Killer iPhone app?

Now, before you start - Yes, I know I need to post some photos of the kids! Ethan is approaching 7 weeks old, and we have lots of great pictures, but have not taken the time to post any. Insert apologies and begging of forgiveness here. It will be remedied soon...

In the meantime, yesterday I found what could possibly be the killer app for my iPhone, which I have had for a month now, and think is a pretty great gadget! I'm not trying to make a sales pitch for this app yet, because I have only used it once and there were mitigating factors, but the concept is awesome.

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Feeding kids...

(Yes, today is Amy's due date. For whatever that's supposed to mean. No little one yet.)

I don't think anyone likes feeding kids. Am I right? Peter has been a struggle, but he'll feed himself now. Kate, on the other hand, would actually prefer to feed herself, which is a mixed blessing. Why?

That little "Next Blog" link...

I'm feeling a little wierded out right now...

I had a few minutes to kill, and I started clicking on the "Next Blog" link at the top of this page...

I clicked 12-15 times, and every time, without a single exception, Blogger directed me to a blog either about adoption, adoption activism, or by an adoptive family.

So, apparently Google thinks they know me, and they want to send me to sites I'll resonate with, rather than just a random blog. Either that, or adoptive families have taken over Blogger and replaced all material not related to adoption with adoption stories.

Anyone else experience this kind of "targeted" selection for Next Blog?

Playing with Google Voice

So Google is basically out to rule the world, right?

I mean, honestly. Google Mail, Google Apps, Google Maps, Picasa, Blogger, Google Wave, Google Voice, and something just popped up about "Buzz" when I checked my mail earlier. Don't know what that's about yet, but those are just the things I have been tinkering with! (Editor's note: I somehow failed to mention Google Calendar, Google Docs, Orkut, Google Reader, Google Code, and YouTube... what was I thinking?)

So, Google Voice...

So far, I like it. One number that can ring to whatever other numbers you want, and you can set up schedules for weekdays, weekends, etc, for each number. Voicemail gets transcribed and emailed and/or sent via SMS to a mobile phone, in addition to be available through the Google Voice website. You can make outgoing calls in what seems very similar to a Skype or Vonage setup. It's slick, and I'm sure it will just get better.

Oh, and no baby yet... just for those who are checking...

Things I wish would induce labor...

Yes, it's time again to talk about those things I wish would induce labor, but don't. People keep saying "it could happen any day!" While true, it doesn't feel that way...

Amy doesn't want any part of pitocin this time around (due to increased risk given past history), so we're waiting to see if this little boy will decide to come on his own, or if we'll end up scheduling a c-section. In the interim, I keep thinking about things I wish would trigger labor, like

• naps
• Tex-Mex food
• going on a date
• naps
• having a babysitter
• Tex-Mex food
• did I mention naps?

A guy can dream...

The Classics

No, I'm not reading them.

I started thinking yesterday how to describe my children's personalities. 1-year-old Kate came naturally - "The Sound and the Fury". After that, I wondered what equivalent might describe the other two.

After a bit of thinking, I realized that Peter, at 2, is solidly in "Crime and Punishment".

Sydney? Well, if you know her personality, it won't come as any surprise that my pick for that one is "Death of a Salesman"...

Google Wave

Ok, I'm a geek, but this looks really cool, and I'm not even done watching the whole demo!

PS - United Airlines, it's the 21st century...

Can I just say, only making electrical outlets of any kind available to business and first class passengers on 10-14 hour flights is... just wrong. Wake up, United! It's not that hard, American Airlines does it! What am I supposed to do for 14 hours to Beijing on your shiny new 777 if you can't be bothered to put in a power port at least every few seats? My daughter isn't old enough to watch most of the movies playing endlessly on that little video screen...

(Insert loud raspberry here...)

Great Circle Route

For anyone interested, here is the great-circle route we will fly over the next 16 days. The actual flight paths may not completely follow this, but this is the shortest route between the cities involved:

YOU MIGHT BE ADOPTING FROM CHINA IF…

...you know that I-600 & I-171 aren't highways.

...you've been expecting a baby for over 3 years.

...you understand that it's 2006 in some parts of the world.

...you've "paid for" 3 citizenships, but never brought anyone into the U.S.

...you know that waiting for China has nothing to do with Dillards or dishes

...your homestudy is followed by a number (i.e. #3 or #4)

...you never know how many days next month will have

...you know that babies come in batches

...you've been fingerprinted four times, but never committed a crime

...you automatically assume everyone who is expecting is having a girl

...you own new clothing in 3 little sizes for all 4 seasons (because you don't know when or how big)

...you look twice when you see a lady bug

...you're more interested in what will happen in March 2006 than in March 2009

...you know people who understand when you talk about 2 day months & 5 day months

...your due date hasn't changed by days, but by years

...you know who the Rumor Queen is ... AND ... you don't know who she is

...you know that forecast doesn't have anything to do with the weather

...you've waited so long, they re-checked your fingerprints to see if they changed

...trying to understand why they're printing you again, you study your own fingerprints and wonder if fingerprints grow wrinkles

...when you speak of "that time of month" you're talking about CCAA updates & referrals

Giving money back

God's timing is a funny thing. So often he brings us into situations which test our faith just as we are learning and studying that very aspect of faith. Such is the case in the last few months as Amy and I have been praying about and working through the finances as we prepared for a move into a new hous, not to mention helping to lead a Crown Ministries small group at our church. Three times in the last few months, we have been presented with situations in which we were given money that we should not have been given, and each time it has been both harder and easier to give the money back.

The first situation was a case with a Health Savings Account at work. Because we are on a high deductible health plan, my employer's share of the premiums for my covereage has gone down (as has my part of the premiums) and in return, they make a generous contribution to our HSA to be used towards the higher deductible. They made that contribution in January, as detailed in the plan literature, but then made a duplicate contribution in June. After waiting a pay cycle to see if the mistake would be corrected without my intervention, it took four phone calls and several hours of my time to convince people that we should not have been given that money, and to please take it back.

That was finally resolved and my account showed the adjustment, only to show another employer contribution a few days later! I again waited to make sure I was not just seeing an echo of the first adjustment or something that would shake out in the wash. After realizing it would not go away, I again called and started the process of letting them know that they had erroneously contributed too much to my HSA.

In the meantime, I got an email letting me know that my cell phone company had received my rebate request and was processing the information for my $400 rebate. The problem is, I only applied for a $100 rebate - $50 per phone for two phones. I try to avoid rebates, but the corporate buying website had a better price on the phones than the carrier's direct sales channel even before the rebate, so the rebate was just gravy anyway. But now it looked like a whole flood of gravy instead of just a nice dollop.

Well, I waited, figuring that their automated systems might have mis-stated something and maybe the cap was $400. Maybe they quoted that amount by default and then would get the correct amount when they actually looked at my paperwork. Maybe not...

I'm still waiting for my employer to straighten out the HSA because apparently whoever adjusted it the first time made a right mess of things in terms of the tax reporting systems, etc. That may take a while. In the meantime, a rebate check for $400 arrived in the mail. I called my cell phone carrier this morning and spent 30 minutes on the phone explaining that my rebate was too big (they weren't quite sure what to do with my wanting to give money back...) After making sure I knew that it was "just" a matter of integrity, and that there was nothing printed on the check about them chasing me for an incorrect rebate, they transferred me to the rebate group (actually a separate company) who was quite happy to stop payment on the first check and request a new check for the correct (smaller) amount, to be mailed within 15 business days...

I suppose some folks might read this and think I'm crazy. If you're asking why I'm doing this, and why I didn't "Go on, take the money and run", the answer is a pursuit of honesty and integrity in my life as a result of God's holiness and love. I honestly had to ask myself how much effort was too much effort to go through to give this money back. But I had to try, because the bottom line is that it was not my money. It is not even my employer's or my cell phone carrier's. It all belongs to God, and He would have me be an honest steward of it.

Be holy, for I am holy.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is crooked though he be rich.

Like I said at the beginning, it wasn't easy, and it didn't mean I didn't think about what I could have done with that money. It would have been easy to justify keeping it and considering it "an unexpected blessing." But, as I work through what it means to really be a wise steward, to hold losely what is not mine (which is everything), and to seek to serve God with all that he has put in my management, I have to say that those justifications would have been empty, and would have come from a feeling of needing to provide for myself rather than rest in faith on God's provision and holiness. I pray Sydney and Peter will learn the same lessons, and maybe even go through less pain to get there than I have over the years.

(Note: Comments lost in the migration to Blogger)

This just in - Christians believe in Christianity

So I'm reading a news site and I see a headline titled Coulter: Jews Need to Be Perfected with a subtitle of "Columnist's comments about Jews, that America would be better off if we all were Christian, stun cable talk show" The article starts off with "Slash-and-burn columnist Ann Coulter shocked a cable TV talk-show audience Monday when she declared that Jews need to be 'perfected' by becoming Christians, and that America would be better off if everyone were Christian."

Reading the transcript of the interview, I am more shocked by Mr. Deutsch's apparent incredulity that a Christian (Ms. Coulter) would believe that the world would be better off if everyone were a Christian. What?!?! You believe you are right?!?! And you think everyone else should have faith in the same Savior who died for your sins to provide forgiveness and peace with God?!?!? But what about all those other ways to reach God?!?! What!?!? Sure, Jesus says he is the only way, but you're "too educated" to believe something like that!

I realize that, for many, suggesting anything as shocking as the idea that the Jewish faith is wrong on national TV (in America, no less) is equivalent to declaring there was no holocaust, or that there should not be a Jewish state in the middle east. Notice from the transcript that Mr. Deutsch actually inferred that Ann Coulter was proposing wiping Israel off the face of the map...

Now, I'm not saying that Ann Coulter expressed her opinion in a way that was clear and concise, or that she defended her statements well. Of course, I've only read the transcript, and didn't see the dialog unfold, so I'm not going to attack too stridently. She might have taken time to provide more context. She might have pointed out that many religions (including Judaism) believe they are the only true faith. She might have pointed out that a failure to want everyone else to have that true faith is equivalent to wanting others to be misled and spend the afterlife in a place other than the one in which the believer is wanting to spend the afterlife. But of course that would not have done anything to diminish Mr. Deutsch's accusations of anti-Semitism or equating Ms. Coulter to President Ahmadinejad.

In the end it's just a reaction to the belief that there is objective truth, right and wrong, and a God who has revealed Himself and provided one way to salvation. And as such, it's certainly nothing new under the sun, even if Mr. Deutsch is "too educated" to know better.

Define Satisfaction…

Do you enjoy getting phone calls asking you to give your feedback on customer satisfaction? Does anyone enjoy these? I suppose if I had an axe to grind, I might relish the opportunity to give feedback, but most of the time it is just plain annoying.

Why is it then, that the Volkswagen dealership where we take our car for service feels a compulsion, bordering on obsession, to get our feedback every single time we have the car in for any type of service? If we take it in for warranty work, they call to get our opinion. If we take it in for regularly scheduled maintenance, they call until we relent and give them our input. Even the odd oil change when timing and convenience leads us to take it there rather than a local shop triggers a barrage of phone calls that has begun to cause paranoia in yours truly. I know their caller id listing. They call me at work, they call my cell phone, they call at home. When I walk by a phone booth and it rings, I break into a run…

I mean really, what’s so hard about this? I obviously keep coming back. Does that sound like dissatisfaction to you? If I ever decide to go elsewhere, one of the reasons I’ll list is the terribly annoying phone calls. Sure, I could answer them the first time and get them off my back, but really, I have better things to do while at work than to pick up the phone and answer, on a scale of 1 to 5, 20 questions covering topics such as how easy it was to make an appointment, how clean the lobby was when I picked up my car, and whether the music playing at the cashier’s booth was pleasing or not…

Maybe the next time they call, I will pick up the phone, ask them not to call me anymore, and tell them that if I get another call from their silly customer satisfaction survey folks, I’ll never set foot in the dealership again.

Can I get an amen, or have I gone off the deep end?

Abandonment

I've been stricken today with a culmination of somber thoughts that have been forming and developing for the past few years. I'm not sure I can do them all justice, but you would probably be wise to continue only if you have the fortitude to consider some emotional topics.

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Things that should induce labor…

I'm sure everyone reading this who has either been pregnant or has been waiting for a little one to arrive in this world has been told a million and one things that can naturally induce labor. I know there is at least one website devoted to listing ideas for naturally inducing. Things like:

• Brisk walks
• Spicy foods

and yes, even
• curb-walking

Obviously, whatever ideas Amy and I have tried so far have not made any progress towards triggering the labor of our little one. I've come up with a second list though, this one of things that I wish would induce labor:

• Long naps (like I need an excuse!)
• Ice Cream (mmmm...)
• People calling to see if we have gone into labor yet (we've gotten enough of those to trigger labor for an entire hospital full of expecting mommies!)

Those are just a few of the things on my list, but I would really like to know what kinds of things our readers have either done to induce labor, or wish would induce labor, so comment away! Just remember to keep it family-friendly!

"Life is like a box of chocolates…"

Everyone knows what comes next, right?

"...You never know what you're going to get."

Most likely, you even hear it in the voice of that beloved character, Forrest Gump, don't you? How many times have you seen "Forrest Gump"? Just once? Five times? More times than you can count? Not at all? I hadn't ever seen it until this weekend. Am I the last person who was alive and of movie-going age when the movie came out that had still not seen it?

Anyway, it got me thinking. The movie tries to sum up its world view near the end with this statement by Gump: "I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both." That's right up there with Calvin and Nietzsche! Or maybe Calvin and Hobbes...

Personally, I think there is much more truth that can be plumbed from the earlier line about the box of chocolates. I'm still coming up with ways that life really is like a box of chocolates, but here are a few. Please add any you have discovered over the years below in the comments:

Life is like a box of chocolates...

• ...It looks good on the outside but can be pretty sticky when you get into it.


• ...It comes with a pretty bow on it but ends up empty and discarded


• ...If you share it with others, you'll have less to enjoy yourself.


• ...It's bad for your health.


• ...It goes straight to your hips.


• ...It doesn't freeze well.

See what I mean? Now that's philosophy! Got any others?

Cut ‘em up!

Here's an interesting article about hearings going on in the Senate regarding credit cards, fair practices, etc. I'd like to come up with some really witty response, but the whole discussion just makes me want to go home and cut up my credit cards even more than I did before I read this!

Ok, I'll admit it, I've been reading and listening to Dave Ramsey for a while, and making a concerted effort to stop "playing with snakes" and do everything on a cash basis. This just adds fuel to the fire.

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Answering the call

First, allow me to apologize for taking the geek-factor up so high with the last post. Honestly, talking about Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek in the same post... what was I thinking?!?

My goal for this post is to drop the GF (geek-factor) back down into the single digits and instead go for a personal feel that won't cause anyone's eyes to glaze over. Unless, of course, your eyes glaze over at the thought of reading personal stories, in which case, go ahead and glaze...

Apparently, anyone out there who knows or keeps up with the blogging culture (also known as the "blogosphere" for those who like their buzzwords. Woops, geek-factor rising, move on!) knows about tagging, whereby someone answers five questions on their blog and then picks some number (five seeming logical, but it's not always the case) of other blogs to "tag". Those other bloggers then have to answer the same questions and tag others, and so on, and so on. I said "apparently" at the beginning because while I have seen people answering questions on their blogs before, I have never been "tagged" before now. Or if I have, I was completely ignorant of it and probably seemed rude and uncaring. Alas, ignorance and neglect can sometimes express themselves in the same manner...

All that to say, my friend Ben over at Procrastination Station tagged me recently. Lest he think I am still completely clueless, I have been doing my homework on this whole subculture, and am ready to rise to the challenge. Without further ado, then...

Five Things You May Not Know About Me:

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No more addictions!

Anyone else out there hooked on (the new) Battlestar Galactica?

Amy and I have been watching since a re-run of the mini-series a few years ago, and we've seen all of the first two and a half seasons. While I can't say I like every aspect of the show, I have gotten caught up in the flow of the story and the idea that it is going somewhere. In the meantime, I enjoy the gritty, fallen nature of the personalities and problems encountered. I don't necessarily agree with or endorse how they handle themselves or their issues, but I appreciate a take on space fiction that doesn't assume a utopian human condition *cough*ST:TNG*cough*. Even some of the "good guys" are down-right distasteful at times.

At any rate, as Amy and I were watching the most recent episode, we again promised each other that this would be the last TV show we let ourselves get hooked on to the point that we go out of our way to watch it. I think the only other show we've fallen into like this was Alias, and by the time we discovered that, the first four seasons were available on DVD so we could rent them. We had to be dragged through the fifth season week by week along with all the other viewers, and when it was over we decided we were not going to take any more recommendations to voluntarily get hooked on shows like 24, Lost, or so many others. It seems many of our friends and family love these and other shows, but we just can't take it anymore. Either we'll be strung along from week to week as it is broadcast, or we will rent the DVD's and lose sleep and productivity in other areas of our lives until we finish them. What can I say... we're weak. We can handle the occasional episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition or Dancing with the Stars, but enough of the stories that suck you in and won't let you go. It's bad enough that it takes months to get anywhere. Worse still when you get to the end and discover you don't really like the destination (Alias...)

So we're giving the boot to TV series. Actually, we don't even have an antenna or cable of any sort hooked up to our TV, so Battlestar Galactica is the *only* TV show we watch, and we do that by downloading the episodes. (We had a subscription TV service that allowed us to watch the SciFi channel back when the series started, so when we dropped that and went back to not having any signal, we found other ways of getting our fix by renting or downloading the episodes.) I don't know when or how Battlestar Galactica will end, but I'm saying it here for all to read and remember - When Galactica ends, NO MORE! I've got too many books to read to get hooked on more TV.

Unless anyone has a recommendation.

NO, forget I said that!

Wrong approach?

Just stumbled across this CNN story about Jesus dolls being refused as a donation to a toy drive. I can't really say I'm surprised at the refusal by the Marine Reserves' program. In addition to the reasons listed regarding giving toys to children of other faiths, what happens if you give it to someone who considers it idolatry? Not to say I agree, but there was certainly plenty of heated talk of "graven images" when Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" came out a while back, and I would think this could hit a sore spot even in the homes of some Christians.

But all is not lost. All they have to do is sew little leather jackets, give them tattoos and donate them as Colin Farrell dolls. Am I the only one who sees the likeness???