25 Random comments

This is a fad going around on Facebook.

1. When the icecaps melt, swimmers will rule the world.
2. I can wave my smallest toe on each foot.
3. Chickens are not organized.
4. I created a conspiracy theory and almost believed it.
5. We could easily house the entire world's population in a space the size of Alaska if we built the infrastructure to support the city.
6. I once explained to my English teacher that love and hate are not opposites, and neither are love and indifference. Rather, love and hate are both integrals of apathy, with the "C" factor providing the difference between them. Not sure if I believe that any more.
7. If I ever owned a portable toilet business I would name it "Carl's Bad Caverns"
8. Juggling is the most useful thing I learned in gym class
9. When I get out of sync with my environment I freeze for a second and a half. This is based on a random hunch and mathematical truths of the variety that can be shown through fractals.
10. I believe that at times math reveals metaphysics
11. I looked up metaphysics on wikipedia to make sure it meant what i thought it did. It did. Kinda.
12. SHOOT IT DEAD, IRA! SHOOT IT DEAD!
13. My cousin and I spent several hours trying to make k'nex top that would have a tangent velocity of 100 mph+. If I recall correctly, we only got it to go about 60.
14. I jumped out of a tree once with a rope tied around my waist and it wasn't long enough for my feet to touch the ground, so I swung like a piñata.
15. I used to think that mechanical pencils were for rich kids.
16. I have received more than half a dozen letters from NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
17. 1-90% requires the same amount of time and energy as 90-100%
18. I have gone 50 mph on skis and 60 mph on a tandem bicycle.
19. Poison ivy is kind to me (so far)
20. Plaid goes well with skates.
21. I am forklift certified by two different companies but almost gave myself a concussion once when I was driving one.
22. Work = Force (F) x Distance (D). Force = Mass (M) x Acceleration (A). Therefore,
Work = MAD.
23. I kissed a girl when I was five because I thought it would get her to leave me alone.
24. I have a collection of astronaut trading cards.
25. I don't think I would enjoy John The Baptist's diet unless you added corn bread to the equation.

Note to Senator Klobuchar

I oppose the economic stimulus package because it undermines the very free market that has made our economy and our nation great. Much of this package does nothing to stimulate the economy, and what little it does is on a timetable that may make it too late to do any good. Meanwhile, it burdens our nation with a staggering debt unmatched in the history of the world. Our housing market crisis showed us what happens when individuals take on irresponsible debt that they can not manage. Let us not make the same mistake with our nation.
I am young. I don't want a majority of my income going to taxes as I near retirement. Thanks to abortion, we won't have enough workers to support Social Security. I don't want my kids and grandkids struggling to start a business or raise a family as 60% or more of their income disappears before their eyes.
Socialism failed in America. It has failed many times since then in many different places. Capitalism, on the other hand, gave our nation the economic freedom to become great. If we want our nation to thrive, we need to keep the markets free and aggressive. This is impossible when companies and individuals are shackled by massive taxes.
Please oppose this wasteful, irresponsible, short-sighted package. America can't afford it.

3-1, Now they're...

The boys won the first game of the day fairly easily. The second game proved more challenging. They were down 2-3 at the half. It was an intense first half, and the score could have just as easily have been 3-2 in they're favor. Thanks to some research last night, we knew the other team had some ex-college players who had also played on city leagues. They told us after the game that at the half, our boys had them scared.
The flannel boys came out hard the second half, hoping to wear the opponents down. Unfortunately, their aggressive play wasn't enough to keep the other team from scoring two goals in about 45 seconds. Those two goals gave the other team a 3 point lead, which really demoralized the flannel. They tried to rally for a comeback but ended up giving up several more goals instead. It was hard to watch. One of the major problems was that our team only had one guy who is used to playing defense. All of the rest are normally offense. That, combined with the fact that the other team averaged about 1 foot taller and 50 pounds heavier than our team, and constantly floated a player down by the goal (Cherry picker!) made it extremely hard for the boys to get anything done.

So the boys were rather glum. They perked up quite a bit, though, when a DJ from KFAN (the major sports radio network in the Twin Cities) came up and did an interview with them after the game. Apparently the plaid flannel really grabs the attention of the media. The boys have been interviewed, videotaped, and photographed for several different media outlets, both local and national. The U.S. Pond Hockey Association also seems to love them, and has pictures of them plastered all over the website. So it is kind of cool.

2 And 0, Still in the Show

My friends won both games at the pond hockey tournament today, keeping themselves in contention for the golden shovel. They have to win both games tomorrow as well in order to make the finals on Sunday.
The first game was very, very close. The other team started off strong and took a 5-3 lead in the first half. The boys in flannel were scared and more than a little nervous. A quick pep talk at half time fired them up, though, and their youthful energy proved to be more than the older opponents could handle. They went on a 3-0 streak and held their lead for the last minute and half to win the game, 6-5.
I told them not to let the next game be that close, since my voice was just about shot. They complied. Within the first 20 seconds of play it was obvious that the opponents were at a much different skill level than the flannel boys, and not in a favorable way. My team won the game, 18-1.

The action starts up again tomorrow at 9:30. 'Night!

God Likes Bad People (like me)

Exodus 33:17
Moses found favor in God's sight.
Time out.
Moses committed manslaughter.
Moses tried to do things his own way.
Moses ran from his fears and responsibilities.
Moses argued with God.
Moses doubted his calling and God's abilities.

and yet, when he finally embraced God's plan for him, God liked him.

Part of me really struggles with that. So often I am a self-"righteous" Pharisee. God, help me to trust that you like me, and it isn't because I am so darn likable!

If God loved me because I was lovable, He would cease to love me the next time I sinned. Which would probably be in the next 15 minutes.

Creepy... Truly Creepy.

Point one: I am currently listening to a song with Latin Lyrics.
Point two: Today I received training to be a licensed administer of a cognitive skills test. It's almost like being a professional shrink.
Point three: I am way too excited about the National Pond Hockey Tournament tomorrow.
Point four: I got legitimately excited today when I realized that my experiences with ancient Hebrew will help me understand kids who have a hard time reading.
Point five: I bought hair gel for the first time in my life today even though I have no clue what to do with it, primarily in hopes that it will magically fix my perpetual "hat hair."

Conclusion: I am one strange person. But I am rather fond of myself.

Boinkschberg

My cousins came up with a pointless play over Christmas break and we performed it in all its splendor. I made a commemorative poster but spelled the name wrong because nobody ever told me the right way to spell it.

Freedom of Choice Act

I hate being controversial. I really do. But when something comes up that endangers millions of lives, our constitutional rights, and the well being of our nation, and it is trying to come to birth without most of the nation even realizing it until it's too late... I can't be silent. The Freedom of Choice Act has been in the works since the 1980s, and Obama promised during his campaign that he would sign it into law if he became president. It will come before congress soon, probably in the next couple of weeks. Here is why the act is dangerous, reckless, and evil:

1. It will legalize partial-birth abortion. For those who don't know, PBA can be done even up to full-term. Labor is induced, the squirming baby is half delivered (they only let half out, because if the rest of the body came out in most states it would be considered a live birth and the baby would be a legally protected citizen of the USA) and then they kill the baby by stabbing the back of the skull with a scissors and sucking the brains out.

2. It will overthrow state laws. Before I even tell you what they are, dwell on that. Our federal government, according to the constitution, has sovereignty over the states in very few and very specific ways. Abortion does not come anywhere close to any of those ways. The federal govt. is attempting to justify this violation of state's rights by saying that abortions are a matter of inter-state commerce (one of those very few things over which the fed. is allowed to regulate), because some women go over state lines to get abortions. If they want to regulate women going across the boarders, then let them make a law about women going across state borders to get abortions. This law is something entirely different. It is yet another example of federal government wielding power that it was never meant to have, setting a precedent for more erosion of state's rights.

5. It will force ALL hospitals and ALL doctors to agree to do abortions. The government wants to force individuals in private business to do a procedure that they find morally reprehensible. This is not justice. This is oppression. The Catholic church has already threatened to close their hospitals if this bill passes and they are required to comply with it. Catholic healtcare providers account for a large segment of our national health care providers. One source I read quoted 30%. Who knows how many doctors will quit rather than perform abortions. Our healthcare system, in short, could take a huge hit, and you better believe the prices will go through the ceiling if it does.

3. It will probably never cost more to have an abortion, though, because... You and I will pay for it! Here in Minnesota, we already do. But if this law goes into effect, everyone in the nation will be helping fund abortions with their tax dollars.

4. Now, for some of the state laws that this bill would overturn:
A. parental notification laws- Not only would a 13 year old girl be able to get an abortion funded largely by tax dollars, her parents wouldn't ever know about it. This is a blatant snub against the role and authority of parents in their children's lives. It is also stupid. The parents don't need to know about a surgery? They don't need to know their child is recovering from something?
B. Laws requiring abortions to be formed by a licensed physician- Are you kidding me? I wouldn't a checkup done by anyone but a licensed physician. As a side note, one of the first reasons for legalizing abortion was that when it was illegal people had to go to someone other than licensed physicians for abortions.
C. Informed consent laws- No longer would women have to be informed about the dangers and possible side effects, or the alternative options, before having an abortion.
D. Laws ensuring that abortion clinics are safe and healthy

The text of FOCA is here:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.1964: (house version)

and here:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.1173: (senate version)

Probably the best FOCA issue summary pages are here:

http://www.aul.org/foca

and here:

http://www.nrlc.org/FOCA/LawmakersProposeFOCA.html

The second link includes links to more info.

You can contact your senators and representative. Go to the "My Elected Officials" box on this site:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

You can leave a note on Obama's website about FOCA here:

http://change.gov/open_government/entry/advancing_reproductive_rights_and_health_in_a_new_administration

You can sign a petition against FOCA here:

http://www.c-fam.org/publications/id.95/default.asp.

You can pray!

You can also search Facebook for groups about FOCA. I have found three or four.



Below I have pasted the note I wrote to President Elect Obama:

Thank you for your service to our nation. I pray that God will bless you, protect you, and strengthen you for the task.
The Freedom of Choice Act has me deeply concerned. It is illogical from a medical standpoint, as I have never yet had anyone explain to me what makes an embryo a non-human. Any of their individual "deficiencies" (size, dependence on another, mental capacity, etc.) are present in some fully grown humans.
I have also never understood how one being can be considered a part of the body of another being with different DNA. No biologist would buy that.
We both know that less than 1% of abortions are done to save a woman's life. So let's keep abortion legal- but only for those cases where the woman's life is truly in danger.
All of these things aside, there are reasons I would be concerned about FOCA even if I were pro-choice.
1. It ignores the authority of parents in the life of their daughters. What other surgery could be performed without the parents even knowing about it?
2. It ignores the best interest of patients. The pharmeceutical community has pushed the envelope in speed talking in recent years with their radio commercials because of all the disclaimers they must include, even for relatively benign side effects. How can we possibly let women go into a surgery with no knowledge of the procedure and possible risks and side effects? This bill would also strike down useful laws requiring abortions to be performed by licensed physicians in sanitary clinics. Wasn't that the driving reason for legalizing abortion in the first place?
3. It violates the sovereignty of the states, as granted to them by the constitution that later today you will swear to uphold. This bill is a flagrant attempt by the federal government to pit its strength against the authority of the states. The guise that this law is appropriate because of interstate commerce is, to put it crudely, lame. It would strike down hundreds of state laws that have nothing to do with interstate commerce.
4. It violates the freedom of hospitals and individual doctors. Not all of them will stand for that. As I am sure you are aware, Catholic hospitals are planning to close if this bill passes. This will be good for neither our economy nor our healthcare system.

I pray that you think long and carefully about this topic before you vote. God has given you great responsibility, and I pray you bear it well.

Another Puzzle Piece

In the same way that a Christian who wakes up for unknown reasons at 3:00 in the morning should probably start praying, a person who is in the states longer than he wants to be should figure that God probably has reasons for it. I think I have figured out one of His reasons, and it is my new job. My training taught me some things about myself that weren't always fun, and one of them is that I need to work through a "Git 'r done" attitude towards just about everything I do. Sweet. Note to self: love people more and your goals less. In real life it's hard to know what that looks like. I think this new job is going to show me.
My job is to be a personal trainer for the brain. Specifically, I will be working one-on-one with elementary school children. The technical side of that is relatively easy. I essentially help them through a series of mind games, which I find enjoyable because I am a nerd. My problem comes in if I end up with a kid who would rather not play the games, thank you very much. I practiced with a coworker and didn't do so hot. I have a very hard time being simultaneously friendly and firm with anybody, especially kids. Normally when somebody does something wrong I sheepishly address it in only the most indirect ways. However, when I know I am getting paid to make them do something, they will do it, by golly, if I have to tie them to the chair with duct tape. Um... yeah. Not the recommended procedure. Apparently they like you less if you do that. I expect to learn a lot of practical skills from this job, even if it does take much, much more time and effort than a regular job.

P.S. Hug the teacher nearest you. Tell them they are amazing.

Robots Don't Honor God Rightly

In Exodus 31 God chooses one particular man from an entire nation to do the special artistic work for His sanctuary. This man, Bezalel, was exceptional because God made him that way; the text tells us so. Practice makes perfect, but without God he would not have even had something to start with. I am sure that Bezalel made a living with his skills and used them for other projects. However, I think it is safe to say that God made him so exceptionally talented so that he could do this one job well. This gigantic and crucial act of worship was his life's primary purpose on earth. In order to see the results He wanted, God didn't just make Bezalel a gifted artist. In the list of gifts God gave him, "all kinds of craftmanship" is last. The first (and therefore possibly most important) gift is wisdom. The second is understanding. The third is knowledge. God wants well-rounded worshipers, in all walks of life. He wants our work to have depth and meaning. He has given us the ability to do so. Let us not take the easy road and rely on talent or formula or some vague artistic notion to carry our work when we know that it does not portray the kind of thought and meaning that honors God and reveals the inspiration He has given us.

No Really, I Love Winter

During training today I was acting as the guinea pig for our trainer. After doing a number of basic cognitive challenges with relative ease, she started making things more and more difficult for me in order to stretch my limits. In one exercise she had me doing multiple things at once and then on top of it asked me to list 5 of my favorite things. So I started, "Snow, Ice, Hock..." Her burst of laughter interrupted me and completely messed up our little training session. She good-naturedly accused me of being a liar. Little did she know, I was actually telling the truth! I still get a little smile on my face every time it starts snowing. I think skating on ice is one of the most amazing feelings on earth, trailing only slightly behind floating in random orientations underwater (pseudoweightlessness). I figured when I finally had to drive in a Minnesota winter I would want to head south. Not true- I love donuts. And the sketchy driving is always worth the trip to the rink. I LOVE hockey! I have tried to enjoy soccer as much as I like hockey, since I will probably play it a lot in the future. But I just can't do it. Soccer is good, but hockey is way more fun, and always will be.

The Times are A Changin'

Yikes. It's been a while.
Since I last posted I have gotten a new job, spent two holidays with my family, and started looking for a new apartment. My roommate is moving to Dallas the end of March and I can't afford to stay here alone, so I have spent several hours on Craigslist and Rent.com looking for a new little hovel to enjoy. I also have been in contact with a potential new roommate, a guy I knew in college. So we plan to go a lookin' on Thursday.

I got the new job last week and the training starts tomorrow. I am going to be a "brain trainer." The basic idea is that kids with learning disabilities don't have to stay disabled (and probably doped up). Rather, through rigorous cognitive training, they can strengthen the skills that their mind struggles with and become good learners.