Firsts today:
Anny has students for the first time this school year!
My "little" sister starts her first semester of College today!
My Mom begins her new job today!
My Step-Father begins his new job today!
I guess I'm close to finishing my first from-scratch webpage on the company website? Have you had a chance to add your two cents? See the post below to let me know what YOU would ask your governing body. I would still love to have a couple more questions to use.
(yes, shameless post just to direct attention to my previous post. Fun how that works, eh?)
August 28, 2006
August 25, 2006
Want to Help Me on a Project?
Hey Folks,
I have been given my first web project at work, but I need your help. As you know (or I hope you do) I work in a Presbytery Office. We have decided that as more people are using the web, we should probably have a FAQ page, but I don't know what questions people have!
What I want from you is a Question. What questions do you have of your Presbytery or Presbytery Office? Here are a couple of questions I have picked up from co-workers:
How much is Per Capita?
How do I get to the Presbytery Office?
Why is Rob so cool?
Okay, I threw that last one in.
Please please please let me know what sort of questions you would ask if you could. Those of you non-Presbyterians, please also participate. What questions do you have about your denominational office? Your regional office? Your church?
Any help would be great. If you cannot comment because you don't have Blogger, email me HERE.
Thanks!
I have been given my first web project at work, but I need your help. As you know (or I hope you do) I work in a Presbytery Office. We have decided that as more people are using the web, we should probably have a FAQ page, but I don't know what questions people have!
What I want from you is a Question. What questions do you have of your Presbytery or Presbytery Office? Here are a couple of questions I have picked up from co-workers:
How much is Per Capita?
How do I get to the Presbytery Office?
Why is Rob so cool?
Okay, I threw that last one in.
Please please please let me know what sort of questions you would ask if you could. Those of you non-Presbyterians, please also participate. What questions do you have about your denominational office? Your regional office? Your church?
Any help would be great. If you cannot comment because you don't have Blogger, email me HERE.
Thanks!
August 22, 2006
A Great Day of Firsts!
Today is the first day for a lot of things in lots of lives, and in our household there are several biggies:
Anny's first day back to school!
Jon's first day at his new job!
(by default) the first day that the Puppy has stayed home along all day.
YIKES! That's too much excitement for one house for one day. Honestly, the only one I worry about is the puppy. :o) My aunt has volunteered to stop by on her way between offices to let the dogs out.
The other big event this week is that my little sister begins her college career tomorrow! I'm so excited. We'll make a trip down sometime in September to see her. She's ready for "city" life, I think. Last I heard, though, she had lost all of her orientation material. (mental note, call tonight!)
So, those are the firsts that I know about. I guess the "first" for me is that I have been building a shelving unit for our living room to keep stuff organized, but handy. I have these whims from time to time that I should build things. This is only the second to come to be. This evening is shelf-cutting and assembling.
Anny's first day back to school!
Jon's first day at his new job!
(by default) the first day that the Puppy has stayed home along all day.
YIKES! That's too much excitement for one house for one day. Honestly, the only one I worry about is the puppy. :o) My aunt has volunteered to stop by on her way between offices to let the dogs out.
The other big event this week is that my little sister begins her college career tomorrow! I'm so excited. We'll make a trip down sometime in September to see her. She's ready for "city" life, I think. Last I heard, though, she had lost all of her orientation material. (mental note, call tonight!)
So, those are the firsts that I know about. I guess the "first" for me is that I have been building a shelving unit for our living room to keep stuff organized, but handy. I have these whims from time to time that I should build things. This is only the second to come to be. This evening is shelf-cutting and assembling.
August 18, 2006
Over The Limit, Under Arrest
http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/
I have seen many commercials already over the last few days about the current National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and their new "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" campaign. The general message is that men should watch themselves and not drink and drive. At least from today until Labor Day.
The whole timeline for this campaign can be found HERE. Several months of intense work, for an enforcement period of just 18 days. Apparently they are taking time on both ends to conduct surveys about the "event." It does not say who they are giving surveys to, but I am guessing it's not the drunk guys that they have pulled over. Anyway, aren't law enforcement officers supposed to stop drunk drivers 365 days a year, every year, from now until the end of civil law?
The focus of the crackdown is also aimed completely at men. I guess that got that tartget "market" from the surveys that were done earlier this summer. Combine that with earlier articles this summer about men leaving churches, and maybe we have something to put together. Apparently, ladies, you are safe for the next 18 days to get as drunk as possible and go for a joy ride. (note, this is sarcastic, please don't do this!)
The commercials are okay. They talk about the true costs of getting caught. They put drunk driving into dollars and days. ($5,000 to $20,000, and jail time) This may be good enough to put a scare into social drinkers to call a cab. Will it be enough to slow down the driving offences of the true drunk? I doubt it.
The commercials, though, do not address the lives lost or ruined by the effects of a drunk driver. That used to be the focus of drunk driving campaigns. Every MADD ad that I've ever seen, anyway. (Looks like they are supporting this campaign though.
I lived with someone who would drink and drive. It was a scary event every weekend to go out and come home again. His license was revoked on several occasions. He's now clean and sober, and has realized the lives he put into jeopardy. Does the NHTSA truly believe that with an intentional crackdown of just 18 days it will change someones life? I certainly don't. I think that it will take a lot more than a temporary crackdown.
I, for one, will vow not to drive drunk for the 18 days. Heck, I'll even expand my vow to as many days as I'm left on this planet. I think it will save me some money.
And life.
I have seen many commercials already over the last few days about the current National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and their new "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" campaign. The general message is that men should watch themselves and not drink and drive. At least from today until Labor Day.
The whole timeline for this campaign can be found HERE. Several months of intense work, for an enforcement period of just 18 days. Apparently they are taking time on both ends to conduct surveys about the "event." It does not say who they are giving surveys to, but I am guessing it's not the drunk guys that they have pulled over. Anyway, aren't law enforcement officers supposed to stop drunk drivers 365 days a year, every year, from now until the end of civil law?
The focus of the crackdown is also aimed completely at men. I guess that got that tartget "market" from the surveys that were done earlier this summer. Combine that with earlier articles this summer about men leaving churches, and maybe we have something to put together. Apparently, ladies, you are safe for the next 18 days to get as drunk as possible and go for a joy ride. (note, this is sarcastic, please don't do this!)
The commercials are okay. They talk about the true costs of getting caught. They put drunk driving into dollars and days. ($5,000 to $20,000, and jail time) This may be good enough to put a scare into social drinkers to call a cab. Will it be enough to slow down the driving offences of the true drunk? I doubt it.
The commercials, though, do not address the lives lost or ruined by the effects of a drunk driver. That used to be the focus of drunk driving campaigns. Every MADD ad that I've ever seen, anyway. (Looks like they are supporting this campaign though.
I lived with someone who would drink and drive. It was a scary event every weekend to go out and come home again. His license was revoked on several occasions. He's now clean and sober, and has realized the lives he put into jeopardy. Does the NHTSA truly believe that with an intentional crackdown of just 18 days it will change someones life? I certainly don't. I think that it will take a lot more than a temporary crackdown.
I, for one, will vow not to drive drunk for the 18 days. Heck, I'll even expand my vow to as many days as I'm left on this planet. I think it will save me some money.
And life.
August 17, 2006
New Blogger Beta
Okay, I moved my blog over to the new Beta version of Blogger. Some of the features are pretty cool. You can rearrange the information on the right side much more easily ~~~~>
When drafting, there is an easy "Labels for this post" section, so you can easily mark them for categories.
When picking a template, you can make overhaul changes without knowing HTML. The template I picked had a black background, and all I needed to do is a one-click change to make the background gray.
I like it. I will warn you, an annoyance was that it did not bring over my html list of blog links. I had to go in and recreate that list, but even that process was not mind bending.
Besides, I did it before you, so I feel ahead of the curve. :o)
When drafting, there is an easy "Labels for this post" section, so you can easily mark them for categories.
When picking a template, you can make overhaul changes without knowing HTML. The template I picked had a black background, and all I needed to do is a one-click change to make the background gray.
I like it. I will warn you, an annoyance was that it did not bring over my html list of blog links. I had to go in and recreate that list, but even that process was not mind bending.
Besides, I did it before you, so I feel ahead of the curve. :o)
August 14, 2006
Where Do You Sit?
Sunday at church, I noticed that there was a smaller crowd than usual. Once I read that there was a guest preacher because our Pastor is on vacation, it did not surprise me as much. The other thing that did not surprise me:
The rows farther back were as full as usual, it was the more forward rows that were more empty than usual.
The row in front of us was FULL! 12 across. They were all choir members who wanted to sit together, which is nice for those of us who don't pull our weight in making the church sound pretty. (Side note: if you visit a church during the summer, try to sit in front of where the choir folks are sitting. It makes the music sound much nicer) I commented on how far back they were sitting, and one of the guys said "but you're behind US!" Good point.
Why is it that Presbyterians tend to fill from the back? Is it so that visitors have the best view up close? (no) Is it because the sound is better than in the front? (sometimes) I have never understood this, but it's true of almost every Presby church I have been to. We sit closer in at our new church than at our last church, but that's because I sat with the youth, and I could never get them more than three rows in.
My father's reason was always the he was afraid that God would smite him for being a sinner in a church, and that if the roof were to cave in he wanted to be the first one out. I never bought that, partly because Jesus welcomed sinners, and partly because I knew that my dad would probably be too lazy to run.
When I was in high school, the parents of a friend of mine requested that we sit with them, and I did that out of respect and out of appreciation that someone cared to invite me to the front. I thought of it as an honor. Is that what it takes, for one of the front-sitters to invite some of the back-sitters to the front?
I think that it all goes back to Junior High when no one, not even the dorkiest of the dorks, wanted to sit in the front row. The closer to the back, the cooler you felt. I, of course, was one that sat in the middle, off to the side if possible, so that I could see all of the cool kids, and talk to the not-as-cool kids in the front, without committing to either side. (Yes, I've always been a people pleaser)
Is it true of other denominations? Worship in other Religions?
Now that I have written this post, do I need to sit in the front and push myself out of my comfort zone? We've been at our church for less than a year and we sit in the same seats each week. Maybe I'll take baby steps and try sitting on the other side.... I'll update next week. :o)
The rows farther back were as full as usual, it was the more forward rows that were more empty than usual.
The row in front of us was FULL! 12 across. They were all choir members who wanted to sit together, which is nice for those of us who don't pull our weight in making the church sound pretty. (Side note: if you visit a church during the summer, try to sit in front of where the choir folks are sitting. It makes the music sound much nicer) I commented on how far back they were sitting, and one of the guys said "but you're behind US!" Good point.
Why is it that Presbyterians tend to fill from the back? Is it so that visitors have the best view up close? (no) Is it because the sound is better than in the front? (sometimes) I have never understood this, but it's true of almost every Presby church I have been to. We sit closer in at our new church than at our last church, but that's because I sat with the youth, and I could never get them more than three rows in.
My father's reason was always the he was afraid that God would smite him for being a sinner in a church, and that if the roof were to cave in he wanted to be the first one out. I never bought that, partly because Jesus welcomed sinners, and partly because I knew that my dad would probably be too lazy to run.
When I was in high school, the parents of a friend of mine requested that we sit with them, and I did that out of respect and out of appreciation that someone cared to invite me to the front. I thought of it as an honor. Is that what it takes, for one of the front-sitters to invite some of the back-sitters to the front?
I think that it all goes back to Junior High when no one, not even the dorkiest of the dorks, wanted to sit in the front row. The closer to the back, the cooler you felt. I, of course, was one that sat in the middle, off to the side if possible, so that I could see all of the cool kids, and talk to the not-as-cool kids in the front, without committing to either side. (Yes, I've always been a people pleaser)
Is it true of other denominations? Worship in other Religions?
Now that I have written this post, do I need to sit in the front and push myself out of my comfort zone? We've been at our church for less than a year and we sit in the same seats each week. Maybe I'll take baby steps and try sitting on the other side.... I'll update next week. :o)
August 10, 2006
Coffee Guy
I don't drink coffee. It's one of those things that I have tried, over and over again, but just cannot bring myself to do. Every Christmas I go out of my way to try the Starbucks Gingerbread Latte. Every year it disappoints because it taste too much like coffee.
Though I do not drink coffee myself, I have no problem with most coffee situations. I am okay walking into Starbucks to get an iced tea or hot chocolate, the smell does not bother me. I'm okay with it as people walk by, or are even talking to me with coffee breath. I have found one way that coffee just rubs me the wrong way, and it's all thanks to Coffee Guy.
I don't know his name. He works in another office on our floor in the office building that I work in. I know who he is, which I think makes it more awkward. My issue is not that he drinks coffee. It's that he dumps his coffee in the sink in the public men's room. Again, not an issue if you know the proper etiquette, or what I consider the be the proper way to dispose of your (really mostly his) nasty smelling hazelnut coffee. It's as simple as splashing a bit of water from the spigot and rinsing the coffee down the drain.
What happens instead is that the coffee sits in the sink and just festers for however long it takes for someone else to walk in. There are certain smells that I expect in a public restroom, particularly a men's room. Hazelnut coffee is just not one of them. It just gets more pungent as the time wears on because of poor ventilation.
Just gross.
Every time that I happen to be the one who walks in after him I get that same feelings. Have the same thoughts.
1 - "HEY MAN. Just take less coffee! You do this every day needlessly."
2 - "HEY MAN. Your office has a sink, dump your stuff there"
3 - "HEY MAN. Just a simple rinse would stop the inconvenience of everyone else"
What I actually say: Nothing. What can I say? It's a public, share space. I have contemplated what a note left on the mirror would say, but have just never gotten up the nerve to write it. Since there are only two tenants on the floor, it's easy to eliminate most of the men from contention. He does not have any power that I know of, but deep down it's none of my business.
It IS obnoxious.
So, In an effort to get more comments on my blog than my brother does, I ask you this:
What would you do? Have you ever had this problem? Would it be wrong of me to smack this man in his forehead one day?
Though I do not drink coffee myself, I have no problem with most coffee situations. I am okay walking into Starbucks to get an iced tea or hot chocolate, the smell does not bother me. I'm okay with it as people walk by, or are even talking to me with coffee breath. I have found one way that coffee just rubs me the wrong way, and it's all thanks to Coffee Guy.
I don't know his name. He works in another office on our floor in the office building that I work in. I know who he is, which I think makes it more awkward. My issue is not that he drinks coffee. It's that he dumps his coffee in the sink in the public men's room. Again, not an issue if you know the proper etiquette, or what I consider the be the proper way to dispose of your (really mostly his) nasty smelling hazelnut coffee. It's as simple as splashing a bit of water from the spigot and rinsing the coffee down the drain.
What happens instead is that the coffee sits in the sink and just festers for however long it takes for someone else to walk in. There are certain smells that I expect in a public restroom, particularly a men's room. Hazelnut coffee is just not one of them. It just gets more pungent as the time wears on because of poor ventilation.
Just gross.
Every time that I happen to be the one who walks in after him I get that same feelings. Have the same thoughts.
1 - "HEY MAN. Just take less coffee! You do this every day needlessly."
2 - "HEY MAN. Your office has a sink, dump your stuff there"
3 - "HEY MAN. Just a simple rinse would stop the inconvenience of everyone else"
What I actually say: Nothing. What can I say? It's a public, share space. I have contemplated what a note left on the mirror would say, but have just never gotten up the nerve to write it. Since there are only two tenants on the floor, it's easy to eliminate most of the men from contention. He does not have any power that I know of, but deep down it's none of my business.
It IS obnoxious.
So, In an effort to get more comments on my blog than my brother does, I ask you this:
What would you do? Have you ever had this problem? Would it be wrong of me to smack this man in his forehead one day?
August 08, 2006
Someone Else's Post on Communion
I will obviously post about our new puppy sometime this week, but I just read a post from a Pastor in our Presbytery. Though I have never heard him preach, he is great a Presbytery Meetings. I have only ever heard good things about his preaching, and this post is a story from a recent Sunday Service.
http://web.mac.com/royhoward/iWeb/SayingGrace/Blog/D1D23EF1-0FB2-4CB3-90DF-F06CCC63C615.html
http://web.mac.com/royhoward/iWeb/SayingGrace/Blog/D1D23EF1-0FB2-4CB3-90DF-F06CCC63C615.html
August 03, 2006
It is ALWAYS about Weather!
I woul hate to be involved in News Weather. People always try to be nice to you, but never are happy with what you have to say. I'm the first to say "I'm sure they're wrong, it won't snow at all." They are right about as often as I am, which is okay.
During the snow, everyone prays for the summer heat.
During the summer heat, people are looking for snow.
I think that this year is different for some, though. Our weather is so crazy, not just here on the East Coast. My In-Laws have never seen a need for an air conditioner, but after the last couple of weeks worth of heat, they are toying with buying a window unit for next summer. (I have not been there during the summer, but I hear it only last for like two weeks!)
My best friend is a mechanic, and is smoldering in this 99+ degree heat we've been dealing with. When I went yesterday to get an oil change, I made sure to bring everyone an ice-cold bottle of water. I was welcomed with open arms in a place where the temperature outside is added to by the heat of engines running the whole day. I was only out there for 20 minutes or so and needed to drink a bottle while I was there, and had another as soon as I got home.
Funny, though, that I found this article HERE about the extreme cold temperatures at the South Pole. The pictures are spectacular, both for the landscape and the clouds. You have to have perfectly cold (-176 F) and just the right amout of wind (143 mph) to have these clouds. Suprised that we have not seen these clouds in Wyoming during one of our trips. :o)
I'm enjoying the air conditioning, but look forward to this heat breaking over the weekend. I have a bookcase buildling project that I would much rather do outside than in.
During the snow, everyone prays for the summer heat.
During the summer heat, people are looking for snow.
I think that this year is different for some, though. Our weather is so crazy, not just here on the East Coast. My In-Laws have never seen a need for an air conditioner, but after the last couple of weeks worth of heat, they are toying with buying a window unit for next summer. (I have not been there during the summer, but I hear it only last for like two weeks!)
My best friend is a mechanic, and is smoldering in this 99+ degree heat we've been dealing with. When I went yesterday to get an oil change, I made sure to bring everyone an ice-cold bottle of water. I was welcomed with open arms in a place where the temperature outside is added to by the heat of engines running the whole day. I was only out there for 20 minutes or so and needed to drink a bottle while I was there, and had another as soon as I got home.
Funny, though, that I found this article HERE about the extreme cold temperatures at the South Pole. The pictures are spectacular, both for the landscape and the clouds. You have to have perfectly cold (-176 F) and just the right amout of wind (143 mph) to have these clouds. Suprised that we have not seen these clouds in Wyoming during one of our trips. :o)
I'm enjoying the air conditioning, but look forward to this heat breaking over the weekend. I have a bookcase buildling project that I would much rather do outside than in.
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