Sometimes it returns July 1, 2008
Posted by Aaron in : Life , add a commentIts 2am and I am tapping out a blog post on my iPod with “this is home” by switchfoot cranked in my headphones. That little voice that picks what to listen to is stuck on it. I can’t seem to get it to realize that this isn’t the time, not when I feel furthest from what they are singing about. Why the sudden change in tone between the previous post and todays? Earlier I got a call that delivered bad news of a magnitude that took nearly 6 hours to sink in enough to really begin to react to. And even now tears threaten to return and blur this little keyboard too much to continue, I’m not done yet so they will have to wait. Interjecting a note here, no one has died. Events have begun that will forever change my scattered family, the first of a series of dominos that will change more than anything in years and while a part of me insists that even in such change God can do something wondrous… But as my mind starts tracing shockwaves all I can see is devistation.
Sorry I just noticed how much I was rambling, this tiny screen only shows a bit at a time so it is easy. Sorry also for being cryptic. Just pray for my family.
Buying in bulk October 31, 2007
Posted by BatWeasel in : Life, News , add a commentWe just used up the last of the economy-sized jug of Dreft laundry detergent that Jerod bought before Summer was born for us to wash her clothes in. Summer is 15 months old. Amazing.
Cat!! October 20, 2007
Posted by BatWeasel in : Life , add a commentTo my 14-month-old daughter, everything is a cat. If it has legs or appears to be alive, its a cat. Following is a transcript from the conversation we had while we were out shopping this morning:
“Cat!”
“That’s a baby deer.”
“Cat!”
“That’s Santa Claus.”
“Cat!”
“That’s a reindeer.”
“Cat!”
“That’s a butterfly.”
And of course the very best one from a couple days ago - “Cat!” “No, that’s a ninja.” Wish I could have taught her to say ninja…
Shoestrings and dogs September 4, 2007
Posted by Aaron in : Life , add a commentI’m suppose to be asleep right now. I wonder how many posts I’ve started with that sentence? Anyway, this time I’m not because I didn’t go right to bed when I had about a 5 minute window of tired and also because I’m worried about squeaker. This morning when bringing him inside I noticed a patch of fur and skin appeared to be a different color, I ignored it, since come morning he was scheduled for a haircut and if it didn’t go away it would be easier to figure out. This evening I plopped down to watch tv and was petting him and discovered that he now had a rather pronounced bit of swelling in that spot. Vet wasn’t open today, so I’m taking him in as soon as I wake up in the morning.
In less worrysome news, I learned a new way to tie my shoes this evening from a tv commercial no less… I can’t remember what it was about though, cell phones perhaps? I think I’ve found a new herding cats, though not even as memorable.
Belated things August 11, 2007
Posted by Aaron in : Life , add a commentJax finally got around to sending me a picture, so I’ll make the official announcement. My brother Jackson is engaged to a girl that can only be described as amazingly patient. He proposed in mid june (promised to send me a pic shortly after, so blame him not me).
Further proving my parents rock, mom airmailed me a chocolate birthday cake, 2 cadberry eggs and a birthday card with 2 bucks for frosting. It dried a little in transit, but you would never guess from eating it that it came from northern iowa. Kudos mom, now maybe next year if you are a month earlier with this idea it’ll arrive 2 weeks after my birthday instead of about 6 weeks late 
Random stories from younger days August 9, 2007
Posted by Aaron in : Life , add a commentA story has surfaced from the depths of my memory of a time when I tamed jungles… with a mulching mower. One jungle in particular stands out, the only one that does really of the 6(maybe?) regular lawns I had in kansas city. I was walking the streets around our house looking for lawns that clearly needed work. We spotted one that looked like it hadn’t been mowed yet that summer. I am pretty sure the grass was as high as my knees. It was perhaps the hardest lawn I mowed in those years, I remember it was pretty hot when I did it too. I didn’t charge the woman as much as I should have, but she paid me more than I asked for, every time I mowed it actually. One of her sons had recently graduated from the high school I was going to. Apparently he didn’t think I was that bad either (or he just felt sorry for the white kid) he asked one day if anyone was hassling me there, offered to have some friends “deal with it”. Tempted though I was I didn’t name any problems by name. I think I mowed that womans lawn every summer after that first one until we moved.
Anyway, enough random story telling, to bed!
And I can’t quite explain it… updated July 10, 2007
Posted by Aaron in : Life, Work , add a commentTomorrow is likely to be an odd day. A 3-part project landed in our lap today based on a very sound business plan, not only that, a key portion of it is aimed at helping non-profit organizations raise money. The man would prefer to make us partners rather than pay us large sums up front. I have little doubt that if we built him the sites he wants, we could make large sums of money. On top of it, though parts of it are boring and simple, there are several core system integration issues I would relish tackling. On top of even that, but should it succeed the print company that is part of my company will get orders that could help it get into the black in the first year of operation, rather than after the 3rd or 4th year. The actual time spent developing the first part of the project which will help fund the other parts will not actually require us to divert so much of our time that other projects are endangered. Tomorrow the board meets to make its decision on what agreement we would consider sufficient compensation for our part.
When we meet tomorrow, as the minority partner, I’m going to tell them I believe we shouldn’t take the project. Though he approached us and said that God had inspired his plan and that he wanted to help these people give back to their communities, that explanation just doesn’t seem to quite jive with the vibe I got from him. This decision is made all the harder by my belief that the core concepts behind his idea would actually work, and would generate repeat fund-raising income for organizations that desperately need it. But it does so by encouraging/exploiting materialism, instead of direct giving. Ironically materialism came up yesterday (ok technically at this point its now 2 days ago) during the sermon (maybe I’ll summarize it at the end, it was a good one). To make a parallel with the sermon, just because I know people will gamble doesn’t mean I should be building casinos, even if some of the money is going to schools. Yes, some people will always find a way to be financially exploited, but I don’t want to be involved in doing it. Spooky how that first part of what I’d intended as an analogy seems so close to what proponents of casino building say. I wasn’t the only one to get a funny vibe from this guy, I’d sure feel a lot better if its the other two board members have reached the same conclusion (or are fine with it). I really don’t want to have to try a david and goliath with my puny 15% against their 85%.
Now for those who aren’t in town to hear the sermon I referenced… Rather than continue with the study of Acts that we’d been doing, the pastor apparently rewrite his message when he should have been sleeping. Every year the churches in the community get together for a 4th of july outreach/fireworks display. This year for various reasons outside our control, the choice was to not have it or have it on the grounds of the horse racing/casino (aka the Racino, and yes, it is a stupid name). The churches decided that the outreach was more important than making sure we aren’t seen near it. However editorials have been surfacing for weeks outraged that such a decision would be made, the latest of which actually came out and said that this person refused to take the Lord to such a place and begged the other christians in the community to do likewise. But on to the sermon, rather than try to re-preach it which would not be enjoyed by any of us, let me just retype a couple of the key points he made (well ok, I extrapolated a couple of them from what he said, but it still fits the intent).
- The whole earth is full of sin, but God is everywhere all the same… how then can we say “I will not take the Lord to this place!” after all [side note, I'll make the retort I'm resisting writing into a short editorial: Thats ok, He never asked you to take him there, he's just waiting for you to show up there and join him]
- Gambling in itself is not a sin, but the conditions of the heart behind it are: materialism, lazyness, poor stewardship
- Those in the church are just as prone to these faults as those who can be found at the slot machines
- We don’t go to hell because we gambled, drank, or whatever our most beautiful temptation is, but because we choose these simpler things over Christ.
- Do you believe Jesus is more satisfying than these things? [Does your life show it?]
- John Newton (author of Amazing Grace) said near the end of his life “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour.”
Updated: We officially turned the work down this morning having made the decision to do so a couple days ago.
Glowing embers June 12, 2007
Posted by Aaron in : Life , 2commentsIt was a so-so day, things got done but no different from most in ways that might actually matter. A vague cloud lingered at the gate waiting to slip in when my guard dropped. Squeaker discovered me seated on the toilet in the master bath, he sat down and looked at me waiting for something. Knowing he’s deaf and a dog even if he weren’t didn’t stop the reflex. “Time for bed, you go ahead” and vaguely pointed a thumb in the general direction of the bedroom. He promptly stood up and as I watched via the various mirrors, walked to the bed, jumped up, and plopped down looking back at me. The cloud at the gate slipped away and instead the rain came in the nick of time, I swallowed hard ’cause my throat’s been dry.
* Two points to the first who can name the artist and song.
Hello Again June 10, 2007
Posted by Aaron in : Life , add a commentWell a few minutes ago the first of the new series of bible studies wrapped up. It went about as well as could be expected considering somehow I ended up in charge of it. Just thought I’d toss that little tidbit out there to make sure everyone knew I was still alive.
In Memory April 17, 2007
Posted by Aaron in : Life , add a commentThe creator of BC, Johnny Hart passed away April 7th, just two weeks ago, but I thought this particular strip particularly accurate.
In lighter news in case you missed it, Bucky is a veritable flair conditioner.
Oh and and since its unusually non-nerdy (for xckd that is) and goes along with that BC strip (I’d embed it directly, but its pretty wide): XCKD - Snopes
