Harry's Ruminations

Have an test requiring me to fast at 3pm today, so no eating for me.  CRANKY! It occurred to me today to add-up all the time I've spent in the last 2 years trying to define processes.  Then I realized if I did, I'd probably become violently ill or just violent.  My last attempt.  Seems like it should be this simple: Have a list of crap for people to do.  Whoever populates that list is THE BOSS, whether his/her title says so or not.  If bad stuff gets on that list and causes you to fail, that person accepts responsibility. Make sure someone [competent] covers each item.  In the world of fairy farts and gooseberries, he'll choose from that list altruistically.  In the real world, someone takes a bite out of the crap sandwich and gets assigned work. When people don't get their crap done, they feel consequences. If they can't ever get their crap done satisfactorily, you fire them. When people do get their crap done, regularly, you promote them.  When they stop

A couple of things hit me tonight:  First, I've never written anything about my experience in Cebu last October, which is a travesty .  Second, I've never written anything about Dr. Who, which is near an unforgivable sin . (Above: Billie Piper and David Tennant, the 10th Doctor) As I was about to leave for Cebu, October 2nd 2012, I noted my wife wasn't speaking to me.  I was about to fly halfway around the world (12 hour time difference) and leave her holding the bag:  Three kids.  New house with a mold problem.  New middle schooler.  Not.  Good. I had, at least, figured out that Amazon gave away streaming video to every Amazon Prime member, and set-up both our Blu-Ray player and the piddly Vizio flatscreen upstairs keyed to our account.  I noted on the penultimate night of my residence in North America that she'd idly looked-up Dr. Who. "You realize there are like 50 years worth of these things, right?"  I asked.  Control freak that I am, I did

So, the family and I have been attending Bedford Acres since July of this year, and I've been consistently amazed at what service has been like.   I've often wondered what it would be like if revival came through past church homes.   Basically, it'd be like a regular Sunday at BACC. And today, the curveball. The minister gets up on stage and announces, "I'm not preaching a sermon today," and this was the verse on the screen (1 Cor 14:29-31): 29 Let two or three prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. 30 But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. 31 In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged So, he posed to us: "What would happen if we did that today.  If you have something to say, a prayer, a thanksgiving, a confession, go for it.  Thi

The laying-down of the phone continues to bear fruit, except at my waistline which seems to be expanding in direct proportion to my distance from having a woobie  smartphone. First up, Neal Stephenson's tome Cryptonomicon .  While written in 2002, this epic work (1168 pages paperback, though I read the kindle edition) presaged much of headlines circa 2013:  Cryptography, the emergence of 'technocrats' who seem to be running the world, and the importance of finding one's humanity amid it all. I don't say "epic" lightly.  This is a book set partially in World War II ("The Second Great 20th Century Struggle for Global Hegemony") and partially in "modern" times, circa turn of the 21st century, but told with a generally 3rd person limited perspective that I found maddening at times.  Like the underlying framework--the study of hidden messages and the breaking of the codes that hide those secrets--the novel reveals itself s-l-o-w-l-y, and

1 Cor 13, v1-3 1   If  I  speak  with the  tongues  of  men  and of  angels , but do not  have   love , I have  become  a  noisy gong   or  a  clanging   cymbal .  2   If  I  have  the gift of  prophecy , and  know   all   mysteries  and  all knowledge  ; and  if  I  have   all   faith ,  so  as to  remove   mountains , but do not  have   love , I  am   nothing . 3  And  if  I  give   all  my  possessions  to  feed  the poor, and  if  I  surrender  my  body   to be  burned , but do not  have   love , it  profits  me  nothing .  If I ___, but have not love, it is nothing. Initial response: "Wow, how screwed am I?" "Love" there isn't sex desire ( eros ),  close friendship love ( phileo ), or family love ( storge ).  This is agape: " Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love"  In the sermon today, pastor LaHue brought up that 'Agape' love was used rarely prior to Christianity.  Pope Benedict XVI spoke on this at length here .

I just want to delete my internet presence entirely.  Over 15 years since I groped around on usenet , I'm sick of it.  I'll get over it, and I won't do anything rash. I've already shutdown my Facebook account, as of Jan 1st this year. I'm currently the #3 contributor on our internal social network at work, but I'm tired of the inevitable running jokes that putting yourself out there entail.   Getting people to talk to one another and share ideas is incredibly difficult, and people seem to carry the same stress, ego, and polarization from their personal life into the work sphere.  Throw in some language barriers and hilarity ensues! Twitter's making me sad these days; I don't know why.   It's alot of people talking AT one another, not real communication, but I stay because it's where people I like interacting with are. Google+ is....a joke. * * * Recent events have convinced me of realities that most people sort out for themselves at a