Post number two this morning due to insomnia/tinnitus. ==== Here’s a crafter’s dilemma, as a crafter gets older, toward retirement age. I’m going to make this a bit easier to understand by reducing the actual quantities. Let’s say, you have enough crafting “projects” (yarn, quilting material/projects, wood in workshop, or whatever) to last you for the next three to four years (or longer), at … [Read more...]
First day at Thrivent
August 15, 2016 By
Day one over. Mostly on-boarding stuff, getting access to all things Thrivent. Reading some docs. Met two members of my team who are based here (both are almost straight out of college and are really nice fellows). The third member is based in MPLS and is on vac this week (but I've already met him during the interviewing process). The HQ here is a really nice, relaxing, gorgeous (huge) campus, … [Read more...]
Jesse Wiliams at the BET Awards
July 5, 2016 By
A fellow by the name of Jesse Williams gave an impassioned speech at the BET awards recently. It's been getting some (almost viral) press so I watched/listened to it, and didn't have any issue with it, actually thought it was a pretty good speech, and he's a very passionate, eloquent, articulate speaker. I'm not sure, but I may have even shared his speech here. At the time I thought no big deal - … [Read more...]
Model Railroading and “Collecting”
June 29, 2016 By
So. Most all Model Railroader hobbyists are also "collectors". They (read: "we") either collect engines (locomotives), passenger cars, freight cars, or even things called "structure kits" (various types of buildings you put together). We usually do our collecting via eBay, or at the local model railroading flea markets, etc. Sometimes, we even collect "track". (to run our MRR collection on...🙄 … [Read more...]
Franklin Graham
June 16, 2016 By
A quote from Mr. Franklin Graham: “Mr. President, you’re looking at the wrong place when it comes to the root cause of gun violence. Your executive actions will do nothing to change this horrific problem. You can take all the guns in America and put them in a pile on the Mall in Washington DC, and those guns will stay there and will eventually rust and decay. Not one gun will crawl out of that … [Read more...]
Bobby Fischer Movie
June 11, 2016 By
Watched a pretty good biographical movie tonight: "Pawn Sacrifice", staring Tobey Maguire as a young Bobby Fischer (chess champion in the '60s and '70s). Tobey does a great job at portraying Mr. Fischer. The movie starts with us seeing him as a 6 yr old chess prodigy, thru his teenage and young adult years, and finishes with the infamous 1972 Fischer/Boris Spassky championship match in Iceland, … [Read more...]
Obama graduation ceremony speech
May 18, 2016 By
Short two and a half minute video. At least watch the last 45-50 seconds. Obama Video … [Read more...]
Cyber Bullying
May 17, 2016 By
Cyber bullying - what causes a person to become a bully? This attached article is about bullies bullying authors via Amazon book reviews as well as on the "GoodReads" book review social media site. You might want to read it before reading the rest of this posting, in order to better understand where I'm coming from. I wonder if their spouses or significant others know that they do this? I wonder … [Read more...]
“ABOMINATIONS” – Franklin Graham
May 14, 2016 By
"Abomination" I so much dislike that word. As in: "Deuteronomy chapter 22 verse 5. Read your bible everyone. The whole transgender issue is an abomination in the eyes of God." Someone who I love with all my heart recently "liked" the above FB posting quote. -- I moved away from my hometown when I was just twenty four, and therefore, have not been a part of this person's life since that time. … [Read more...]
Tolerance
May 14, 2016 By
To say the very least, this isn't the typical fare I share. I'm not as you all know, a bible thumper. But, I'm in the middle of writing a blog post that I'll be sharing later today/tonight and this particular article I'm sharing now goes pretty much hand in hand. Acceptance. Tolerance. Love. Leave "Hate" at the door. Original blog post … [Read more...]
Vivian Maier – unknown (but now famous) photographer
December 29, 2015 By
It's just freaking how my mind works. A FB friend of mine "liked" a Christmas photo of Marlo Thomas, her husband Phil Donahue, and their family. I'd thought I had heard a rumor about Mr. Donahue's health, so I decided to read his biographical article on Wikipedia. Fortunately, there was no mention of any health problems, and I truly hope he is well. While reading his Wikipedia article, there is … [Read more...]
Republican debate
August 6, 2015 By
I am trying to ignore this Fox News / Republican debate thing, but, doesn't anyone (on stage or behind the scenes), understand it'll be logistically impossible to have a "debate" among that many people on stage - get real - it's even tough when it's only 3 "debaters". Am I wrong, or are we really going to learn "something" from these ten people tonight (in order for "us" to make a judgement, and … [Read more...]
Bird’s eye Video of Detroit and my thoughts
August 5, 2015 By
Great and interesting video - great background music - much too short. Bird's eye view of Detroit (opens in new window) Sorry to see the beginning parts: drives home the point that certain (industrial & residential) areas are still like a former war zone. Enjoyed the middle/ending portions a lot better with "hope" of development/revival coming. You don't usually get to see this stuff (from … [Read more...]
Recommendations: shows, food, movies, etc
July 25, 2015 By
Today's miscellaneous Recommendations: Chilies restaurant: margarita chicken tex mex bowl, combined with their white queso appetizer and salsa on top is just DELISH! Yum. Locally, here in "beautiful downtown" Apple Valley, a "smash burgers" opened up a yr or so ago. I've eaten there a couple of times (but not recently), but they're pretty good. On the other hand, "Five guys" opened up their … [Read more...]
Friend’s thoughts about marriage equality
July 10, 2015 By
More thoughts about marriage equality and the bible by my friend Tina Weems Dolechek. Thanks, Tina, for sharing. I have been reading many posts lately about marriage equality and how the Bible says marriage is between a man and a woman. I thought I would do a little Bible research myself. This is what I found. The Bible is ok with men having more than one wife. King David, remember David The … [Read more...]
BusinessWeek devotes double issue to “computer programming”
July 1, 2015 By
Not my quote: “It’s no longer acceptable to be ignorant about the ways it <BSW: "software"> works,” he said. “If everybody brought the same ignorance about software to medicine, it would be insane, we would be mocked.” “Software is a completely different discipline and we wanted to help to demystify it for the world that doesn’t think that way. What if you explain code in the same way you … [Read more...]
Gay rights, Stonewall, & President Obama
July 1, 2015 By
Please read this man's letter to the president dated March, 2013, and also read the president's response dated Nov, 2013. People have asked me to repost the letter that I read last night at the Pride Rally. When I finished reading it there was a tremendous round of applause. I cut them off by saying "Wait, here is the icing on the cake, President Obama wrote me back." As far as I know this is … [Read more...]
Gay marriage – my thoughts
June 30, 2015 By
A former HS female friend today posted a comment along the lines of "Why is America encouraging sodomy?" [If I remember correctly, I believe her husband is a church pastor and they are currently doing missionary work overseas.] A different FB female friend - a former work colleague and someone apparently religious enough that they would openly read their bible at work when they weren't busy - a … [Read more...]
Internet down today: Model Railroading
June 30, 2015 By
Two more blog posts to do. Second to last - as previously noted, my internet was down from late Thursday thru Saturday afternoon. The technician comes around my place at 3:30, worked on the outside box for quite some time. Finally comes to the door, introduces himself as a Charter employee, and we talk about my problem. He starts looking at the cabling, etc. In the meantime, he inquires "is that … [Read more...]
