I just though I should mention that in the past month or two, even though I've been terribly busy with school and the church Web site, I have managed to do a bit of reading. Here are the books I've finished:
Friday, the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Saturday, the Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
A Nickel's Worth of Hope by Andre Vandenburg
and read about half of His Mysterious Ways, a Guideposts book.

The rabbi books are neat little mysteries, keep you guessing until near the end. :) Unfortunately, they contain too much foul language. :(

I was listening to Jane Eyre tonight on my way home, and I was struck by something Mr. Rochester said of her: "Know, that in the course of your future life you will often find yourself elected the involuntary confidant of your acquaintances' secrets: people will instinctively find out, as I have done, that it is not your forte to tell of yourself, but to listen while others talk of themselves;"
What do you think of it?

I have no love for SAAS, but I have to admit that this op/ed makes a lot of sense.
If you work at a business, run a business, or own a business that uses computers to do stuff, you need to read this:
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2414535067.html

I finished listening to Robinson Crusoe today. It is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it. I had never realized just how long "poor Robin Crusoe" was on that island. The ending was a very good one, and full of mirth. I have to say that I was a little surprised at how he left things, but on reflection, it was a very just and considerate thing for him to do.
If you haven't read the book, go get it! :)

I finished The Code of the Woosters: Jeeves to the Rescue tonight, and while it was a trifle predictable (or else I have powers of deduction that made it predictable to me), I nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed it. However, when I say predictable, I mean that I knew what was going to happen a few sentences before it happened, and that this happened several times, not that I knew everything five steps ahead of where I was. The ending provided a few twists and turns, and while I felt sorry for the policeman, I did not feel too sorry. All in all, a delightful book, and I thoroughly enjoyed Wooster and Jeeves as characters, as well. The book had me laughing uproariously several times as I was driving down the Interstate. Fortunately, these outbursts of laughter did not cause me to lose control of my vehicle nor necessitate pulling over to the shoulder. I highly recommend it, though perhaps it would be better to begin with an earlier work in the series. I did not, unfortunately, see any other books of this sort on the library's cassette-based books shelf.

A minor note on the crochet front. I have completed another random square. I think I have almost mastered the art of turning corners. Still, I think my best square came by beginning at a corner and moving outward along two sides rather than trying to keep four corners square by going around in a squared spiral. I also toyed a little with a design I saw on a pillow, which I am trying to duplicate. Unfortunately, I did not look closely enough at the design before starting, and it turned into a cup shape rather than a flat square made of little triangles. Ah, well. You live and learn, and maybe you pull out all your stitches and start anew, the wiser for the mistakes. :)

The world attempts to tell us that hate and selfishness are the ways to live. These are lies. Don't believe them. Love and giving generously to others are the stepping stones to a life well-lived. Gentleness and love should be our goals, and in most cases our means. Other means are necessary some times, unfortunately, but we ought to minimize their use, for they are not profitable.

I am half-way through Ben Hur, a magnificent tale of a man's journey of faith. Good stuff.

I polished off the last of some lavender yarn today with a mobile phone case. I had to use lime green yarn to make a belt loop and top strap for it, because I ran out of lavender. If I keep waking up early, I'll be drowning in crochet projects.
I'm still working on the chevron blanket, but it is slow going because the rows are so long. I went to Wally World this afternoon to get more of the 'color' of yarn with which I started the chevron blanket. It's Red Heart 1987 Bathtime Print. The clerk who helped me with my 6" sample said it seems to have been discontinued, but they had three skeins. I should only need one, but I bought two, since it's discontinued. Good thing I went today. I got to the end of mine this evening and had to start one of my new skeins.

I finished 'reading' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court on cassette and started 'reading' P.G. Wodehouse's The Code of Wooster: Jeeves to the Rescue. While there is no equal to Mark Twain for humor, I have been greatly enjoying Wooster's misadventures so far. When Stiffie brought out her plan, I was in guffaws. I anxiously await the continuation of this comedy of errors on my commute tomorrow. :)

I think I will be a great deal warmer on my commute in coming days, as I noted white smoke-like mist coming from my A/C vents this evening. I have seen this before in other cars, and I believe it to mean that my A/C needs to be charged. I sincerely hope I can get it done with freon, because whatever people say, the synthetic stuff isn't as effective. Also, whatever they say, freon refrigerant can't possibly be important in the alleged decay of the ozone layer, as it is heavier than air and thus sinks, not rises, and it hasn't been in use the 300 or so years it would take for air currents to theoretically carry it up to where it might destroy any ozone, which, by the way, is created by sunlight. There. Right, so, I hope charging an A/C with freon is not too expensive.

It's been over 90 the past few days. Not ideal for walking around on campus.

Well, it is getting quite late. I must to bed. Please pray for me; I need a big cold front. Then I wouldn't have to worry about my A/C for a while.

I've been doing some research for class, and here are some of the gems I've encountered.
It's about time I saw someone else saying these things. Most of the points in Nintendo's Wii Is the Best Product Ever are things I've been saying ever since I heard about the features of the Wii, and PS3, and the Xbox360.
That article had links to some others which I couldn't resist reading.
Yeah, I think I was right to avoid MySpace all these years... and for many of the same reasons mentioned here: MySpace, Second Life, and Twitter Are Doomed. I did not, however, predict what is predicted in the article. I just complained about it and stayed away.
Even though I could not care less if you paid me not to care, this article, iPhone to Flop...Then Fly is a pretty good read, and I think he's mostly right in his analysis. I disagree about the keypad issue, though. That will hold them back. Anyway, I don't really care if iPhone does well or poorly, because I'm not into multi-function phones. I want my phone to be a telephone and nothing or very little else. Text messaging is sort of useful, now that we have predictive entry.
Another news item is this one about Blockbuster video choosing Blu-Ray for its high definition rentals. As A Slipped Disc? explains, the war is not over, and since HD-DVD is more closely aligned with the computer world (while Blu-Ray has a good corner of Hollywood), HD-DVD may be the winner in the end. That's where I'd put a wager, if I had to. Computing and recording are more important than Hollywood releases.
Finally, Google is doing things that annoy me. Their maps service is the one thing I do use on their site (except when individual sites use Google for the backend of their site search page, but that doesn't really count. Anyway, this article suggests that Google Is Watching Us! An interesting read.
Well, i should probably get back to my assignment. I have more research to do.

I have been falling down on my plan to write about the movies I've seen and the books I've read.
Before I finished Return of the Native, I read Shadow of the Giant, which is apparently the last book in the shadow section of the Ender saga. I found the book to be hilarious, though my mom didn't, so maybe my sense of humor in irony is more heightened than hers. This book chronicles Peter Wiggin's attempts to unite most of the world under one government. The way he tries this is unique, and a nice idea, but all the other events of the series needed to be in place for it to have a chance. I consider the idea of a world governing body to be a pipe dream, an idea that can only come true as a dystopian event in the end of the world. I would recommend the Ender saga to others, but while the shadow section is great reading, I would recommend the original four books primarily. Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide are the best in the saga. Children of the Mind is almost as good. Ender's Shadow, the first book in the shadow section, is definitely worth reading, as it puts Ender's Game in an interesting light, though the original book certainly stands on its own, and I did have trouble at first with reconciling the two sides of the story, but it is still worth reading if you don't mind seeing the events from a different viewpoint. Each additional book in the shadow section of the saga is worth reading, but each additional book is slightly inferior to the ones that went before. It is only because of the amazingly high quality of Ender's Game that the saga has continued to produce worthy reads into the eighth book, because this trend is also found in the original tetralogy. There, however, even the fourth book is of such high caliber that the trend is not apparent until the last four books bring the comparison to mind.
I have recently seen a number of movies, and I can't remember what they all were. I'll mention those I remember:
Pursuit of Happyness [sic] - This is a powerful story, and worth watching. It reminds me that in a nation that claims to prize hard work and honesty, we make it difficult for honest, hard-working people who've had some mishaps in their lives to get by.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Studio Ghibli's first film. This story of war and nature is haunting and beautiful. I recommend all of Miyazaki's films.
Freedom Writers - When I saw this on the shelf at the video store, I knew it was going to be either very good or very bad. It was on the good side. My favorite line from the film: "What if every teacher performed in this way?" The line has an unintended meaning. Apart from some bad language, this story is definitely worth seeing. It has an important message. Also, it made me realize part of why some people can say the Holocaust didn't happen: Some of our students are not being taught about history in the schools. It happened. Real people were killed. Anyway, I recommend this movie.
The Frighteners - This would have been a good movie if the language hadn't been so bad. Kind of a silly premise, and a bit on the funny side, but marred by the language.
Seabiscuit - Been a while since I saw this, so I don't remember much, but it was worth seeing at least once. Great message in the repeated line about not throwing a life away just because it's a little banged up.

I finished Return of the Native Saturday night.
I didn't really like the book, but that wasn't because it was poorly written. The writing was good, and there were some interesting points revealed in the work. But I didn't like the book.
It was rather a depressing story, though I guess I should have known that from the blurb. But it used the techniques of a romantic comedy. Ninety percent of the problems faced by the characters came from not talking to each other. If the people in the book had just sat down and talked honestly for ten minutes, the ending would not have been as sad.
I'm glad to have finished that book. Now I can go to somethig more cheerful, like Tolstoy. :)

Some of the insightful things in this Thomas Hardy book:
"A man should be only partially before his time: to be completely to the vanward in aspirations is fatal to fame."
"There are instances of persons who, without clear ideas of the things they criticize, have yet had clear ideas of the relations of those things."

Most churches and most Christians claim to base their theology and doctrine on the Word of God. And yet, sometimes, because of the influences of culture, personal tastes of self or friends or social leaders, and repetition from memory, the teachings of the Word of God have gotten distorted. One common example of this is the saying that money is the root of all evil. The Bible doesn't say that, but people often quote it that way.
Here, then, is a little sampling of questions about Biblical teachings for you, if you are so inclined, to use to test your own knowledge or the strength of a religious leader's basis in what the Word of God actually says. These are in no particular order, and you can decide for yourself whether they are equally important or which ones should have what weight. I present them only because this is something I've been thinking about for a while. At some point, I will leave a comment on this entry with some verses to use as hints.
What does the Bible say about the root of evil?
How many of each animal did Noah take onto the ark?
Who cut Samson's hair?
Was Samson's hair the source of his strength?
What was Onan's sin?
Was the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil an apple?
What was Job's error?
Does the Bible teach that God helps those who are self-reliant?
How many wise men visited Jesus?
Did the wise men visit Jesus in the stable?
Are rainbows mentioned in the Bible?
Did Jesus carry his cross all the way to the crucifixion site?
Do works have any bearing on salvation?
Does hell exist? Does God want to send people to hell?
Do we need the Law or the old covenant?

I've recently finished listening to an unabridged recording of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It has kept me company on my commute to classes.
I think it was about the time Faramir let Frodo go that I realized something about the movies in comparison to the books, and that realization was confirmed in the Return of the King.
Peter Jackson's movies don't tell Tolkein's story. They tell a story based on the same framework, in a smaller world, with completely different characters. Gandalf is less patient and kind, Faramir is weaker, Aragorn is not as sure of himself and less of a leader, Frodo is weaker and more wavering, and Smeagol is more sympathetic and less scheming and less sensible.
They are both interesting and enjoyable stories, but in different ways. Perhaps that is merely a function of the nature of film, but they are certainly not the same story, in the same world, or with the same characters.
I enjoyed listening to Tolkein's version very much. I recommend the trilogy highly, whether you read it or listen to it.

I saw the Science of Sleep today. I knew beforehand that it would be either very, very good or very, very bad. There would be no middle ground. It was the latter. It was like watching a train wreck, but I kept hoping it would turn a corner and suddenly become good.
It didn't.
The idea was interesting, and it had some good moments, but the scenes from the preview were the best part. The sad thing about this movie is that all the raw materials of a good film were present. It just never went beyond the exuberance of an abstract artist trying to explain his work to someone who does not see any of what the artist was trying to convey.
And it's not from lack of understanding, because I kept grasping the points in the movie, but they never coalesced into anything meaningful.
It reminds me of a Family Guy episode wherein Lois and Peter enter a talent show, and they get high for inspiration, and they think they sang beautifully. But what really happened was that their experience of reality was not accurate, and no one could understand their incoherent gibberish.

I've begun a fund to pay for publishing my first novel. I decided it was time to start socking away a little bit when I have it instead of waiting until I have $4000 to make a print run. I might change direction and just buy a business license and start selling the books on CD to raise the print run costs, but I don't know what I will end up doing, except that I want to get a book published before I graduate.

I guess it's been a while since I updated. Here's what has been happening.
My lips appear to be healthy again. They've been clear for a couple of days.
I've been doing homework. Yeah. It's starting up again. I had some reading, and I've knocked that out. I had an assignment from my Magazine writing class to bring a copy of my favorite magazine, "and if you don't have one, go to Barnes and Noble and pick one," so since I don't really read magazines, and since my favorite magazine is vintage Mad, which doesn't have articles, per se (which is what we'll be discussing), I went to Books-A-Million! and spent twenty minutes scowling at their selection of magazines. I wasn't scowling at the limits or the contents... just scowling because I don't really have a magazine I read. I'm getting started in HO railroading, so I picked up a copy of Model Railroader 2007 special issue, which I will claim as my favorite magazine, for at least the next week. With that out of the way, and my chapters read for tomorrow's class, I'm ready to go.
I'll drop in to the campus paper after class and probably proof stories for a good long while. I have my copy of the Stylebook in my backpack, so I should be good to go on that front. I'm nervous about this. I'm always nervous about going to work, because even though I should have no trouble with the work, I'm afraid of messing up.
Speaking of reading, I've been doing some. I'm into the third section of the third book of Return of the Native, and the story is starting to move at a good pace. Older books tend to start more slowly, but I think they're worth it when you get into them. It's an intimidating thing, though, because some books don't really go well after the slow start, and by then it's too late. You've read half of the book and are sick of it. But getting back to the book I am reading, it's very good. The story is shaping up nicely, and the things abridgers might remove are thoughtful and well-written. I'm glad I started reading it. However, I'm anxious to get back into Anna Karenina.
And speaking of good stories, I saw a great movie tonight. It's called Akeelah and the Bee. This movie is well-done. It's cute, heart-warming, and funny, but it's also serious, gritty, and poignant. The ending is great, not what you would expect in a movie that is heading where this one heads in the middle third. I recommend it.
I've also seen:
A Prairie Home Companion - A fun movie, especially if you listen to the radio show. Many familiar characters, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone who's not a fan of the broadcasts.
Mozart and the Whale - A very well-crafted story. I was disappointed in the level of bad language, though. I saw a bit of myself in the characters, and you probably could, too. In truth, we face similar struggles to those faced by the characters in this movie.
Mission: Impossible III - Just what you'd expect. Worth the price of admission. Rather gut-wrenching in places. But a thrilling ride.
And speaking of stories, I have some I'd like to tell through images. If any of you would be interested in drawing for a comic strip, please let me know. I don't have any plans that would bring in any money, but I have over 80 strips worth of scripts, and it'll be good practice. Plus, if we do somehow make money, I'll be happy to split it 50-50 (or 40-60, if you prefer).
Tomorrow, I want to drop by the local paper. I've been thinking about trying to sell some of my essays for publication. Do newspapers do that anymore? Or would any of you like to publish essays I wrote?
I guess that's enough for this update. God bless you all!

Happy New Year.
I don't know what word to use in describing this week. It's been quiet, it's been busy, it's been relaxed, and it's been productive. I haven't been reading LiveJournals much since my last post, but I've been keeping up with answering the comments.
I've been trying to get onto the university's secure site to check my grades, but it has tossed me to an error page every time I login. I don't know who manages that system, but they don't seem to be in a rush to get it back up and running. It's been like that since the middle of December. And I still haven't gotten my grades in the mail, so I'm a bit annoyed about that.
However, I found out tonight that the new school has received my final transcript from the old one. I missed the deadline to register for orientation, so I'll arrive at my first class with no idea of how to be a good student at this university. Oh, well. I'll get everything squared away after the first class.
I found on Sunday (12/31) that my lip has broken out again. This always makes me feel monstrous. On top of that, I'm dealing with some sort of illness that has been making me ache in various places.
Mom and I cleaned out a bookcase and a desk and switched their places. We've made some minor inroads into cleaning the garage.
I cleaned and rearranged my bedroom, almost totally changing the layout. I'm pleased with the new set-up.
I hate living in this county when I'm looking for something specific. There don't seem to be any hobby shops in the entire county, except one RC car store. I don't know why, but I'm suddenly desperate to find model trains, and I can't find any place that sells them.
My car has begun to make a strange noise, so I'm planning to take it to the dealer on Friday.
I found a stack or two of photographs while cleaning my room, along with two scrapbooks. I need to get those pictures into the scrapbooks and write up the story behind each photo.
I've seen a large number of movies this week:
Chicken Little - This is a very cute movie. Well made and fresh in its approach to the story. I recommend this movie.
Ice Age: The Meltdown - Nothing noteworthy here, but it's good for a lot of laughs. Well, actually, the variety of tortures they perform on Scrat are noteworthy, hehe.
Thank You For Smoking - I was a little wary about this movie, but I'd heard so many people say it was good that I put it on my list. I enjoyed it, and I couldn't figure out why, until I was reminded on one of the special features that the movie isn't about tobacco; it's about spin. And I found it an interesting return to my own beliefs about smoking, which I will probably add to my web page on the topic.
John Tucker Must Die - I enjoyed this movie. It's something of a teen version of The First Wives Club.
The First Wives Club - After that comparison, we had to watch this one again, and it was great. While Tucker was a well-made movie, First Wives has a class and wit that a movie about teenagers would be hard pressed to equal with authenticity. I highly recommend this movie.
The Sentinel - A great action romp. I only noticed a few errors in protocol. But they don't detract from the overall story. I recommend this movie.
The Princess Bride - Always a pleasure. That's why I own it. :)
I finished reading The End, the thirteenth book in A Series of Unfortunate Events. I highly recommend the entire series. This installment had many twists and turns and unexpected one-offs of the conventions Snicket established throughout the series. It's a more intense book than the others, and high;y thought-provoking. The ending is a surprise, though it probably shouldn't be, if you keep your eyes open throughout. However, there is one surprise at the end of the book that I don't think anyone could foresee.

What does the term Big Brother mean? To what does it refer? What does it imply?

Well, I'm back at school, and the semester is getting off to a pretty good start.
Because of the holiday on Monday, two of my professors decided their classes would do two chapters this first week instead of one, which meant I had a lot of reading this week. I'm not quite finished with all the reading, so I won't make this terribly long.
I decided not to get a meal plan this semester, because I was having trouble eating seven meals in the campus eateries each week, partly because of the prevalence of free food on the campus. I've already been to three events offering free food: Food for Thought on Tuesday, which is a normal event, and two events today. I was hanging out in the game room lobby, and a guy I know walked by and asked if I was going to the international dinner, and I said I hadn't heard anything about it. I went, and there was free food, along with plenty of foreign exchange students to chat with. Afterward, I was back in the lobby, and I heard about another welcoming event, breakfast at midnight. I'm still trying to figure out why breakfast is served at midnight, but I went and got some great waffles and sausage and some marginally good hash browns and eggs, all of which was free... sort of free, considering it was sponsored by the frat association and SGA, the latter of which, at least, gets its funding from our student activity fees, so I'm getting some of my money back.
The geese on campus are something else. They weren't here much during the fall semester, but they are here now, and in great force. From time to time, they set up a racket that is quite something to hear. However, they do complete the sylvan lake image, which is nice to look upon.
I'm hoping that the homework will not be too much for me to handle, and I'm hoping I do well in my classes. My ASL 2 class is supposed to have an interpreter for only one more class, which is scary, but we have to grow out of our pride and raise our hands when we don't understand the things our professor is signing. This is harder than I thought it would be, but I reckon I'll get used to it eventually.
I was planning to try swimming after my ASL class, because it is the only class I have near the aquatic center and the only reason I have to be anywhere near the ill-positioned building, but after my class today, I decided I was too hungry to swim, which is good, because that's when I went to the game room lobby (to see if anyone was ordering out) and heard about free food. Also, I can't put oil on my hair if I'm going swimming, so my hair doesn't behave, and with the need to rely completely on my sight to understand the professor, I can't have my hair misbehaving.
I've been doing well with that online game. I have been playing it only after completing a significant amount of homework and between my MW classes (when I eat), and I don't think I've stayed up past midnight playing it since classes started. I'm going to play a good bit this weekend, though, as there is a LAN party and a holiday.
Please keep me in your prayers, and ask that I will be able to focus on the things that are important. I have so much to do, please pray that I remember every piece of homework I have to do. Tomorrow and Saturday, I need to do a good bit of homework and getting ahead on certain things.
Oh, one more thing: Sarah, I read the first little chapterette of Anna Karenina last night. I might read the next one tomorrow night. But I've started the book! :)
Well, that's enough for now. God bless you all.

It has been said that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. This may be, but he is also the most frustrated man in the land. How often do the others in his land do things that are wrong, and he can see that they are mistaken, but they won't believe him?
Imagine in this land some who say, "It doesn't matter which direction you walk, as long as you can walk in a straight line."
So, the one-eyed man watches the blind walk in straight lines toward cliff after cliff. He calls to them that they are in danger, but they won't listen. He runs after them and pushes them around until they aren't facing a cliff, and they shriek that he has forced his ways on them, that they were doing fine without him. What shall this one-eyed man do? Should he just sit back, confident in his sight, and let the blind walk over cliffs? Should he plead with them, breaking his own heart when they won't listen? Should he continue to push them and turn them by force to a safe direction?
What should he do?
The truth makes you free. The truth makes you right. But the truth won't make you popular for long, if you keep telling it.
In the land of the blind, what is the one-eyed man?

I've finished the two novels I was reading. Soul Music was a satisfying read, though it gets a little less so near the end. The final section of the book, though, is good... but tainted by the half-ending.
A Loss for Words is also a satisfying read, and it also has a somewhat down ending. But that's life, and the novel is about life.

I'm starting a Linux Users Group on the campus. The others have decided to make me the president of the club. That'll look nice on my resume. :)

I've dropped my Precalculus class. Man, what a horrible professor!
I'm changing my major, too.

    It has been an eventful period of time, since I last wrote in this journal.
    School is going well. I'm managing to keep up fairly well with most of my homework.
    I don't like my PreCalc prof, but neither do most of my classmates. It's not that his class is hard; it's that his instruction is incomprehensible. It's not that he has a thick accent that makes him difficult to understand; it's that he drones on and on about things we understand, lulling us into bored slumber, but when he is explaining something difficult and complicated, he does it once on the board and moves on. He makes no attempt at formative assessment. He shows no interest in whether we understand the concepts or not, and he answers our questions with disdain but without an attempt to make things clearer.
    I'm wasting a lot of time I could be using to do homework, but I'm still managing (barely) to keep up with the reading assignments, and I'm getting out among people (though I'll admit to having spent several hours this week on my computer). I went to the movie on Wednesday. They were showing Top Gun. It was still pretty good, but I'm noticing that a lot of the 80s movies (That's this month's theme) don't seem as good as they did when I was younger.
    There was a suicide on campus Monday. The Spinnaker didn't publish a regular issue this week.
    I've decided to change majors. I was only kidding myself when I decided to become a classroom teacher. Teaching is something that I love doing, but I have to face the fact that a career as a schoolteacher involves today a lot more frustration than I wish to endure, long hours that would keep me from spending time with my wife and children (when I find her and have them), horrific disdain in the eyes of the public (as though I need more of that than I've had in my life), and the maddening antics of unsupportive parents, unsupportive administrators, and unsupportive real estate agents pretending to be school board members. I'm just not cut out for handling that, especially since I might have to take on another job and spend more time away from my family just to earn a decent living.
    Other careers are for people who can't handle ministry or teaching.
    That's the place for me... somewhere else. So, I made an appointment on Wednesday to speak to a career counselor. I opted for all of the tests, and I just need to pay $40, take the online assessments, and make another appointment for the analysis of the results. Since other places would charge me $100 for one of the five tests I'll be getting for $40, I think I'm getting a good deal.
    In other news, Chartwells, the company that runs all the dining facilities on campus, had a promotion running the first two weeks of school: Get a little card, have it stamped at every dining place in the core, get an entry in the drawing. I don't normally enter such things, but I asked one day, and the cashier said not many people were doing it, so I picked up a card. I filled it well before the end of the promo, so I filled another card. I don't know which of the two was chosen, but I got an email telling me to come by the office today. I did, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had not won some dippy, "and other prizes" type thing. I am now the happy owner of a Polaroid 7" portable DVD player, the kind with a built-in screen you can take on the bus or whatever (When I saw 'DVD player' on the poster, I thought it was a regular unit you plug into your TV). Thank you, God, for this blessing. Now, I just need some DVDs, hehe.
    In other, other news, I'm trying to get a LUG started here on campus. For those of you who don't know, a LUG is a Linux Users' Group, a gathering of Linux users and persons interested in Linux. I'm hoping it will be a lot of fun. I'm sure it will look good on my resume. ;)
    I'm in the middle of two books right now. One is for class, A Loss for Words, and the other is Terry Pratchett's Soul Music, which is a quirkly little book with a quirky sense of humor.

    Well, it's very late, here, so I should get to bed. I have a lot of reading to do, as well as the sign cards for Chapter Three. I also have a few files to transfer onto my computer, so I should get moving so I can get to sleep. Good night, and God bless you!

Explanations: I finished watching the Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston, yesterday. I don't have much to say about it, though I think there are many good points to the picture and bad points, as well.
    I realized the other day that I've forgotten to tell you about two books I've read. They're both mangas. One is Alien Dice, vol. 1, a GNIP by Tiffany Ross. It shows the first section of the material online, as well as some prequel material that was interesting throughout and funny in parts. The book follows the adventures of a college-aged girl named Chel as she learns about an alien who showed up at her door one stormy night looking for his cat, which happened to be her cat. I recommend both the book and the comic.
    The other is Megatokyo, vol. 3, the continuing story of Piro and Largo in Japan. Volume three continues the improvement in the artist's skill (which was very good from the first page online) and the story of Prio and Largo, two friends stranded in Tokyo after a mishap at an E3 convention. The third volume covers chapters three and four, and the extra materials from the website (on days when there wasn't a comic update) have been moved to the back of the book (which is a VERY good thing, in the case of the Shirt Guy Dom pages). This is another book and website I recommend.
    In computing news, I reformatted Faith's hard drive and installed a minimal Linux system, because I'm using it as a host machine to build Linux From Scratch. This is a daunting project (just downloading the source files to begin to build the tools I'll need has taken more than a day, and I'm only up to P in the list), but I figure that when I finish, I'll be well-equipped to run a Linux server, which may be soon, if the Research Assistant project takes off as planned. I feel woefully inadequate, but if God wills it, I can do this. I have a good guide for this, and I'm hoping that it will not be too difficult... just time-consuming and intimidating.
    Well, more updates on that as it happens.

More explanations later...

Talk to me: Have you taken on any daunting projects, lately? How have they turned out?

Quoted: "how certain are we that tomorrow will come? we're not.. God can decide that our time is up at any moment.. our next breath, our next words could be our last... so, why are we always so scared to say what we really want to... why can't we tell people that we love them when we do, or our true feelings? why do we guard ourselves and try to keep from getting hurt.. if we never get hurt, it means that we aren't taking enough chances, if we dont go after what we want we're never going to get it." --aprilrains

Explanations: I used to wonder how a mere mortal could bless God. After all, don't all blessings flow from God? How could a human bless the one from whom all blessings come?
    I realized the other day what I should have put together a long time ago. You know, some translations render the word (in the KJV) blessed from Jesus' sermon on the mount as happy. And I had an aha moment, and I realized that to bless someone is to do something that should make them happy. To be blessed is to be happy, or at least to have the opportunity to be happy.
    Barbara Johnson used this as a book title: Pain is Inevitable, but Misery is Optional, so Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy; and I say that both trials and blessings come, and our happiness or sadness is not in what we get from life but in what we do with it.
    I should know... I've been making myself fairly miserable the last few weeks with worries and sadness over the departure of my mother for Poland, where she will teach English during her month there. She has arrived safely, so that's a good thing, by the way.
    "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." --Phil 4:11b
    This is what I want: contentment in any situation.
    I've gotten off my topic... I was going to say that a man can bless God by doing what is righteous, by loving mercy and justice, and by walking humbly with his God. As the psalmists often said, Bless the Lord, O my soul!

More explanations later...

Talk to me: Since it's the end of the year, I'll ask this two ways: First, what were your favorite posts of 2004? (one each: your journal, my journal, and anyone's journal (including communities))? Second, what have been your favorite posts ever (again, 1 from yours, 1 from mine, and 1 from any journal(If your favorite was from this year, pick your second favorite))? If you know where to find each entry, please give a link to it. Otherwise, please describe the entry in brief. Thanks. :)

Link of the Day: Tragicomedy... I thought this was very funny, but those who are too easily offended shouldn't look at this. Don't get upset with me, if you do choose to look (don't get upset with the guy who posted it, either: you chose to look).

Quoted: "The world has proclaimed the reign of freedom, especially of late, but what do we see of this freedom? Nothing but slavery and self-destruction! For the world says: 'You have desires and so satisfy them, for you have the same rights as the most rich and powerful. Don't be afraid of satisfying them and even multiplying your desires.'.... And what follows from this right of multiplication of desires? In the rich, isolation and spiritual suicide: in the poor, envy and murder. For they have been given rights, but have not been shown the means of satisfying their wants. They maintain that the world is getting more and more united... in brotherly community, as it overcomes distance and sets thoughts flying through the air.
    "Alas, put no faith in such a bond of union. Interpreting freedom as the multiplication and rapid satisfaction of desires, men distort their own nature, for many senseless and foolish desires and habits and ridiculous beliefs are thus fostered. They live only for mutual envy, for luxury and ostentation. To have dinners, carriages, rank and slaves to wait on one is looked upon as a necessity, for which life, honor and human feeling are sacrificed. Men even commit suicide if they are unable to satisfy these desires. We see the same thing among those who are not rich for the poor drown their unsatisfied need and their envy in drunkenness. But soon they will drink blood instead of wine. They are being led to it. I ask you is such a man free? ......
    "[T]he idea of the service to humanity...is more and more dying out in the world.... For how can a man shake off his habits, what can become of him if he is in such bondage to the habit of satisfying the innumerable desires he has created for himself? He is isolated, and what concern has he for the rest of humanity? Men have succeeded in accumulating a greater mass of objects, but the joy in the world has grown less." --Father Zossima, a character of Fyodor Dostoevsky, in The Brothers Karamazov

Explanations: ( The world cannot give freedom. )
    I forgot to mention yesterday that I had the read-through for Every Child on Sunday afternoon. It went well. The play should run about an hour to an hour and a quarter. My fiction writing is progressing slowly. I'm still looking for work (tutoring, writing, programming, or clerical work).
    One more thing: For the month of December, and perhaps beyond, I'll only be making significant journal entries on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I haven't been getting as much writing done as I'd like.

More explanations later...

Talk to me: Poll #394514
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

I'm thinking about posting my commentary on political issues raised in episodes of the first few seasons of The West Wing. Would you be interested in reading these?

Another surreal set of referrers to my website:
Taiwanese Google, Canadian Google, German Google, and German Google again.