horrified to know they were letting us watch a witch movie at our christian day care!). Anyway, he got it for me because I remember liking it as a kid.

Well, we were the ones who were horrified... when we watched it. It was absolutely, positively the WORST movie I've ever seen!!

It's about a "witches school" where little girls are learning to be witches. Here's a scene from where Tim Curry makes his grand entrance. Truly horrifying!

Sexy People

Have you seen this site? I'd hate to see a photo of myself up here (so many to choose from... the early 90's perms we got once a year, my 6th grade photos with the teased up bangs, my half-bleached hair in 9th grade...)

4-Wheelin' Mama

Can you name this proud new Polaris ATV owner?

The identity has been hidden to protect the innocent. :)

BTW, notice the AU hat she's sportin'!

I Love My Job

I know no job is perfect, but I sure am happy about my new job. I worked here several years ago and was really excited to come back. It makes the day go by a lot faster when I enjoy what I'm doing and the people that I work with.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a story on what it's like working for Google.



I was pretty impressed with all of the stuff that they offer their employees. It's got to make for happier workers when you can offer such services. It was a little turn off, though, when they talked about how everything is designed and analyzed for a reason (like the lunch line lengths). Kinda a little too Big Brother-ish for me. But, one of the things I really liked was that they offer their employees free rides to work on their Google vans, complete with wireless internet. I would imagine that this service really cuts down on the "warm up" time in the office each morning - time spent checking up on email and such.

Although my company doesn't offer us free on-site dry cleaning or gourmet lunches, they do have some pretty awesome perks. They really do try to hire technically competent and motivated employees, and it shows. A lot of the field experts in town work here, and they also teach graduate-level courses at UAH. I've never seen so many PhDs in my life!

I also love our break room. I know it sounds silly, but I really do. We have big flat screens in them that keep us up to date on company announcements and national news. We've also got big stainless appliances that we're free to use (from fridges to warming trays, microwaves, toaster ovens, etc.) and lots of dishes and silverware. When we're done with the dishes, we just put them in the dishwasher and the cleaning crew takes care of it all.

I also like that all of the new employees are introduced to all of the departments of the company, as well as the benefits and other info through a short series of breakfast briefings (with free breakfast... I love free food!).

But, I think it boils down to a handful of things that really makes working here a pleasure. The employees are all top notch. The company really values education - they don't just pay lip service to it. (We offer in-house courses as well as pay for qualified higher education degrees - both of which I'll be taking advantage of in the coming months!) And finally, I really love the work I'm getting to do. It's been challenging and rewarding at the same time. I hope I still feel this way in 25 years!

What's your favorite part about your job (at a company, or for your family)?

Running on Empty

WAFF took this photo of gas at $5.35/gallon in the Shoals!

On Friday afternoon, Matt and I both noticed the really long lines at the gas stations - I'm sure everyone else noticed too. I didn't really give it much thought because, after all, the price of oil late last week had fallen to about $100 a barrel.

I should have thought better of it. I had a long list of errands to run on Saturday and less than a quarter of a tank to do them on. Matt and I got midway through our errands and the gas light came on. We'd already passed numerous stations that were completely sold out (even at $4.39/gal) and I was getting a little nervous.

Matt doesn't seem to get as nervous as I do when the gas light comes on. He loves to tell me the maximum number of miles he's driven with the light on in each of our vehicles, but it always makes me anxious. I realize that you've got a buffer, but why test it out?

Anyway, back to the gas stations... So, what gives? Why is everyone sold out? It's not because the supply has been cut. In fact, after Ike caused very limited damage to the refineries in the Gulf, the price of oil has now closed at under $96/barrel - for the first time since March 4th! (This is $50 less than the high, set in mid-July). No, we're not running low on oil. It's due to all of the people freaking out whenever they hear about a storm coming (or maybe when they see the long lines at the pump). As a result, they race to fill up, even if they don't need it. If people would only get the amount of gas that they normally consume, we wouldn't be running out of fuel all over town.

But, on top of this, I'm also annoyed with all of the price gouging. I don't know that price fixing is the answer (and I definitely don't think we need to legislate more laws controlling fuel prices), but it does get under my skin to see so many of the local stations bumping their fuel prices by $.70 in less than 24-hours. The price of their fuel deliveries did not change that amount, so why raise it so much?

We finally found a station that had fuel on Saturday and were so excited that it was under $4 a gallon (how can you really be happy about $4/gallon gas?!) Kangaroo also had notes on all of the pumps asking the customers to limit their transactions to 10 gallons at a time so that they would be able to serve all of their customers' needs. I was so impressed! I hope that earns them a lot of good will. Between them and the Exxon on Jeff, they were the only ones we found that didn't raise their rates to an insane level. I definitely took notice and will make an effort to shop there first from now on. :)

The Last Sin Eater

One of our fairly recent Netflix rentals was The Last Sin Eater. I had read the book by Francine Rivers a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I don't think the movie was as good as the book (is it ever?). It was a little cheesy, but it got the story across.

The story is fictional, but based on true old Appalachian rituals brought from immigrants' homelands in Wales and Scotland.

Wikipedia says this: The term sin-eater refers to a person who, through ritual means, would take on by means of food and drink the sins of a deceased person, thus absolving his or her soul and allowing that person to rest in peace. [The sin eater] would be brought to the dying person's bedside, where a relative would place a crust of bread on the breast of the dying and pass a bowl of ale to him over the corpse. After praying or reciting the ritual, he would then drink and remove the bread from the breast and eat it, the act of which would remove the sin from the dying person and take it into himself, (Sound familiar?) [by saying something like:] "I give easement and rest now to thee, dear man. Come not down the lanes or in our meadows. And for thy peace I pawn my own soul. Amen".

A community in the Appalachian mountains designated someone to be their sin eater. That person was forced to live as an outcast because of the superstition that if someone looked upon or touched the sin eater, the evil they carried could be passed onto them.

In the story, a young girl, Cadi, is riddled with guilt and wants to find a way to be absolved from her sin(s). When her grandmother dies, she learns about the sin eater when he comes to the funeral to take her grandmother's sins upon himself. She goes to seek out the sin eater, finding him to be a lonesome outcast. He tries the ritual but she doesn't feel the burden of her sin change.

Through a missionary, Cadi learns about the real sin eater, someone who has already born the price for all of our sins. The entire community is eventually confronted with their pagan ritual and their sin. The "sin eater" is redeemed and released from his isolating torture.

Can you imagine being the person in charge of absolving people of their guilt as they lay dying? How horrible it must feel to think that you are laiden not only with your own sins, but also the sins of an entire community! I'm so thankful that not only do I not have to take on the sins of those around me, I also have a Savior who has freed me from the bonds of my own sins!

When a VW isn't a VW

These commercials have been bugging me for the last few days. When Chevrolet sells a Silverado as a GMC Sierra it really doesn't bother me. Chevy and GMC are pretty much synonymous for a lot of people, but quite often it's more complex than that.

In some cases (Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe or Mazda Tribute/Ford Escape), the vehicles are jointly developed and assembled at a plant that was built as a joint venture between the two companies. Again, not such a big deal.

In other cases they were solely developed by one company and then later a different badge was stuck on and they were sold by a different company (Isuzu Trooper/Acura SLX). This still doesn't bother me too much as long as they don't claim that it's an all new vehicle that they just came up with. But, this is exactly what VW has done with the Routan. It's really a Chrysler minivan that was just given some minor tweaks by VW. I don't consider that "German Engineering" at all.

And what is Brooke Shields doing pushing minivans anyway?

Becca's note: Did you see? Matt made this post! :) (and without my prodding!)

Matt's note: There actually was just a little bit of prodding. I think it went something like "Quit griping about the stupid van. Why don't you make a post on the blog about it?"

Who Am I?

I thought this was really interesting... (thanks, Scooter)

Wall Street Journal
posted
Thursday, September 04, 2008 10:58:50 AM

Who Am I?

I am under 45 years old,
I love the outdoors, I hunt,
I am a Republican reformer,
I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,
I have many children,
I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office.

Did you guess?

I am Teddy
Roosevelt in 1900




And a bit more on Teddy.......

In 1901, as Vice President, the 42-year-old Roosevelt succeeded President William McKinley after McKinley's assassination by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. He is the youngest person to become President. He was a Progressive reformer who sought to move the dominant Republican Party into the Progressive camp. He distrusted wealthy businessmen and dissolved forty monopolistic corporations as a "trust buster". He was clear, however, to show he did not disagree with trusts and capitalism in principle but was only against corrupt, illegal practices. His "Square Deal" promised a fair shake for both the average citizen (through regulation of railroad rates and pure food and drugs) and the businessmen.

Happy Birthday, Diane!

Happy Birthday, Diane.

Here's Diane (right) with her brother, John, his jade warrior, and sister-in-law, Cathy.

Ouchies

Due to the last several weeks of hectic-ness, I've been missing out on my regular workout routine. I have only made it to the gym a couple of times recently and finally caught Amanda's Body Attack class yesterday.

It was a bad day to go back. The air conditioner wasn't quite doing its job of cooling the place off, but it was dripping water right next to where I was standing. It was also a full class, so I had to keep a couple of girls from running into me the whole time. But, it felt really good to finally get some good exercise and I went home whipped.

This morning as I started to get out of bed, my legs buckled underneath of me. Ouch! My calves hurt so bad! It's all Amanda's fault - her drill-sergeant screams of "High Knee Run!" and "Plyos!!" and the fact that she calls me out if I look too wimpy meant that I couldn't afford to lose face in front of the rest of the class.

It's a good thing it's Wednesday tomorrow - we already have plans that will keep me out of the gym for at least one day this week. Of course, those plans include helping to cut and stack Dad's fallen trees...

Illegal Aliens

With McCain and Obama running for President, you can pretty much guarantee that there will be limited discussion (if any) about one of the most contentious subjects in the country. So, I thought I'd post some clips of my favorite illegal aliens.

When I Grow Up

I gave in to the urge to watch Sarah Palin's first speech as McCain's VP pick. I must say that I was impressed. This woman has risen from the PTA to City Councilwoman, Mayor, Governor, and is now the Republican Vice Presidential candidate.

I feel a little weird saying this because I do NOT consider myself a Republican (I'm also not a Democrat; I prefer "Conservative Independent"), but from what I've learned about Palin, there is a lot to admire and I'm enthused about her being on the ticket. Of course, she's so new to the national scene that I don't know a whole lot about her, but I do like most of what I've heard/read so far. She is a believer who defends life at all stages, wants to protect all of our constitutional rights (even the 2nd Amendment), plus she's worked to lower government spending (and taxes) and fought corruption on both sides of the aisle. Pretty admirable!

Another thing that struck me: Palin didn't come across as just another politician. She really did seem more like an ordinary American hockey mom (who also has guts, intelligence, and is well informed on the issues).

One of my favorite parts of her speech, though, had to be when her youngest daughter, Piper, licked her hand to smooth out her baby brother's hair. Very cute!

First Brake Job

One of Matt's favorite things to do is to teach friends how to do simple mechanical maintenance jobs for their own vehicles. The markup on oil changes and brake jobs is insane, plus there really is a great personal satisfaction in knowing how to do these small jobs yourself (I know... being able to change my own oil and tires was my dad's non-negotiable prerequisite for getting my driver's permit.)

Recently, Matt showed our new friend, Daniel, how to change his own brake rotors. Daniel told Matt that because Matt showed him how to do the job himself, he saved over FIVE HUNDRED dollars from what the dealership quoted!! Hooray for Daniel.

Daniel proudly showing his new found mechanic skills.

Matt likes to get his hands dirty; he doesn't simply sit back and instruct. He demonstrates.

Sometimes it's so easy for us to spot other people's skills and talents that we can tend to forget our own. I had to fight off talent envy as my extremely artistically talented sis took brilliant photos of and designed a fabulous program for the formerly engaged couple. Matt says that he wishes he had Charlie's biblical/theological, historical, and political knowledge (and that I could cook like Lynne) :). I could go on and on about the wonderful talents of so many of our family and friends. It'd be really easy to focus on the talents we find ourselves insufficiently gifted with instead of being thankful for the ones that we do have.

I love that Matt is so mechanically talented. I do admit that occasionally it drives me crazy as he over analyzes aloud how something works (or about how poorly something might've been designed), but I honestly appreciate that he has this gift. I love that he also enjoys sharing his knowledge with others by teaching them how to work with their hands. (And I especially love that I don't have to worry about checking my oil ever again!)

Shock Therapy Unthwarted

Yesterday afternoon, we took a few minutes to hijack part of the existing radio fence wiring and setup a temporary rig so that Ace can no longer eat the fence.

Here is Ace proudly modeling his new high-powered shock collar.

Here is Ace sadly remembering the days when he was able to get close enough to those neighbor dogs to show them who's boss.

The down side is that Ace is actually a very smart dog. I wasn't able to relish in his shock therapy because 1. he really hardly ever gets shocked. He knows what the warning beep means and stops before getting into the "red zone" 2. He knows that when I giddily put on his new collar, something is up. 3. He's generally smart enough to not go over to the fence and start barking when I'm outside with him (he usually waits until the mornings that I let him out and am not properly attired for chasing him down where the neighbors might see).

My Baby Sis

Last week was quite a week! We had a lot of wedding stuff to get done at the last minute, moved in the engaged couple (who couldn't get into their new apartment until two days before the wedding), and managed to make it to a lot of wedding events, all within a few days. Amid a little screaming and tears, it all came together and we had a beautiful ceremony and a really fun party.

I've thought all week about what I should write about Amy's wedding. It was an emotional week for me (and I wasn't even one of the ones having to say "I do!")! I guess that it all boils down to one thing.

I'm a worrier.

I'm not an obsessive, can't-think-about-anything-else type of worrier. I'm a constant-nagging-in-the-back-of-my-mind type of worrier. During my first two years of marriage, I was tormented by a lingering fear that things were just too good to be true, and that I was just waiting for things to all fall apart. It's something I've really struggled with. One of the most helpful verses I know reads, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself." (Matthew 6:34) I have to remind myself of this constantly, checking my fears and turning them over to God before they consume me.

I worried that Amy and Ryan hadn't dated long enough, that they might be too young and not be ready, that something with the wedding might go wrong. I don't particularly remember being so anxious before Amanda's wedding. Maybe it's because they dated for so long - or maybe it's because there were so many times that we thought Amanda might get rid of Wade that we were just excited that he would finally be legally bound to her for eternity! ;)

Of course all of this was silly. Amy is almost a year older than I was when I got married (two months before my 22nd birthday), and Ryan is a loyal, patient, and loving guy. She and Ryan dated for over a year before they got engaged and have definitely proven their commitments to each other and to marriage.

I think the big thing for me was that Amy is my baby sister and it's hard to not see her as the kid sister anymore. I don't need to worry so much about her. She's an full-fledged adult now, and a pretty responsible one too.

After I finally stopped wrestling with my anxieties, I could actually enjoy all of the events of the wedding week. I've also started praying for them regularly instead of pondering my fears. There's something about asking the Lord to strengthen their relationship with Him and each other that really makes you realize that worrying is fruitless. After all, I have no say in the matter. It's all up to Him and them!

Congratulations, you two!! We love you both so very much and couldn't be happier! (Plus, I finally have a baby brother to go with my "baby" sister.)

Shock Therapy Thwarted

Pet ownership is often a very rewarding experience. For me, my most recent (hoped for) reward was to see the living day lights shocked out of my most difficult dog whenever he would continue his fence attacking (cue evil laugh: muwahahaha!).

We got new neighbors last fall. They came with two big dogs that Ace HATED right from the start. He would stand at the fence, peeking through the boards, and bark his heart out whenever he was let into the back yard. We quickly remedied the situation by adding an extra loop onto his existing radio fence boundary (previously installed to keep him from continuing his plant extracting and eradicating tendencies). He is a very smart dog and immediately caught onto the new shock zone, and we enjoyed peaceful afternoons in the yard again.

A few weeks ago, his little shock collar shocked its last and died. We considered buying a new collar but opted for the purchase of an entirely new system. I did some research and found a "Stubborn Dog System" that used standard 9-volt batteries (for serious shocking power) and was compatible with my parents' radio fence (so that they can't escape when we go for a visit).

So young. So full of hope and excited anticipation!

Since the death of Ace's previous collar, he has figured out that the shock zone is now a free-for-all and has continued his bad behavior.

He took out his angst on my flower bed. He completely ate one of my daylilies and managed to pull up and destroy the bed's edging.

He also dug out all of the grass in this spot and has been chewing the fence boards in his, "I'll eat you alive" threats towards the neighboring dogs (who are each twice his size!)

So, you can imagine my excitement when the new shock system arrived in the mail. Eagerly, I fitted Ace to his new collar and plugged in the new transmitter. But within just a few minutes, the system began beeping... crap! The resistance on our existing buried wire loop is too high for this new system and it's not effectively transmitting a signal, which means no shock treatment for Acie (Matt prefers the term "behavior modification") . Booo! With all of the splices and additions on the existing loop, we never considered that it might taint the new system.

Thankfully, Matt is going to be off for most of the day and has promised to take a stab at putting in a new (and splice-free) loop.

Ace, you're not free from the shock collar for long! (heh heh)