RE: Autumn!

RE: Autumn! (Full Version)

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chemdude77 -> RE: Autumn! (10/23/2006 10:28:07 PM)
Sadly, the scheduled meeting with the pastor and the elders never took place. I showed up at 4 pm on October 14th with my proposal. The doors were locked, the lights were off. Maybe there is some symbolism here? We are expected to make an effort to utilize our gifts in our local churches. I agree. Just give us the opportunity. [8\|]

chemdude77 -> Autumn! (10/28/2006 6:23:33 PM)
I am thinking about an engineer at a well-known software company. A smart man, one that never complained or mumbled about life. Many remember him as the smiling man that came into church every Sunday morning to worship and to hear the Word. He had designed the automation for his home (from the home theatre to his kitchen). My brother had often assisted him and collaborated with him on various projects. The young man had a skiing accident 27 years ago, and was C4 quadraplegic. Sadly, the doctors never suggested or even researched the instrumentation that would monitor his oxygen levels on a daily level. Recent tests showed the blood oxygen levels at 60%. His last year was one of declining memory, rapid fluctuations in his core temp, organ failure and ultimately, incapacity. His last week was an excruciating one. Pneumonia inflicted its horrible pain, and he went to be with the Lord in September. We are thankful that he is present with God, and is not restrained and suffering. We look forward to the Resurrection, when our corruptible bodies are exchanged to incorruptible, perfect bodies without pain, decay or weakness. We also weep as we watch a godly, intelligent, productive man in his 40s pass away. [:(] Do we really take each breath for granted? Do we assume that we will always be able to go wherever we want? Do we complain about little discomforts and inconveniences? Do we forget how precious life really is?

chemdude77 -> RE: Autumn! (11/7/2006 2:06:02 PM)
Recovering from the flu; I am still waiting for my Blue Cross Insurance ID. I am not too thrilled to pay $150 to have a doc tell me to "get some rest and drink plenty of fluids"! [8\|]

chemdude77 -> RE: Autumn! (11/17/2006 11:01:55 PM)
I went through a teeth whitening process. Effective, but the process left my nerves aching [&o] For the next 48 hrs, I am restricted: no BBQ sauce, no red meat, no colored fruit, no colored toothpaste, no OJ, no guacamole, no tomatoes. White meat, oatmeal, milk, mashed potatoes and whitebread are all OK, according to the dentist [sm=icon_smile_yikes.gif] So tonight, I am consuming chicken breast (without the skin), and milk. And some extra Tylenol [&:]

chemdude77 -> RE: Autumn! (11/19/2006 8:07:41 PM)
We took the Pomeranian in for a grooming; her long fur had too many knots and mats [&o] That meant we had to give her a shave, and she looks more like a poodle-wannabe, not the miniature husky. But she was biting and scratching alot....

chemdude77 -> Times of Thankfulness (11/23/2006 1:49:21 PM)
Happy Thanksgiving (should be a 24x7 attitude for us)!!! Here is something to think about, when we hear about 1 BILLION DOLLARS: A billion seconds ago it was 1959. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans . It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division. Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number, what does it mean? Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012. In Japan, the ratio of engineers to lawyers is 20 to 1, but in this country it is 2.5 to 1. 1 [:@]

chemdude77 -> RE: Autumn! (12/2/2006 9:50:30 PM)
December rolls around, and it has that wintery feel [sm=icon_smile_cold.gif] Another morning spent in the dental chair [&:] Replacing the crowns took 4 hrs; at least we have Direct TV at every station. I enjoyed a televised U2 concert, and once that was over, I watched Louisville beat up on Conn. Four hrs of grinding, pounding, cutting, sanding, needling, and gellin' [sm=angelhalo.gif] Thank the Lord for novocaine and well-trained dentists who do their best to make the dental visit painless and safe! And the most agonizing time for me is not a dental visit. It is looking for a new church in the middle of the holiday season.

chemdude77 -> Winter!! (12/14/2006 12:09:30 AM)
Almost done sending out cards, now I get to shop for family! Our nephew comes down in a week or so, then he goes back to duty. He might get stationed up North, not quite sure...

chemdude77 -> RE: Winter!! (12/25/2006 11:13:21 AM)
Merry Christmas!! Isa 41:17-20: [When] the poor and needy seek water, and [there is] none, [and] their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the ****tah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, [and] the pine, and the box tree together: That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. Our Christmas Eve was blessed: we used a live Skype video session to link up with a family member in Spain. Real-time toasts, and she gets to see the family dog. Fifteen years ago, we had use a phone, no visuals. We should give praise for the blessings of technology, as well as the freedom to celebrate the birth of the Messiah.

chemdude77 -> RE: Winter!! (1/6/2007 2:11:49 PM)
Without doing any job searching, a job was offered to me! After a few hours in a very informal interview, I received a job offer in writing. Higher salary, 401k, better medical, lower stress, better hours, and a company with high employee retension. Five years, 15 years, small business. I start in two weeks...[:)]

chemdude77 -> RE: Winter!! (1/13/2007 4:22:11 PM)
I look forward to a new job, a new start, and new challenges. So many events this week confirmed that this is the right move. I am counting the minutes to the last day! Longevity and stability are needed at this stage. Try to hold onto an employee before the exit interview. I cannot work for a company that has not given us a performance review in 2 years, has not adjusted base salaries or provided year end bonuses. Why work for a company that refuses to set up retirement plans, sufficient PTO time, and an afordable health insurance plan? I lost alot of sleep with an on-call pager, when the majority of alerts at 3 am are bogus[:@] I have had enough work running into late nights and weekends, Christmas Eve, Labor Day, Memorial Day. I am tired of being expected to stay in town on the weekends. I have had my share of stonewalling, lack of support in the field, lack of communication. I look forward to the change. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I took a major financial hit this week with the transmission repairs. With 242000 miles, this car may not last into 2008.

chemdude77 -> Changes ahead!! (1/18/2007 10:55:21 PM)
The last day of work, and my new job starts on Jan 22! Truth be told, I was anxious to get out of there. There are alot of nerves, as this is a major change...

chemdude77 -> New job (1/26/2007 10:00:26 PM)
I really like my new job! This is a major change, for the better. I made it thru the first week [:)] My body is adjusting to the 5 am alarm. The good news: I am out of the office by 4 PM... And the pay is better. I do not need to fill out a time card for every minute of the day!!! I pray that I can keep this job for many years...

chemdude77 -> Planning for the long term... (2/4/2007 10:44:15 PM)
It is my prayer that I do not need to go through another job interview for at least another 15 years. ----------------------------------- It is flea season, and the dog needs her fleabath. ------------------------------------------------------------ Encouraging to see two openly Christian coaches in the NFL Championship, not mention the owner and coach of Indy both giving glory to God on worldwide TV! The racial barriers in coaching are down, and two close friends competing on a world stage.

chemdude77 -> RE: Planning for the long term... (2/13/2007 9:37:16 PM)
I am getting slammed by a head cold. I am thankful that I have been able to meet many of the technical challenges so far... It is possible that I will be in Nashville for a work-related conference in May. The festivities are held at Opryland...

chemdude77 -> RE: Planning for the long term... (2/21/2007 9:24:19 PM)
My nephew came home for the weekend. He is 145 lb, but he can pick up his dad (225 lb) and carry him for a few hundred yards! Army training, where the day starts at 0400...

chemdude77 -> RE: Planning for the long term... (3/1/2007 11:40:51 PM)
I have had an opportunity to meet about five or six awesome folks from CW over the years. It has impacted my life for an eternity, and I have turned my focus more towards God because of these get togethers. I have made some changes my social network, over the past two years. I rub shoulders with unbelievers all the time. We are commanded to let our lives shine in an unbelieving world. Genuine faith is exercised, living and breathing. However, we are not commanded to spend our hours with professing believers who are sarcastic, unwilling to learn, combative, rude, demeaning, negative, lazy, slanderous, domineering, pushy, manipulative or arrogant. ------------------------------------------------------- I have been getting enough flak from a family member about going to another church. My thoughts are directed at this relative, so please indulge me on this brief rant. [;)] We are not clones. Believe me, if I do not attend your church and get involved with your ministry, no amount of lecturing and browbeating will change my mind. If I do not listen to the same CDs, it is not a sign of worldliness! If our styles of worship are different, accept it. I accept your way of worship. Don't tell me to find a different church because our music is not entertaining for you (because it is not like your church). I am glad you are involved in your ministry. It might not be for me, though. Last year you told me to quit my job and flip burgers in a different state. I did not go to college to die like that. And BTW, I did enough gardening, dishwashing, janitorial and disposal duty in the Carter and Reagan administrations to pay my way[sm=frog.gif]. So I know about manual labor. And if we get hit by a solar flare, I could make a career change into the sanitation business [sm=smile-l.gif] I get enough shrapnel during the week. Family should be a place of refuge. I can get sermons anywhere, with more edifying content... -------------------------------------------------- That was all I wanted to say. [:)]

chemdude77 -> Mechanically inclined? (3/3/2007 9:08:09 PM)
Please remember to pray for those with disabilities on Crosswalk. My SIL has MS, and is wheelchair bound. She has a caretaker that helps her during the weekdays, and her kids assist her with food and water. The immune system may be attacking the optic nerve, as well as memory centers in her brain. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Putting in network cabling over the past few days has been an ordeal. I have no interior decorating skills, and my sore fingers belie my mechanical ingenuity [8D] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- We took the dog over to the park, and alot of the kids just loved her. Alot of fur... One lady told us that she had a dog in China that looked just like our Shenandoah! Not sure there are too many 15 lb poms around, but what do I know? Our doggie had her run, and she is at the foot of my bed, sleeping soundly! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I have dropped some weight. Not that I have weighed myself, but I can fit into my clothing again! That is a pretty good indicator.[:)]

chemdude77 -> RE: Mechanically inclined? (3/18/2007 10:48:39 AM)
I gotta work today, so I can't post too much. We are in a warm weather pattern, and it gets up to about 82 in the afternoon. I have some documentation that needs to get to our vendors, as well as the three major credit card companies. Alot of money at stake...

chemdude77 -> Family (4/7/2007 12:45:41 PM)
I had an opportunity to meet one of my sisters for the first time. After she came up from LA, she became general manager of Zibibbo's near Stanford U. She worked for an NBC affiliate in LA before managing two dining establishments (more like rescusitation)! If you ask her, she would call her job babysitting [;)] She treated us very graciously. She is not a believer, but my sis is kinder, more courteous and thoughtful than some of the people I meet in church. Imagine feeling more at home and more at ease with a family member that you met for the first time. It was good to be with my bro, my SIL, my nephews and niece in an upscale establishment. Being with family on Good Friday was the best part. The food was great, too. After 11 hrs at work, she bid us farewell to go on a date. I was happy to see her enjoy the fruits of her hard work. The bill for the food was pretty high, but it was a great once a year treat. Converted Victorian style homes can be great dining establishments, and a number of the dining spots in the Stanford area are just homes converted to bistros, with string ensembles and fantastic chefs!

chemdude77 -> RE: Family (4/22/2007 3:28:44 AM)
Lord willing, I will be in Nashville in a week. I did some work with the kettlebell, as well as some footwork and kicking drills.

chemdude77 -> Interesting times (5/3/2007 11:10:39 PM)
I was out of the state when a fuel tanker blew up and melted a portion of a major interchange. Thankfully, no deaths... [image]http://media.venturacountystar.com/vcs/content/img/photos/2007/04/29/20070429-220543-pic-667548966_t600.jpg[/image] No, this is not a photo from my trip to Tennessee [8D] This is from the V C Star [A P ]... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My boss and I spent some time at BB Kings, with a live band (very good, two sax players, a trumpet player, a bass, a lead, a keyboard player, and a percussionist.) Blues style rock, a packed house, great ribs and gumbo, fried pickles, sweet tea and a fun crowd! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nashville was fun. Opryland is one of those massive hotels under a glass dome; you could attend conferences, eat, sleep and exercise without ever stepping outdoors[&:] I walked for miles within the facility, because I got lost after leaving my room! A greenhouse with expensive eateries. Frank Abignale was the closing speaker at our convention. His story was the basis of a Leonardo DiCaprio/Tom Hanks move, "Catch Me if you Can". A former check forger turned FBI agent, he has since developed software for Novell and for major financial institutions. I will share more of his speech later. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alot of changes are coming to retail information technology. Fuel costs continue to soar, credit card fees are rising, and credit card fraud is a major problem. Something is sick about a world where websites sell CC numbers and GUARANTEE the validity of each number for up to one month! The use of NFC-enabled cell phones could catch on in the states; an emerging trend in retail involves the use of cell phones to securely transmit payment information without handing over the credit or debit card. With the security risks of handing a card to a clerk behind a counter, the contactless payment option is a better idea. "Card swiping" terminals can be modified by thieves to hold the confidential data on the magnetic stripe. Portable devices will harvest this data, allowing criminals to create bogus credit cards. It is called skimming, and it happens in more than a few "fine retail establishments"!

chemdude77 -> Happy Cinco De Mayo (5/5/2007 5:21:51 PM)
Enjoy the weekend! [image]http://a156.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/19/l_2e6f3db466abcb4683c32d299379d57b.jpg[/image]

chemdude77 -> Springtime (5/13/2007 12:26:16 PM)
The marine layer did a straight blast thru the pass, dropping the [normally hot] valley into the low 60s. Natural air conditioning! Which is better than NO A/C (my car) [8D] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ran the dog through the park-- with her short legs and the uncut grass, it was a good workout! Her fur picks up twigs and branches, along with other not-so-benign hitchhikers [:'(] The Sharks are out of the playoffs in a very ugly series of losses to Detroit. Hopefully, the Warriors can win the series against the Jazz. The only NBA playoff team in these parts (until this year) was the Sacramento Kings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am off to find a church. I can understand why modern P&W is so popular, as I am SICK of the 19th century pietistic and sentimental hymns of my current church[:@] Yep, I hate funeral dirges. It is not necessarily more pleasing to God if it is slow and mournful. IMO, if they wanna go old school, there are better ways: 1) The Psalms--hey, use any tune, new or old!! 2) Songs from Scripture After 15 months without a pastor, we should ask ourselves if we are scaring off prospective applicants.

chemdude77 -> RE: Springtime (5/19/2007 11:27:41 AM)
The original owner of our company celebrated his 95th birthday. Every Friday afternoon, he plays a game of cards with a longtime friend. He has done this for years. This business used to be more family oriented. The dad would get into the oil industry, the kids would often follow. And employees stayed with the company for 10, 20 or 40 years! I am learning walk a little slower, and to be more patient and relaxed. There are times when communication and human interactions are more important than the technical details. And the dog wants to play ball right now, so it is time to end the computer session.

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