Thursday, August 11, 2005

There are several questions asked by readers that I never got around to answering during the Blogathon. I thought I’d go ahead and do that now. These are the Reader’s Digest™ answers and I will not elaborate and the comments are open, but I will close them if debate gets unmanageable (this will make sense when you read #2).

1. I’ve noticed that many of your blogger friends are Christians and many of them enjoy reality TV.  I am curious about your take on how Christian views are portrayed in reality television, and then, do you think contemporary films, books and TV shows have a significant influence on the “marriage” of churches with worldly views?  If so, how can this be used to advantage rather than destruction of the godly church?

It comes down to that “aliens and strangers” thing about Christians in the world and how they are portrayed on reality TV shows. I think that too often genuine Christians are not portrayed accurately in fictional TV and that translates into how we’re portrayed in reality TV. Add that we’re sinful people who make mistakes to the notion that we’re supposed to be “perfect” and it’s hard for those who don’t share our faith to see us as we see each other or as we believe God sees us. Too often non-Christians think that by setting ourselves apart from the world means we set ourselves above the world. While that may be true for a small minority - it’s generally not true. We’re different, yes. Better? Not necessarily. Perfect? Definitely not.

I’m not sure what you mean by the “marriage” of the church with worldly views.

2. I would like to hear more about your gripes with Catholic theology.  [...] I am curious if we share the same gripes or if there are new ones I should consider.

I can answer this one very simply - Sola Scriptura.

3. What is your favorite kitchen utensil?

The wooden spoon.

4. Do you have a recipe that you would love to make every day, it’s THAT good?!

Yes.

Oh, you want it? Actually, I have several tried and true recipes. However I have a signature dish that I make when I want to wow people. I will have to repost that when I can find it, because I know that I posted it a while ago.

5. If you were a reality TV show contestant, which show would you choose?

The Mole. Second choice is The Amazing Race. Believe it or not, I think The Mole was the better of the two shows - smarter.

6. When you are feeling low, what is the scripture you turn to most? What song/hymn do you sing?

I don’t go to a song/hymn when I’m low. There are two passages that encourage me: Hebrews 12:1-13 and Ephesians 3:14-21.

Good questions, ya’ll. Thanks!

1. I made a few crystal bead stems last night. Very easy and they do look cool. And these were made with very cheap materials. We will be using this idea. It will mean a lot of work (mostly time), but it will be worth it, I think.

2. I just put together the detailed list of what we want the florist to do. It’s actually not a lot. So I’m feeling better about the flowers and being behind on this item.

3. Other details are coming together, but I won’t mention what they are about to keep it a surprise for the guests who read the blog. We do want a little bit of mystery.

4. The sparklers are out, but the Plan B idea that Mom was holding secret is fantastic and I think everyone will really enjoy sending us off at the end of the evening. It’s not your typical bridal couple send off thing, which is what makes it special.

5. We need to pin down the rentals we’ll need - tables, chairs, etc. - in order to get those reserved before others do that for their New Year’s Eve parties.

6. We need to finalize the catering menu and I need to get the cake recipe to the caterer.

7. We need to pick music for the band and put together a CD of music to be played when they are on breaks.

8. I want to double check the timing of walking down the aisle with my processional music. It’s a short piece that I’ve mapped in my head. But the length of the aisle will determine when each gal gets sent down to the front. I’m worried that it won’t work.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

I need to spread the word that my old blog (freakinjen.us) is no longer alive. My former host finally pulled the plug, which means visitors will get the dreaded 404 page.

There are several folks who have me linked with the old URL still. If you would be so kind, I would appreciate your assistance with reminding people to update their blogrolls with the jenspeaks.com domain.

Thanks so much!

Mom and I have a meeting on Sunday afternoon with a lady who does flowers. Woo.

In the meantime, I found this webpage and this webpage. Both are intriguing as alternatives if we don’t find a florist we like or trust.

Thoughts?

From Beau, via his mother, for my Dad.

Ratio of an igloo’s circumference to its diameter:
Eskimo Pi

2000 pounds of Chinese soup:
Won ton

1 millionth of a mouthwash:
1 microscope

Time between slipping on a peel and hitting the ground:
1 bananosecond

Weight an evangelist carries with God:
1 billigram

Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour:
Knot-furlong

365.25 days of drinking low-calorie beer:
1 lite year

16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone:
1 Rod Serling

Half of a large intestine:
1 semicolon

1000 aches:
1 megahurtz

Basic unit of laryngitis:
1 hoarsepower

Shortest distance between two jokes:
A straight line

454 graham crackers:
1 pound cake

1 million-million microphones:
1 megaphone

1 million bicycles:
2 megacycles

2000 mockingbirds:
two kilomockingbirds

10 cards:
1 decacards

1 kilogram of falling figs:
1 Fig Newton

1.1 sockfuls
1 literhosen

1 millionth of a fish:
1 microfiche

1 trillion pins:
1 terrapin

10 rations:
1 decoration

100 rations:
1 C-ration

2 monograms:
1 diagram

8 nickels:
2 paradigms

2.4 miles of intravenous tubing at Yale University Hospital:
1 I.V. League

Good episode last night. All I will say is to go here to vote for Kaysar to return to the BB house. I would love to see him shake things up and change the balance back away from The Friendship faction. I still contend that that is a ridiculous name for their half of the house.

My thoughts on the episode are in the hidden section because they are tres spoilerish.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Work for preschoolers = good things.

Giving your preschooler jobs around the house may help them perform better in school as well as make new friends, and rewards may not be necessary.

A new study shows that children whose mothers supported their autonomy by giving them responsibilities and offering them choices in kindergarten were better off socially and academically later in third grade.

Researchers say this “autonomy supportive” parenting approach involves focusing on the child’s perspective, explaining the rationale for requests, providing choices, and not using controlling language.

In contrast, use of praise or rewards with preschoolers wasn’t associated with any positive effects on adjustment in later years.

Researchers say previous studies have shown that giving young children rewards can sometimes be perceived as controlling and may lead to potentially negative effects. However, no negative or positive effects were found in this study.

We were created to work. ‘Nuff said.

It is freezing in my office today. I’m pretty sure that it won’t be too much longer before hypothermia sets in. My fingernails are blue and the tip of my nose is cold.

It’s August, right?

Sheesh.

First, I found out that the widow of Christopher Reeve, Dana Reeve is battling lung cancer. She never smoked.

Second, I learned that Marc Cohn, of Walking in Memphis fame, was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking on Sunday. He is alive and recovering in the hospital after being treated and released from the hospital.

Wow.

I left for work late this morning in order to watch the landing of the space shuttle live.

Welcome home, indeed.

...that I won’t have to deal with this headache.

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) - Traveling on Route 66 could take a little longer than usual starting later this month.

Virginia transportation officials say the eastbound lanes of I-66 in Prince William County will be closed at night for up to 30 days beginning later this month. The westbound lanes will close at night for the month of September. Traffic will be detoured onto local roads.

Workers will be paving lanes that are part of a four-mile widening project between Route 234 business and the Route 234 bypass.

The eastbound widening will begin either August 21st or 29th, depending on the weather, from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., for about 30 days. Crews will then immediately shift to the westbound side, where the lanes will be closed from 9 p-m to 6 a.m.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

What a nightmare in the short run. In the long run, the expansion of the lanes will be great for those who live in Prince William County. And then they’ll need to start the expansion further west as people continue to move out past Haymarket. Talk about suburban sprawl - that’s getting out to about 50+ miles.

Monday, August 08, 2005

I talked with our new Director (formerly known as The Marshal) earlier today. His first question, “Can I come home now?”

It’s lonely at the top.

I feel for him. HQ can be a tough place to navigate. It’s fortunate for him that he’s career and spent many years working with most of those folks. They know him, respect him, and like him for the most part. Still, there are the usual bureaucratic factions that he will have to manage around.

Still, it’s nice to be missed.

I just talked to the #1 florist on the list and they are not available to do the flowers for my wedding. This is not good. That’s two florists who have turned me down flat.

On the up side, I have been emailing with another one, but they’re in Leesburg. In any case, I called to make an appointment to discuss options with her - left a voicemail so I’m waiting to hear back.

And then I saw this article about doing weddings on the cheap. Interesting ideas and I most intrigued by the picture of a centerpiece that was bought from Costco. Another interesting cost saver was the bride who opted to buy the china, glasses, and flatware for her reception instead of renting.

Anyway, back to the flowers… I’m a little nervous now that I’ve been rejected outright by two florists. Only a little nervous since the Leesburg one is available - that only causes angst at the thought of how expensive she might be. But that’s a-whole-nother issue.

Molly Ringwraith of LOTR parody fame, has parodied the new Harry Potter novel.

Part One
Part Two

Heavy on the spoilers, which is why I haven’t read them yet. But I have no doubt that they are hilarious based on her former parody work.

This post is from Saturday, but I moved it up for anyone who missed seeing it then.

So Beau and I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory yesterday. I have one word to describe it - weird. And brilliant. And demented. And wonderful. I loved it, although I think that while Beau enjoyed it, his feelings on it are less enthusiastic.

Tim Burton is an oddball. But he has such creativity and it’s why his movies are mostly successful - especially his more whimsical movies like Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish.

Johnny Depp is a great actor. And I mean he is a great actor - he will go down as one of the most versatile actors of this generation. He is such a chameleon and I like him in everything I see. As Willy Wonka he is weird, charming, interesting, and heart-breaking.

The oompa-loompas - hilarious and the songs were fantastic.

Fun movie, probably not suitable for younger kids. I give this one 4 stars out of 5.

- it’s not too late to make a pledge!

Free Tea For All Reasons tea for anyone who sponsors me.
If you pledge up to $25, you will get one bag of tea.
If you pledge over $25, you will get two bags of tea.