Wendy and I splurged on a new camera, one of the fancy DSLR ones. It’s a Nikon D40. It is sweet, let me tell you. I’ve already taken over 300 pictures with it in less than two weeks (including the ones from Betsy’s birthday party in the previous post). Everything is so easy with it that it’s just goofy. Here’s a shot of our backyard at night to give you an idea of the possibilities.
We held another birthday party for Betsy — the first was family only — and her friends at the Red Sun Chinese Buffet. It went really well with all of the children getting to eat from the buffet, learn to sing “If you’re happy and you know it” in Mandarin, and only two children crying when told it was time to go. That’s pretty outstanding for a room full of 3 year olds 
The full set of photos from the party are available on the photos page.
Best line
I’ll tell you this. If I didn’t believe in this war — in public, I would lie and say I did until all of these kids get home. I really would. I just don’t think our opinion matters that much right now.
WARNING: The language isn’t appropriate for the little ones.
This is too funny. It’s possible to translate any website into Redneck using this handy tool from rinkworks.com. Here’ my website in redneck for example.
UPDATE: link was broken, but it should work now.
I’ve been carrying around a cassette tape of a class on Prayer given by Bob Brown at the Huntsville Spiritual Development Conference in 1989 for many, many years now. Last night, I hooked up a cassette player to my laptop and converted it to a nice mp3 file for archival purposes. It seems a shame to lose this gem, so I’m making it available to everyone else as well.
As a bonus, you can find more of his sermons at the Highlands Ranch church of Christ sermons page.
Very, very good set of essays from a former Marine to his recently enlisted son about life, love, and citizenship. The chapter on sex before marriage (”Your” Sex Life in Service) is one of the better arguments that I’ve ever seen for not only abstinence but monogamy after marriage as well. It’s so good, that I fully intend to use it with Eli and Betsy when the time comes for the serious talk(s).
Felsen’s writing is very clean with lots of declarative sentences that really snap (unlike mine). His thinking is also equally well-constructed and obviously comes from a well-grounded philosophy of the world and our place in it. The only parts that I found even remotely disagreeable where the chapters glorifying the eventual world order. The interesting thing is that even as I was rolling my eyes, the clarity of his arguments were impressive. His first assumptions might be different from mine, but the arguments proceeded in a regular way that left me thinking how much fun it would be to know him socially.
Go buy this one because it’s definitely a keeper.
How do you describe a “page turner” that doesn’t demand you read it all in one sitting?
This book poses an odd dilemma for me because there was literally no way that I was going to abandon this one once starting the first page, and yet I never felt the compulsion to read until the wee hours just to finish it. Perhaps that’s because I knew the ending already thanks to the NOVA documentary. Still, the lack of suspense about the ultimate fate of those onboard the ship only served to heighten the enjoyment of reading about the trials that they endured along the way. Something like the difference between eating a good meal when extremely hungry and eating the same meal any other time; in both instances, the same calories are ingested, yet the second one gives more pleasure for the slower pace.
Okay, go read this one when you have a chance. It’s suitable for reading to younger children (like Eli).
Lansing does a simply amazing job of matching the pace of his prose to the perils of the sailors so that the first half of the book is almost upbeat while the author begins to apply the screws in the inexorably towards the end. The chapters that cover the sea voyage to Elephant Island alone should be taught in Universities as shining examples of how to build suspense and sympathy for your characters.
UPDATE: Sigh, grammar isn’t necessarily my strongest suit.
For anyone who grew up in the South as I did and has since migrated away to larger cities or even out of God’s country altogether, SeeJaneMom, nails that disconnect you feel upon returning.
This quote alone takes me back to a Sunday morning some months ago while driving to worship when we passed a young Marine resplendently dressed in full kit driving a convertible Corvette. It was quite a sight, and I remember feeling so proud to be a citizen of a country that produced young men such as he. I also remember hoping that he was on his way to worship as well.
Resplendent in his military finery, Hunky Husband squired my backslid Baptist backside to the staid church of my childhood. As we approached The (The) First Baptist Church of Sleepy Southern Hometown, the nods of approval and expressions of gratitude caught me completely off guard. My husband, the Rock Star.
Here’s another gem for those who grew up singing from Hymnals who now worship in more media-friendly (ahem) congregations.
Nope. Karaoke for Christ had found my precious country church. And as a giant screen rolled down from the ceiling, I heard my young son murmur, “Cool. God in Hi-Def.”
I just finished watching Thank You for Smoking.
Review on my movie review page.
I’ve been cleaning off the photos from the digital camera, so there’s a couple of new photo albums up on flickr now.