It seems like all I do now is work. I work until all hours of the night, and then I have to do (minimal) stuff at home. I just never get any sleep any more.
Last Saturday, I was at church at 7:33 a.m. for a mission project. I got home at 5:00 p.m. I sat down for the last 1-1/2 hrs because I was completely worn out, or at least my feet were. We painted a house "Stork Pink". Let's just say, it was PINK. Not fuschia, not light red, but pink.
:::sigh::: I want off the merry-go-round. I want my life to be normal again. I don't think it'll ever happen again in my life. If you can find my other blog, you might read about it.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
aaaaarrrgggghhhhh
This involved some kind of castle and huge hideous beast, and something about carving a message into the wall on the way down...
Work has been entirely too hectic lately. Working until 8 or 10 or 12 most nights, and that's after trying to get in earlier than usual to get a head start on things. At least I'm getting to do some fun database work, not just menial, trivial junk. I believe this is the first time in nearly 2-1/2 years that I'm come close to fully using my capabilities. I rock. I almost felt guilty leaving at 6:05 this evening. Isn't that awful, to feel guilty about leaving that late? I t was a 9-1/2 hour day.
Last night, I finished watching the first four episodes of "Lost" and "Invasion" this season since last Saturday. What excellent shows! I recorded tonight's episodes and decided to watch a movie from Netflix. My choices were: High and Low (Akira Kurosawa), The General, and Nobody Knows. I'm saving The General for a movie night in a couple of weeks, and I wasn't in a mood for Kurosawa (I know that's blasphemy), so I watched Nobody Knows.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Basic premise: four children, from ages 5 to 12, are abandoned by their mother. Even when she's around, it's not much different except for her having an apparently steady income for the family. The remainder of the movie focuses primarily on the oldest child and what he does for his brother and sisters. The children do a fantastic job and seem fairly realistic in their reactions. The gradual wearing down of clothes, the growing hair, and the desperation of what you would consider doing to survive (which, at the end of a year of being unemployed, well, let's just say that was pretty realistic).
And now for the ranting... Just imagine this next bit is in all caps, bold, and about 72pt. Also, minor spoilers, but not too much more than what you would find on the blurb on the back of the box.
How can a mother (or father) just abandon her children so she can find some kind of "happiness" in her life? How can she raise them in such a way that they're forced to live out their childhood in the squalor of their cramped apartment? A 12-year old shouldn't have to make the kinds of decisions that an adult should have to make to survive. He stayed and did what he could, unlike his selfish twit of a mother. They should all get to go outside to play, go to school and learn, and just be kids. I am just infuriated at this.
I know this is just a movie, but it is based on a true story (though I think in the actual events, the mother died), and I can't help but wonder how much of this is going on today right here in the land of plenty of America. (The movie is set in Japan.) Why do we treat our children as a nuisance, a bother to the rest of our lives? I'm not shocked that we do this (and I do mean the editorial "we" here) because we live in a fallen world, and, increasingly, what used to be considered wrong or unthinkable is becoming considered the norm, and what used to be right and respected is not just falling out of favor but being ridiculed as "out of date" and "closed-minded". We've been at war far longer than we've been in Iraq, and the consequences of losing this war are far more insidious and regretful (maybe not the best words, but it's all I can come up with for the nonce). We're not merely talking about lives, but the very souls of people.
And this reminds me of what I feel God is leading me to at some point in my life: working with teenagers—primarily boys/young men—who are selling their bodies to survive. (None of that happened in the movie, so don't worry about that.) God has placed this particular group of people on my heart so much. And the people that prey on them, that use them for their own pleasure, I pray God will convict them of their wrong-doing in this. It wouldn't be very nice what I would want done to them. Yes, they pay the guys for their "time", but life is more than just money, and these young men are worth so very much more than money.
Work has been entirely too hectic lately. Working until 8 or 10 or 12 most nights, and that's after trying to get in earlier than usual to get a head start on things. At least I'm getting to do some fun database work, not just menial, trivial junk. I believe this is the first time in nearly 2-1/2 years that I'm come close to fully using my capabilities. I rock. I almost felt guilty leaving at 6:05 this evening. Isn't that awful, to feel guilty about leaving that late? I t was a 9-1/2 hour day.
Last night, I finished watching the first four episodes of "Lost" and "Invasion" this season since last Saturday. What excellent shows! I recorded tonight's episodes and decided to watch a movie from Netflix. My choices were: High and Low (Akira Kurosawa), The General, and Nobody Knows. I'm saving The General for a movie night in a couple of weeks, and I wasn't in a mood for Kurosawa (I know that's blasphemy), so I watched Nobody Knows.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Basic premise: four children, from ages 5 to 12, are abandoned by their mother. Even when she's around, it's not much different except for her having an apparently steady income for the family. The remainder of the movie focuses primarily on the oldest child and what he does for his brother and sisters. The children do a fantastic job and seem fairly realistic in their reactions. The gradual wearing down of clothes, the growing hair, and the desperation of what you would consider doing to survive (which, at the end of a year of being unemployed, well, let's just say that was pretty realistic).
And now for the ranting... Just imagine this next bit is in all caps, bold, and about 72pt. Also, minor spoilers, but not too much more than what you would find on the blurb on the back of the box.
How can a mother (or father) just abandon her children so she can find some kind of "happiness" in her life? How can she raise them in such a way that they're forced to live out their childhood in the squalor of their cramped apartment? A 12-year old shouldn't have to make the kinds of decisions that an adult should have to make to survive. He stayed and did what he could, unlike his selfish twit of a mother. They should all get to go outside to play, go to school and learn, and just be kids. I am just infuriated at this.
I know this is just a movie, but it is based on a true story (though I think in the actual events, the mother died), and I can't help but wonder how much of this is going on today right here in the land of plenty of America. (The movie is set in Japan.) Why do we treat our children as a nuisance, a bother to the rest of our lives? I'm not shocked that we do this (and I do mean the editorial "we" here) because we live in a fallen world, and, increasingly, what used to be considered wrong or unthinkable is becoming considered the norm, and what used to be right and respected is not just falling out of favor but being ridiculed as "out of date" and "closed-minded". We've been at war far longer than we've been in Iraq, and the consequences of losing this war are far more insidious and regretful (maybe not the best words, but it's all I can come up with for the nonce). We're not merely talking about lives, but the very souls of people.
And this reminds me of what I feel God is leading me to at some point in my life: working with teenagers—primarily boys/young men—who are selling their bodies to survive. (None of that happened in the movie, so don't worry about that.) God has placed this particular group of people on my heart so much. And the people that prey on them, that use them for their own pleasure, I pray God will convict them of their wrong-doing in this. It wouldn't be very nice what I would want done to them. Yes, they pay the guys for their "time", but life is more than just money, and these young men are worth so very much more than money.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Work again
Well, I left work at 12:15 this morning (just over an hour ago). What a long day (still better than the 3:45 am episode a couple of weeks ago).
On the plus side, my boss sent me an email telling me that he was going to include a (substantial) bonus on the next paycheck. Yowsa!!! Thank you, Tom, and thank you, God!
On the plus side, my boss sent me an email telling me that he was going to include a (substantial) bonus on the next paycheck. Yowsa!!! Thank you, Tom, and thank you, God!
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Saturday, September 24, 2005
WOW
So, Houston is pretty much spared. I never lost power. I have my tv hooked to the cable outlet to use as an antenna, and I lost most of the channels (only local broadcast, of course). Phones, water, power—I have it all.
Thank you, God.
Please continue your prayers for the people in Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Lake Charles.
Thank you, God.
Please continue your prayers for the people in Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Lake Charles.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Signing Off
Well, before I lose power tonight, I thought I'd post once more. Fortunately for Houston, Rita has moved to the east and downgraded to a Category 3 storm. It's going in at Port Arthur, so keep those people in your prayers. Not that we're out of the woods; we're still expecting hurricane force winds, but the amount of damage from under-100 mph winds is far less than 125+ mph. I'm very thankful to God that we'll be spared the full fury of this storm, and even those that are getting it will be spared what it could have been.
I think our local and state leaders have done the best job they can under the circumstances in evacuating people and calling a state of emergency early enough. However, we still have room to improve. The highways became parking lots (literally). So far, 33 people have died in their cars because they couldn't go anywhere. That's not including the bus that caught fire just south of Dallas. This is unacceptable. I'm not blaming the officials for these deaths, but there has to be a better way. There just has to be.
Houston is a ghost town. If I could afford the gasoline (both price and its actual use), I would have gone around just to see how empty the city is. I'll trust the pictures on the news, though, that showed empty streets. No birds chirping. And as I went to my car to get my last supplies (cereal and pudding), that was an eery, ominous stillness, the so-called calm before the storm.
Again, I appreciate and covet your prayers.
I think our local and state leaders have done the best job they can under the circumstances in evacuating people and calling a state of emergency early enough. However, we still have room to improve. The highways became parking lots (literally). So far, 33 people have died in their cars because they couldn't go anywhere. That's not including the bus that caught fire just south of Dallas. This is unacceptable. I'm not blaming the officials for these deaths, but there has to be a better way. There just has to be.
Houston is a ghost town. If I could afford the gasoline (both price and its actual use), I would have gone around just to see how empty the city is. I'll trust the pictures on the news, though, that showed empty streets. No birds chirping. And as I went to my car to get my last supplies (cereal and pudding), that was an eery, ominous stillness, the so-called calm before the storm.
Again, I appreciate and covet your prayers.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Rita
So, I left work at 3:45 this morning. WIthout eating dinner. I was hot, tired, and not nearly as hungry as you would imagine for not eating since 1:00 pm. No snack, just water. And then I got two hours of sleep. I'm a tired puppy.
Part of my lack of sleep is due to watching coverage of the major storm, Rita. I'm planning on staying through the storm. Unless I'm forced to leave or something. I won't be stupid about it. I ask for your prayers for everyone down here in the southeast Texas area.
Because of Katrina (imagine, barely three weeks ago, we had a "K" storm, and now we're down to "R" — that's eight storms within a one month time span, assuming that we had "P" and "Q" storms — I don't recall hearing about anything after Ophelia)... anyway, because of Katrina, people are panicing here big time. It seems they're expecting a New Orleans-style catastrophe with this storm. The biggest difference is that we're (slightly) above sea level, and we're not surrounded by levees.
Anyway, again, I ask your prayers.
Part of my lack of sleep is due to watching coverage of the major storm, Rita. I'm planning on staying through the storm. Unless I'm forced to leave or something. I won't be stupid about it. I ask for your prayers for everyone down here in the southeast Texas area.
Because of Katrina (imagine, barely three weeks ago, we had a "K" storm, and now we're down to "R" — that's eight storms within a one month time span, assuming that we had "P" and "Q" storms — I don't recall hearing about anything after Ophelia)... anyway, because of Katrina, people are panicing here big time. It seems they're expecting a New Orleans-style catastrophe with this storm. The biggest difference is that we're (slightly) above sea level, and we're not surrounded by levees.
Anyway, again, I ask your prayers.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
So Needy
I wanted to post this last night, but I worked until 11:30 and didn't much feel like writing then (though I did start watching a movie).
I've been listening to Shawn McDonald's (one of the five CD's I bought recently) live album on repeat in the car, and the passion this man has for God and the knowledge that he's not where he wants to be yet are very touching to me. I want to be so much more, and I'm so frustrated that I'm not there yet, that I still look at myself as such a loser and has-been. I know that's not how God sees me, and it's certainly not the way He wants me to see myself. Anyway, something along these lines came running through my head:
I've been listening to Shawn McDonald's (one of the five CD's I bought recently) live album on repeat in the car, and the passion this man has for God and the knowledge that he's not where he wants to be yet are very touching to me. I want to be so much more, and I'm so frustrated that I'm not there yet, that I still look at myself as such a loser and has-been. I know that's not how God sees me, and it's certainly not the way He wants me to see myself. Anyway, something along these lines came running through my head:
God, I need You
Every minute of the day.
WIthout you, I can do nothing
and be nothing.
Every breath a gift,
Every blessing an excess.
I'm grateful for my life
Even while I despise myself at times.
God, You are my reason
And my existence.
(c) 2005, 42 Penguin Productions
Sunday, September 11, 2005
A new cartoon
I love animation. Possibly because I've never grown up. Or maybe because it is a legitimate art form which I recognize as such. Sadly, people dismiss cartoons as "just for children", and they miss out on some quite funny things (or more serious, as with some anime).
I tend to prefer the funny side of things with a slight edge to them (and this goes for many, many areas in my life), or at least some kind of smartness about them. It's somewhat ironic that most situation comedies don't float my boat. A certain morality or belief system comes into play that a show cannot violate, and far too many sit-coms cross that line. But sit-coms are a discussion for another day. (I'll just say I count "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "Mary Tyler Moore", "The Bob Newhart Show", "Newhart", "The Andy Griffith Show", and "I Love Lucy" among my favorites.)
Back to cartoons, since that is the subject of this post, the Looney Tunes series of cartoons is classic. Great characters, extremely humorous, and something for both children and adults to enjoy. These characters do not need a makeover or an updating, though I'm not such a purist that I won't give an attempt at "re-imagining" a chance. I saw Space Jam, and "blech" is all that comes to mind; I didn't bother with the sequel due to how bad the first was.
And so it was when I heard about "Loonatics: Unleashed", a modernized version of the classic characters from Looney Tunes, that my first thought was, "Why?", then, "but, hey, I'll give it a chance". Yesterday, I saw a sneak peek of it, a 1-2 minute snippet. If this is what they show to entice children (and adults) to watch, this show is doomed from the start. Yes, the characters look very modern; in particular, I like the image of the new Road Runner. The clip, however, was everything bad about bad sit-coms (and SNL, for that matter): Predictable, dragging on too long to extend the humor for your viewing displeasure, and just plain stupid. Yes, I realize there was a certain stupidity about the original Looney Tunes, but it was handled smartly.
Of course I will watch the first few episodes to see if it's any better than this small clip, but I'm not holding my breath.
I tend to prefer the funny side of things with a slight edge to them (and this goes for many, many areas in my life), or at least some kind of smartness about them. It's somewhat ironic that most situation comedies don't float my boat. A certain morality or belief system comes into play that a show cannot violate, and far too many sit-coms cross that line. But sit-coms are a discussion for another day. (I'll just say I count "The Dick Van Dyke Show", "Mary Tyler Moore", "The Bob Newhart Show", "Newhart", "The Andy Griffith Show", and "I Love Lucy" among my favorites.)
Back to cartoons, since that is the subject of this post, the Looney Tunes series of cartoons is classic. Great characters, extremely humorous, and something for both children and adults to enjoy. These characters do not need a makeover or an updating, though I'm not such a purist that I won't give an attempt at "re-imagining" a chance. I saw Space Jam, and "blech" is all that comes to mind; I didn't bother with the sequel due to how bad the first was.
And so it was when I heard about "Loonatics: Unleashed", a modernized version of the classic characters from Looney Tunes, that my first thought was, "Why?", then, "but, hey, I'll give it a chance". Yesterday, I saw a sneak peek of it, a 1-2 minute snippet. If this is what they show to entice children (and adults) to watch, this show is doomed from the start. Yes, the characters look very modern; in particular, I like the image of the new Road Runner. The clip, however, was everything bad about bad sit-coms (and SNL, for that matter): Predictable, dragging on too long to extend the humor for your viewing displeasure, and just plain stupid. Yes, I realize there was a certain stupidity about the original Looney Tunes, but it was handled smartly.
Of course I will watch the first few episodes to see if it's any better than this small clip, but I'm not holding my breath.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Parent Update
In case you're wondering, my parents are doing okay. I was able to talk to my mother last Friday (9/2) and again tonight (Thursday, 9/8). They got power back Wednesday afternoon just before 2pm. No telephone at my parents house. My father can call out on his cell, and I can call my grandmother. No mail delivery yet. One poor woman's house was destroyed, and then she was in a car wreck and broke her neck and back. Please pray for her.
My parents and grandmother count themselves extremely blessed through all of this. Why were they spared significant damage in the midst of the devastation? I don't know, but I thank God (seriously) that it was so.
Many people will ask why, but I think that's the wrong question. It's probably not the wrong question for those that never acknowledge God as the author of anything good in their life. He is the Grand Tyrant waiting to smash people with His Grand Thumb. Instead, sometimes, things happen, and we must trust that God knows what He's doing, and that He's sovereign.
Instead of "Why?", perhaps a better question is "How?" How is God seeing people through these trying times? How is God able to work through these people's lives now? How is He speaking to them? These people who have lost everything must now be dependent upon others to help them. No pride can stand in their way. All they can do is accept the love poured out to them.
And believe me, here in Houston, people are pouring time, money, and supplies, opening their housing up, donating cars (a handful anyway), providing jobs, etc. One large church has 17,000 trained volunteers mobilized for serving in the Astrodome, which is more people than are being housed there. The demonstration of love here is absolutely amazing and stunning. I would never have expected it to be like it is. Crime has gone down in Houston the past couple of weeks, even as its population has increased by over 200,000 people, an increase of roughly 10% (and that's just Houston city limits, not including surrounding areas).
My parents and grandmother count themselves extremely blessed through all of this. Why were they spared significant damage in the midst of the devastation? I don't know, but I thank God (seriously) that it was so.
Many people will ask why, but I think that's the wrong question. It's probably not the wrong question for those that never acknowledge God as the author of anything good in their life. He is the Grand Tyrant waiting to smash people with His Grand Thumb. Instead, sometimes, things happen, and we must trust that God knows what He's doing, and that He's sovereign.
Instead of "Why?", perhaps a better question is "How?" How is God seeing people through these trying times? How is God able to work through these people's lives now? How is He speaking to them? These people who have lost everything must now be dependent upon others to help them. No pride can stand in their way. All they can do is accept the love poured out to them.
And believe me, here in Houston, people are pouring time, money, and supplies, opening their housing up, donating cars (a handful anyway), providing jobs, etc. One large church has 17,000 trained volunteers mobilized for serving in the Astrodome, which is more people than are being housed there. The demonstration of love here is absolutely amazing and stunning. I would never have expected it to be like it is. Crime has gone down in Houston the past couple of weeks, even as its population has increased by over 200,000 people, an increase of roughly 10% (and that's just Houston city limits, not including surrounding areas).
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