Monday, November 24, 2008
Happy Birthday, Bry
Happy Birthday, Bry! We're glad that you're enjoying Illinois, and we certainly enjoy everything you do to keep us up-to-date with what's going on with you, Ben, and the girls. Keep having adventures, and we'll keep cheering for you.
Random thought: You remember how Mom always made us two separate birthday cakes? I really enjoyed that she did that. (Thanks, Mom!)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
An issue of grave importance
Since beginning this blog, neither Colter nor I have written intensely political blog entries…or long ones. However, this year there is on the California ballot an issue in which I believe so strongly that I feel I simply must blog about it. The issue is Proposition 8, which, if it passes, will amend the California constitution to recognize as legal only marriages between a man and a woman. I am in favor of Proposition 8. I believe that if it is defeated in the election it will terribly erode the liberty we enjoy in this country and it will set the state of California on a path to destruction of its society.
You may wonder why I believe that a yes vote on Proposition 8 will preserve our freedom. After all, it restricts homosexual couples from marrying. Isn’t that restricting their freedom? The answer is yes, it is a restriction; but it is the same kind of restriction a childproofing cover provides—restricting the freedom of a small child from sticking its fingers into an electric socket. You see, I believe that only a man and a woman are meant to live together in a marriage relationship. Physically, emotionally, mentally, they complement each other and are meant to be teammates through the bonds of marriage. I believe this is a natural law—as real as gravity. One cannot deny natural laws without suffering unhappy consequences. Similarly one cannot deny natural moral laws without having people and society suffer in the long run.
By the same token, one cannot create natural laws—or rights. The only way one can create a right for one person is to take it from another. That is what will happen if Proposition 8 is defeated and homosexual marriage is legalized in California. For example, adoption agencies run by groups who do not believe in gay marriage will be forced to either let homosexual couples adopt or shut down their services entirely. This has already happened in Massachusetts, the only other state in the United States which has legalized gay marriage. Such a move takes away not only the right of such groups to operate according to their beliefs, it takes away the rights of the children to be raised by a father and a mother.
The right of children to be raised by both a mother and a father is an important point. Only children raised in such an environment can truly learn about gender identity. Only by understanding how gender identity shapes each individual can each boy and girl come to understand his or her own unique identity.
Voting in favor of Proposition 8 also preserves our freedom in that it sets the decision regarding legalization of gay marriage back in the hands of the people of California. In 2000, California voters chose to pass Proposition 22. Proposition 22 did not amend the California constitution; but it stated in California law that only marriage between a man and a woman would be legal in California. The measure passed by a margin of 61% to 38%. This past April four judges in the 9th Circuit Court ruled Proposition 22 unconstitutional, using the power of the judiciary to legalize gay marriage in opposition to the will of the people. In this country, the people are to make the laws, either through a ballot vote, as they did with Proposition 22 or through their legislative representatives in state or national Congress. If the people of California had voted to legalize gay marriage, or if they do so in the future, I would be saddened, but at least I would know the law had been made through the proper channels. To have the judges making the laws in the land goes against the principles on which this country is founded: the right of the people to govern themselves.
I know that same-sex attraction is real. Each of us in this world struggles with some trait. For some, it is the temptation to fly into a temper at the slightest provocation. For others, it is a tendency toward alcoholism or drugs. And some find themselves experiencing romantic feelings towards members of the same sex. I believe each man and woman is ultimately happier when they master their weaknesses than when they give in to them.
For all the reasons I have mentioned above, I urge all Californians to vote Yes on Proposition 8 this November 4.
You may wonder why I believe that a yes vote on Proposition 8 will preserve our freedom. After all, it restricts homosexual couples from marrying. Isn’t that restricting their freedom? The answer is yes, it is a restriction; but it is the same kind of restriction a childproofing cover provides—restricting the freedom of a small child from sticking its fingers into an electric socket. You see, I believe that only a man and a woman are meant to live together in a marriage relationship. Physically, emotionally, mentally, they complement each other and are meant to be teammates through the bonds of marriage. I believe this is a natural law—as real as gravity. One cannot deny natural laws without suffering unhappy consequences. Similarly one cannot deny natural moral laws without having people and society suffer in the long run.
By the same token, one cannot create natural laws—or rights. The only way one can create a right for one person is to take it from another. That is what will happen if Proposition 8 is defeated and homosexual marriage is legalized in California. For example, adoption agencies run by groups who do not believe in gay marriage will be forced to either let homosexual couples adopt or shut down their services entirely. This has already happened in Massachusetts, the only other state in the United States which has legalized gay marriage. Such a move takes away not only the right of such groups to operate according to their beliefs, it takes away the rights of the children to be raised by a father and a mother.
The right of children to be raised by both a mother and a father is an important point. Only children raised in such an environment can truly learn about gender identity. Only by understanding how gender identity shapes each individual can each boy and girl come to understand his or her own unique identity.
Voting in favor of Proposition 8 also preserves our freedom in that it sets the decision regarding legalization of gay marriage back in the hands of the people of California. In 2000, California voters chose to pass Proposition 22. Proposition 22 did not amend the California constitution; but it stated in California law that only marriage between a man and a woman would be legal in California. The measure passed by a margin of 61% to 38%. This past April four judges in the 9th Circuit Court ruled Proposition 22 unconstitutional, using the power of the judiciary to legalize gay marriage in opposition to the will of the people. In this country, the people are to make the laws, either through a ballot vote, as they did with Proposition 22 or through their legislative representatives in state or national Congress. If the people of California had voted to legalize gay marriage, or if they do so in the future, I would be saddened, but at least I would know the law had been made through the proper channels. To have the judges making the laws in the land goes against the principles on which this country is founded: the right of the people to govern themselves.
I know that same-sex attraction is real. Each of us in this world struggles with some trait. For some, it is the temptation to fly into a temper at the slightest provocation. For others, it is a tendency toward alcoholism or drugs. And some find themselves experiencing romantic feelings towards members of the same sex. I believe each man and woman is ultimately happier when they master their weaknesses than when they give in to them.
For all the reasons I have mentioned above, I urge all Californians to vote Yes on Proposition 8 this November 4.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Dagwood on Task Management
Yesterday's Blondie:
There are so many opportunities open to us. We can pretty much do whatever we want to, and with much of it — family, work, church, community — other people ask a lot of us, too. If we're not careful, we can easily spend our time doing things that just plain aren't important.
Peter Lynch once paid a consultant to help him become more effective at work. The recommendation was to start the day by listing everything that he could do that day, then rank the list by order of importance. Start working on the most important task and don't stop until it's done. Move on to the second task. At the end of they day, you'll know that however much got done, you did the things that were most important for you to do today.
Some things aren't going to get done. Face it. Accept it. As long as you're doing things that are more important, it doesn't matter. Focus on the most important things you can do — what will make you the happiest, make the biggest difference, and have the longest impact — and let the rest go. It's just distracting you.
There are so many opportunities open to us. We can pretty much do whatever we want to, and with much of it — family, work, church, community — other people ask a lot of us, too. If we're not careful, we can easily spend our time doing things that just plain aren't important.
Peter Lynch once paid a consultant to help him become more effective at work. The recommendation was to start the day by listing everything that he could do that day, then rank the list by order of importance. Start working on the most important task and don't stop until it's done. Move on to the second task. At the end of they day, you'll know that however much got done, you did the things that were most important for you to do today.
Some things aren't going to get done. Face it. Accept it. As long as you're doing things that are more important, it doesn't matter. Focus on the most important things you can do — what will make you the happiest, make the biggest difference, and have the longest impact — and let the rest go. It's just distracting you.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
The Sam's Club Moment
Photo: Josh LewisWe stopped by to do the paperwork, and he asked me if I was going to get myself one. I wasn't; this was the first I'd ever been in Sam's Club. I wasn't familiar with them, and I didn't know that I'd ever use it. He convinced me to walk around the warehouse with him before I made up my mind.
We started out, and I wasn't that impressed. I kept focusing on the cost. NutriGrain Bars for $5.99. (Sure it's more, but I can get them for $2.00 a box at Albertson's.) Cheerios for $7.99. (Half that at Albertson's.)
Halfway through, he got me to see the light, and I'm thankful to this day that he did. I was looking at it from the wrong angle. I needed to look at the value, not the cost. Yes, I could get a $4 box of Cheerios at Albertson's, but I'm going to spend $8 on Cheerios anyway as soon as I buy two boxes. Once I've spent $8, do I want to own 26 oz of Cheerios, or 37 oz? It's about making your money do more for you.
I started getting really excited, and ended up getting myself a membership as well. I also picked up as much of the grocery shopping as I could instead of stopping at Albertson's on the way home. (I wasn't ready to buy milk there. Yet.) Two memberships, groceries, and $20 cash back came to about $120.
On the way home, we stopped by Albertson's so I could get milk. I wanted to see how long it would take for the Sam's Club membership to pay for itself. What I had just bought at Sam's Club — just the groceries — came to over $160. I was astounded. I had no idea the membership would pay for itself and more on the first trip.
I've been sold ever since. Sure, there have been times I've gone overboard and bought things I shouldn't have. (It takes a long time for two people to go through 5 lbs of shredded cheese.) But it's either been worth it, or it makes for a good story. Now, my wife and I are working on gaining and understanding of just how fast we go through things, which will let us know how much we need to keep on hand. More on that later.
Gruntspeak
I came across this cartoon on Friday, illustrating the grammatical gymnastics involved in carrying on an entire conversation with one word. Go ahead and check it out. I'll wait for you.
(BTW, it just took me five tries and the help of the spell checker to find a form of "grammar" that A) fits my usage and B) is already a word.)
It reminds me of a conversation I had with my best friend when we were teenagers. I don't remember who grunted what, but here's the gist of it:
At which point, we pushed back our chairs and got up to leave. My mother, who had been looking back and forth at us during the whole exchange, burst out laughing. "What was that?"
"We were figuring out what to do now. We're going to go rent a movie and watch it here. I'm driving, we'll need to borrow your Blockbuster card, and excellent job on the marinade. Very tasty."
Tim Allen would be proud.
(BTW, it just took me five tries and the help of the spell checker to find a form of "grammar" that A) fits my usage and B) is already a word.)
It reminds me of a conversation I had with my best friend when we were teenagers. I don't remember who grunted what, but here's the gist of it:
"I'm full."
"Me, too. That was a good meal."
"Totally. The pork chops were very tender and savory. Slightly smokey, and just a hint of lime."
"I agree. And the mashed potatoes were well-seasond and had just the right amount of lumps."
"They were very good. Excellent meal, Mom."
"Yes, Mom. Thank you."
"So what shall we do now?"
"Well, we could play some more hackey sack."
"Nah, I'm too full for that level of physical activity. As much as I enjoyed dinner, I'd prefer to only enjoy it once."
"Good call. We could play video games."
"We spent most of the afternoon playing video games. My thumbs are still sore. Go to the mall?"
"We could... I don't have any money, though. I couldn't buy anything."
"Oh! There was that movie you wanted to see. The one with ... whatsherface."
"That's right! I'd forgotten about that. And I'd just been talking about it while we were playing video games. Let's do that."
"Who's driving?"
"We're here. I'll drive. Do you have a card?"
"...Not on me."
"Not a problem. We can grab my mom's. Watch it at your place or mine?"
"Yours. My sister's probably still watching TV."
"Alright! Let's go."
At which point, we pushed back our chairs and got up to leave. My mother, who had been looking back and forth at us during the whole exchange, burst out laughing. "What was that?"
"We were figuring out what to do now. We're going to go rent a movie and watch it here. I'm driving, we'll need to borrow your Blockbuster card, and excellent job on the marinade. Very tasty."
Tim Allen would be proud.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Monday Night Football Redux
Just a quick note that we're back, safe and sound, from the Broncos-Raiders season opener on Monday Night Football. It was Denver's first win on the road on MNF since 1998 (I love some of these strung-up statistics), and Oakland barely avoided their third consecutive shutout on Monday Night.The seats were great (thanks, Dave!) and it was interesting to see the differences in what the game was like. The Black Hole and Mile High each have their own flavor.
I can't wait to watch the highlights on AppleTV tomorrow so I can see just what happened with some of those plays.
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