So it goes...

Well the fishing event with Rob, Keith and the brothers was a rousing success. I cannot believe how well everything went from start to finish. We started at Rob's place where the wheelchair accessible van met us at 2:30. Rob's wheelchair was rolled into the van and then I packed our gear and rode along with him and the driver. Rob commented how nice it was to not have to do four "lifts" from his chair into and out of  the van. Those manuevers really tire him out. We got to Tally's Dockside  right about 2:45. As we were waiting for Tom, Paul and Keith to show up, I heard a beeping alert on the radio inside the fishing office. There were tornado watches in effect for Scott and Carver counties, a few counties to the southwest. My first thought was, here we go, we get this far and then the weather doesn't cooperate. Then after Tom rented the pontoon with a 40 hp engine, (it was a dog and moved at the speed of a Mississippi barge) the owner told him "Y...

My wife went to Bon Jovi last Saturday and her friend sent this picture. It reminded that it's been a very long time since I've been to an arena for a concert. I've been to a fair number at the Marcus Amphitheater , but that's outdoor, so really doesn't count. I'm talking about the hockey arena venues that are acoustically awful. Nothing like steel and concrete to muddy the words of a searing vocal solo. Throw in the echo factor and well, you get what you get, unfortunately. Now this is not to dis arena rock entirely. Some of my best concerts have been at arenas. Santana in 1981 was one of those. I had great main floor seats at the old Met Center in Mpls, before they tore it down. Of course Carlos Santana could play in a subway and sound phenomenal, so I guess that counts for something. The other thing that made that show better than most arena shows was the fact that I was on the main floor, like 15 rows back or so. Being that close tends to make the echo...

Took Sarah on a doomsday driving lesson today, her first ever. We figured since the rapture didn't come off as planned, we should probably plan for the future and get her some time behind the wheel. I hate when cataclysmic events are a letdown. We went to an abandoned WalMart parking lot and switched drivers. I familiarized her with everything from the mirrors, to her seat adjustment, the gas and brake pedals, how to shift, etc. It's funny, but when she tried to shift, she didn't hold the button in, so it wouldn't shift. It was then that it occurred to me how much we take for granted as drivers. That was also the moment I began to get a bit uneasy. She really didn't know the first thing about what she was doing. I remember the feeling, but that didn't help a great deal, sitting in the seat where my mom once sat. She started out slow and things went OK. She had a tendency to want to horse the wheel back after a turn, to which I told her, let the car do some o...

With the coming rapture tomorrow, I'll probably not get around to another blog post in this lifetime. Unless there's a wireless connection in paradise, I guess. Then I'll try and sneak one in just to let you who didn't make the cut know how it is. (And it will be magnificent!) Being a Christian I have to look at these claims objectively. If Harold Camping was the real deal, why was he wrong in 1994? Prophets, at least the good ones, aren't typically wrong, especially about things as significant as...oh...say the end of the world. Those they tend to nail a little better. Evidently his math was a little off and after further review, May 21st, 2011 is it. I've seen the math and, frankly, it made my head spin. Most math does though. In any case, it seems like there are a number of broad based assumptions that went into this oh-so-precise doomsday prediction. My favorite part of the whole thing is the 6:00 massive earthquake prediction. Someone called into a rad...

Tonight was the closing celebration for Mosaic Middle School ministry . We closed it out with outdoor dodge ball and the Talent Show. I've never played dodge ball outside, but it was actually kind of fun. Nice to be outdoors and there's something to be said for a wind advantage when you've got a 12 MPH wind at your back when you're chucking with all your might. The talent show was a lot of fun. I have nothing but complete respect for every contestant in the show. I could never have the nerve to get up there in front of everyone and sing a song or dance. Maybe in a group of peers, perhaps, but never A Capella. Most were VERY good, and a couple were, well, not. Even the bad ones got good supportive applause. That's the beauty of Mosaic. It's all about building each other up, not tearing down. It has been an interesting journey, this year as a leader in Middle School. I originally looked upon it with great trepidation, not knowing what to expect. I always thoug...

It's Saturday morning Donna has left for a Bible study with three friends and the kids are still asleep. I was going to start vacuuming the house, as I do every Saturday morning, but I thought I'd sneak a post in while it was quiet and before the shooting starts. Ben has a new video game called Brink and it entails the good guys trying to maintain an area (the Brink) which requires killing the bad guys with much gunfire. It is obnoxiously loud and frankly, stifles any creative thought coming from his father. It's a bit like trying to write a novel in the middle of Baghdad during Desert Storm. I tell him to turn it down, but then it's just like I'm hunkered down a bit and the bullets are flying over my head. The game is rated "T" for Teens. That is one of the rules we laid down when he bought the XBox mostly out of his own pocket; No "M" (Mature) games! Now has he tested us about getting M Games you ask? "Why, yes he has," I reply....

Spring approaches like a reluctant dog On it's knees Crawling in submission Like people are going to hit it Its eyes dart left and right Leading with a cold, grey wind A sunless sky A wicked smirk on its face Its cheating us one day at a time Of that which we are past due Our deposits coming In the hell called December through March Despite its slow approach It leaves little teasing promises In the flowers and buds And a rare jacket-less day But then the seasonal sadist Is back to its same old tricks A cold rain; threat of a shower Sky the color of a basement floor The rain brings life to everything But us humans left to live in it There are times when spring With all it's hope and promise Really just turns out to be Winter without the snow Blogging off...

I was thinking about the last post regarding sprinkling of my ashes when that day comes, hopefully far into the future, and I wanted to complete the thought. A friend of mine had a retort to his wife who said that when she died, she wanted people to have a party. He said he wanted the saddest music you could find and each song should be dragged out so people would be weeping uncontrollably. I thought that was a hilarious comeback, and it actually made me think about my own music on that day. I would want the proper reverential songs during the service. (No "On Eagles Wings" please). There's so many good ones that our church plays, but I just can't think of any that I would love to have, other than In Christ Alone and Mighty to Save, two of my favorites. If you could get Sara Groves in there live to do a couple songs, that would be good too. Or maybe Third Day . I say that because it is proper and right to be reverent at a funeral as it means handing over a love...

Donna and I have had several talks about our plans for once we die. It's clear that we both want to be cremated. The thought of anyone hawking over our corpse at a funeral is not at all appealing to either of us. We are still in disagreement a bit over whether we would want them buried in a plot somewhere. I'm kind of the thought that it would be good to have somewhere that our kids and grandkids could go to recognize us. Donna says we're not there anyways so what's the point? I tend to agree, but I'm not sold entirely on the idea yet. We are in agreement that we would both like to have our sprinkled in various locations. So, for the record, here are my top 10 spots I would like mine sprinkled and the reasons why: Coronado Beach, San Diego, CA. It is one of my favorite places on earth. The City of San Diego itself is my dream home, but the beach at Coronado makes it even better. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Many great memories of trips with the brothers and ...

The theme at my church's middle school ministry ( Mosaic ) is venom culture and like many of the weeks past, I'm learning as much as the kids from Pastor Brown. He speaks to their level so well, but what he may not realize is that he's teaching the adult leaders as well (or at least me...or maybe I'm just a teen at heart). The message was basically that the same mouth we use to praise people and build them up is used to tear them down and ridicule them as well. He went on to show some pictures of a friend of his from this past summer who had "cut" herself on her arms and was scarred heavily. She had internalized all of the hateful things said about her and the only way to emote was to disfigure herself. It was sad. So very sad. In any case, while I know it affected the kids, I know all of the adults were looking around going "hmmm, I say some pretty crappy things sometimes too...sometimes to people I supposedly love." So, like the kids, it's ...