The adventures that come with doing yard work

I was sitting on my friend's roof today. As coming down was becoming the order of business I noticed something. I had gone up the ladder with the legs parralel with the house so if I were to put my foot on it I would be putting my weight on two of the ladder legs. Bad news. So I sat there, pondering the merits of trying to get down the ladder to jumping off the roof. Then the neighbor came and held the ladder for me. Problem solved.

Shakings

Padang. Samoa.

Inspired by Erik over at untitled...

What are your favorite spaceships? What makes these spaceships so special to you?

Bonus: Draw your own spaceship and post it.

From the National Geographic

I saw this picture and I thought it would give an image of what I was around in Indonesia. The picture was taken at a gas station in West Sumatera.

Today, I put away my backpack.

Anne of Green Gables and Contextualization (a more than slightly protentious title I suppose)

Marilla felt more embarrassed than eveer. She had intended to teach Anne the childish classic, "Now I lay me down to sleep." But she had, as I have told you, the glimmerings of a sense of humor - which is simply another name for the fitness of things; and it suddenly occurred to her that that simple little prayer, sacred to white-robed childhood lisping at motherly knees, was entirely unsuited to this freckled witch of a girl who knew and cared nothing about God's love, since she had never had it translated to her through the medium of human love.

Written Between Classes (A Bit of Nonsense for the Day)

Joe Schmo has a dodo.
His dodo performs boat shows.
What a blow to Joe Schmo,
If his dodo (who does boat shows)
Should fall in the snow
And get ice up its nose

A Request

Do any of you my wise and diverse readers have any ideas for readings, several paragraphs, no more than two pages, I could assign to my students. They are adults and have a good grasp on English and I think readings would be a helpful addition.
Here are the boundaries:

Appropriate (not that I am really worried that any of you would suggest what is not.)
Accessible on-line. So I can either copy, paste, print or give the web address.
Not overly difficult. But still challenging is fine.

Aside from these the whole world is yours. I would like to hear your ideas.

If You Know Me You Will Know What This Means

Some Tidbits of Random

I ate one of these. A few hours later my stomach felt a little weird.

So are you a nerd if you are excited to download a spreadsheet of the International Phonetic Alphabet? Because I just did and I was very excited. Of course I have no idea what most of the sounds are or what they mean when they say, "labio-dental flap" but it is still cool that these sounds encompass most of human speech. Yes, my Grandfather is a speech pathologist and my friends are linguists.

So I found out about the world's most expensive coffee a few weeks ago. It comes from southern Sumatra, among other places. And yes it is first eaten and then passed out of an animals system. But when they only eat the best you know you have the best bean. See more from Wikipedia here.

I'm now something of an official teacher. It is a strange feeling. Any teacherly types have some advice for the young one?

A Little Pop Culture

So this is "Idola Cilik 2". Roughly translated to Children Idol. These are the two finalists performing.

Modes of Transportation

There are about a million of these trucks, and their variations, around here.

So there are probably deeper thougts I could express right now but this is what is really on my mind

I really want to listen to the new U2 album. In its entirety, at loud volume. A whole lot. But I can't track it down. Not that I am looking very hard. And since my browser has decided to not use sound I can't listen to it on their MySpace. What am I to do?

On Wells and Trips

13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15 David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" 16 So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. 17 "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

I never used to understand this passage. What an ungrateful wretch David must be to pour out this water that his men had just risked their lives for. They had worked so hard for that water, for David to just pour it out on the ground seemed bizarre to me. Why didn't he just drink it? Now I think I better understand this passage. Having asked from people their support for a trip that I feel God is calling me to I was not prepared for what would come. People did give and they keep on giving, they say they will pray for me, they throw me parties, they say they will miss me and all I want to say is that I do not feel worth any of this in the least. I want to do what David did and just pour the gifts on the ground before God and say, "Far be it from me to do this...". Though I suppose you could say with good reason that they are not really giving to me but to God they have still chosen that this particular thing is how they want to give to God. I doubt many of the people involved would have given directly to where I am going but now that I am going there they have taken interest, at least by sharing their hard earned money. Money? Isn't there one of the worst global recessions in years going on? Aren't people losing their jobs and homes right and left? Shouldn't have these good friends looked after their futures and their families rather than give it to some upstart kid? The kid that isn't even totally sure all the time God really called him and what he felt isn't just some TCK three year itch. It doesn't make sense. I am completely humbled. There has been no parallel, that I have experienced, to compare to this current circumstance. I want to do what David did but I can't. So now I go. Hopefully more in tune with what I should be doing, with God. The Mighty Men just wanted to get someone that they loved and respected some water that he had asked for, but David seeing all of that devotion displayed knew immediately that he did not deserve it. I don't deserve it either. Thank-you all the same though. We shall just have to see how God uses this I suppose.

Fun With Paint

I've been having some fun with Paint lately and I thought I would share my creations with the world. So here you go world.




Nerdy, no? Bonus points to the people who figure out the jokes or stories within the pictures. Especially the "Women of the Future" piece.

Snow

Right now there is snow on the ground. Not in the tiny amounts it usually is when it snows around here. No. There are some two foot drifts in some areas and at least four inches in most places. And now, late at night, the whole sky is glowing with an orange hue as the street lights reflect off the snow back into the cloudy sky. I want to go for a walk in it right now, but that is neither safe nor smart. So now I must watch it for the final few minutes I have left in this day.
I don't know why it is that snow excites me as much as it does. Perhaps it is memories of days gone by. But even though I do have fond memories of snow I do not think that is the reason why. This late at night I doubt I will find the reason for my love of snow so let it be suffice to say that snow excites me, and is a blessed gift from above.

Darlin’ Christmas is coming
Salvation army bells are ringing
Darlin’ Christmas is coming
Do you believe in angels singing
Darlin’ the snow is falling
Falling like forgiveness from the sky

Go Blazers (Update)

Being a Blazers fan is a difficult life, full of all the ups and downs (mostly downs for far too many seasons) that come with sports. But over the past two years there has been a surge of hope within me that, perhaps, greatness will come again to Portland.

P.S. After I posted this video the next time I saw any report of the Blazers they had been solidly trounced. The irony of it all.

Since Posting A Video Is A Lot Easier Than Actually Writing Something

Batman

Unrealistic. I think not. The week preceding the release to The Dark Knight it seemed as though it was going to save the world and rock your socks off at the same time. And even though it has been out for a few months I think it still has this aura around it of overwhelming greatness. At least if you ask the right person about the movie.
If you happen to be bumping around YouTube one day, check out this guys channel. His videos are great; nothing like a series featuring comic book characters.

It Is The Day Before Election Day (Ballot Blues)

I am attempting to vote. Can I choose this guy? He is an up and coming Senator with strong morals and a drive to see things through to the end. He takes on the corrupt even if he is the only one who is trying. He stands for the poor and beaten down; a peoples man. But where is he now? Drat you Frank Capra for giving me romantic notions about politics.
Ironically enough there was a man running for a local office in my city by the name of Jefferson Smith, but he isn't on my ballot.
I will be glad when this is all over. I like the fact that I can choose my officials but it is awful tiresome when supporters of both major parties predict end of the world scenarios dare I cast my vote for the other party. (To be fair the link only gives one side's view, but I'm sure you can find a suitable companion somewhere on the web.)
The other names on the list for President aren't that appealing either. (Nader, McKinney, Barr, Baldwin)
By the way: If you are eligible to vote and haven't done so I would recommend it as a learning experience. It is doing me good. I can't sit in quite as much ignorance as usual concerning matters of government in my city, county, state and country. For instance I didn't know that I could vote for Secretary of State, much less know what that office is responsible for.
But after all of the deals go down tomorrow this is still going for me:

...confirm it in your heart and soul that the day after the election, God is still on His throne, and Jesus is still at His right hand. Certain things are not on the ballot, as the sovereignty of God is not. When Christians react to elections with despair and panic, they are demonstrated that their faith is in the wrong place. If the election goes badly, do not soak your hair with lighter fluid, set it off, and then run in tight, little circles. Be a Christian. If the election goes well, do not act you have just been saved. Salvation is not something that Caesar holds in his hand, whether to give or withhold.

Via Opus.