Last Minute Christmas Ideas

For those of you who are like me and have only just started Christmas shopping, consider this:

Why not avoid the long lines and crowded malls this year and stop by UMCOR’s New Gift Catalog? Give a gift that changes the world without having to wait.

UMCOR’s Gift Catalog is filled with alternative gift suggestions that reflect the many programs and projects that UMCOR supports around the world. Consider a gift of education for girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or provide medicine for children in Georgia suffering with epilepsy. A ribbon cannot be tied around this type of gift, but it does tie around someone’s heart.

Each dollar amount in the catalog represents what your gifts could buy and determines the approximate cost of each item for that region. 100 percent of donations will go to the designated program.

You can find UMCOR's Gift Catalog here.

About the only way I can handle the 12 Days of Christmas

Tip to my good friend Mark Harvard (http://dctape.livejournal.com/) who shared this on his blog this morning.

Merry Christmas - in Africa!

Final Countdown cello and orchestra

Found this off the Mental Floss Blogs, via Neatorama, via I-am-Bored. Great way to start off the morning.

Blast from the Past

About a year ago I started a rant about how NBC gave a perfect example of how not to do a promotion. Laura and I were some of the dozens who watched the ill-fated "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (I'd link to it but all of the pages are dead on the NBC site. Granted, it wasn't the greatest show, but it did have its moments.

the episode that got me all worked up was a Christmas episode that feature a beautiful brass rendition of "Oh Holy Night" by artists part of Tipitina's Foundation. As the site states:

The mission of the Tipitina’s Foundation is to restore Louisiana’s irreplaceable music community and preserve the state’s unique musical cultures.

These artists were a part of one of the minor plot-lines, which obviously was to promote the foundation and keep the rebuilding efforts in mind. After the powerful performance that ended the show and certainly left me wanting more, viewers were told to go to the NBC's site to download a free copy of the song and learn more about Tipitina's Foundation.

Proving that it had already written off the show and had (and has) no intention of really caring about its fans, it took a week before an actual link was posted on the web to Tipitina's, and another before the promised "free download" was offered.

Again sadly, the show site is dead and the video is offline, but you can still go to the Tipitina's Foundation site and get the mp3 here.

Hopefully the enclosure link will work too, and you can listen to the audio in your newsreader too.

Milestone

With my last post, I surpassed the number of posts from previous two years combined.

Yes, I know, 28 posts in a year really isn't that prolific, but comparatively, it's huge for me. I'm not sure if setting a goal for next year would be a helpful, or even a needed thing, but I'm sure the number will increase for next year.

Oh, I'm still trying to find the right layout for the blog's template. If you're using a reader, you won't notice. But I have added a few new things like my blog roll and shared items. When I can really get a few hours, I hope to work out a few more tweaks.

No wonder

I've wondered why it's so hard for me to post regularly. Now, thanks to The Blog Readability Test, I now know why - I've set my standards too high.

Sorry if I've alienated any potential readers. I'll try to dumb it down from now on.

...I have no idea why the site ranked my blog this way, but trust me, it really wasn't intentional, nor do I put much stock in it. I'll take any theories as to why.

Monopoly: The uncluttered edition

Unclutterer » Archive » Monopoly: The uncluttered edition

I'm usually a fan of the site "Unclutterer," for its tricks and tips on getting rid of all the crap we keep. However, this post gives me some pause and discomfort. I've never been a huge player of board games, and Monopoly was actually one of the few that we played on a regular basis, particularly on snow days when we HAD to be inside. But the new edition that is talked about here may be a sign of problems for what we are trying to teach about money - gone is the paper money and now relies on electronic banking (a fancy calculator).

While many of the negative comments on the article dealt with this revision eliminating the lessons on math skills, a few did recognize the problems that might arise from reinforcing a cashless (credit-dependent) society. The article even links to another "helpful" article on how to go cashless - really, eliminating coin clutter. But treats paper money as something to be avoided.

For some time, I've struggled with how much debt do I really want to have. I've tried to find a balance of Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, and common sense. We've been very fortunate not to have any debt up to this point, and don't really want any, though a car and possibly a house is in the near future. What gets me though is the problems that so many other have with being in debt, yet they don't seem to recognize it, and there's so few good examples and resources out there.

I absolutely hate the "Life takes Visa" commercials that show the well-oiled machine being gummed up by someone who has the audacity to use cash for a purchase. I used to be a debit card only person keeping no more than $10 in my wallet and would tease Laura for using cash exclusively. Though she's more of a credit/debit person now, I so see the wisdom and discipline of using cash. I'm certainly less willing to part with it and more ready to think about what I'm buying with cash than credit/debit.

As we're gearing up for our stewardship campaign, I wonder what more can we do to help people struggling with debt and all the issues that contribute to it and are caused by it? I don't know if Dave or Suze are the answers, but they are a start. What drives us to consume so much yet remain feeling so empty? Why do you buy what you buy?

Posting Points Predicament

This makes my fourth consecutive day to post to my blog. Granted, this post really is only to take up space. Though it's not a huge deal, I've found that because of my infrequent posting, posts don't get updated in Google Reader until up to 12 hours later. I imagine that it's due to patterns built into the search protocol, but it's a tad frustrating.

It's not like I usually have urgent things to say, with the exception of the link to information on how to help with the California wildfires. But, it would be nice to have things show up with a little more speed. Therefore, I guess I'll have to post with more frequency to keep my blog in regular check with Google Reader. I hate to approach things that way, for fear of overloading the few readers I do have, and/or burying things that do need attention. I do promise though, not to simply take up space - there's enough SPAM out there as is.

For those who don't use a reader, you will notice a few changes on the front page. Take note of the prominence of labels to find relevant posts.

Fall

There are just a few times of year that I am absolutely comfortable when it comes to the weather and the climate indoors. Today has been one of those days. It's been great on my day off to have the windows and door to the porch open and enjoy the cool breeze going through. It's rarer still that I can wear a long sleeve shirt and not push up the sleeves (granted, I'm wearing shorts).

I've known for a long time that I was not made for an Alabama climate, despite being born here and my only time living away was three years in Atlanta. I do love the summer and definitely going to the beach, but I feel more alive and comfortable in the cool weather.

It's frustrating, because I do like to bundle up and wear cold-weather clothing. We got both an L.L. Bean and Eddie Bauer catalog last week. I just flip through the pages and can only dream to be cold enough for an extended period of time to justify the flannel lined chinos and layering a weathered henley under a goose-down parka. With my internal thermostat and the lack of cold weather around here , I could wear that exactly once every two to three years. The money would better be spent on air conditioning in the summer.

Here's hoping for a long, cold winter!

If I had kids...

...and was a jerk who had no concept of teaching healthy money skills, then I might consider this Halloween prank as a good idea. It seems as if it was designed by Dave Ramsey, Bill O'Reilly, and Jerry Falwell (the Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers of waking nightmares). However, I did get a chuckle out of teaching the dangers of identity theft.

Only a few more days 'til Halloween, we've got to get carving and settle on what scary movie to watch. Maybe we'll even get some trick-or-treaters!

California Fires: How to Help

Wildfires fueled by the hot Santa Ana winds continue to consume large portions of Southern California, particularly heavily-populated areas surrounding San Diego and Los Angeles. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is in close contact with Bishop Mary Ann Swenson of the California-Pacific Annual Conference.

“In addition to an emergency grant to support the conference in its initial efforts, disaster response consultants are at the ready to provide the conference with their presence and guidance as needed,” says the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, head of UMCOR’s domestic disaster response.

Cash gifts will help provide for recovery. Checks can be mailed to UMCOR PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write “UMCOR Advance #901670, Domestic Disaster Response,” on the memo line of your check. One hundred percent of every donation to any appeal, including appeals for California wildfires, goes to support the designated program.

Or, go to the UMCOR website.

Continuing Ed.

Tomorrow, Laura and I attend a conference at our old seminary. The conference is called "Caring in a Violent World." Despite the heavy subject matter, we're looking forward to it. Me in particular, because it ties into our Healing & Wholeness Ministry and because this is one of the few continuing education event that I've actually had a choice in what, where, and when. Up until now, most continuing ed has been dictated by either the Conference or due to ministry roles.

We're looking forward to some time here in Atlanta as well. Particularly around Emory and the in the Decatur are where I lived, there are some great food places and places to unwind. It's a great environment here too. Not many places where you can eat breakfast with people dressed in suits, tattooed and pierced from head to toe, young families, old couples, gay, and international. It's a neat mix where it seems people do more than just tolerate diversity.

Now, it's time to rest up, it's already been a long weekend.

Change a Light Day

About the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Campaign : ENERGY STAR

Saw this from another link and thought it suited for our mission and church & society focus - as well as stewardship.

Over the past year, I've pretty much replaced all our bulbs in the apartment with compact fluorescents. The only ones I haven't gotten to are our spherical bulbs in our bathrooms and a couple of lamps that the shade attaches directly to the bulb.

Because with paying bills, I'm pretty cheap, it's been a bit of a game trying to see how low our power bill can be, even during months with extreme weather. I think that I've about tweaked out as much as I can though, because things have stayed pretty much the same for the last few months. One of the biggest differences has been adjusting the air when we leave.

At our old house, I bought and installed an automated thermostat that would raise and lower the temperature at preset times. The basis of this being that a home thermostat set 5-10 degrees differently for an 8-hour period of a day, uses an extremely less amount of energy. We don't have the automated version in our apartment, but even manually changing when we leave has made huge differences. Our bills have been consistently less than 1/3 of what they were when I was living in a similarly-sized apartment in Atlanta. Sure, cost of kw/hr is probably lower here, but not that much.

There's a whole lot more I could do to shrink my "carbon footprint," and we're working on it. It certainly helps when there is a direct and positive impact in other areas of our lives.

"...that's about right for someone your age"

I heard this (directed at me) for the first time this week. Maybe I've had it said to me before, but certainly not in this context - that I am hitting aging milestones.

I went to the dentist Monday (there's a whole other back story to that), for a regular cleaning and checkup. I've been having problems for a while with a tooth that has been sensitive and occasionally get things caught in the gums. I was a little concerned that it might be a cavity.

Fortunately it wasn't, only that the dentin has become a little worn and chipped, thus prompting the statement, "That's about right for someone your age."

I had figured that phrase would come up sooner than later, but I was thinking a few years, not weeks, after my 30th birthday. I realize it's not THAT big of a deal, but with other things going on in my life and in the church, I do wonder about some of the arbitrary parameters we create based on chronological deficiency.

I go back and forth about the whole "under 35" focus for clergy in the Conference. I appreciate the confidence, but at the same time, resent the assumption that just because someone is under a certain age that means that churches will automatically begin to grow. That's not just a lot of pressure, but also discredits any real gifts and talents for ministry for a person of any age.

Regardless, I'm entering a new stage in life whether I like it or not. I've got a feeling posts may come even more regularly as a result.

You can't make me believe

Free gas pumps hundreds of drivers

For the past few days, the news has been talking about how safe Huntsville drivers are and the free gas giveaway. There is absolutely no way that Huntsville could be in the top five safest cities to be in! From having to dodge multi-lane switchers to 95% of drivers being on cell phones, Huntsville is one of the worst places I've ever tried to drive in. Just this morning I had to use my horn three times on the way into work - there's no reason for that! I used to think that people from Walker county were awful drivers - not any more.

I'm not sure what the grading scale was that Allstate used, but I wish I had had it when I took Calculus III from Dr. Liem. ...I was going to try to think of something good to say about Huntsville drivers, but nothing is coming to me. Maybe there is something redeeming. If this is top five quality here, then I don't want to know the worst.

Shut up and drive, Huntsville!

And then the rain

No more than a few hours after my previous post did we have some of the hardest rain we've had in some time. Initially, I was pretty happy that we were getting so much rain and I was inside, but soon we had to leave the restaurant and get groceries for the week.

Being the kind husband that I am, I offered to run to the car so that Laura wouldn't get so wet as we loaded groceries into the car. Somewhere along the way the clasp in my geek phone holster became unfixed and my phone went flying. It was literally a splash of explosion, pieces of my phone went everywhere and began to float down what were now small rapids in the Publix parking lot. I retrieved the phone and the battery, and even later on a return trip found my stylus, but my 1GB SD card with music, audiobooks, Bible software and other files are either in the drain or in someone else's phone or camera.

Here's how it looks now:









After my phone did a hard reset and I was able to restore most of my files from backup, the rest of the damage is seen above and includes: various buttons not working (the power button that locks the screen no longer works, the shortcut button for messaging is kaput), the volume slider controls the volume to how best it sees fit, and Windows Media Player starts up at random times.

Some would say that maybe I angered the phone spirits today by disparaging the iCult, others (including my wife) might say that this was just a way to get a new, flashier phone, still others would recognize me for the dork I am. However, I must say, though banged up as it is, I'm pretty surprised how well this thing held up. I thought for sure I would have been picking up more than two pieces.

Time to go shopping. I won't be standing in any lines though, that's not part of my iLife.

News Flash

It's hot out there. I mean really hot.

I officiated my first outdoor wedding yesterday (only my second one to attend), and I completely soaked through everything I was wearing. The couple gave me a card before the wedding and only taped the envelope shut. By the time I took it out of my back pocket, it was completely sealed. Minutes after going outside, I thought I had steamed all of the starch out of my shirt with my robe holding in all of the extra heat. Later i found out after I cooled off that the sleeves decided to re-set and starch themselves into an attractive-looking mess.

I don't think that it's as hot as last summer, or summer about five years ago, but it's close. The lack of rain doesn't help much either. I think I'll be spending more time at the pool soon...

Stick.

Last night, Laura asked me if we were going to see "Transformers" when it comes out. Surprising her, I said, "No, I hadn't planned on it."

Now don't get me wrong. Growing up I was obsessed with the toys had had "more than meets the eye." But there is no yearning whatsoever to see this movie. It's kind of surprising to me, too. But, I think that there is reason that nostalgia and nausea sound similar. I can only look back for so long (I type this, of course, while listening to 90's alternative on my radio).

It's interesting, though, that there are so many things that are now being geared to people my age that hearken back to my childhood and youth - Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and for the girls, Nancy Drew and Strawberry Shortcake. Of course, it's to capitalize on our generation who are now becoming parents, and seeing where there is a huge market to make toys for the kids of kids who never grew up. Maybe "Toys'R'Us" was as sinister as my mom made it out to be.

So now, I have an idea. If old is new again, and the market is there to bring back toys from previous generations, maybe some even older toys have some profit potential. I'm thinking of packaging and marketing "The Stick." I'm pretty sure my dad played with one, certainly my grandfather, possibly even my great-grandfather. Just think of this untapped potential of reviving these "classic toys." I can see it now, "The Stick," "The Can," "The Rock," and the ever-popular, "The Spin Around Until You're Sick."

I think that it can work. Any venture capitalists who want to get in on ground level?

The source of this week's teasing from my wife

Unclutterer: The end of the chip-clip



I first saw this on Lifehacker a while ago, and even recently implemented it. I thought it was handy, but Laura saw it as a testament to my geekiness. It's a close call, I guess.

It's not news, it's...

Enough.

Enough already. Enough with the celebrity "news." It's becoming more "pornographic" than what I get bombarded with in my email. There's no reason that the local news should be reporting on Paris Hilton and whether or not she's in jail. Yes, it is news on a fundamental level, but only so much that it's entertainment news and a possibly a further illustration of how the legal system needs reform on many levels. It doesn't deserve the attention it is getting right now though from mainstream media - I think Access Hollywood and the like can cover it well enough where it belongs.

Maybe I just don't get it, but I've never been into the celebrity obsession. Magazines like the Sun, Enquirer, etc. and shows like AH and Entertainment tonight don't appeal to me whatsoever. But yet, apparently they are widely popular.

"Reality TV" doesn't do it for me anyway. About the only "reality TV" I can stomach is what you find on Discovery or TLC, mainly in the form of Deadliest Catch and Mythbusters (yes, I'm a geek). TV in general has lost its luster. As part of the TV generation, I can remember growing up thinking as I was getting ready to spend a week at camp, "How will I be able to make it all week without TV." Granted, I did make it, and even at home, I played outside and did other non-TV activities, but TV was a major part of my regular activity.

Now, not so much. With our free time decreasing, news being dumbed down and increasingly anemic, programming based on cheap production and maximum outrage, and being able to be more selective through our DVR, we've gotten to where we'll watch maybe an hour of primetime programming a night - if we're lucky.

I guess I'm just looking for more substance in my entertainment and wish that more people felt the same. I don't want to necessarily be challenged and disturbed every night, but I'd like for my news to at least be something more than the equivalent of jingling your keys in front of an infant. Thankfully, there is at least the web in which I can get apprised of what's going on in the world, but even that is being challenged with the threat to net neutrality.

Bottom line, I want more. Not so much in quantity, but in quality, and I wish you do to.