GTO, Fish, and whatever

Who Are You?

2012-02-07T23:55:00.000-06:00

Hello (hello, hello)
Is there anybody out there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone at home?

*Cough, cough* Sorry, it's a little dusty around here. Looks like no one's written a post in quite some time. This won't be much of one either, but I want to write something before I forget.

A co-worker was lamenting recently about how his messed-up past keeps haunting him, following him around, and he feels sort of branded by it. I knew about some of his problems already but he spent the next few minutes filling me in on some more. He feels trapped by things he's done in the past, and like people now see him as a certain type of person because of the things he's done. It occurred to me that an important lesson Confucius taught me might apply here, with a twist.

Confucius said, "Don't concern yourself with getting recognition. Rather, concern yourself with being worthy of recognition". The twist obviously, is that in this case, the word "recognition" might be replaced with the word "acceptance". The point being that recognition (or in this case acceptance) shouldn't be the goal, but self-improvement.

Well, he dismissed that right away because he doesn't buy into that Chinese philosophy stuff. Okay I suppose it is that, but I just see it as an interesting bit of wisdom that can help get you through some things that don't seem to make sense. It seemed to make more sense after I re-framed it in a Christian context, like an old man/new man sort of thing. You can't change who you were, but you can change who you are and who you will be. You can't change what you did, but starting now you can change what you do.

The past is always there, but it is the past and not the present. Talking about this co-worker's situation reminded me of the freedom I've gained since becoming a Christian, and it reminded me again how sweet grace is.

Love,
derifter

It's Not The End Of The World (probably)

2011-05-18T20:29:00.004-05:00

89-year-old Harold Camping of Oakland, California seems to think he's got it all figured out. I don't think he does.

I think he's doing his part to give Christianity a bad name, but that doesn't mean this week is a bad time to ponder your relationship with your Creator. I do think it's a bad time to quit your job, sell your house, charge a fortune on your credit cards, or shave your head and go sit on a hill to wait for The Rapture.

I won't waste much more time on this, but I will refer you to Jesus himself, who said in Matthew 24 verse 36, "Of that day and hour no man knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." Camping tries to explain here, but in my opinion it's a swing and a miss. See you Sunday then?
Love,
derifter

The Debtonator Cometh

2011-03-21T18:36:00.004-05:00

Coming onto the stage years after "The Governator" from Cal-i-forn-i-a, is our economy's worst nightmare: The Debtonator, a.k.a. President Barack Obama.

And he's coming zenga zenga, and there will be no mercy for anyone who earns their income. Anyone willing to lay down their money has nothing to fear.
(Sorry, that's about as far as I can take it.)

Taxes Too Low?

2011-02-27T11:08:00.004-06:00

While preparing my taxes, I ran across this handy reminder on page 88 of the Form 1040 Instruction Book.

If you wish to make a gift to reduce the public debt, you can make a check payable to:

"Bureau of the Public Debt" and mail it to
Bureau of the Public Debt, Dept G
PO Box 2188
Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188

Or, you can enclose the check with your income tax return when you file. Don't add your gift to any tax you may owe, however.

If enough of us do this, then our leaders in Washington won't have to do the hard work of deciding where to make spending cuts.

All my love,
derifter

Reasonable Infanticide?

2011-02-24T19:38:00.005-06:00

Although I find myself disagreeing with him more lately than I used to, I've long been a fan of Greg Boyd's thinking. Even when I do disagree with him, I still enjoy the way he gets where he's going, and he typically lays out his reasoning in a way that even I can understand.

In a recent blog post, he discusses what he calls "baby universalism", or the belief that babies automatically go to heaven when they die. It's fun to think that because God is abounding in mercy and grace, babies would get a free pass since they don't have the capacity to either accept or reject the gospel. That's been my own fervent hope for years, although I don't find anything in the bible that clearly and specifically supports it. That hope (in my mind) also extends to adults who don't have the mental capabilities to understand or believe what is clearly required in order to enter eternal bliss. But there are consequences to this belief, if you're willing to follow that logic where it leads. Enter Boyd's post.

In the same way that I admire the authenticity of people who in this day and age are willing to say (without hatred, mind you) the word "nigger" instead of childishly resorting to the phrase "the 'N'- word", I admire the fact that Boyd, while referencing another author, fearlessly wonders whether it wouldn't be "reasonable, and in fact loving and courageous" to kill babies if doing so would remove any chance of their damnation. (no.)

Now, I'd never have said it like that, but if you're going to hold that babies do automatically go to heaven while adults need to believe, then you have to be willing to accept the consequences of that belief. Hmmm. I need to give this some more thought.

War Is Still Over

2010-12-15T18:02:00.001-06:00

I'd Give My Left Arm...

2010-11-30T19:09:00.004-06:00

It's old news by now, but I want to point out that probably half the people in America would pay five dollars to have been in Rey Decerega 's shoes the other day. Maybe we should start selling tickets.

Save Money with Christmas Gift Game

2010-11-25T11:27:00.002-06:00

My wife comes from a big family, so to keep from bankrupting everyone at Christmastime, they have a game that they play, cleverly called "The Game". That replaced having to buy sixteen million presents for all her siblings and their kids, with buying only one gift. With the tough economy, we've also adopted this among our own immediate family too which saves our kids a few bucks. Who doesn't love that? *cough*(stores)*cough*

Anyway, if you'd like to try it and save some money yourself this Christmas, The Game goes like this here:

Each person who wants to play brings one wrapped gift. We say spend about $25 on it, but you can set whatever limit fits your family's budget.

1) After dinner, put all the gifts in a pile in the center of the room.

2) Count the players. If there are fifteen of you, cut fifteen pieces of paper and number them (you guessed it - 1 to 15) , fold them up and put them in a hat, or bowl, or bag, or whatever.

3) Have each person pick a piece of paper out of the hat.

4) Number 1 picks any gift they want, and opens it, showing it to everyone (and of course saying "Wow this is so cool!", etc.

5) Number 2 goes next and can either pick a wrapped gift from the pile and open it or "steal" the gift Number 1 just opened. If they steal Number 1's gift, then Number 1 picks a new gift from the pile and opens it.

6) Number 3 can either pick a wrapped gift from the pile and open it or "steal" either of the gifts Number 1 or Number 2 have opened. If they choose to steal (say from Number 2) then Number 2 can either steal Number 1's gift or pick a new gift. This continues until all players have a gift, either by opening a new one or by stealing someone else's. You can't steal a gift back from the person who stole it from you, but if someone else steals it from them feel free to steal it from that person. Be careful, it can get crazy if everyone wants the same thing!

7) Finally, after the last gift is opened, Number 1 gets to either keep what they have, or swap it for anyone else's gift. Now the game is over and it's time to rip on everybody who took what YOU wanted, and defend your reasons for taking what you got!

Hope this helps you have some fun while you save some money, and let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas!
Love,
derifter

Live Within Your Means

2010-11-25T09:31:00.003-06:00

How far can we kick the can? And how much must we disregard our kids (or the next generation, if you don't have kids) to not be willing to bite the bullet on government spending? It's getting pretty desperate, if you haven't noticed.

Fixing a budget is never fun, whether we're talking about personal finances or on a national level. "There will be pain" as President Obama's debt commission announced after presenting their non-binding recommendations. I think there needs to be pain. We're past the family-budget equivalent of skipping a movie to save money, but closer to canceling cable and selling the Lincoln to buy a used Ford Focus. If we think we can cut spending and it won't hurt then we're not cutting deep enough.

If you're on the Left, think of it this way. Lower debt = more funding, but that's in the long run. If we weren't paying hundreds of billions of dollars each year just to cover the interest on money that we've borrowed, we could hand out billions more to the poor and point some toward education while still paying down the debt. Who wouldn't rather help the poor than pay interest? Interest gets us nothing. That's what's bad about spending more than you bring in. "There will be pain", but the sooner we cut spending, the less painful it will be both for us and for the next generation.

If you're on the Right, think of it this way. Lower debt = lower taxes, but that's in the long run. The spending cuts you love won't be enough to eliminate the debt, though. We have to raise taxes too. I'm surprised to hear myself say that I actually have come to favor this, not because paying higher taxes makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, but because spending cuts alone won't do it. You've heard it said that "The problem isn't that the government doesn't have enough money." (It's that we spend more than we have.) But because there are widows and orphans among our population, you understand that we can't eliminate welfare and social security. There are limits to what we can cut and still call ourselves human. So we need to raise taxes and "There will be pain", but the sooner we do, the less painful it will be both for us and for the next generation. If we don't fix the debt who will?

If you're in the Center, well, I don't know, just mix the previous two paragraphs together or something. Seriously, we can all help by taking care of ourselves and exercising some fiscal restraint of our own. Economists would disagree, saying we need to spend like mad to spur the economy, but that's how we got here. Spending more than we had, and borrowing to cover it. If you're not paying thousands in interest, you have more to spend! Let's get used to the mellower New Normal economy, and get on with the task at hand.
Happy Thanksgiving!

A Mosque at Ground Zero?

2010-08-20T23:48:00.002-05:00

Boy do I find myself in an odd position on this one. I agree with the president! Well, at least with his clarification of his earlier comment. He either did a nice job of clarifying what he meant (possible) or did a nice job of reading the damage control statement prepared by the party (more likely).

In case you somehow haven't heard, there's a Muslim group that wants to build a mosque/religious training center near ground zero of the Sept 11, 2001 attack on the WTC in New York. The Right has portrayed Obama's statement the other day that this group has the right to build on and practice their religion on the property that they own near GZ, as essentially sleeping with the enemy. Obama's clarification of his earlier comment said that he wasn't commenting on the wisdom of a Muslim group building there, only on their right to do so. What part of that doesn't make perfect sense? It might be idiotic to build a mosque there, as it almost certainly would be a favorite target of vandals, but I'd stand right next to the president and proclaim their right to do it.
Then I'd whisper in his ear about deficit spending, gay rights, abortion, racism...

Geocaching Puzzle

2010-05-06T22:08:00.009-05:00

This is a puzzle I'm putting up as a way (THE way) to find the coordinates needed to find one of the caches I've hidden. It'll be interesting to see whether people find it easy or hard. It's my first puzzle, and I might need to tweak it a bit to get the coordinates right but this is sort of an experiment for now.

Postponing The Inevitable

2010-04-20T23:25:00.002-05:00

When you're sick, sometimes it helps to take your medicine. The Obama administration is avoiding economic medicine like it's the Plague. I hate the thought of higher taxes, but if (and only if) they're matched with spending cuts instead of increased spending I'm ready to take my medicine in order to begin the long march toward fixing America's sickly finances. It would help if the president and the Dems in congress would stop making things worse. Pumping borrowed money into every corporation within our borders would be okay if there was no such thing as debt. The problem is that the boost we're seeing in the housing market, the auto market, and soon the appliance market along with every other thing the president deems worthy of welfare, is still imaginary. It's not real economic growth. These companies can say their sales are up, but it's only because Obama's throwing borrowed money at every problem he sees. When that dries up, where's the economic stamina going to come from? We'll be left with slow or no growth buried under a mountain of debt that needs to be paid back with interest. I get trying to charge this month's bills if next month will be better, but that's a short-term fix - not a way of life. The kind of debt the president is racking up is like running to the bank and doing cash advances on your credit card and then saying you don't need to work because look at all the money!

The Republicans, or more specifically fiscal conservatives, are in trouble though, because of the racket liberals have going on now. The first person who says, "Elect me, because I'll do what it takes to fix our economy" may get elected because that sounds good, but as soon as he proposes tax increases he loses the votes of the Right. As soon as she proposes spending cuts, she loses the vote of the Left. So fiscal conservatives will get voted out and be replaced by liberals who stand up and say, "I'll keep the money flowing toward you, as long as you keep voting for me." It's hard for me to see how it'll get fixed. The government can't win the lottery and have all its money problems instantly solved. We need to have some common sense.

Go Vikes!

2010-04-20T23:04:00.002-05:00

I love watching the Vikings kick butt, but if they need a new stadium (with or without retractable roof) in order to remain competitive, then all I can say is "Go where people have more money than we do." Here in Minnesota, we've hit a bit of a rough patch lately, people are losing their homes and jobs, and if the truth be told we don't have a billion tucked away for a stadium. So my advice is go to L.A. or wherever they're willing to pay for your stadium, and I'll hold down the fort here at my house where the beer is cheap, the seats are great (with replays and commentary!) and comfortable to boot. I'll still watch just like I always have, and I'll still root for ya, but I ain't got the kind of money you need. So go! Run free! If you decide to stay I'll be happier yet, but don't ask for money when we don't have it. Go, Vikes!

Yes There Is

2010-03-24T01:00:00.004-05:00

Despite the lies he's told her, I can assure you that there really is an Arizona, a painted desert, a Sedona, and even a Grand Canyon. Wow, what a vacation!

Been A Long Time Since I've Blogged And Rolled

2010-02-22T21:52:00.003-06:00

It's been so long since I've posted a post that I almost don't remember how. Even Josh Crain is posting now (way to go, buddy!). I figured I better get something up, even if no one will read it. I'll know it's there.

So around the first of the year I bought a hand-held GPS and got hooked on geocaching. Once you make the initial investment in the GPSr (Global Positioning System receiver) which in my case was $179, it's hours and hours of free entertainment after that. Plus, it gets us out of the house and walking. As much as I miss sitting on the couch with a bag of chips watching football, geocaching is a pretty decent substitute.

This past weekend I hid my first two caches in a park by our house, and the first guy to find one of them wound up getting stopped by the police because some old lady in a nearby apartment thought he was doing something "suspicious" in the woods. He explained to the police what geocaching is and what he was up to, and they told him to have a nice day. But what a hoot!

My wife thinks I've become obsessed with it, and she's probably right. But she should be happy. She used to be the one who wanted to go for a walk after work to get some exercise, since she works at a desk. I work in the shop and I'm on my feet all day, so my highest priority (until recently) has been to get off my feet after work. Now, I can't wait to get out there looking for more caches. It's cheap, fun, and it keeps us out of trouble.

War Is Over!

2009-12-19T11:02:00.002-06:00

I Apologize To The New Orleans Saints

2009-11-30T22:57:00.005-06:00

I, Derifter, apologize to the New Orleans Saints and also to their fans, for knocking the Saints all week leading up to their Monday night game against the New England Patriots. Until tonight, I had been saying that the Saints would find out what happens when they play a good team. Sure, they beat the Eagles and the Giants, but who are those teams, really? I was sure the "Ain'ts" were going down tonight.

But boy did they prove me wrong. They tore the Patriots apart! How embarrassing for New England! 38-17 and it wasn't even THAT close. They absolutely trounced the Pats.

So even though I'm a Vikings fan who would have loved to see the Saints lose bad, I write this post in gold on black in honor of, and to tip my hat to, the Saints and their fans. Well done.

No Social Security Increase

2009-10-22T23:03:00.003-05:00

There's been quite a stink brewing about the fact that for the first time since 1975, there will be no COLA (cost of living adjustment) for recipients of Social Security. Most of the complaining is coming from seniors (as might be expected), and I suspect right-leaning news outlets are probably stoking the fires as are many people who are opposed to President Obama's policies and even the man himself. As for me, I'm a big fan of no bailouts. This administration has given away enough of our money to keep us financially underwater for decades if not generations, and they're not through yet. Right now you might be thinking, "Who said anything about bailouts?" The answer is President Obama. He's of the opinion that since seniors won't be getting a COLA, we need to give them each $250. The economy is tough, 401k's are down, seniors are struggling. We should give them money. So sez the prez.

According to the Social Security Administration,

"By law, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits increase automatically each year if there is an increase in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), from the third quarter of the last year to the corresponding period of the current year. This year there was no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2009."

In fact, the CPI-W actually declined 1.6% from September '08 to September '09. So the way I do math, by not taking a 1.6% cut in benefits, SS recipients are in effect receiving a 1.6% increase. The checks they get today buy 1.6% more than the same check would have bought last year. Seniors who complain about this are losing credibility with me. And President Obama, by wanting to give away more money due to this financial tragedy, well he had no credibility to lose in my book, but I am a little more angry with him. If I walked into my bank and handed them my Discover Card and said I'd like $1000.00 in cash please, would the cash in my hand suddenly make me rich? Heck no, I wouldn't have anymore money than I did before and plus, now I have to pay it back with interest. That means I'd be losing money, not getting richer.

Obama already has the Obambies in his pocket. Now, it looks like he wants to buy the Senior vote with our money. Give me a break. Please do.

Biting And Devouring

2009-09-29T18:11:00.003-05:00

I've been noticing (and so have you) that among Christians there's an awful lot of back-biting taking place. Fundamentalists and some percentage of Evangelicals go on about how the Emergent crowd is off on a tangent and doesn't understand the law or the gospel. They just don't get it. In the Emerging church, one of their claims to fame is that they are able to present the gospel in context, in a relevant way, not like old-school Christians who are stuck in the past and just don't get it. Everybody knows Charismatics are loony, right? God doesn't move anymore! Man, they don't get it. Charismatics are the only ones who know that the Spirit has left all the dead churches and only dwells within their own church.

"Ello, Guvna!"

Remember what Paul said in Galatians 5...
"But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

It's not like we don't have enough adversity in the world, without attacking each other to boot. We're the body of Christ. Jesus prayed in John 17, "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are."

That they may be one, even as We are. Maybe your bothers and sisters don't say it just the way you would, but they're saying it. Maybe they're saying it the way someone needs to hear it, in order to take a step toward God. Encourage that. Encourage them. Let's not forget why we're here. The Body isn't all feet, or eyes, or arms. We need each other.

Miss Me?

2009-09-25T18:02:00.002-05:00

No Politics

2009-09-15T18:14:00.002-05:00

Hmm, not much going on in the world of no politics. This is the first post I've written since I imposed a 24-hour moratorium on political posts at my blog, after being overwhelmed with complaints from my reader.
Oh!
Well, there's this:

It's been 70 days (yes, seventy) since Josh Crain's last post. I wonder if it's writer's block.

Hey, How about Kanye West? What a dufus.
How about Joe Wilson? What a dork.
How about Patrick Swayze? Bummer, I loved him in Road House.
How about them Vikes? Tied for the top spot in the NFL after week1.

You Lie

2009-09-13T22:58:00.004-05:00

Everybody needs to back off of South Carolina Rep. Joe "You Lie" Wilson. Was it okay for him to yell, "You Lie!" at the president in response to Obama's comments on health care and illegal immigrants? No.
Did he apologize and admit his outburst was inappropriate? Yes. Was his apology accepted? Yes. Do I hate it when people ask a question and then answer their own question? Of course I do. Everybody does.

But why do the Dems want to drag Wilson through the mud and spank him after he's already admitted his actions were out of line? Beatings and dead horses come to mind. I think they're desperate for anything that will take the focus off the president's zany ideas, at this point.

By the way, I read that when the president spoke here in Minneapolis yesterday, the heat and lights got to him, and someone got him a folding chair. Maybe they should have gotten him a cot instead, so he could, you know, "lie."

The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality

2009-08-20T21:41:00.004-05:00

John Piper posted on the implications of the tornado in downtown Minneapolis that hit the location of the ELCA convention, where they intend to vote on whether homosexuality should disqualify a person from the pulpit.

Any thoughts?

Simple Financial Tip

2009-08-03T23:25:00.003-05:00

If you're the kind of person who likes to use your credit cards to charge your gas and coffee and other things all month long, but you don't like getting wacked with a humongous bill when your statement comes (yes, we still receive and pay our bills on paper via snail mail) then I'd like to share this idea with you that my wife came up with a couple of years ago, which we've found really helpful. It won't save you any money, but it will save you the balance shock.

When I charge a tank of gas, I write it in the checkbook as though it were a check.
"$35.00 at SuperAmerica"
Where you would normally write the check number, just write "Visa" (or whatever card you used), and subtract $35 from your balance right now. You'll still spend the same amount that you always do, but now when you get your Visa bill and you write the check for $300 or whatever your balance is, you don't have to suddenly come up with $300 to pay the bill since you were subtracting it all along as you went. Like I said, it won't save you any money, but it's easier to subtract $20 here and $10 there, than to have to find $300 all at once when the bill comes. I hope it helps you like it helps us!

Here's an easy way to save up a few bucks, which I've been doing for about 20 years:
Every time you write a check, round up to the nearest dollar and subtract that amount from your balance. When you make a deposit, round down to the nearest dollar and add that amount to your balance. For example,

Write a check (or charge) for $19.38 and subtract $20 from your balance.
Make a deposit of $106.98, and only add $106 to your balance.

It's not much, but it adds up over time, and it's painless! Plus, you don't have to deal with all the pennies. Before you know it, you'll have a couple hundred bucks without even trying!

Boyd 1, Reaper 0

2009-07-16T20:07:00.005-05:00

Greg Boyd recently had a, well, not a near-death "experience" really, but you could call it a brush with death I suppose. Part of the story involved his being concerned, of course, but also a little bit excited about what's around the next corner. I think that's cool. I don't have a whole lot to say right now beyond what he said himself, but I do hope that when my time comes, I'm a little excited about it too! (If you want to read Boyd's story, click here.)

Gay Pride Parade

2009-06-30T21:40:00.002-05:00

You can't miss all the news stories about Gay Pride parades all over the place. Can anyone explain "gay pride" to me? I'm attracted to the opposite sex, but that's just something that's true about me. I wouldn't say I'm proud of it, anymore than the fact that I like to watch Scrubs. You won't see me in a Scrubs Pride parade anytime soon, or a Hetero Pride parade either for that matter. I must be missing something.

North Korea To Face Consequences

2009-05-27T20:00:00.004-05:00

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today warned North Korea that they will face consequences for their "provocative and belligerent" actions. I think North Korea faces a politically correct type of discipline that they will not be able to bear. It takes a village to rein in a rogue nation, which is why other nations around the world are being contacted. Already the North has received a verbal warning from Clinton, not to mention both a verbal warning and and a stern look from President Barack Obama for having tested atomic bombs and firing missiles. That'll teach 'em. I feel good about having an author on our side. She can draw on her writing experience for more strong warnings if North Korea fails to get in line. I can almost hear the two of them saying, "Don't you do it. Do not do it. Okay you did it. But you better not do it again. Do NOT do it again."

I'd wager the consequences in store for Pyongyang for their insolence include further warnings from Clinton of grave consequences, even sterner looks from Obama on TV and online news pages, reminders that isolation is where they're headed and not inclusion, and - as a last resort - increased aid. A North Korean newspaper, the Minju Joson, said in an editorial, "...the U.S. sanctions policy toward North Korea is like striking a rock with a rotten egg". Meanwhile, the rest of the world is holding to their strategy of waiting for the U.S. to take care of the problem, then complaining that America is not the world's policeman. Person. Whatever. What an exciting time to be alive!

It's Not My Job

2009-05-24T21:45:00.008-05:00

There was a photo a few years ago making the e-mail rounds of a D.O.T. crew that had painted a double-yellow line on the road right over the top of a dead raccoon. It was called "Not My Job." While driving in Carver County this weekend, I found "Not My Job: The Sequel". This time it was a cat. I think it was a cat. It was a photo op I couldn't pass up.

Atheists: "Boo Hoo" Ha Ha

2009-05-20T21:29:00.003-05:00

The LA Times has a pretty good article on how boring atheists are getting.

(HT: Art)

Less Hours

2009-05-18T21:31:00.003-05:00

Long after the economy in general began slowing down, our company was still doing pretty decent. My boss periodically meets with a group of 12 other business owners to discuss what's working for each of them and what's not, so they can benefit from each others successes and avoid each others mistakes. Last I heard, 10 of those 12 businesses had gone from 40 hour weeks to 32 hours company wide. We were still trying to get caught up.

Now we're there. We've recently laid off 7 of about 35 employees which works out to 20% of the work force. The way things are looking, I wouldn't be at all surprised if a couple more people go over the next week or two, with the possibility of reduced hours becoming more likely too. Honestly, I'd be okay with 32 hours, at least for a while. They let someone from my department go a little too soon for my liking, and it's been a big long rush ever since. I welcome the break. And the timing's right too, with the fishing season open and the weather getting warm. How are things going with your work?

Eleven Dollar Stimulus

2009-03-29T01:50:00.003-05:00

What do you think of the government's efforts to spend our way back to growth? Personally, it makes me crazy. I'm a big fan of living within your means, spending less than you earn. I think government ought to do the same. Ever since President Bush started running up the debt I've been quite a squeaky wheel when it comes to America as a nation spending more than we earn. All the recent spending referred to as "economic stimulus" really has me banging my head against the wall. I enjoy getting checks in the mail as much as the next guy, but if it's a check from me (in the form of government debt I'll have to repay over the rest of my life) I wish I could pass.

I told that to Stephen at work (who was soon to become Stephen the Obambie) when we got the $600 stimulus checks under the Bush administration. He said I could send it back. I told him I was tempted, and probably even would do it if I had the slightest inkling that the national debt would grow by $600 less if I sent my stimulus check back. But it would no doubt just be spent elsewhere, and I figured I can spend it more wisely than the government ever would. Now, thanks to the financial hemorrhage going on (surprised?) under President Obama, I have the opportunity to make good on that thought.

I told Stephen I'd like to decline the $13 per week "stimulus" added to my paycheck by Obama, since it's our own borrowed money he's giving us. But I didn't want to mail it back and have it spent on "emergency art" so I'd do that by giving that money to a homeless shelter. Stephen laughed and said Obama already has that covered. He was right. Then I considered making a statement to Obama by contributing $13 per week to the Republican Party in his honor. I wonder if that would stop the stimulus spending! But the Republicans haven't earned back my love and respect after digging such a deep hole in the first place.

So I've decided that since Obama is overturning Bush's ban on federal money for embryonic stem cell research, I'll take the $13 per week that Obama is borrowing against my (and my kids, and my grandkids's) future, and donate that money to MCCL (Minnesota Citzens Concerned for Life). Call me a cynic, but who do you think will take credit for the rise in charitable giving? Even so, I invite you to find a charity you like and send them your "stimulus" too.

Finally, I thought the "stimulus" was supposed to be $13 per week beginning April 1st (Joke's on us!), but I started noticing $11 extra two paychecks ago. Not sure what's up with that.

Hungry For Chinese?

2009-03-13T00:09:00.002-05:00

When I saw this sign while we were on vacation this week, I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Working The Fourth Shift

2009-03-04T23:48:00.003-06:00

From The Onion:
Falling behind in these tough times? Why not work another shift?

"The extra-dimensional shift, which occurs on a time axis at right angles to that of normal reality, allows American workers to supplement their incomes, while still maintaining the morning, afternoon, and overnight shifts they need in order to stave off bankruptcy."
Read the whole article here.

This is derifter (not Les Nessman) saying so long, and may the good news be yours.

Don't Give Up On Obama Yet!

2009-02-10T20:19:00.003-06:00

After all the tax scandal scoundrels coming to light among the Ethics Administration nominees, the campaign-bipartisan-but-now-partisan characteristics of the president, and now the markets tanking anew after the Democratic Plan to Save the Economy was revealed, I can see where liberals might start thinking that was change that they can't believe in after all. That they might be ready to give up on President Obama. For Pete's sake, it's only been three weeks. Give it time. If he's still floundering after another three weeks, THEN it might be time to give up.

Today I tried consoling Stephen, one of our company's more outspoken Obambies, by reminding him that it was fun while it lasted. Then it occurred to me that it wasn't all that fun. In fact it's been more like a hangover since the inauguration party. Well, take a couple of aspirin and hang in there: it's less than two years till the mid-term election, and less than four till 2012.
"Yes we can!"

They're So Cool

2009-02-08T09:39:00.003-06:00

I love this couple. The world needs more people like Donnia and Keith Blair, of Texas. Their winning E-Bay bid of $20,000 for everything Gregg and Brittiny Peters own (except their house) came with a catch.

The Blairs probably have an internet connection, and so they probably read my blog (what. Why wouldn't they?) so I just wanna say Donnia and Keith Blair: You guys rock!

The Boss Is Going To Disneyland!

2009-02-01T19:26:00.003-06:00

Quick note to Bruce Springsteen:
When you're singing at halftime during the super bowl and it's being played in Tampa, your big finish probably shouldn't include the words, "I'm going to Disney Land!". That's in California. Disney World, on the other hand is in Florida.

This is derifter (not Les Nessman) saying so long, and may the good news be yours.

Best Complaint Letter

2009-01-28T18:13:00.002-06:00

I guess this guy had a bad flight. Lucky for us.

Obambies

2009-01-19T21:16:00.003-06:00

I was talking with Stephen (an Obama-ite) at work today about how the pres-elect's followers are just that. They follow him around agreeing with anything he says, like a bunch of zombies. Instead of chanting "BRAAAAINS!!!" like regular zombies they say, "Thiiisss isss an hissstorrric mommmennnnt." (Historic, I assume, based on the color of his skin rather than the content of his character or his policies..... Dream on, MLK.)
So then I imagine Obama telling his zombies to shut up and give him their money so he can spend it on government programs, and they say "But weeee donnnnn't havvve any monnnnney lefffft."
To which he replies, "That's okay, we'll just borrow it. You can pay it back later. Or your kids can. Grandkids too, morelike. But one thing's for sure, I'm gunna spend it!" And the zombies say, "Ohhh-kayyyy. Whaaaat a greaaaaaat day forrrr ourrr naaationnnnn."

Somewhere during that, I decided that the Obama zombies should be called "Obambies". But before writing this post I decided to Google that word to see if I was, in fact, the first to utter it. Ha! I was surprised to find out that I'm probably just the most recent. What does a guy have to do to come up with a new word these days?

Just Plain Cold

2009-01-17T10:21:00.004-06:00

I took this picture of the thermometer on my deck early Friday morning. It's the second-coldest temp I ever remember. But really, once it gets below a certain temperature, it's just "cold". The haze you see is steam rolling out the door from my kitchen into the cool morning air as I shivered and snapped the shot.

Winter Bass

2009-01-02T21:27:00.004-06:00

I was looking for northerns, but look what I found this afternoon. Largemouth bass aren't unheard of in winter, but it's uncommon. It was a nice surprise. As you can see from the photo, it was bigger than my truck. But I was able to stuff it back down the hole. (I never keep fish)

How The Other Half Fishes

2008-12-25T10:46:00.004-06:00

Here's a picture of a tipup that belongs to one of my brother's friends. My brother says he's gotta get one. I think it's too much.
Inside the box is a small kerosene heater that keeps the hole in the ice from freezing over, a motorized jigging arm to keep the bait moving, and a transmitter that sends a signal to the receiver in his pocket when he has a bite. I guess when you have everything you need, then you start buying stuff like this.

We actually did give one of the transmitter-receiver sets to my brother-in-law Dean for his birthday recently, but only because without using way too much electronic gadgetry he'd probably never catch a fish!

What Would You Have Done?

2008-12-09T18:12:00.002-06:00

This little old lady found $97,000 and returned it to its owner. I like to think I would have returned it too, but think of all the Mountain Dew you could buy with $97,000!

How Low Can We Go?

2008-11-13T23:33:00.003-06:00

This isn't about stocks or the economy. It's about the human condition.
I read this article this morning, and it absolutely blew my mind. It was the first I had heard of it, and I've been kinda depressed all day because I can't stop thinking about how far we've fallen. What were these dudes thinking? I haven't a clue. If life sucks and you're mad at the world, just stick your head out the window and yell, "AHHHHHH!!!" Don't inject people with infected blood. Some people might say, "How can there be a god if this sort of thing can happen?" To me, it makes me think there has to be a God. There needs to be, because if this is where humanity is heading and there is no god, then there is no hope available anywhere. But there is hope in the fact that Jesus sacrificed Himself to redeem people who were as far gone as these guys. There's hope for them, for you, for me, for child molesters, everybody.

You picture the Garden of Eden, where life was good in every sense of the word. And then you hear of this story. I can't begin to imagine what life is now like for the fourteen victims who woke up to find that not only had they been drugged and raped, but intentionally infected with HIV. Man, that's a hangover you don't get rid of with an aspirin. I'm sorry to put up such a downer of a post, but it's pretty much consumed my mind today.

It's A What?

2008-11-10T23:12:00.002-06:00

Sometimes when I get to talking politics at work, I wish I would have left it alone. But sometimes, like today, it has its rewards.
I was talking with Stephen about president-elect Obama's tax increase on the wealthy (which, for these purposes anyway, I am not). Stephen's argument was that it is not a tax increase, since Obama is only restoring the top rates to where they were before president Bush's tax cuts took effect. Calling it a tax increase? That's your right-wing propaganda, there.

I asked, "So if my taxes are more next year than they were this year, that's not a tax increase?" He said, "No - It's a tax decrease revocation!

When my laughter slowed to where I could speak again, I said "There's your left-wing propaganda right there." Even he had to laugh at himself then.

I love the smell of victory in the morning. It smells like.... Victory!

Zombie Pub Crawl IV

2008-10-22T21:51:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday was the 4th Annual Zombie Pub Crawl here in Minneapolis. What a bunch of crazies, man. I remember reading about last year's Crawl, when the paper quoted the following exchange:

Leader: "What do we want?"

Zombies: "Brains!!!"

Leader: "When do we want 'em?"

Zombies: "Brains!!!"

Heh heh. I thought that was pretty funny. Isn't it just like a bunch of zombies to only have one thing on their minds?

Racism Plays A Part

2008-09-28T09:57:00.005-05:00

Is Barack Obama black?
Who should care if he is? Reading this Newsweek article, you would think that it was written in the 1960's if you judge it only by the amount of racism in it. Set aside the fact that a black man is running for president and has a good chance of winning. That wouldn't have happened in the 60's.

When someone starts singing the praises of one race over another (any race), MLK's "Dream" speech comes immediately to my mind: "...judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Some might think that he only meant that in the context of black skin being a liability. But if you're judging Barack Obama to be the best candidate for president based on the color of his skin and not on the content of his character, then you are promoting racism as surely as those you would call racist. This post is no rip on Obama, he seems to be a man of some character. But whatever happened to our goal of a color-blind society? Is Barack Obama a black man? Or is he just a man? Your answer to that question might reveal something to you about yourself.

Yay, Tarvaris Jackson Sits.

2008-09-17T21:09:00.003-05:00

Vikings Coach Brad Childress made my day by benching Tarvaris Jackson in favor of veteran QB Gus Frerotte. Like I said in my previous post, Jackson is the weak link in the chain that is the Minnesota Vikings. Frerotte won't be a miracle worker and he'll make some mistakes, but I'll take him any day over Jackson. If only this had happened two losses ago!

Vikings Heartbreaker

2008-09-14T15:17:00.004-05:00

I came into this season saying I'd be disappointed if the Vikings didn't at least take the NFC North division, after a couple of key acquisitions appeared to fill in the weaknesses remaining from last year. But one glaring weak spot is still Tarvaris Jackson at QB. Man, if we had any kind of a passing game, we could have put the colts away today. Instead, with the Favre-less Packers going 2-0 and the Vikings dropping to 0-2, I gotta wonder: Is it too early to say, "There's always next year"?

Go To Church, Go To Hell

2008-09-06T08:33:00.003-05:00

While reading the story of a church whose sign read, "I kissed a girl and I liked it. Then I went to hell.", what bothered me most wasn't that the sign is offensive to lesbians (and it is). What bothered me most is that the song sucks and now I have it stuck in my head. Just kidding.

What really bothers me most about it is that the sign suggests that the way to not go to hell, is to refrain from wicked behavior (aka "sin"). Refraining from wicked behavior is a good thing, but it's too late to use that as your plan to avoid hell. Romans 3 says,

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

Note 3 things:
1) All have sinned, so it's too late to avoid hell by being good.
2) We are justified freely "by His grace", not by our behavior.
3) This righteousness is from God, and it's "apart from law".

The church sign is so misleading that maybe it should have read, "Come to our church if grace doesn't appeal to you - We'll judge you by your works!"

Seriously, try not to sin, but don't think that will keep you from hell. Instead, revel in the fact that Jesus died for you to keep you from hell. And that plan works!

Blank On Purpose

2008-08-31T20:22:00.010-05:00

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more info

But What If There's Bears?

2008-08-07T21:38:00.003-05:00

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

L.A. Fast Food Ban

2008-07-29T17:30:00.005-05:00

This is so funny!
"The Los Angeles City Council has approved a one-year moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a low-income area of the city." Ha ha. They should have gone on television and said, "Hey kids, we know you like burgers & fries, but we don't want you to have them anymore. We're only going to let more expensive, sit-down restaurants come in. We'll decide what you want from now on, because you're too dumb and we're smarter than you." Talk about L.A. Weight Loss!

As if the ban itself isn't imposition enough, it's in a "low income area of the city". What sit-down restaurant is going to be cheaper than fast food? I think the city council's inability to get over itself is funnier than most sit-coms. This kind of thing should happen more often, and it should be on TV during prime time. Then stay tuned for "Mass Transit" and find out where we'll allow you to go!
Social engineering rocks!

Vacation 08

2008-07-24T22:43:00.004-05:00

Mrs. Derifter and I just returned from our summer vacation. It was a bit of a whirlwind, covering in just 8 days:

Mt Rushmore
The Badlands
Deadwood, SD
Yellowstone Nat'l Park
Glacier Nat'l Park, and
Banff Nat'l Park.

We never did get to see a grizzly, which would have made my year, but my wife caught a glimpse of a black bear that was about to be tranquilized by Park personnel near Lake Louise. We had a great time, but it wasn't nearly long enough to see all of those things the way we would have liked. And I learned that there really are some good things in Canada!

Love Your Enemies

2008-07-13T22:44:00.003-05:00

In a mind-blowing, Twilight Zone-like couple of minutes last Tuesday, my nemesis at work ended our long-running, almost legendary feud with an extended hand and the words, "Life's too short. Let's put this behind us." To which I replied (with my jaw on the floor) "For real?"

He said, "Yeah."

Me: "You're serious."

Him: "Yeah, sometimes it's just easier to let stuff go." Then he started to right some wrongs and really fix things that have been messed up for, well, all together, about a year. I still have a hard time believing it. This feud of ours had gotten so out of hand that I had begun to justify my part like Samson when he said, "This time I will be blameless when I do the Philistines harm." I had often convinced myself that my co-worker had it coming because of what he did or said so really, who could hold it against me? I was only doing what's right (I told myself), to teach him that he can't get away with that. When I'd pray for my enemy, it was that somehow he'd get his head right and see things my way. Now that he's not so much my enemy, I find it easier to pray for him genuinely. That's messed up, ain't it? Anyway, I told him that it was pretty cool the way that he had ended it and that that took a lot of stones. He just laughed.

Someone who had obviously not heard that our feud was over told me that he had heard through the grape-vine that I was going to kick the other guy's [butt]. I wasn't planning on doing that and I don't know who told him that, but I said "No, it turns out he kicked mine if he's for real."
I had tried ending it before but it just never worked out. This time he took the high road and although I still haven't hopped on his bandwagon, I don't want to pass up this opportunity if he really is serious. It feels like someone opened up a window and let a fresh breeze blow through.

Perfect In Mourning

2008-06-20T18:14:00.002-05:00

Art has posted some pretty terrific thoughts on John 11, the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Check it out if you have time.

Not A Health Shake

2008-06-11T19:03:00.002-05:00

Baskin-Robbins has the ultimate drink for those not all that concerned about their health. Imagine if they had used whole milk instead of reduced fat.

(HT: Mike)

Val Thomas Is Alive

2008-05-24T09:45:00.002-05:00

This is really an amazing story. No brainwaves for 17 hours, rigor mortise, "Oh hello- I'm awake now."
The family believes God granted them a miracle. I do too.
Read it here.

Where's George?

2008-05-12T21:43:00.006-05:00

I just got an e-mail from WheresGeorge.com letting me know that one of my bills got a hit. Where's George is a website where you can enter the serial number from U.S. dollars you have, and then after you spend it, if someone else enters that same bill, you can see how far your dollar has traveled by the city and state of the person who entered it. You also get points added to your "George score", which is also affected by how many bills you enter, how often you visit the site, etc. If that sounds fun to you (and why wouldn't it? Whaddya got a life or something?) check it out.

If you live north of the border, there's also a WheresLoonie website too, or some crazy thing like that. (It's actually WheresWilly.com, but I thought WheresLoonie sounded more Canandian.)

Glide

2008-04-28T22:12:00.005-05:00

Several years back, my wife and I were in San Francisco visiting our daughter. When Saturday rolled around and we mentioned going to church the next day, she recommended Glide Memorial, where she had been a few times with friends. Well, if you've ever been to San Francisco you know that just about everything there has a pretty liberal feel to it and Glide was no exception. As we sat in church behind a couple of girls with their arms around each other, (I'd guess same-sex couples made up around 10 to 20 percent of the congregation) we felt like a couple of sore thumbs in a large room full of fingers. We're pretty conservative socially, politically, and to my surprise I'm starting to think, religiously. We're used to hearing the Word preached: Sin, repentance, forgiveness, new life, worship. Most of what we heard at Glide was social justice. I have nothing against social justice, but the Knights of Columbus and Kiwanis and Lions clubs could just about be under Glide's umbrella of ministry. I don't think I heard anything about anyone's need for Jesus that day.

I do remember hearing how Glide helps alcoholics break free from their addiction, brings food to the hungry, aid to the handicapped, and acceptance to the GLBT crowd. I thought, "What?!! By that logic, you should be serving alcohol to alcoholics, taking food from the hungry, and crippling the handicapped! It would deliver the same amount of help."

In certain circles, there's a lot of debate over whether we should be focused on our personal relationship with Jesus or loving and serving our neighbor (essentially, Jesus vs social justice). Well I think that's a crazy debate because the answer is so obviously "Both" (Matt 22:37-40).
But as a picture of how far off course Glide has gone, I took this quote from the About Us portion of their website: "In 1967, Cecil [Williams, then-head pastor] ordered the cross removed from the sanctuary, exhorting the congregation instead to celebrate life and living."
Also, from Williams's profile on the site, "His vision for a truly inclusive church has attracted a 10,000 member congregation, an extended family, who reflect the diversity of the world- all races, ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations and religions. What brings this community of people together is the common search for acceptance, spiritual growth, and social justice."

Not sure where the spiritual growth is there. Not sure where the end of this post is either. How about here?
/rant

Charitable Giving

2008-04-21T18:49:00.004-05:00

Just a reminder...
In case you live in a cave and haven't heard, times are hard for a lot of people right now. Some have lost homes or jobs or both. Some are just overwhelmed by their bills. Increasing numbers of people are seeking help, and decreasing numbers of people are donating help. If by God's grace you happen to be sitting pretty at the moment, consider sending some money to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Red Cross, or whatever charity suits you. Maybe bring some food to a local food shelf. Someday you might be the one looking for help.
Peace out.

You Can't Handle The Truth?

2008-04-07T18:04:00.005-05:00

I find it odd that as born-again Christians, many of us hesitate to enter into the amazing truth that God has spoken about us. I could retire a little earlier if I had a nickel for every time I've heard a Christian, even preachers, qualify exciting things that God has done in them personally (or us as a body) by sheepishly adding something along the lines of, "...not that I could have done it without the help of God...". Okay, let's just put that to rest: Most people already knew you couldn't have done it without the help of God! You're not that good.

I'm talking about Christians who wear sinfulness and unworthiness almost like a badge of honor. Are we afraid that if we live like what God says about us is true, we'll fall into pride? I think there's a danger of falling the other way too, and downplaying what God has done in us. I think it's even a form of unbelief. Say for example, the idea that over the years God has cleaned up the way I think. That blows me away! But you never hear it said without the cling-on phrase, "But I still have a lonnng way to go..." Well, of course we do. But I say let's celebrate what God has done. I'm telling you that God HAS cleaned up the way I think. And I'm thankful for it, pure and simple. I have no pride in it, it's His doing. But I take joy in the fact that He is working in me, and I can see the results. If you can't see results in your life, you need to wonder why. If He's given us new life, and a new nature, why do we want to downplay that? Let's get that thing out in the open and see what it'll do! How holy can we possibly live?

Classmates Free

2008-03-12T21:31:00.006-05:00

If you want to keep (or get) in touch with your old (or current) classmates without having to pay a fee like at the "Other" classmates site, give ClassmatesFree.com a try. I like free.

UPDATE:
This site has been taken down, evidently for legal reasons, although I don't know the details.

Anonymous vs Scientology

2008-03-11T20:25:00.002-05:00

This video warning to the Church of Scientology from a group calling themselves "Anonymous" is kinda cool, but at the same time a little creepy, in a 1984-ish sort of way. In fact, maybe the creepiness is what makes it so cool.

Anyway: Mother Teresa

2008-03-09T18:28:00.006-05:00

I read that this quote attributed to Mother Teresa is engraved in the wall at her home for children in Calcutta. You may have seen it before, but wow. What a "Kingdom of Heaven" way to live!

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people will cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you've got, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway."

Mill-yuns And Mill-yuns

2008-03-03T23:29:00.003-06:00

Astronomer Carl Sagan used to talk about the stars that way, astounded by their numbers. Well, he might just as well have been talking about football "stars". The Vikings agreed to pay Bernard Berrian $42,000,000.00 over six years. That's over 41 million dollars more than I'll make over the next six years! And Randy Moss gets $27 million to stay with the Patriots another 3 years. Ben Roethlisberger will only be paid 102 million bucks for playing quarterback at Pittsburgh for 8 more years. It's a dangerous job, but it pays the bills, huh?

Maya Angelou Quote

2008-02-23T12:32:00.003-06:00

It's been a rough couple of weeks. On Thursday we attended our third funeral in less than two weeks. But while looking for a sympathy card, I ran across one containing a quote from Maya Angelou that I thought was exceptional. It was this:

"It is healthy and honorable to weep at the loss of someone we love. Healthy because such passion must be released. Honorable because it is respectful to admit the importance of people who have loved and supported us...people whose footprints cannot ever be matched."

Some Kind Of Sign

2008-02-19T23:22:00.003-06:00

At our daughter's birthday party recently, our son and his wife gave us a souvenir cross that they picked up for us when they were in Mexico for their honeymoon a couple weeks ago. It's about 6 inches high by maybe 4 inches wide, so it was sticking out of my shirt pocket all night. When our granddaughter noticed it, she asked "Hey Papa, where'd you get the big peace sign?"

At first I thought, "Ha ha! It's not a peace sign, silly! It's a cross!" But then it hit me. And she had no idea how profound that was.

Now Concerning The Announcements

2008-02-18T23:10:00.003-06:00

A humorous daydream (or humourous, if you're from Canada) comes your way from Ecclesiophilist: Concerning Announcements. Thanks to the Kerux for linking to it in the first place!

Ad-Aware 2007

2008-02-13T18:53:00.002-06:00

With the retirement of Ad-Aware SE Personal (Free version), I downloaded the new Ad-Aware 2007 freeware. It's more bloated than the SE version and it takes about four times longer to scan than SE, but hey- it works and it's free!
Today, after getting the latest update, I got a pop-up out of my task bar letting me know that I could get the paid version of Ad-Aware 2007 for free, just by buying flowers for my valentine. And even after clicking on the red "X", the pop-up wouldn't go away until I finally closed the app. Hmmmm....
An annoying pop-up ad offering to give me a free gift and all I have to do is buy something first.

Ya know, it was the "free" version, but come on: It's an application whose sole purpose in life is to find and remove adware from computers. And it's serving up ads. At least it was, until I uninstalled it about ten seconds later. Just on principle. Hmmph.
You can download the new version of Spybot Search and Destroy for free here.

The Kids Are All Right

2008-02-07T17:57:00.000-06:00

Our youngest son and his bride are safely back from their honeymoon in Mexico, and are now enjoying wedded bliss here in the real world, where it'll be 17 degrees below zero Saturday night. Here's to love, and global warming.

Super Bowl Prediction

2008-02-03T11:18:00.000-06:00

I don't like the New England Patriots and I'd love to see them lose, but I can't imagine the New York Giants beating them in the Super Bowl tonight.
News flash: The Patriots are pretty good.

My prediction- Patriots 35, Giants 17

1st Black Super Bowl Referee

2008-01-30T19:46:00.000-06:00

This Sunday Mike Carey will become the first black referee in NFL Super Bowl history.
Who cares? Isn't he just a man? We ought to judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have absolutely nothing against Mike Carey. Shoot, I don't even know him. He may be a real stand-up guy. In fact, to go 18 years as an NFL official I think he probably is a man of character (all "ref" jokes aside). Good for him! But who cares what color his skin is? It seems demeaning to look at his accomplishments over the past 18 years and rather than say, "The man has earned a spot in the Big Game." to reduce his career to color. "Oh look! The black man did something good!"

I wish we could just say, "The man did something good." without noticing the color of his skin. That'll be progress.

Candidates Schmandidates

2008-01-16T18:34:00.000-06:00

At work a few days ago, during a discussion about politics (I know- What was I thinking?), someone told me that I should feel insulted by the Republican party, because after all the years that they controlled the White House and congress, they never followed through on their promises to outlaw abortion, shrink government, lower taxes, outlaw gay marriage, and a host of other non-accomplishments.

He has a point. Although I did put up some minor arguments about abortion being constrained somewhat and a few steps toward lower taxes, I completely see what he was getting at. But having conceded that the Republican record isn't exactly impressive, I wasn't persuaded to abandon ship and vote for easier abortions, bigger government, higher taxes, gay marriage, and a host of other "accomplishments". His arguments didn't convince me that the Democrats are a better choice than the Republicans, only that politicians in general don't accomplish much. And he didn't really "convince" me, I already was convinced of that. Maybe he just highlighted the fact that I'm disappointed in our choices for candidates. But still, I know I'll be voting for a Republican for president come November, because what else can I do? I'd rather vote for someone who touts values similar to mine and then hope he (or she) stays true to their word, than to vote for someone who touts values contrary to mine and hope they're lying. ALTHOUGH... Man, that just might work!

3 Quadrillion Dollars

2008-01-09T23:39:00.000-06:00

"Three Quadrillion Dollars!"
That's what Doctor Evil (of Austin Powers fame) should have demanded as ransom for the world, instead of "One Million Dollars!".

And the goofball who filed this lawsuit against the US because a hurricane came and we didn't stop it, should have filed the suit against Al Gore. He's the one who claims he can control the climate!

Juno

2007-12-31T00:17:00.000-06:00

My previous post about surrogate motherhood brought to mind the movie Juno, which we saw Friday night. In it, a 16-year old girl (Juno) gets pregnant and has a lot of tough choices to make. Abortion? Adoption? Get married? Raise the child herself? How to tell her parents? Among others. As she struggles to make the best choices (and granted, at least one of those is water under the bridge at this point) Juno goes about it in a pretty light-hearted and sharp-witted way that makes it hard not to like her. Plus there's a pretty cool mix of music to go along with it. All in all, my wife would say it was "really good!" (she wants to by it) but I can't go that far. I'll say it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

This is derifter (not Les Nessman) saying so long, and may the good news be yours.

Rent-A-Womb

2007-12-30T23:51:00.000-06:00

This article discusses the (disturbing?) trend of Indian women becoming surrogate mothers for commercial reasons. It raises all sorts of questions from many different angles. In a very general way, I think I'm cautiously okay with it, provided that the contracts would be binding, and that the pregnancies are regulated consistently to ensure the health of the babies, mothers, etc.
Something that caught my eye was a question in the article's sidebar that read, "Are men becoming obsolete?" I thought that was funny. If there were no men, who would do all the work? I should go ask my wife about that.

Buffalo Wild Wings

2007-12-17T18:49:00.000-06:00

Dat's right. We bad.

My brother and me.

We bad.

The Golden Compass Again

2007-12-09T10:07:00.000-06:00

We made it out to see the new movie, The Golden Compass on Friday, and I gotta say it was pretty good. If you (like me) haven't read the books, you better get there on time and pay attention. Otherwise you'll spend a lot of time trying to figure out who's who and what's going on. If you plan on bringing the kids, keep the PG-13 rating in mind: There are some parts that young kids would find scary, and while the violence isn't graphic, there's quite a bit of it.

I wrote a little bit about the controversy surrounding this movie in an earlier post. I don't think the anti-God message is as strong as I'd heard it was, but it is there. I think you would pick up on it even if you weren't looking for it, but I say that as someone who went there looking for it. Rather than anti-God or anti-Christian even, the story needed a villain for Lyra (the heroine) to triumph over. It turns out that the Magisterium, which is apparently "The Church" is that villain. It's not so surprising that an atheist author would portray The Church as a body of money-hungry and power-hungry control freaks, who are the enemies of free will and free thought. That's not a unanimous view of the church in our world, but it's not that uncommon, and this never claimed to be a Christian movie. I think it's unfortunate that religion is portrayed that way in the movie, because the real church doesn't need any more bad publicity or people associating the church with bad people they need to avoid.

Having said all that, we did enjoy this flick. I read in an article somewhere that the awesome armored ice bears are loosely based on me, being as big and bad and fearless as I am! (cough)
I wouldn't mind commenting on some more specific scenes, but I don't want to post any spoilers. And I would fight an ice bear to get a voice like Sam Elliott's!

This is derifter (not Les Nessman) saying so long, and may the good news be yours.

Cocky Is As Cocky Does

2007-12-05T18:03:00.000-06:00

The big game this week in the NFL is the 9-3 Steelers trying to keep the 12-0 Patriots from achieving a perfect 16-0 season. I'm hoping they do, and I know Josh is hoping they do, but Anthony Smith of the Steelers is sure they will! That sort of thing always adds even more fun to a game like this. I can't wait.

Camp Of Truth

2007-11-30T17:36:00.000-06:00

No, this isn't going to be that deep, or controversial. It's only a puzzle I remembered today from a long time ago.

You're walking down a road on your way to the Camp of Truth, when you come to a fork in the road. One fork leads to the Camp of Truth, the other fork leads to the Camp of Lies. There is a man standing on each of the two paths, one man is from the Camp of Truth and the other man is from the Camp of Lies. The man from the Camp of Truth can ONLY tell truth, and the man from the Camp of Lies can ONLY tell lies. The men are not necessarily standing on the path that leads to their camp.

If you could ask only ONE THING of ONE of the men to help you reach your goal, what would it be?

This is derifter (not Les Nessman) saying so long and may the good news be yours.

Thankful?

2007-11-21T21:05:00.000-06:00

Yes, of course I have an endless list of things and people to be thankful for, not the least of which is having the next five days off work! But I'm not gunna bore you with my long list. I'll save that for God. But one thing I will share with you is what I was singing in the shower a little while ago:

And when I think
That God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die,
I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross,
My burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died
To take away my sin!

Then sings my soul,
My savior God to Thee,
"How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!"
Then sings my soul,
My savior God to Thee,
"How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!"

Peace, blessings, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
(Belated, if you're Canadian!)

Those People

2007-11-04T18:54:00.000-06:00

I met some people this weekend of the type who help me keep my balance. As we sat around a bonfire at a housewarming party chatting about everything from Dutch Elm disease to mental illness, this group of spikey-haired and dreadlocked, pierced and tattooed freaks spoke with a passion and compassion that had me envying them before too long. It's not that I agree with everything they said, it's that based on their appearance the moment I met them, I had already decided who they were and what they were about. I hate that. As we talked, I never got the feeling that they had done that to me. I'm from the suburbs and they're from the city. Lots of the things I only read about in the paper happen to them. I started to realize that although I feel in tune with my crowd, I'm way out of touch with theirs.

I think you sort of get "socially inbred" if you know what I mean. Birds of a feather flock together, and you don't really get to know other types of birds. It was interesting to hear not only what they thought but why they thought that. And it was never a debate, it never got heated. We were just talking. I don't want to think about people in terms of "those people". What a lousy way to think of people Jesus died for! But I do want to get to know more people who are less like me. How crazy. Usually I like people who are like me.

The Golden Compass

2007-11-03T11:05:00.000-05:00

I got an e-mail a few days ago warning about the upcoming movie, The Golden Compass, saying it's a movie about killing God. According to the e-mail, it's "the anti-Narnia". It also contained a link to Snopes.com, where there's a brief summary of the movie and of the author of the book series the movie is based on. The Snopes.com link quotes the author from a 2003 interview as saying, "My books are about killing God." So I guess there isn't much doubt about what the books are really about.

But if you've seen the trailer, it looks really good!

There's a feature on the movie's website where you can "meet your daemon" by answering 20 questions. Mine is a spider called Aspradora. In the movie, everyone has a daemon (demon), but they dwell in the form of an animal outside your body rather than inside, and they're a reflection of yourself rather than an indwelling spirit. Maybe your exo-soul. So maybe the whole "Demons are our pets" thing is a bit troubling.

I love fantasy-adventure flicks like this. And regarding the hidden message behind the story, I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it. Remember The Matrix? We Christians found a hidden message of hope and life and truth in it, because of all the "other-world", eye-opening, truth-revelation scenes it contained. Non- (or anti-) Christians found in it a hidden message of hope and life and truth, because of all the "other-world", eye-opening truth-revelation scenes in it. I have a hunch The Golden Compass will will be owned by both positions, too. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
But I definitely want to see it. Maybe I'll post on it again afterward.
Normally I like spiders, and I had three tarantulas as pets when I was younger. But if I ever see Aspradora around, that sucker's gunna get squashed.

Brownback Backs Out

2007-10-19T17:29:00.000-05:00

Sam Brownback is out of the presidential race. Bummer. I was so looking forward to casting my vote his way.
Seems like whenever I get to liking someone, they ain't around for long.

A Minute To Spare

2007-10-02T20:41:00.000-05:00

I feel bad for my throngs of loyal readers, who wake every morning desperately hoping that I have posted something here, only to be thrust into the archives to get their fix of my excellent writing. It's better than nothing though, isn't it. Well isn't it?

That's the way it goes when the sales department at your company doesn't understand scheduling. But they've been doing a great job of selling our products! I'm not worried about getting laid off. Man, we've been so busy for so long that today I realized how Bill and Ted must have felt while they were falling down a bottomless pit in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey". That scene was hilarious, but really I can relate. We're hopelessly behind schedule, and then the boss says he's got a hot job. We need to drop everything and do this. Of course another, even hotter job is coming right behind it, and on it goes until it's just silly. And then some.

The bottomless pit? At first you panic and try to do something - anything - to get out of this crazy situation. But after falling for a few hours I guess you'd start getting hungry, or maybe sleepy. You'd have to start getting used to it eventually, wouldn't ya? Start planning your day tomorrow (I think I'll continue falling...) That's sorta how it's gotten at work. When someone asks when this or that job will be done, the most common response is, "Why would we be working on that already? It's not even late yet!" We do our best to keep it light, because we know we're all in it together, but it's obvious that there are storms brewing just under the surface. Someone there is having a bad day just about every day, and you don't always know who it is.

Thankfully, my after-work life has lightened up some lately. Not a lot, but some. I look forward to not having to be efficient. I wanna just sit out on my deck and look at the clouds and waste time. I know the day is coming, but so far it's been like the watery reflection you see on the road when you're driving on a sunny day, how it's always off in the distance and when you get closer, it moves farther away. But I know I'm gunna get my feet wet in it soon!

Could Psalm 23 Be Any Cuter?

2007-09-19T17:31:00.000-05:00

The iPhone, The Vineyard, And The Denarius

2007-09-06T18:17:00.000-05:00

The similarities are striking. Read about Apple and whiny customers here, or read about them in Matthew 20:1-16.

It's only my opinion, Josh!

If Blogs Were Movies

2007-08-09T18:14:00.000-05:00

Due to the use of the words "Hell" (3 times), "Kill" (2 times) and "Stab" (1 time),

Thanks to Kerux for the link.

My Life As An Offering

2007-08-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

I was laying in bed last night thinking about our kids, and sort of pondering their relationships with God. What percentage of their days are spent thinking about Him? Moving toward Him? Away from Him? And how much of their time do they spend occupied with their own concerns, work, or other relationships? The answers for each of them are different, of course. Two were involved in a cultish church in their younger years, and pretty much fled from anything related to religion after the so-called church members began stalking them and trying to force them to conform. One kid I suppose, would be best described as somewhere between atheist and agnostic, and one was raised Catholic.

Now that I think about it, those things aren't really what I meant to write about today, they're just some thoughts that led up to it. After pondering my kids's spiritual lives, I had to throw mine in there too. Is church once a week only a token that I toss to God? I pray before I eat, so am I living for God? Do my brother and sister tithe, or do they give 5 percent, or maybe 15? Does the percentage matter? It oughta be a sacrifice though. Do they give at all? It occurs to me that I don't know my family as well as I should.

When David was looking for mercy from God in 2 Samuel 24, Araunah said "Here, give Him this stuff!" (paraphrased). But David wasn't about to do that. He told Araunah that he would not give to God that which cost him nothing. A good lesson for us, I think, and it doesn't apply only to our financial offerings, but our lives as a whole. Living sacrifices, as Paul put it. Perish the thought of earning anything from the Lord, but He is worthy of everything we give or do for the sake of the kingdom, or just to glorify Him personally. Go ahead and love the Lord your God with everything in you!

Progress In Darfur

2007-07-31T18:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a story from MSNBC about a 26,000-member UN peacekeeping force bound for Sudan by December. It's probably too little, and certainly too late, considering that so many people have already died. But too little too late is better than nothing ever. I've heard some crazy reasons for not taking action in Darfur sooner. It's really very hard for me to believe that race has nothing to do with it. And I'm not a "Discrimination!" kind of guy. A UN peacekeeping force there won't fix the problem, but sometimes a band-aid does stop the bleeding. I'm happy to see SOMETHING going on besides talk. Pray that it goes farther towards real peace.

Another Year Gone By

2007-07-23T21:58:00.000-05:00

Wow, sitting here in the afterglow of the big surprise party (you know, for my blog, who turned two today) I can hardly believe that it's been two years. And the look on my blog's face when we all yelled, "SURPRISE!" is etched into my virtual memory forever. In case you missed it, there were digital balloons, animated cake, and .gif cream cones. The only thing I didn't like was that all the banners that should have said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY GTO, Fish, and whatever!" had flashing ads all over them instead. Until I enabled Adblock, heh heh. Then the party really took off.

This is just plain dumb, so I'm gunna stop right there. But you did miss a heck of a party!

Getting Caught Up

2007-07-15T23:23:00.000-05:00

The long weekend of July 4 thru the 8th was nice. It was relaxing, and I started to remember what it's like to not be in a hurry. I wrote a couple weeks ago that life has been a little swamped recently. I had hoped that rush was coming to an end, and it may still be. I got the brakes in my truck, fixed the garage door,we got a new car for my wife and sold her old one. We were getting caught up at work, even worked some 8-hour days lately. But just when I could taste the slow-down, we got a couple of big jobs in at work (and of course they're hot). And the wife's new car quit on us this afternoon. It felt like we were headed back in the wrong direction. Besides that, I've been staying up later at night to watch TV or play on the computer because I refuse to let my life consist of work/shower/eat/sleep and repeat. The drawback of course, is that you're tired the next day. I started getting frazzled, but caught myself. I remembered how little it ever helps to flip out when things don't go your way.

I convinced myself that after one more busy week, things will be looking pretty good at work.
After about an hour out in the garage, I think all the car may need is a new battery. It doesn't look like the electrical meltdown that I originally thought it was. That'll take WAY less time than fixing her old car, so I'm ahead there. I'm glad that one's gone. I really-really hope that the new battery (which we'll be getting tomorrow after work) gets her car on the road again. Then I have high hopes that by this time next week I may be sane again.

Two-Part Plan For Fishing

2007-07-02T18:18:00.000-05:00

This coming Thursday, Part One of my plan is to get out fishing and spend some time relaxing on the water with my dad, my brother, hopefully our boys, and probably my brand-new brother-in-law, Dean. Part Two of my plan is to catch more and bigger fish than Dean does. See, I like to catch largemouth bass and northerns, maybe a muskie now and then, and I like to give the fish a sporting chance. No electronics, that is. Artificial bait. Texas Tea. All right forget Texas Tea. Who knows where that came from. Texas probably.

But Dean is one of these guys that I think will go after anything with fins, and use everything short of dynamite to catch it. I'll concede that he probably does catch more fish than I do, and if you ask him, he'll say that makes him the better fisherman. I say he's the better fisherman the way Barry Bonds is [will be] a better home-run hitter than Hank Aaron. There's always gunna be that asterisk.

Bonds*
Dean*

Does that even count?

1+1=1

2007-06-28T22:31:00.000-05:00

I read an article years ago in The Plain Truth, a magazine that was put out by Herbert W Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God. (I know, I know, but it was an interesting magazine.) I remember that I was impressed by the article, but all I remember CLEARLY is the title: "In marriage, 1+1=1". I think that's so cool. Another way of saying the two become one flesh. I'm reminded of it because this Sunday, my little sister is getting married. So of course, I've got marriage on my mind again. She's been on Cloud Nine ever since they started dating, so it'll be fun to see them lock it down.

Not Your Own

2007-06-25T23:10:00.000-05:00

"You are not your own, you were bought with a price."

Living like you believe Paul's words to the Corinthians, will help you realize how true it is that we're "strangers and aliens". Everywhere you look, the message shrieking from televisions, billboards, newspapers, radios, and the web is that it's all about you. You deserve it. Color outside the lines. You're the man! No, the boss - No, you're the king!

It's foreign, in the face of that to say, "No, I'm the servant. He's the King!" Without God, we're dead in our sins. But with His Spirit indwelling us, we CAN resist temptation. It really is possible. When a hot girl in a bikini walks by, you can notice. No harm, no foul. But when your looking turns to leering, LOOK AWAY! It can be done! That's the first example that comes to mind, but we can honor God in so many ways. What I'm talking about here is honoring God through submission to Him, and to His will. King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table come to mind. Do I want to look at the bikini girl? Sure, I'm a man.

"Then look!" says the world. "You can do whatever you want! It's your life!"

But I'm a man who is submitted to his King. And because I am, I'll deliberately at this moment put what He wants ahead of what I want (Because that's what I really want.) And it's not all about me, it really is all about Him. And I'm not going, "Boo hoo hoo, I didn't get to drool over the bikini girl because stupid God won't let me look." No, I'm going, "Lord, you've given me life, and I can't improve on that by anything I do. But out of gratitude I'm going to honor this woman, and my wife, and You by not polluting this moment." It's a small act of worship. A large act of submission. And it'll burn the Devil's butt more than a waist-high flame. Try it.

It Sure Sounds Good

2007-06-19T21:33:00.000-05:00

It feels like we've been red-lining our life the past... I dunno what's it been...month or two? Between babies, weddings, my truck needing brakes, trying to get rid of my wife's old car and find a new one, personnel drama at work, having to fix a busted cable on the garage door so momma can park in there, graduations, birthdays-- It all makes me want to push in the clutch, let the engine idle down, and just coast for a while.

I was thinking through Psalm 23 a little bit ago, which led to the title of this post and the post itself. What sounds so good to me is verse 2, and into verse 3:

"He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul."

Mmmmmmm, yeahhhh. I might see some of that in early July, as most of our company is shut down from the 4th through the 8th. I hope to get out fishing with my dad, brother, and maybe my sister and her husband-to-be on that Thursday, and spend the rest of the weekend remembering how to slow down. I get pretty distracted when I stay too busy for too long. Distracted from God, from my wife, and even from strangers. I notice that when I'm rushing around, it seems like everyone's in my way and I just want them to move so I can get going. I don't have time for them or their problems. But when things slow down, I realize how I've been missing the point of life. I'm getting one of those glimpses right now, as I realize it before things slow down. Anytime God's children (or those who could be) "get in your way", you know something's messed up.

So, enough whining huh? I got things to do! Just kidding- I'm gunna get me a cold Miller High Life and drink it slow, and then hit the hay.

Hockey, Or Something Like It

2007-06-06T23:36:00.000-05:00

I was reading about some hockey game where Anaheim beat Ottawa or something like that. But I thought this quote from the story was funny:

"and the Ducks' victory came at the expense of Canada."

Works Without Faith

2007-06-06T19:23:00.000-05:00

You've heard James say, "Faith without works is dead." Fair enough.
But is the opposite also true?
That's a question I've been kicking around for months. It seems straightforward enough- Hebrews 11:6 says,

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."

That's saying faith is good. Okay, I get that. But say an atheist who's not "earnestly seeking Him" decides that helping the poor is the right thing to do. Is she any better off in God's eyes than if she did nothing for the poor? Or if a Hindu refrains from stabbing his neighbor because it seems cruel, will that reduce his suffering when he enters hell? Both of these people stand condemned, as John 3:18 clearly states:

"Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

So you need to believe. And James says faith without works is dead, so works are good. But without faith you can't please God, even with works (which are good). I understand all that. But the wrinkle comes when I try to see my political and social views (which are inexorably linked to my religious views) from the perspective of a non-Christian. Why would I want someone to not cheat on their taxes? They might reason, "If I'm going to hell anyway, I might as well enjoy today!"

Another example would be, "Why not kill the guy who slept with my girlfriend? What's gunna happen, is God gunna send me to hell twice??"

Now, I know there are literally TONS (ok, not literally, that wouldn't make any sense. But figuratively...) TONS of societal reasons to help the poor, not stab your neighbor, not cheat on your taxes, and not kill the lowlife who slept with your girl. Lots of those reasons are good reasons. But they're all good horizontally, none vertically. I used to think that the worse our culture became morally, the easier it would be to lead people to Jesus, because "The light shines in the darkness", and the darker the darkness, the brighter the light shines. I figured the contrast would show ever more clearly how purity and holiness are more appealing than depravity. But sometimes it seems like as things get more jaded, our culture is first shocked, then less so, then becomes accustomed to it until something worse comes along and the process repeats itself. A downward moral spiral, you might say.

Wow, after re-reading that it sounds pretty depressing. And it kinda is. But after all that, I wonder "What if our society's morals improved to the point that so many people had helped the poor that poor people were hard to find? And what if the virtues of fairness, non-violence and fidelity so pervade our culture that no one ever cheats on their taxes, stabs their neighbor, or sleeps around/kills scumbags? Would that society be more receptive to the gospel? I'm sort of thinking the answer is no, and dang, now even THAT society sounds a bit depressing!

So back to my question. Without faith it's impossible to please God, but would good works, which lead to a better civilization and maybe better people, be completely worthless in God's eyes if those works were not born of faith? I keep coming back to a "yes" at this point. There's only one way to the Father, and it's a narrow way. The good news is that there's grace available to all who ask!

Not Fade Away

2007-06-04T22:41:00.000-05:00

The Rolling Stones (among others) sang, "Love is love and not fade away". Mmmm, my kind of music. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Now on to my post.

I wrote a few weeks ago about my surprise at discovering how high the expenses were in my company's 401k plan since we switched providers this year. To my chagrin, I found that our plan didn't offer an index fund, which I had hoped would deliver me from the high fees that were causing my hopes of early retirement to "fade away". I had spoken with the company's owner about it before to no avail. Spoke with him again after writing that post, because I was pretty charged up about it at the time, and gave him a little paper I had written up about how I thought it would be good for all of us if we could get an index fund. I think I was becoming a nuisance. He's busy running the company. But today he came up to me out of the blue and told me that as of next January, we'll have an S&P 500 index fund available! Not only that, but since our company's total combined account balance had passed some certain threshold, the expenses on all of our funds will be dropping by (generally) 1/2 percentage point! Who ever thought math could be so fun?

Breathe in, breathe out.

I had already taken other steps to lower my expenses, like redirecting some of my contributions from my 401k, where the expenses are high (did I already mention that?) to a Roth IRA, where the expenses are l-o-w, and they offer index funds. But now with expenses going down in my 401k too, and also a lottery ticket now and then, hopes of early retirement not fade away!

Truth And Tolerance

2007-06-04T19:56:00.000-05:00

Art has put up a pretty sensible post on um, Truth and Tolerance. I could just paste it in here and say I wrote it myself, but I feel somehow inclined to give him the credit this time.