Old Chappie

Another DOT.COM

2006-11-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

Here is the next TV moment: Saw a commercial about "WhatNow.com".

Again, after looking at the site my thoughts have nothing to do with the site itself (insurance).

BUT ... "wouldn't it be nice to have a website that you could go to to tell you what to do next!!!"

What to do for the new year... Should I ask her to marry me ... is this the investment that I should make?

Have wanted prayer to be the whatnow.com many times in my life. Sometimes the server connection was found and answers became clear. Other times it seemed that all I could get was other links with whatever or whoever "telling" you what you need to do. Then there are times when the connection is only dial up and VERY SLOW or no connection at all.

All would be "simpler" with your own personal WhatNext.com!

Just cause...

2006-11-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

Really can't seem to come up with anything that is profound enough for posting BUT ...

just continue to marvel at the affect and/or effects of this whole blogging thing.

Lucy remembered ... Mrs. Chappy's political viewpoints heard ... cried with my son via long distance ... read about my daughter search for normal and its changes ... my other son's steps into his new world of possibilities ... and all this with the potential of someone in Japan reading any of the same things and responding!!!

Where but the internet???

Life in small circles

2006-11-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

Just when you think life is going forward in a pretty straight line something happens that circles everything back around again.

This week I had two specific circular deviations from the path: Thursday night the Gray's Anatomy episode had a story line about a young couple that come to the hospital when the pregnant wife falls and breaks her arm. After examination the doctor leaves the room and in the next scene says to another doctor as she is looking at the loving couple: "One moment they are such a happy couple and now I have to go in and tell them their baby is dead!" The circle of thoughts brought me back to our watching what Tim & Amy had to deal with Lucy. How quickly life changes from one moment to the next!

Then part of my job is to keep track of gifts that come into the camp in memory of loved ones. This week a gift came in and and it is wasn't easy to do the easy steps of setting up a memorial for "Lucy Marie Porter!!!" There in computer black and white I was setting up a memorial for MY OWN GRANDDAUGHTER! Something was very wrong with the picture.

Life isn't as linear as I think or might want at times. However we can't stay in the same small circle without growth. As the circles extent out and change, we can still come around again to the bad AND good moments that make up our lives and who we are.

Tim & Amy are not the same without Lucy! Bev & I are not the same! Our circles of life have changed. Where will our circles take us now?

Outside my cubicle

2006-11-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

My current job is mostly involved in working at a computer in a small room that I call my "cubicle". Thus my interaction with other is limited.

But I am also paid 1/4 time to help in the maintenance area of the camp usually painting. It is fun to get out of my space and be able to do some manual labor. Usually I continue to do this work by myself. This week however I have been working with two of the new interns. It is interesting to to see what happens when you get outside your cubicle.

Paul and Nick have been working with us for only a couple of weeks. So we a still getting to know them and their reaction to our community. Today I had a couple of good "outside the cubicle" interactions:

First, They both are new Christians and they are verbal and enthusiastic about their relationship with Jesus Christ. THEY ACTUALLY LISTEN TO THE SONGS ON K-LOVE WHILE THEY ARE PLAYING. They would react to a song in a variety of ways (albeit not with great singing) from "thank you Jesus" "Halleluia" "That sure is true in my life" ...

These songs and the messages they vocalize were not "old hat" or just background noise to them as we were working. I found myself reacting differently as well.

Second, Later in the day, after thinking through this reaction to working with them I was doning the "I wish I was a new Christian like them." Everything is so new.

But within a little bit something happened while we were working and they got upset with each other and we had to take a break.

We are still humans involved in this Christian walk. Young, Old (chappie)Christians acting and reacting to our world around us. Learning and teaching others as we continue to share our lives with others.

Life can be interesting if you just get outside the cubicle.

Old Chappie dog new tricks

2006-11-06T16:09:00.000-08:00

"Old dog new tricks" seems to apply again to me. I venture out to the new world of bloging and then it takes me half a month to get back on!!! Tried every variation that I could think of in the username and password areas to no success. Turns out I was trying on the wrong computer (from home instead of work) and therefore the e-mail etc. was wrong to start with. Then when I get back on the ritght starting point everything is waiting and Old Chappie is back in business.

Now I can't remeber all the good things I had thought of to write... so I guess I am still in the same place: what is the point of bloging if (one) no one will read it and (two) you don't have anything to say in the first place!

I'll try one thing: My non-working world continues to center to much around the television. But I sometimes justify that I can still gleen "truths" from a wide variety of sources in the things that I watch (often while surfing).

My latest gem is of coarse from a commercial. "Male say to female: This place does not suit my life style!" "Female says to male: no John your lifestyle does not suit this place!"

Again I don't care the point of the commercial at all. It just makes me think. Where am I in this concept? Am I frustrated (or satisfied as the subject varies) with my present situation because circumstances aren't compatible with my lifestyle (it's all THEIR fault) or is it case that my lifestyle is the problem in the present situation????

"Thoughts to pounder"

Hopefully all this thinking in the cyber-space darkness isn't just a justification for watching too much TV in the first place.

Had to join the wave

2006-10-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

I've told many people that I've learned a lot about my kids (and others) through blogging in the last few years. But in order to be able to comment I guess I need to have my own site. Here we go...

No guarentees.

The semi-public (only public if someone else finds this and reads it) forum of blogging is so different than e-mail. What you say can be freeing and restrictive at the same time. But as my currently favorite daughter-in-law said it really doesn't matter what I say because no one will read it!