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Posted In: Everyday life — November 26, 2004 @ 10:29 pm — Stephanie

We spent a lovely thanksgiving with Aunt Barb, her new husband, her rabbi, his wife, and my cousin Matt. I’ve never experienced such thoughtfulness and consideration for my beliefs. They were wonderful! My aunt bought vegetarian food for us. She even went so far as to make vegan mashed potatoes! She outdid herself on our behalf and for once there was actually more food than we could eat.

After we ate, we took the dogs for a walk on some hilly land riddled with prairie dog holes. We didn’t spot any prairie dogs, but we saw a really neat looking rabbit and a what we suspect was a foxhole. We climbed up this very steep hill, enjoying the view overlooking a little enclave of houses with the backdrop of mountains looming behind them. So pretty!

It was really nice having family to spend the holiday with. We talked about some rather uncomfortable subjects, but it was so nice feeling welcomed somewhere. I’m probably going to call and keep in touch with them. I don’t really know them very well, but it’s nice having *sane* family close by.

Anyway…our cruise is coming up soon–it’s only 8 days away! I’m so excited! We’re looking at excursions to do on the trip. There are way too many activity choices! I’m looking forward to spending some carefree time with Peter and escaping the cold December weather. It’s been over three years now since I’ve seen the ocean and I’m more excited about that than anything. The ocean overwhelms my senses–the smells, the salty taste of the sea, the feeling of warm sand under my feet, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore, and the sightings of fish and other neat creatures… I can’t wait to be there! Peter and I plan on spending a lot of time at the beach. I’m content just walking along the shore, or standing there in complete and utter awe as the sun sinks into the dark ocean waters. *sigh*

I’ve never been to this part of the world, so the unknown and undiscovered is another draw for me. Peter seems to not really believe that this is happening yet. I expect reality to come crashing in once we’re making the mad dash for the airport next Sunday.

Time to grab some dinner and a movie rental. I hope everyone that reads this enjoyed a wonderful holiday!

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Let it snow…

Posted In: Everyday life — November 20, 2004 @ 12:35 pm — Peter

Today we woke up to a few inches of powder on the ground. It does not seem to be as much as they predicted, but there should be some more throughout the weekend. This week was very hectic. It began with a staff meeting on Monday that revealed the poor finacial status of the company I work for. After the meeting, the CEO sent out an email suggesting that staff reductions would be required to get the company on track. I was not too worried about being layed off. I just wrapped up a huge milestone on a project and received alot of recognition for it. I managed to procrastinate throughout the week on the school work I have due Sunday night. I need to pull off a miricle over the next few days to get it done. I feel pretty confident on the matieral and think I can pull it off. I will likely spend tonight and Sunday night on campus putting it all together.

On Thursday night, Stephanie got her hair done. It was a pretty miserable experience since her regular hairdresser has left to work elsewhere. She ended up with this new person that didn’t follow the instructions left by Kieth, her regular hairdresser. So, she ended up with a haircut and highlights that she is not happy with. For the amount of money we paid, we should complain… But both of us are too shy to do so.

Last night, I had my dentist appointment. I have been putting it off for so long and almost rescheduled again. For some reason, the idea of dental work scares the shit out of me. When I got there, the dentist saw some issues with the structure of my tooth that was to be built up and crowned. He thought the layer of tooth that remained was too fragile and thin and may utimately risk exposing the nerve of the tooth. To avoid causing a tooth ache, he recommended a root canal. It didn’t seem like I had much of a choice, so I went ahead with it. After 4 shots in my mouth, I was pretty numb. Although I was numb, it still felt incredibly awkward having my nerve ripped out of my tooth. The pain right now is minor, however I must chew on the other side. The timing of this is aweful since Stephanie and I are going to a vegan thanksgiving feast this afternoon.

It was black friday at work yesterday as the layoffs began early in the morning. The VP of IT called all the IT staff into the conference room to dispell any rumors about staff being layed off. He assured us that all of our jobs were safe, however the VP of ESG was being layed off. This particuar person was the manager of the group I am in, Enterprise Software Group. The VP of IT would assume his role from this point on. This was the shocker for the day, for me at least. This was the person that interviewed and ultimately hired me. This will definitly change the atmoshpere around the IT department. However, change is good and I am sure we will make the best of a pretty crappy situation.

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Happy Birthday Stephanie!

Posted In: Everyday life — November 16, 2004 @ 8:06 am — Peter

Today is Stephanie’s birthday!!!

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Day off

Posted In: Everyday life — November 11, 2004 @ 10:29 am — Peter

So, I have the day off today. Stephanie has her sewing class at 10am until noon. I am going to try to use this time to get some things done that I have been putting off for a while. I need to move the neighborhood association’s website to my server and clean off my remote hosting account. That sould be pretty easy except for having the domain name transfered. After that, I woud like to get some more work done on our personal website. It is nice having a blog to use now, but I need to wrap up the ‘about us’ and ‘photo gallery’.

I had class last night. Tony and I did the panel discussion at about 9pm and it went so so. I don’t feel we prepared enough, especially since I could not get a hold of him until a few days before class. I did my best to prepare on my own, but it was quite a large amount of material to cover without knowing how it would be split up between us. Overall, I think we had a ‘B’ performance. I am now teamed up with another group that appears to be quite organized and ready to get to work right away. One of the group members already sent out an email regarding how the article may be split up. I feel much more confortable with this group. So, I need to get the artcile read, which is about Rational ClearCase, and get the group some feedback. Other than group work, I have about 8 1 page essays to get done ASAP. I must say, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed…

Stephanie was hoping to spend some time together since I have the day off. I can’t imagine I will be working on this stuff all day, especially because I need breaks every now and then to clear my head. I am not sure what we can do though…. We are broke at the moment and it is cold outside. That leaves much of the free activities out of the question. Perhaps we can go to a cafe and grab a cup of coffee and talk for a while. Or see how Iris likes the dog park when it is covered with a thin layer of snow…

Well, this was a pretty useless post. It simply shows what currently makes up a day in my life. Perhaps I will visit later to post something of interest to the rest of the world. Hrrm, that is doubtful.

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Dear President Bush

Posted In: Everyday life — November 8, 2004 @ 9:59 am — Peter

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from you and understand why you would propose and support a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. As you said “in the eyes of God marriage is based between a man a woman.” I 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 that Leviticus 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 purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims 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 uncleanness - 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 obligated to 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 reading glasses. 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 garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to 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 family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

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