I hope I have a few folks with this site still in their readers, so for those of you paying attention, I’m curious as to what you’d like to see from me. I’ve tackled subjects like abortion, homosexuality, and orthodoxy. I’ve also talked somewhat candidly about personal struggles, my brand of politics, and the like. Part of me feels that I’ve said it all, but I know that can’t be. I’m just too opinionated. Help me prime the pumps.

Ennui is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Appearances around the interwebs –

I had a small part in the latest episode of Making the Cut, the award winning podcast novel by Chris Lester. Working with Chris has been a great experience.

I have a new picture up at Insect Picture of the day. This is the second one in two weeks. Go check out the first one while you’re at it.

“Power in the Blood” will be featured in the Intercast over at Edward G. Talbot’s joint. What is the Intercast? It’s the series of short story podcasts he’s dropping in his feed in between New World Orders and his next project. Ed has been voicing Big John Delucci in Archangel:Legion and doing a fine job.

Speaking of podcast novels other than mine, I’ve been listening to and digging the following:
The Leviathan Chronicles – a full on sci-fi audiodrama featuring immortals, deep sea submersibles, and loads of action
Antithesis: Book 1 – J. Daniel Sawyer, who guest posted for me, has written a very good character driven sci-fi story which will apparently span five books when he’s done.
These of course are in addition to Murder at Avedon Hill, anything and everything Sigler is doing, Making the Cut, and Escape Pod. My iPod runneth over.

Finally while I was laid up last week with an injured hip I finished Contagious by Scott Sigler. I’ll post a review of that here in the coming week. All I’ll say for now is if you like King (when he was still hitting them out of the park) then you’ll love this.

Decompression… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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January – I did some traveling at the beginning of the year and that was reflected in my blog posts, but my favorite, largely because of the conversation it brought was the first of two posts on predestination/election.

February – This year was all about the politics. I wrote some of my thoughts over at SpitballPolitics.com. Sadly I didn’t write there enough. My post for this month was a little bit of a rant.

March – This post was inspired by a cartoon. I still refer back to it from time to time to remember that the life we live says more about us than the words we use.

April – A health scare generated a few posts, thankfully it was nothing. My favorite though, has to be the first episode of Archangel. It’s been a fun trip.

May – This post was on spiritual hydration.

June – I had the pleasure of meeting the author of Samson and the Pirate monks and this post is a review of that book. We read it at our annual men’s retreat. I highly recommend it.

July – I launched ArchangelNovel.com, but the best one this month was an inspiring video about allowing yourself to fail.

August – Leigh and I started our couple cast this month, but this month’s best post was one inspired by an XKCD.com comic.

September – There was a lot of great content this month, but this song absolutely filled my brain for most of the month so it wins hands down.

October – I spent quite a bit of time prepping for NaNo, but saw this “Christian” board game and it flipped my lid.

November – It was a light month thanks to writing but there were some goodies thanks to Prop 8 and more political stuff.

December – Ahhhh December, I remember it well. This was inspired by a Will Ferrel movie of all things.

Well I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. I look forward to even better stuff in ’09. I’ll be developing ScottRoche.com. I’ll finish up Archangel Legion. There will be a new podcast novel, probably in the second half of the year. Stick around and watch me for the changes.

ht to sgrace for the ribbon

The Year in Review is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I do have all the recording done for Episode 3 of Archangel so that should be on schedule. I need to do some writing in that area as well. My brain is burning up with what I want to get put down, but no energy is left at day’s end.

So anyway this may (or may not) be the sole transmission from me for a few days.

Busy Week… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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In episode five Leigh and I talk about sex bay-bee.
Promo: Snark Dawg

Music from3rd Man, called Blind Spot.

Spiritual Stew: Episode Five – Ess Eee Ecks is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I’ll just hit the highlights.

The first Sunday we were there was the Cohoon-Gray family reunion. That was part of the reason we went when we did. Family reunions are typically about as much fun as a root canal by a dentist with the DT’s. This one was certainly better than that. I got to see a lot of family that I don’t generally get to see, which is the point I suppose. Add to that the fact that there were no fights and only a couple of snipes by my grandma at me and the wife and I count it a win.

That night we went to go see The Tams (a beach music group). They were awesome and yours truly got up with them and danced in front of everyone. Sadly there is no evidence. I forgot to bring my camera. Still it was awesome.

There was a significant amount of outdoorsy activity. We went to the beach three times and if you’re eager to see me on a boogie board there is photographic evidence of that. Check my flickr stream (on the sidebar over there) to check that out. You might want to jigger with the brightness on your monitor first though. I am REALLY white. We flew kites on Jockey’s ridge. My mom, wife, and daughter went fishing and caught some minners.

We ate…. Oh dear LORD did we eat. In addition to the spread at the reunion, my mom did up some seafood one night (crab legs, clams, and for me a 3/4s inch thick tuna steak) and I grilled some cow flesh another. We didn’t eat out much other than lunches. When we did it actually involved little seafood. I guess when you grow up at the beach you get jaded, I don’t know. There were awesome burgers had and even better frozen custard at a joint call Kill Devil Fries. I had more bacon than is advised by any health advisory board.

One afternoon, my mom took the kids to see their great-grands the missus and I begged off. We went to Manteo’s waterfront and looked in all the cute shops. I went by to see my old high school which was a bit odd. Much has changed, but some things remained the same. I left a note for my junior year English teacher (Hi Mr. Guiley!) and left my email with him. I hope he contacts me. I owe a lot of my better literature choices to him and hopefully the good bits in my writing. We had dinner at a little sandwich shop and saw Journey to the Center of the Earth.

I got a good bit of writing on Legion done so that was good. Not nearly as much as I would have liked, but one thing I told Leigh was that I enjoyed just being with the family. The temptation in years past has been to “check out” when on vacation. That did happen once while I was there and we had a good back and forth about it. I was in the wrong and after that it was golden. I still got time to write but made sure that I was fully present the rest of our stay.

So that’s it in a clamshell. Hope any summer vacation you had was half as good at least.

Trip Report is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Wish List # 2 is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Tell It To My Giant Robot Baseball Jersey – Tell It To My Giant Robot – Retropolis Transit Authority – Printfection.com

A TWiT hat (oh grow up) It has an iPod pocket!!!

My very own Archangel shirt.

Attention World is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Second of all if you’ll look over on my flickr sidebar you’ll see that I did indeed get my beer in the bottles. Once I’m sure they’re reasonably stable and am able to taste one I may be sending some out to the universe. Rhodester, Pat, and Ben I’m looking at you guys. Send me your addresses if you want one. Quantities are limited. Operators are standing by.

Thirdly.you should try Festina Peche by Dogfish Head. It’s about as tart as any beer has a right to be. This is not a fru-fru fruity beer. It’s incredibly refreshing. It won’t be my go to summer beer since it ain’t cheap, but it’s well worth checking out. What is my go to summer beer? Well in years past it’s pretty much been Sam Adam’s Summer Ale, but I tried Shock Top by A-B (I know I know) and it is indeed worthy and inexpensive.

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Horne Creek Farm is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Barn cat what are you looking for?





Persimmon Bark

Farm Pictures is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Thursday night we got there about the time it was full on dark, so there wasn’t a lot in the way of scenery. Where might there be? Why Pilot Knob Inn Bed and Breakfast of course. My wife had planned the whole thing so I knew very little. I did know that the individual cabins were converted tobacco barns that managed to be cozy and cute. No mean feat pulling that off I’m sure.


We decided to head on in to Mount Pilot (the town near Pilot Mountain) and see what sort of food we could drum up. We went to Aunt Bea’s BBQ. It was good, the ‘cue very smoky and tender.
The next morning we got to see what the outside of our digs looked like.

Here’s another cabin near ours:

The day was rainy and the breakfast nothing to write home about (blog about sure, but I’m easy). Still we were determined to make a go of it. After some strenuous antiquing we broke for lunch at Livin’ Lattes, a coffee shop that we found out also serves as a music venue/church.


I’m glad to report that the food and coffee were most excellent. If you ever make it out that way I recommend the southwest chicken philly. The proprietors were incredibly friendly and insanely busy. That could be because they had a thriving business or seven kids or both. Still, they weren’t too busy to talk about their business, their life, and the Gospel. We’ll definitely be making a trip back asap.
We spent the rest of that day in Mount Airy (the town that inspired Mayberry) and headed back to the cabin for more R&R and a light meal.
The next day was off to a promising start weather wise.

The mountain still looked a bit foreboding though.

So rather than hike through what would be still damp undergrowth we decided to head into town and see what we could see. There wasn’t much so we went to Horne Creek Farm to ask some questions about butter churning (edgy life we lead). Satisfied and after learning abut Love Valley, NC we headed on home. It was a much needed vacation and we added a few places to our must see list.

Pilot Mountain is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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1. The birthday trip we took this week to Pilot Mountain. (My wife’s b-day)
2. Why I am a Democrat Pt. 2
3. More entries in the ongoing story I’m calling The Cage

See you round!

Politics, mountains, and writing… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Favorite Food – Hands down, my wife’s lasgna. Growing up I was a fan of Garfield and he and I see eye to eye on this. Cheese, sauce, and pasta piled in mountains of mouth-watering mellifluousness. I bought her a lasagna pan one year that was actually too big to fit in our apartment’s smallish oven. We had to finish it off at our church.
Favorite Movie – Wow, this one’s a toughy. Sorro said that his is The ‘Burbs. Choice pick that. I’ll have to go older school for mine. I’m going to say The Quiet Man. I love John Wayne. I love Ireland. A guy from my church says that there are still parts of Ireland that are like that. I think it’s what heaven is like. It’s a movie I can just pop in and enjoy. So yeah, The Quiet Man… or Cool Hand Luke…
Favorite Drink – Sweet tea. I wasn’t born in the south, but I’ve been in North Carolina most of my life. Here we do sweet tea. Sometimes it’s too sweet. My wife makes it too sweet, but I drink it anyway. There is absolutely nothing better after mowing the lawn than a quart of well iced sweet tea, water beading on the sides of the glass. And keep your dang lemon!
Favorite Bands/Songs – Well this isn’t narrow at all. Not for me anyway. I have pretty broad tastes, though as I’ve said in the past I tend to get stuck in retro mode. This is actually way harder than the movie question. Got to give this one more thought, perhaps a post of its own.
Favorite Memory – As I posted recently, memory is a tricky thing. There’s a good podcast that I listen to called Radio Lab and they did a ‘cast on memory that you should listen to. I could say something like, the birth of my children, but then I’d have to pick one. I could say my wedding, but there are things about that day I’d rather not remember. So I think I’ll pick the time when my wife and I first kissed and that’s all I have to say about that.
Favorite TV Show – MASH. It has it all and then some. I’m gradually getting all of the episodes on DVD. It was hard not to pick something more genre-y like Star Trek, but the writing, acting and stories are just so freaking great. My current favorite might just be Lost, which I’m catching up on via ABC’s website (thansk Ben!). I’m still in season one, but I get the hype.
Favorite ??? – The open category… Well I enjoy a lot of things and most of those things are based around the web. So I’ll add my current favorite webcomic and podcast. Those would be Schlock, a space opera, and Playing For Keeps, a podcast novel by Mur Lafferty.

A Few of My Favorite Things is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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One Flu Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Earliest Memory… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I’m not a believer in astrology at all, but I figure as MCF says that these are vague enough that anyone can apply a few of the ones in their month to themselves and this kind of stuff has a strange appeal. Mainly the “group of strangers forming a web community” thing. So here’s me.
JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood (so my wife says). Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty (or so I think)and sparkly (hardly). Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved (who doesn’t?). Easily hurt but takes long to recover.
I’m interested (narcissist that I am) what any of you might think about which ones might apply to me that I haven’t chosen.
Tagging (I tag them in part hoping they’ll meme on but mostly because these are blogs you should read):
Sid
Pat
Chesty
Sorro/Forro
RC
WoolCovered
Gray
Pink
Blest
Danny
Doug
Bob
Here are the months and their traits:
JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.
FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.
MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.
APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.
MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislikes being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.
JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.
JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.
AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.
SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.
OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who love them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.
NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig up secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.
DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Calendar Daze is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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These signs tickled me. I’m sure that makes me immature.

The TIm Horton’s that I never visited. “Tojours Frais” means always fresh, which I understand they aren’t. I would have taken pictures of the donuts because they did look miiiigthy tasty, but I feared that they might not understand someone taking pictures of something that they weren’t buying. Getting arrested for some sort of weird industrial espionage wasn’t on my “to do” list.

Now this, this was good stuff. This was the moccacino and biscotti that I had at Second Cup. These folks could teach those Seattle guys a thing or twelve about making a mocha.

A classy looking McDonalds. No I did NOT eat here tyvm. In an act of quiet desperation I almost did, but they didn’t take AMEX.

This is a beautiful church. I didn’t get inside, but I imagine it was equally nice. I took several night pictures that turned out pretty crappy. Here are the least crappy.


I like that the camera focused on that branch. It’s actually a nice effect. The other night pictures made me look epileptic.

See. Any of you camera buffs help me with that?
More pictures later.

Canada Picture-blog is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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We spent it at my wife’s aunt’s house. It was quite the drive up to the DC area. I wish I had gotten some pics of the gorgeous trees or the great house we stayed in. I did get some of a parade we went to in Reston, more on that in a minute.
I got to see the Apple TV gizmo. I played quite a bit of PS2. The kids enjoyed playing in the finished basement. Movies were watched, spirits were drunk, conversation was had. It was a marvelous time. I’m truly thankful for the hospitality that was shown to us.
I had plans to do so much this month. I wanted to blog more. I wanted to write my second novel. Instead I worked a lot. I got to join my company as a regular employee. I traveled to California. I’ll travel to Canada in a couple of days. They’re trade offs I can live with. I’m thankful for the trade offs.
Now on to the pics.

The Christmas tree.



The awesome technicolor jalopies.

Dancing Bolivians (gotta get me some of those boots).

Ginormous bald eagles.
It was REALLLLLLY cold so we missed Santa Claus and one or two other things. Still a good parade though.
How was your Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Yup, still here is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Flash forward to this weekend. Our oldest wanted to go on a ride at the county fair. She was having a hard time deciding, as seven year olds are wont to do. Finally I had had enough of her indecision. I was hot, tired, and had a sunburn on my forehead. I told her that it was either the bumper cars (her last choice) or nothing. She took the bumper cars.
She got on, uncertain and barely able to reach the steering wheel. She looked a little scared and fairly miserable. After getting bumped around a bit and having little or no clue how to make her car go, in spite of my angrily shouted instructions, she got off. They shut down the ride so that she could take the exit. I was, well I suppose I was embarrassed, for me, for her, who knows which? I know I was angry. I berated her. I shamed her. Though I don’t remember all of the things I said, I’m pretty sure that she will one day.
I hope that she’ll also remember that the next day I took her into my arms and told her how sorry I was. I encouraged her not to give up when things where hard or scary. I told her that next time we went we’d find a ride that was more age appropriate. Not in so many words, I promised that I wouldn’t fail her the way my dad had failed me.
Oh I fail my children and my wife several times a week at least, usually in little ways, sometimes in great big ones. In that way I’m no different. I don’t see that changing any time soon. So I don’t know that that’s a promise I can keep, but I’ll try. Admitting shortcomings to anyone, especially to someone who should think you incapable of wrongdoing, is hard. We owe that to the people we love though, to do the hardest things. In my case that’s sacrificing pride. What does that look like for you?

Fair to Middlin’ is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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J. Craig Venter
Geneticist
“The movie has an underlying assumption that I just don’t relate to: that people want a slave class. As I imagine the potential of engineering the human genome, I think, wouldn’t it be nice if we could have 10 times the cognitive capabilities we do have? But people ask me whether I could engineer a stupid person to work as a servant. I’ve gotten letters from guys in prison asking me to engineer women they could keep in their cell. I don’t see us, as a society, doing that.”

As much as I’d like to hope he’s write I just don’t agree. I see us as a society doing that very thing. Maybe it’ll be Brave New World with it’s Epsilons, or Planet of the Apes, or I,Robot but we like very much to have something doing the cheap labor for us. Even folks like myself who find the idea of slavery abhorrent still benefit from the third world (or even first world) sweat shops. What do you think?

Slave Class is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Passions and Paychecks is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Survey reveals dirty little hand-washing secret – On Deadline – USATODAY.com
Survey reveals dirty little hand-washing secret
The Tomahawk Chop still might be mildly popular at Atlanta’s Turner Field, but hand-washing? Apparently, not so much.
The Soap and Detergent Association is out with an annual study of the hand-washing habits of men and women. The association sent people out into the field to watch the actual hand-washing habits of people (as opposed to what they claim in surveys). It found that while 92% of people said they washed up in public restrooms, only 77% were observed doing so.
The Turner Field connection? Only 57% of men using public restrooms washed their hands afterward, according to the association. Women did much better: 95% of women washed their hands at the baseball park.

First, there’s a Soap and Detergent Association?
Second, I’ll cop to not always washing at home. But lately my kids have been catching me in this shortcoming and calling me out on it. So my percentage is going up. Go kids!
I won’t take a poll, but I will say that guys need to step up the hygene!

Post-bathroom Handwashery is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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1. Communications Specialist
2.. ESL Teacher
3. Business Systems Analyst
4. Corporate Trainer
5. Critic
6. Motivational Speaker
7. Print Journalist
8. Professor
9. Addictions Counselor
10. Television and Radio Reporter
11. Writer
12. Foreign Language Instructor
13. Psychologist
14. Marriage and Family Therapist
15. Translator
16. Clergy
17. Inventor
18. Librarian
19. Humanitarian Aid Worker
20. Computer Network Specialist
21. Computer Trainer
22. Technical Writer
23. Database Developer
24. Teacher Assistant
25. Sign Language Interpreter
26. Director
27. Multimedia Developer
28. School Counselor
29. Elementary School Teacher
30. Gerontologist
31. Telephone Operator
32. Early Childhood Educator
33. Web Developer
34. Furniture Finisher
35. Computer Programmer
36. Video Game Developer
37. Speech-Language Pathologist
38. Public Relations Specialist
39. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
40. Community Worker

The Right Track is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Meet n’ Greet is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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TITMT – Where Were You? is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Mad Parenting Skillz is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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TITMT – “Holiday Road” is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Le Weekend is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Weekend of Suck is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I’m baaaack… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Off the Grid is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Bubbles is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I reviewed an early screening of The List for Hollywood Jesus. It’s in limited release right now and if you’re in western NC you should check it out.
Technical Stew has been hopping. Pat and I have had our fourth podcast which you can get to over there.
There was no Religious Ride this weekend past. Aaron was bizzay and I took my oldest to see Surf’s Up. It was decent, basically North Shore with penguins. Later that night I went to see Knocked Up (oddly enough both movies end with Up and were screened in the same theater). It was nothing like North Shore. I haven’t laughed that hard since Forty Year Old Virgin. If you saw that and liked it then you’ve actually probably already seen this. If not, go see it. As I told someone today, it’s amazing that a movie so positively filthy has such a solid, real, and funny look at marriage, parenting, relationships, and pink eye.
There will be no Political Ride tonight. Okay now, stop crying. Nobody likes a whiner. Aaron has family in and I could use the night off. Speaking of off time, I’ll be going off the grid Fri-Wed, visiting my parents on the coast. I may be having a guest blogger or two pop in. That’s my hope. It would tickle me to death. I’m taking a copy of my novel for editing and perhaps a book. Oh and the kids and my wife will be coming along too.
So that’s it for now.
What, you’re still here?

Pulse check is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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My Office… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Friday I had my birthday cake with the family. It was AWESOME. My wife made a cinnamon, chocolate cake from scratch with chocolate/macadamia nut frosting (also scratch made) that is hands down the best cake I’ve had.
Saturday she had to work so I had the kids all to myself (bwahahaha). After a bit of light housework we trundled off to the library. It has been literally years since I’d been. I don’t know why we don’t go more often, but do trust I shan’t let it happen again. I picked up The Audacity of Hope (Check out the new shelfari thing in the left sidebar. Yes I’m reading all of those books at present.) and the kids and I participated in story time. Once the wife returned and we had a bit of a nap and did some housework, the sitter arrived. And it was off to our evening out.
We went to dinner at Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, a new place for us. This is the sub shop to go to. It blows any other sammich place out of orbit. I had their Beach Club (fresh baked turkey breast, provolone cheese, avocado spread, sliced cucumber, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, and mayo) and mi esposa had the Pepe (applewood smoked ham and provolone cheese garnished with lettuce, tomato, and mayo) unwich (wrapped in iceberg). Freshness rules. After that we saw Todd Agnew giving a free concert at the mall. That boy has him a serious voice. He had some excellent things to say about the state of Christian radio (full of happy, happy, joy, joy songs) and talked about a new CD that he has coming out. After hearing him, I want this bad boy. It comes out tomorrow. We followed that up with a trip to B&N where we read until they closed up shop. Once home and with the sitter relieved we watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest until it went off at 1:30 and then retired to bed.
Sunday we mustered our strength and made it to church on time. That afternoon and the rest of the evening I felt absolutely awful. I did manage a trip to the used bookstore where I got a copy of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and discovered that Danielle Steel, of all folks, writes children’s books. I spent the rest of the night on the couch, missing The Religious Ride and feeling miserable.
No birthday loot to brag about, at least not yet. I did get some cash which I anticipate will be used towards a nice mike for my PC. I have also been promised gifts from my Mom (who sent cash to tide me over until we visit them in August) and my wife (who did get me a book and take me out).
Feeling fit and fine today, if a bit tired, and ready for the The Political Ride tonight. Won’t you join us?

Birthday Aftermath is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Happy Birthday to Me… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I hit the alarm at 5:00 both excited and already exhausted by the trip that lay before me. I knew the day would be long, but I was rarin’ to go. A quick breakfast under my belt, thanks to my beautiful spouse, I headed to the airport. To my surprise I ran into a friend from church. He works for an airline and was on his way to a business meeting in Florida. We had the same flight to Charlotte so we sat and talked for a bit. While sitting there I happened to notice something on the jet way. I asked him and he confirmed that they were indeed fake owls that the airport used to discourage birds from nesting.
The time there stretched a bit as it turned out that our flight crew had yet to arrive. It sounded like they had had a late flight the night before and were required to wait a certain number of hours before re-planing. Fine by me, better safe than greasy spots. We got to Charlotte on time and before I could grab anything to tide me over we were in the air.
It was a beautiful day for a flight and I had packed my iPod, two good books (Get Shorty and A New Way to Be Human), and my interview notes. I had plenty to do. My brain couldn’t settle on music so I hit the notes and finalized my questions. I read some, cat napped some, attempted to lip read the movie (only to find out later that my iPod buds would have worked), and people watched. The time passed all too quickly.
Five hours later and I was on the ground. I got my rental car and headed up the 405 to Universal City. You’ve probably heard as much as I have about how absolutely HORRIBLE LA traffic is. Everything you’ve heard? True. Traffic craaaaawled. But eventually I got to my destination. I went straight to the amphitheatre managing to get turned around only once in the process. No parking spots were available though.

I found a temporary spot and stepped out into the beautiful California sunshine. I found Charlie, my contact, and chatted with him a bit. He pointed me to a bouncer looking fellow and indicated that a cone could be moved for my parking pleasure. The bouncer looking fellow didn’t seem altogether cool with that. He and Charlie talked and came to an agreement. As long as I was gone by four it was all good. I parked, grabbed my assorted junk, and went inside.
Charlie showed me my spot. Couldn’t have asked for a much nicer liaison. He reminded me a little of either a game show host or a DJ. Maybe it was his hair or his smile, not sure. In any case he did a fantastic job of making me feel comfortable. I grabbed a chair and waited…and waited. I had a serious case of caterpillar stomach (crawlier than butterflies) and prayed and meditated through that. While waiting I received a panicked call from my wife. She indicated that the rental agency had put a three hundred dollar hold on our account. Apparently they do that if you use a debit card. That put us in the negative and if any other charges went through there would be penalties. Not good.
After some frantic phone calls we were all informed that you can’t put a car on a different card without bringing the car back in. So I told my wife to hang in there, let me finish the interviews and I would do just that. I did the interviews and those went well (they should be going up soon). All four groups were absolute gentlemen and very professional. I finished them at four on the dot and headed back to LAX. I wasn’t real happy about it, but live and learn, right? I got a bit turned around but finally oriented my car in the right direction. Then a thought struck me. I got my wallet out and checked and sure enough, no credit card.
I called my wife and let her know. She found my card and called the rental company. They could accept my card over the phone so long as I could come in and take care of it. They could also remove the hold a long as I again came in and signed off on it. So I continued my jaunt. Did I mention that my sense of direction isn’t all that good? And I don’t do well in big cities? I finally got to the point where I was seeing exits for LAX. I called my wife to let her know and she told me that I had twenty minutes to get there if we wanted the hold taken off. Great. I got to the airport proper with ten minutes to spare, but couldn’t find the stinking rental place. I drove around the loop a couple of times and nothing. I stopped and asked a Security person and in broken English with the aid of a map, he got me in the right direction. I had three minutes and it didn’t look good.
I called Leigh and she said that the rental company was able to fax everything to our bank and get the hold taken off and put it on my actual credit card. Without me there. She recommended I stop by anyway and so I did and they said “Everything’s fine. We told your wife that.” *sigh*

I get back in my little buggy and book it for Universal. The time is now six and it’s an hour to the concert. I grabbed a burger (my first food in sixteen hours, not counting airline pretzels) and hit the freeway. Traffic is ugly with a capital UGH. I get back to the theme park, manage to park my car in the hotel, and get out. I’m already a little late. I figure I’ll go ahead and check in. I do and then hightail it to the amphitheatre. The music is blaring. I settle in and enjoy the disconnect from all the stress of the day. You can read my concert review and tell how much fun I had on that end. Afterwards I went back to the hotel and settled in, completely exhausted. A good hour later I was fast asleep.

My Trip to L.A. – Day 1 is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Rock the Boat – Gearing Up is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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It’s FRIDAY!!! is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Retreat is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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After a restless night (I never sleep well in hotels) where I managed to catch bits of The Last Man on Earth and Psycho II in between bouts of sleep, I awoke. Fortified by coffee and muffins, Rob and I headed downtown followed by his friend Nic. Unlike the previous day we actually found our goal with ease. The morning and early afternoon was spent in learning about Xerox devices. I won’t bother you with details, but it was actually all pretty fascinating and I hope to use some of what I learned at work.
Rob and I wanted to head back to the Vietnamese place and Nic agreed and so we did. The guys got the seafood hot pot which was loaded with shrimp and fish. I opted for the Hanoi style pork which was a mix of hunks of grilled pork and pork meatballs in a spicy broth. It was served with rice noodles and a really potent green salad that included cilantro, mint, and a few things that looked more at home in a vase, than on my plate. They were mighty tasty none the less. The spicy food was complimented by Vietnamese iced tea, sweet, red, and heavily spiced.
Our conversation was equally interesting. Both Nic and Rob are serious lovers of the fruit from Cupertino. Nic interviewed both there and in Redmond recently. I wish him much luck; since I have no doubt the competition is fierce. So we talked iPhone, iTV, and all things Mac. We’re all excited by Apple’s foray into the smart phone market. We were also in agreement that the set top box is nothing special though it has its niche.
The trip home began with checking out The Pursuit of Happyness on Rob’s MacBook Pro. The movie was good and the laptop even better. The sound quality was good, though a few minutes in we ran it through the TT’s Bose sound system, so it got better. I had to break from the Will Smith vehicle to take part in a conference call while driving through the beautiful mountains of Virginia. Isn’t twenty-first century life grand? That ended up lasting an hour and a half. By that time I’d cooled on the movie, so we talked about our favorite podcasts.
I demo’d some of my faves for him and then we shared musical discoveries. He played a band for me that I hadn’t heard before and they were quite good. Since I’m getting old I can’t remember their name but he’s going to let me borrow the CD so I’ll make a detailed report soon. We finished up the trip, by him dropping me off at about ten. I was tired, a bit sore, and happy to have discovered new food, new music, and a new friend.

Arlington Trip pt. 2 is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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He picked me up in his Audi TT (swank) and we whizzed off into the drizzle fo’ shizzle. For the next few hours we totally geeked out. Rob is as big into podcasting and tech stuff as I am, bigger perhaps. We talked about all sorts of ways to use the web to bring folks together. There was quite a bit of discussion about dogs, chickens, farming, eco-responsibility, the women in our lives (one a piece, natch), cars, light bulbs, you name it.
We hit a SEVERE traffic jam at about 7:00 and proceeded to go almost nowhere for the next two hours. It was mostly due to the rain and the fact that people in VA are even bigger numbskulls behind the wheel than people from NC. And that’s sayin’ something. Undaunted we continued our conversation and then we hit Falls Church, where we’d be staying. Thanks to poor visibility and poorer signage, we missed our exit off of 495. The correct street came up soon though and even though it was a bit further north than we wanted to get off it was better than trying to loop back.
A few more wrong turns led us to do what only smart men are capable of, asking for directions. That taken care of we were soon at our Comfort Inn. We were both famished as our last meal consisted of Taco Bell about six hours before. So, we asked the desk clerk for directions to the nearest good restaurant. Rob asked for something ethnic after the man had recommended Bennigan’s and McDonalds and so he pointed us to a Kebab Express. Since it was ten o’clock our options were limited so we decided that that sounded good. I opined that I didn’t care where we went as long as I didn’t have to kill the food first and added that if I did then that wasn’t a deal breaker. The kebab place was closed, naturally, but from across the street the word OPEN danced in red and blue neon. That it was flanked in Asian characters didn’t bother either of us for a second.
We drove through the gates of the Eden Center and were confronted by a host of signage in a mixture of English and Vietnamese (Englamish?). The only place open was the source of the neon, teh Saigon Garden BBQ. It was a really small place with about seven tables in toto. The tables were castoffs from the Foxwoods casino. The owner, a very friendly man, sat watching Death of a President and the apparent regulars were all eating things that smelled wonderful. The menu was yet again a mix of interesting English combined with Vietnamese (Vietnamglish?). The prices all seemed pretty reasonable so we sat and proceeded to pour over it making our decisions, with help from the owner.
We shared some appetizers, chicken with lemongrass and beef in grape leaves (as She Who Must Not Be Named would say, Yumm-oh!), and both got the hot pot with shaking beef. It was served in a small cast iron dish which caused the rice to form a beautifully brown crust. Judicious use of chili paste and the sour sweet dipping sauce made the already flavorful meal even better. I’m drooling just remembering it. (Pictures? Why no, in spite of the fact that I had both my picture phone and a camera I took none. I’m an idiot.) The meal was topped off with smoothies made from jackfruit (pineapple flavors plus a hint of rose) for me and durian (medicinal, but interesting) for Rob and with pearls of tapioca in the bottom (chewy, with little flavor). The whole meal with tip was thirty-eight bucks. Worth every penny.
Sated we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.
Check back later for day 2.

Arlington Trip is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Gluten Free Casein Free Diet is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Softball – We lost Thirty-somthing to five, but I had a blast in spite of a hard throw that about took my kneecap off.
My son – According to his eval this morning he’s not autistic enough to recieve any special treatment/funding/IEP. At least not according to state guidelines. They did say though that we should seek further evaluations, not that it will do any good as far as they were concerned.
Men’s retreat – Pray for our annual men’s retreat. It’s coming in a month and looks like it’ll be a blast but there are a few problems that need ironing out.

Life stuff. is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Softball is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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HT to Rey, MCF and Lorna.

As a foodie, I think that the making of food is among one of the highest and oldest art forms. It’s challenging on more levels than some others.
I love listening to music whilst lying on cool green grass.
Sleeping is a treat since as a busy husband and dad I never get enough.
I never feel freer than when I’m in a new city with time on my hands.
Smoking is horrible.
Love should last a lifetime.
I could eat cheeseburgers until I puke and they didn’t have a picture of Pizza.
My but that bed looks like it sleeps good.
I lurve to read and don’t get to enough.
Video games. Where else can you do so many cool things and not suffer any bad consequences other than a bit of eye strain.
Walking around looking at old stuff appeals.
I can’t go through a day without the coffee. Addicted? *twitch* Nonsense.
That scene looks serene. The rest imply some sort of work.

Visual DNA is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Got some good news on the job front. It will make our financial health-o-meter go up a bit starting in April. Same job, but that’s okay.
Our family is physically mostly healthy. Considering the evilness that we dealt with over the last couple of weeks, a few sniffles ain’t bad.
I’m in a pretty good place spiritually. I’m considering cracking Celebration of Discipline to give it a shot in the arm. Food for bloggage too.
I got a negative answer from the friend with a recording studio, but he said he’d help get set up to do some podcasting from home. I’ll be interested to see what he comes up with. I’m not at all upset though a bit disappointed. But I think I can produce quality stuff from home with the new Dell I’m getting. So the Podcast is still on the horizon.
I’m a bit sad that Studio 60 is in the tank. I really enjoyed it. And it was something good to watch after Heroes. Maybe The Black Donnellys will be good. I’ll give it a look.
I’ve got to get the second music review for HJ.com written. Strike while the iron is hot and all that. Tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow.
I really, REALLY need to get novel draft 2.0 ramped up, especially if I decide to podcast it. Where’s that discipline I had in November?
Best Podcast (and most appropriate) I have in my queue right now is Mur Lafferty’s I Should Be Writing. If you write then listen to this thing.
I didn’t watch the Oscars but I gotta say I’m glad that The Departed won. You need to rent this bad boy. It deserved every gold statue that it got.
I just heard a great sermon on Sunday on Ezra 10 where Ben focused on worldliness, materialism and how it can creep up on you. I’ll post a link to it when it’s up.

Updatage… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I have to say that as a person born in the seventies I have many happy memories of plugging buckets full of quarters into arcade games.
When I was a wee laddy in Arkansas there was an arcade that you could go to on a dreary Saturday morning and pay just a few ducats to play for four hours. It was here that I first saw Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace. I remember playing a game that involved steering a hook and ladder truck. Tapper, Centipede, Pac-Man, Wizards of Wor, all of these games and more filled the smallish space with a cacophony.
I remember a game show that involved besting your opponent at a variety of video games.
I remember playing Ms. Pac-Man with my Mom while we waited for our laundry to dry.
As I got older I remember hitting the arcade with my best buddy Bear and blowing serious change on Zaxxon, Cabal, and a side scrolling plane shoot-em up that he rocked at.
I remember the game room in the basement of Mendenhall.
I don’t know that I lament the Arcade’s passing as much as Wil does and I’m not sure that it’s gone all together. I do know that if I ever get to build my own house though, it will have a game room and I will teach my kids the joys of hearing “Prepare to qualify.”

The Death of the Arcade is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Snow Day!!! is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Here are a few pictures.



He includes rough plans (he’s not formally trained apparently) and a few details as to how he did it on the site. Things like this amaze me. They did it in part because of a lack of funds, but mostly because they want to have a living experience that is in tune with their ecological ideals.
Living out your ideals typically takes sacrifice. For this house they do without quite a few things that me and my fellow countrymen hold dear. Little things like cable TV, central air, and some sense (albeit a false one) of permanence. Of course they’re also doing without a mortgage and a home owner’s association. I think that’s a fair trade.
Raising a family on one income is one of these sorts of challenges. We’re in a place right now, trying to decide what were willing to give up to gain some financial independence that we have lost due to this choice. We’re reading Total Money Makeover to get some ideas in that direction. One of the things he talks about is getting a second job. My beloved is doing a lot of side work to help us out. Granted it’s all stuff that she enjoys, but it means that Saturdays we hardly see each other.
We look at one another and say that it’s only temporary. Our hope is that in a year or so we’ll be in a better place. A place where she won’t need to work outside the house unless she just wants to. It’s hard work getting there, but it’s good. It reveals to me just how insufficient my fathering skills are and drives me to God’s grace. It reveals to me just how incredible the woman I’m married to is. It reveals to me how God’s provision rarely takes the form that we wished it would and how much better that provision is than the kind we’d like would be. Still I pray for this season to pass soon.
And I totally would live in a hobbit house when that day comes.

Sacrifice is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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A completed novel.
Done. Okay so it’s just a first draft.
Being a better father/hubby.
Done… Ihope.
Exercising regularly.
I did for a while. *sigh*
A job with benefits (hopefully with my present company).
Sort of. I got some vacation and my benefits, such as they are, are paid for.
More interesting blog posts.
I’ll let you be the judge of that.
Getting Mudd’s Tavern operational again.
Didn’t happen, but I have another idea in the hopper.
Well that wasn’t too bad. Moderate success. That’s what you get when you don’t call them resolutions.

Last Year’s “Resolutions” is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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[A is for age]: 35 years old.
[B is for beer of choice]: Man, if I could only have one? Sam Adam’s Cherry Wheat if you’re talking mainstream. It’s a good all around beer and easy to find. Seeing Double IPA by Foothills Brewing if you’re talking microbrew. It’s definitely a sipper and at 9.5% can kick your Heinie. Finally for a stout (and we’re talking a stout stout) would be Sammy Smith’s Imperial.
[C is for career]:Professional Geek (and no not for Big Blue Box Electronic Store)
[D is for favorite Drink]: Morning? Coffee. Evening? Iced Coffee.
[E is for Essential item you use everyday]: My Dell Latitude D610.
[F is for Favorite song at the moment]: Canadian Idiot by Weird Al.
[G is for favorite Game]: Burnout: Revenge. Play it. Just once.
[H is for Home town]: Winston Salem.
[I is for Instruments you play]: A guitar. Badly.
[J is for favorite Juice]: V8 with a shot of habanero.
[K is for Kids]: Three beautiful ones.
[L is for last kiss]: This morning.
[M is for marriage]: Eleven years.
[N is for full Name]: Scott
[O is for Overnight hospital stays]: None since I was a kid unless you count sleeping on one of those realllly uncomfortable foldouts the three times the wife has been in to deliver our babies.
[P is for phobias]: Heights. But not high ones. You can’t get me more than three feet off the floor unless it’s on an airplane.
[Q is for quotes]: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’” – C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce (my email sig)
[R is for biggest Regret]: Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention. Big one though was not getting my Master’s Degree pre-kids.
[S is for sports]: Bowling. Okay so it’s more game than sport.
[T is for Time you wake up]: Catching the bus? 5:45 am. It’s not easy.
[U is for color underwear]: White. You really wanted to know that didn’t you?
[V is for Vegetable you love]: Collards, though as Darrel pointed out were tomatoes not a fruit then they would take the top spot. Interestingly collards have only gained this level of enjoyment since I’ve been married.
[W is for Worst Habit]: Television. I’m a junkie.
[X is for X-rays you've had]: Dental and one for a broken collarbone when I was five.
[Y is for Yummy food you make]: Chili, various confections, and ‘nanner bread.
[Z is for zodiac sign]: Cancer. Which, I hope, is the only cancer ever associated with me.
My politics:

Not surprising. Glad I’m not any more left though. Hillary even scares me.

All About Me… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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1. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
Work on my spiritual discipline, especially daily scripture reading and prayer.
2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
Restore my faith in Him completely.
3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
Spend more time playing and laughing with my children. I find too often that after work is relegated to dinner/getting them ready for bed and collapsing into a chair. Weekends are a blur of catching up on household chores, church, and sleep. The kids get some of my time but not nearly enough.
4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
Scripture reading. I’ve committed to doing a reading at the dinner table with the family and so far so good. It hasn’t happened one hundred percent, but it has certain been much more frequent.
5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
Television. It hurts to say it, but it’s truer than true. When I was doing NaNoWriMo, TV took a back seat but now that that’s passed I’m sucked back in. We will be cutting the cable soon and very soon.
6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
This is a tough one. Our church is on its way out of a slump that its been in for a while. Issues with our elders and deacons not being as committed as they should lead to some problems with a whole host of things. Much repentance and an infusion of new blood will help that. I’m nowhere near being suited for that role, but I think just getting more involved myself in some new ways will help the body.
7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
This one really needs to be my step dad. He’s made movements in this direction, going to church with Mom. Given who he is and his past it would truly be a miracle.
8. What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?
By listening to God. I haven’t done a very good job of that for the last few months.
9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
The obvious answer for me would be to pray. That would be a huuuuuuge improvement. The more complex answer would be for me to set aside a time and place to do it. I’m pretty good at that spur of the moment prayer, praying with someone, or leading corporate prayer. It’s that planned, just me-n-God time that’s always been a struggle.
10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?
Continue writing with the intent of doing it to glorify God. We should do all things in that direction or so I’m told, but the use of our God-given talents in that direction can be tricky depending on the talent. Another good answer to both parts a and b would be focus on raising my kids in a Godly way. It will matter to them a good deal as in ten years they will either be entering the teen years or full on teenagers (God help me). And, though their salvation is not strictly speaking up to me, I would imagine that how I raise them can definitely be used by God in that direction.
And I think I’ll work on in depth posts for these throughout this month:
11. What’s the most important decision you need to make this year?
12. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what’s one way you could simplify in that area?
13. What’s the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year?
14. What habit would you most like to establish this year?
15. Who do you most want to encourage this year?
16. What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?
17. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year?
18. What’s one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year?
19. What’s one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?
20. What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year?
21. What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?
22. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?
23. In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?
24. What’s the most important trip you want to take this year?
25. What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?
26. To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year?
27. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?
28. What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?
29. If those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?
30. What’s the most important new item you want to buy this year?
31. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

New Years Questions is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Most interesting gift – The Stanley FatMax Xtreme Functional Utility Bar is one of those things that I put on my Amazon wish list that I never thought I would get. I love tools and especially manual things like hammers, knives, saws, chisels, etc. Perhaps that’s odd for someone who makes a living with complicated electronics. I don’t know. But this thing is eighty pounds of functionality packed into a five pound eighteen inch piece of solid steel. No moving parts and about the only thing you use this thing for is demolition. Coooooool with a google Os.
Entertainment-palooza – I’m a John Wayne fan from way back, but I don’t have many of his movies on DVD. So when I got Chisum, Stagecoach, The Cowboys, Rio Bravo, and The Searchers I was blown away. I also got two CDs from the 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection , one for Steppenwolf and one for Hank Williams Sr.
Geek Squad – Finally, from the mecca of geek swag, ThinkGeek.com, I got a small iron-on GEEK patch in white and silver. And the ultimate for me at least the Star Trek 40th Anniversary Phaser. This is “the Type II phaser you have been dying to have since the first day you saw Captain Kirk kick Klingon keister. With full lights and sound, the only thing this phaser can’t do is really fire. There are 4 power settings (with progressively aggressive sounds and lights), a light control knob (and on/off switch), a flip up “sight,” and an overload setting. Oh, and for all those covert missions, the Type I phaser quickly detaches – still with full lights and sound!” Did I squeal like a three year old? Hell yes I did.
So what did you guys get? (Oh and read that Sand in the Gears post. You’ll be glad you did.)

Christmas Swag… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Bygone eras… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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In training… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Sucky weekend… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Pushing your kids… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Life stuff… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Autisitic Artist is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I had to take this picture. Bourbon Street is an icon.

The waterfront was easily the most beuatiful part of this city. This bridge crosses to a part of the city that still has some very fresh scars. It’s the West Bank.

I believe that this is a church. It reminded me of a fairy tale castle. It’s smack in the middle of a gorgeous little park.

The canon that “guarded” said park.

This sign just tickled me. Rev. Zombie is recruiting. Sign up now to be part of the mighty Zombie Army!!! And you have to sign up in the cigar shop next door.

Another icon I needed to get a pic of. I wish I could have gotten inside.

Louisiana Travelogue Pt. 3 is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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I climbed halfway up this silo before my fear of heights kicked in. We took the elevator up the rest of the way.

Some views from the top:


And straight down:


This is LSU Stadium. It seat 100,000 raging Tiger fans.

A cool church.

And the Louisiana State Capital

That’s all for now!

Louisiana Travelogue Pt. 2 is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Of course the first place I stopped was a used bookstore.

The architecture was fabulous of course and I snapped this because I loved the mix of old and new.

I found the House of Blues, which is one spot I want to hit on Tuesday. They’re closed on Sunday.

I got this snap of an old fire station.

Of course all this walking and snapping made me thirsty.

Once I was done and got back to my car I drove to Baton Rouge. It was about an hour drive through some beautiful wetlands. My room is decent. Free wifi and cable combined with a cute kitchenette will make this situation livable for a few days. Tomorrow I go to our site in St. Gabriel. I look forward to it and tomorrow night I’ll poke around BR and see what’s what.
Cheers!

Louisiana Travelogue Pt. 1 is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Louisiana Bound is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Health Issue is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Spoke too soon… is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Vaporlock is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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The whole thing reminded me of this series of Calvin and Hobbes strips.

Life and Death is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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Anything from here.

This:

My Evil Plan Baseball Jersey

This:

Brains Mug

Wish List # 2 is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

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