journaling: enabled

For the second time in the past few years, I have close friends who have lost a child.  While I think I know which situation I’d rather be in, I hope and pray that neither I nor anyone else I know has to go through it.  In the first case, Sam was a few years old.  He had personality.  He had memories.  His family had memories.  His family had dreams for a future.  I don’t know that he was old enough to have dreams like that.

This week, the situation was different.  Julia was with us for 15 minutes.  Not long enough for us to get to know her.  Not long enough for her to know us.  I’m sure she has personality, but we won’t see it here.  She won’t have memories though.  We won’t have memories of her smiling.  Crawling.  Walking.  Giggling.  Crying.

We’ll see Sam and Julia in heaven.  Who knows … maybe they’re playing together?  Looking forward to the day when they see their parents again.  For them it may be the blink of an eye.  For us, years … hopefully.

Each day with our children is a blessing unlike any other.  Hold them close and treasure the time.  I got to spend the whole day with Laura and Warren today.  It wasn’t always a happy time, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  This week I’m going to do my best to support my friends in their time of need.  Friday I’m going to Julia’s funeral service.  Saturday I hope to be at the gravesite.  And next week, I’ll still be here for my friends.

I’m not going to shoot my TV.  Why?  It’s a pretty nice TV.  I shouldn’t be that upset with it.  It’s not the TV’s fault what I choose to watch.  If I choose to watch Dancing with the Stars and get upset that Bristol Palin is still on the show, I’m certainly not going to take it out on the TV.  Why is this relevant?  Because some idiot shot his TV over that.  They walk among us.  And he’s from Wisconsin!!  D’oh!

You may or may not have noticed I moved this blog and changed the links.  I decided to consolidate the software that Liz and I are using so it uses the same install… so I only need to update it once.  Smart, huh?  It works reasonably well, but for some reason some of my old permalinks broke.  The new permalinks shouldn’t do that.

Work has been going pretty well for me so far this week.  I was home sick on Monday… ended up sleeping 4-1/2 or 5 hours.  Tuesday morning I got up bright and early and moved one of my applications to a new server to try and resolve some performance issues it had been having for the past month and a half.  It’s actually worked better than expected (knock on wood).  This means I can finally focus on some other things without worrying about a system falling over and interrupting me.  I have a few coding-type projects to work on.  One is re-implementing our website’s people search feature in ColdFusion.  Should be interesting.  Another is coming up with “professional profile” pages for faculty and staff.

I spent some time a week or so ago working on my Christmas list.  I wasn’t able to come up with much in the line of “geek” items.  I did find several CDs to put on my list.  It occurred to me today that a new computer case might be an option.  Maybe something in a desktop profile with a less obvious power button.  I’d have to find one that’s reasonably price though, which could be a challenge based on the last time I looked.  Some other options I thought of weren’t quite as “physical” … web hosting packages or museum memberships.

I’m happy to have snow on the ground again.  A lot has melted and I still want a little more to melt so I can go out and put in driveway markers easily this weekend, but I’m looking forward to having more snow on the ground.  It’s cold.  We need snow.  I *really* dislike cold without snow.  Cold and brown = boring.  Maybe Laura will be more willing to go sledding this winter and generally get into playing in the snow more.  Maybe we can build some snow people!!

Tomorrow night Liz and I are going out on a date!  We’re going to dinner at Ava’s followed by seeing “Red” at the New Richmond theatre.  We’ve never been to either place, so hopefully both are good experiences.  In other news, we got tickets to go see Gaelic Storm in Milwaukee on St. Patrick’s Day.  It should be a good time.  Liz’s parents will watch the kids so we can stay in Milwaukee overnight.  We’re both really looking forward to it.

Well, that’s all for this fine evening.  Tomorrow is another day of work for me but I’m actually looking forward to it. 

In honor of National Coming Out Day … I’m reposting a supposed letter to Dr. Laura which points out some of the conflicts I have with the Bible as something to be followed literally regardless of “the era” … I’m be interested in perspective on this, even though the letter itself may not be “real”…

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them thatLeviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination … end of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are from neighboring nations. A friend of mineclaims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors.They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligatedto kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there’degrees’ of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear readingglasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garmentsmade of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we goto all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them?  Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private familyaffair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14) I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoyconsiderable expertise in such matters, so I’m confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan.

Last night Liz and I went to see Eat, Pray, Love.  It definitely wasn’t what I expected … or at least I got more out of it than I expected.  One of the thoughts I had afterwords was a reflection on how most of us travel.  Liz (as in Julia Roberts’ character in the movie) spent 4 months in 3 different locations.  It occurs to me that that is the only way to fully appreciate where you are … spend time there.  Most of us try to cram the experience into our heads by fitting in as much as we can … so much to see, so much to do.  Rarely are we relaxed and “there” … too much thinking about what we’ll do tomorrow or the next day and what’s next on the “agenda.”  I think that if I’m ever blessed with the opportunity to visit some place like Italy or Bali, I’m going to make a point of limiting my “agenda” to allow myself to soak in the experience of truly being there and experiencing it.  Seeing the sites is nice, but I suspect the true experience of these places is immersing yourself in life there, even if it’s only for a few days.  When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

I recently went to a funeral for one of my great uncles.  Listening to his children and looking at pictures got me thinking about my childhood experiences with grandparents, specifically my grandfathers.  My mother’s dad passed away when I was too young to remember, so really the only grandfather in my life was my dad’s father.  Looking back on the experience, I think I missed out.  Some parts of me say I’m being too hard comparing to an idealized image, but Bennet’s funeral proves that loving, playful, involved grandparents do exist from that generation.  I won’t deny that I did have some enjoyable times … usually involving tagging along for field work.  There were meals with him and grandma.  But for the most part, there really wasn’t much that brings back the warm feelings that remembering Bennet invokes for his family.  No storytelling (that I remember anyway).  No music.  No grandpa building things for you to play with.

Bennet’s funeral did prompt some regret on my part, not for anything having to do with my grandfather but more because I didn’t make much effort towards getting to know family members of his generation.  I’m sure they had stories to tell and I wish I had heard what they have to teach.

I’m hopeful that my children will have the opportunity to get to know their grandparents and know that special relationship that you can have with them.  I am thankful that my parents and Liz’s parents are the type of people that can provide the memories and happiness that Bennet is remembered for.

R.I.P. Bennet L. Rust (1922-2010)

Not terribly much new here.  Work continues to involve a lot of website-related stuff, with a sprinkle of this and a dash of that thrown in for good measure.  I like systems that can run for months on end without any attention.  I like resolving problems that have existed for a long period of time.  I had a meeting regarding my annual review yesterday and it was very positive.  One of my strengths is my willingness to tackle just about anything technical and solve problems.  Ideally there wouldn’t be problems in the first place, but then I wouldn’t have much of a job then, would I?

Tomorrow is Friday.  I get to have a nice chat and remote viewing session with a tech support rep so he can see firsthand a problem I’m experiencing and help me troubleshoot it.  Thankfully this time the problem doesn’t seriously impact customers.  I also get to spend more time working on our department website to get that ready to go live hopefully middle of next week.

On the home front, Warren is very mobile.  He’s now walking and able to turn on his own without losing balance and falling down.  He still loves playing with doors and thankfully Laura enjoys playing with him too so he doesn’t get shut in a room by himself too much.  I do wish he would eat better.  He’s mostly stopped eating baby food.  He’ll eat it if he has something else to keep him busy at the same time (e.g. playing with a toy).  I’m a little worried he’s not getting good nutrition but we’re trying.  He seems to be a picky eater.  He had his 1 yr doctor appointment the other day and weighed in just under 24 lbs and is just shy of 30 inches tall.  He’s a pretty average little boy in that regard thankfully.

Laura is in potty training and doing quite well.  Kudos to Liz for her excellent coaching, encouragement and patience in this ordeal since for the most part, I’m not around to deal with it.  She’s still having problems dealing with Warren’s mobility and the fact that he likes to play with pretty much whatever she is playing with.  I’m sure that will end in a few years … let’s just hope he survives it.  :)  We’re hoping to put her into a dance class this spring … I think she’ll enjoy it.

Liz and I got most of a week to ourselves earlier this month, courtesy of her parents.  It was much needed though I think it could have been better if the weather had been less typically hot August.  We really need to start doing date nights again.  We talk about it and then live distracts me/us and it never gets set up.  I think a good goal is twice a month given our current level of craziness.  :)  One problem is there haven’t been a lot of good movies we’re interested in seeing this year (yet).  I’m sure we could find something else to do but inspiration isn’t always there when I need it.

I’ve seen hints this year that there are a lot of Americans who don’t think much of their country this 4th of July.  How easily we forget where we’ve been and where we could be.  We’re not perfect, but then I don’t know who said we were.  There are certainly cases where our freedoms are being infringed upon.  How easily we lose sight of how much worse off we could be.  Our journalists get blocked from covering an oil spill the way they think it should be covered and we scream “OMG!  WTF are you doing?.”  At least we live in a country where that’s more an exception than the norm.  Not only can we attempt to cover the news, but we can cry foul when we’re not allowed to.

I do think our government has gotten far larger than our founding fathers ever intended it to be.  The cause?  I have no basis to say.  I posit that it does have something to do with our attempts to legislate the stupidity and irresponsibility out of people.  I hear a lot of hollering about “big government” meddling in things that should be left to the almighty “free market”.  Guess what… “free market” has some serious shortcomings.  It doesn’t care about the environment.  It doesn’t care about safety.  It doesn’t care about responsibility.  Free market doesn’t impose safety measures on oil drilling (whether they’re followed or not).  Why should it?  It’s less expensive not to.   I could go on.  I’m sure my arguments have holes in them, but I think the idea that business can do its thing without government influence is a fallacy.

This year, we need to remember the depth of our freedoms.  The freedom to keep/bear arms, which was recently re-affirmed.  The freedom of speech, which allows me to write blog posts about most whatever I choose without fear of the men in suits and sunglasses coming for a visit.  The freedom to go to my church on Sunday morning and listen to another member of my congregation tell us how he’s reconciled the death of his daughter with the prayers he sent for her healing.  Stop and think about it.

Really short week at work … at least it felt that way.  Monday of course was a holiday.  Tuesday was catching up from weekend and prepping for training.  Wednesday through today was training.  I kinda wish I had another day of work to practice applying what we learned, but unfortunately that will have to wait until next week.  Training was good.  Instructor was fun.  Classmates were good.  We had a fun time at the bar last night, though I didn’t stay nearly as long as some.  I can’t do the 2am thing anymore (not that I could really do it well when I was in college either).

Tonight I did a little computer putzing … upgraded my WordPress to 3.0RC.  Haven’t noticed anything different yet.  Also updated my Joomla installation to the latest 1.5 security release.  Made a half-hearted attempt at updating to 1.6b2, but when that didn’t work right away (couldn’t find instructions on it anyway) I punted.  Oh well.  One of these days I just need to do a complete geek/project day.  I know my wife will support me on that… I just need to schedule one.  I suspect part of the day would be dedicated to rebuilding my old web/email/file server for use recording church services.  There are also some things that were running on that box that I haven’t gotten up on my new one yet.  I’m discovering it might be useful to resume monitoring my Internet connection for stability among other things.

Tomorrow Liz is heading over to a friend’s house for scrapbooking.  I’m glad she’s getting out.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the kids.  Might just be a lazy day, though I could go to Hudson and do some shopping for some needed hardware (household) items and see if there are any good deals on trees.

This post is prompted in part by a Newsweek article on the spill and the likely political fallout from it. I don’t envy Obama or his advisors.  Up until fairly recently, everybody was screaming to keep government’s nose out of business.  Now everybody is screaming for them to stick their noses in it.  Obviously the appropriate position is somewhere in between the two extremes.  I think there’s a general assumption that the government has access to experts in every field.  What many fail to realize, and is pointed out by the article referenced above, is that those experts typically work in the field.  The government doesn’t drill oil wells, industry does.  How can the government be expected to understand the details of the industry without relying on the industry itself?  Same sort of situation with the banking world.  Unfortunately, it appears we could use a little more honesty, which seems to be in short supply these days.

It’s been a month.  So much for posting more often, but sometimes there are other priorities.  Work is going pretty well lately.  It was a bit on the stressful side for a while.  This month I’ve had 6 days of training on ColdFusion and PaperThin CommonSpot. The CommonSpot training was particularly fun since it took place in Green Bay.  The downside of that is that Liz was on her own with the kids for basically 4 days.  She made it through okay.  Thankfully I don’t have to travel for work that often.  Last week was full of prep for this week.  We trained customers on how to use CommonSpot to maintain their websites and I worked on final preparations for our “go live” that occurred this past Monday.  In retrospect, there were some more steps I should have taken since the go live didn’t go particularly well.  We made it through okay.  You can check out the new UWRF website and see what we’ve done.  We also “pulled the trigger” on synchronizing password changes that are done to our LDAP directory service to Active Directory as well.  This went smoothly after an abort and reset to actually run the changes in order.  We only had about 10 people who violated password constraints and will need to choose new passwords.

On the home front, Liz has managed to make it through the month okay.  It was very stressful but she seems to be unscathed.  Warren was sleeping through the night for a little while.  This week he hasn’t been but that may be because of teething (with the possible exception this most recent Wednesday night when his sleep schedule got royally borked up by him going to bed early and then wanting to be awake at 3:30am).  I’m cutting him some slack even though Liz doesn’t think he needs it I guess.  I realize there’s a possibility that he may sleep through the night if we “hard ball” him a few nights, but I can handle getting up with him for 15-20 minutes for cuddles (we stopped giving him a bottles for this).  I’m more for baby steps, particularly given teething and his tendency to get cold.  He’s kinda like me … he likes warm.  In other news, he’s now crawling.  Liz has nicknamed him “Tornado” since he leaves a disaster area in his wake.  DVDs on the entertainment center are not safe.  Books in Laura’s book basket aren’t safe.  Clothes in baskets aren’t safe.  It’s fun to see him crawling around… get usually gets excited to explore and giggles a lot.

Laura is having some difficulty adjusting to having a brother that moves on his own and can therefore get into her stuff.  We’re already basically having the “Mom!  he’s touching me!” incidents that Bill Cosby jokes about.  It gets old after a while but I think it’s bearable.  There are certainly worse things that could be happening.  Warren does love to pick on her though.  He grabs her blanket or her hair given the opportunity.  Laura is also becoming much more of a “girly girl”.  She loves her dresses and insists on wearing them.  She especially loves the princess dress she got a while back but unfortunately that’s a bit heavy/warm for the weather we’ve had lately.

On the geeky front, I think I’ve completed my move of data and services from my old “server” to my new “server”.  Sunday I decided that it was probably time to put the new server on the UPS so I shut down the old one to do that and I haven’t powered it back up.  The basement is now strangely silent for the most part.  There should now be a little bit of electric savings now too since I only have 1 computer on 24/7 instead of 2 (MythTV + server).  I think I’ve also had to replace my router since my last post.  The wireless interfaces on it decided to stop working.  Given that I think I’ve had it for at least 9 years, I think that’s pretty reasonable.  The new router does ‘N’ and has gigabit wired ports, which makes life nicer.  In related news, we finally replaced Liz’s laptop.  The power connections inside started coming loose and not working reliably.  Since it was about 7 years old and already had its original screen replaced and was using a 3rd party wireless card, its time had come.  Liz really loves the new MacBook Pro.  It’s certainly less frustrating.  The magnetic power connector is a lifesaver given Warren’s mobility and desire to grab anything in reach.  The built-in iSight is nice for video chats with the family when we’re apart (whether due to travel or just being at work).  I think in general it has reduced Liz’s level of frustrations (which is a good thing).

Well, time to see if I’m going to get any more sleep this morning before I head to Eau Claire for a car appointment.