Guitar sold

I sold my Yamaha APX guitar. It was a sentimental time for me, as I have so many memories wrapped up in it. I bought it in the summer of 2000 at Mars Music for $850. That is the last time I paid that much for an instrument.

But the Yamaha has become my less favorite guitar in the last two years. The sound technicians and band have preferred my Alvarez, which has a bigger body, even though it is not as nice as the Yamaha. And I have preferred the bigger sound as well.

I was having a tough time with it, but I have nowhere to place the guitar in the house. And I haven't been playing it lately. (But it was still tough to let go!) So I'm glad that God brought along the right buyer. This man hardly looked me in the eye, but told me how he hasn't played guitar for 6 years because of a wrist problem. But he got good insurance and has a new wrist. He only plays guitar for worship. And he lives just a couple of blocks away from our house. The fact that he was dead set on worship was comforting, because my only purpose for the guitar was worship as well.

An interesting thing is that he never picked up the guitar itself, never asked if it had any defects. I'm pretty sure he would have bought it in the case, without ever looking at it. He just was absolutely positive that this was what he wanted.

Best of February 2010

Again, the best of two months ago!

Pic of the month: From the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Murder on the Orient Express

Best Book I Read for the First Time Cosmos

Best Restaurant Dined in for First Time Genghis Grill

Best online video I watched for the First time: Loop the loop stunt

Movie Review: Avatar 3D IMAX

This is the 2nd movie we saw in the theaters in 2010... Shattering our trends from the last two years. Which were 1 and 0 times. We kinda wanted to see Blind Side as well, but didn't get around to it.




I'm not competely sure if IMAX is much better than a regular screen, but we thought we'd go for the best.

I enjoyed all of the special effects of Avatar. Sometimes I felt like I could reach out and touch the things that were seemingly right in front of my nose.

The story of Avatar is quite ridiculous. Spoiler alert! The modern world for whatever reason have become evil, hungry for resources, and not at all interested in cool looking aliens. They have devoted incredible scientific resources to making and training alien clones to learn about the alien culture. However, the aliens are already distrustful of the clones because the clones obviously don't fit it. This whole time, they were just going to blow up the aliens anyway, so I'm not sure why they went through all of that cloning effort. Anyway, a clone ended up falling in love with an alien, and vice versa, but betrays her anyway, and then he becomes their savior and betrays humans. The humans are evil except for the scientists.

I appreciate the movie and hope it opens up the door for more great movies, even ones with plots that make sense.

Book Review: The Worst Hard Time

This was Courtney's birthday book for 2010 - I read this book for her birthday.

The Dust Bowl is considered to be the worst natural disaster in American history, according to the book. It lasted several years, and also happened in the midst of the Great Depression.

The problems with the land were mostly due to a wheat boom in the late 20s, where the land was ripped up for farming. Then the ecosystem that took thousands of years to develop was thrown off, and Indians who knew how to survive on the Plains were driven out.

Most people actually stayed on the Plains during this time, because they could call the land their own. But if they left, they would have nothing. But they should have left because the dust caused a health problem called dust pnemonia, and the land would not produce anything for years.

Huge dust storms came, cattle died from dust inhalation, and then swarms of grasshoppers came and ate every living plant. Pretty much when they thought times were at their worst, something worse happened, such as scorching heat and no rain.

The New Deal gave people hope (but also paved the way for Big Government - not in the book!).

This book follows the lives of 4-5 families and how they made it through the tough times.

I liked it.

Restaurant Review: Indianapolis

Our restaurant choices were driven by what was gluten-free-accomodating. Old Spaghetti Factory - NICE, NICE that they include ON THE MENU PERMANENTLY a choice for gluten-free pasta on any of the spaghetti dishes. They used to have one of these in KC. The interior is made to look like an old fashioned place, I know that is vague but whatever.

We tried to drive there, but there was a Pacers game going on downtown, and parking was $10-20. So we went back to the hotel, and then walked over half a mile in the winter cold. It wasn't too bad.

Naisa - Asian spelled backwards. The lady in charge of continental breakfast also had a gluten allergy and told us about this place. Jeff and Louise were also excited to go. Even though they had gluten-free notes permanently on their menu, I didn't think the gluten free selection was that great . And service was kinda slow.

Adobo Grill - Fancy Mexican cuisine downtown. They had a gluten free menu available by request. I thought this place was really tasty. Honestly it was the best restaurant we went to, but the price was higher as well.

Anniversary State IV: Indiana

We went to Indiana for our 4 year anniversary trip in February. The reasoning for February was that travel would become much more uncomfortable as the pregnancy progressed, and would become more difficult when we have an infant. The reasoning for Indiana was that 1) Jeff and Louise live there and 2) driving distance 3) If we are going to go somewhere in February, might as well be somewhere where museums and restaurants are the only thing to do.

Highlight 1: we stayed in a brand new hotel that opened the previous day. It had some bold colors and designs. Indianapolis is building hotels to go with their indoor stadium for the Super Bowl in 2012.

Aye Caramba Carpet

Highlight 2: Indiana State Museum

We viewed maps indicating where Indiana was throughout the entire evolution of the universe. And saw some old stuff. And we learned about famous Indianaians such as Michael Jackson

I got a big kick about how the TV in this thing is tiny, but the container is huge.

Attraction 2: Eiteljorg Museum of Indian and Western Art

This included a show of artistic guns, "a strange blend of art and violence"







Attraction 3: Indianapolis Museum of Art (No pictures allowed in modern art section, which is the best section)



Attraction 4: Jeff and Louise (my cousin)

They are a fun couple. We dined together a couple of times, went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. And we hung out and talked. Very fun to talk to people during vacations. I have relatives everywhere. Jeff is studying at IUPUI.




Attraction 5: Restaurants. Will blog about that later.

Attraction 6: Stopping by St Louis on the way back, and seeing our sister, bro-in-law and two nieces.

Book Review: Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Administration

Yes, I did read two of these 800 page books to study for my certification exam.

Having taken an exam now, I think one book would be sufficient, and then have a very focused review on concepts that might be in the exam. But this time, my philosophy was to read large books. It actually became difficult to retain everything.

Anyway, Courtney and I call these books the "stalker books", because of the pictures on the front. The people are creepily photoshopped together to make it look like they are in the same room, and there they are staring back at you.




This idea originated with this lovely picture on a different one that I read:

Seriously, if you are doing a photo op for a book cover that will be shipped worldwide, wouldn't you think you would make some kind of effort to look nice?

I really like the inside of these books though. Since the chapters are written by various people, some of them are better than others. But compared to the other book I got, the pace is much slower and there are more diagrams and extended explanations of the reasons you would use various options. So I really like these Wrox books, and this one was good as well.

Best of January 2010

I'm not sure if I will ever blog again about things that have happened recently. Here is the best of two months ago!

Pic of the month: Courtney painting. I thought she looked cute. It's crazy how much we've accomplished, and how much remains. It doesn't help the stress that I need to get a car. Anyway, I digress.

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Young Frankenstein

Best Book I Read for the First Time SQL Server 2008 Administration

Best Restaurant Dined in for First Time Stone Canyon Pizza

Best online video I watched for the First time: Speedcubing (Rubix cube champions)

Feed The Hunger

I helped a couple of times with Youthfront's Feed The Hunger initiative. I am proud of Youthfront for helping students serve the needy by packaging meals. This program has been in place at camp since last year, because today's students are not only interested in having a "fun time", but they want to express their faith in real ways.

When the Haiti earthquake occurred, Youthfront used their experience with this to invite students and families to Youthfront auditorium to package meals for Haiti.

The first time I went, I moved around 40 pound bags of rice and soy for a few hours.





The second time, we came with mom and dad and packaged a bunch of meals. How it works is you bring money to pay for the supplies, which Youthfront already purchased in advance, and you package the meals.









Courtney works for Youthfront and helped several times with registration.

Restaurant Review: Genghis Grill

This is downtown in the new P&L district. It is basically the same thing as all of the other brands of Mongolian grills around town. I wonder if they are all owned by the same people. You get a bowl. Fill it with your choice of meat, veggies, sauces, etc. You can follow some printed guides if you don't know what you want. And you give it to the cook who grills everything. And then they take it to your table. And you still tip a waiter.

My first and only previous experience with a Mongolian grill was a long time ago for a coworker lunch. (I'm writing this for my S1 readers) We had Dan T, Scott W, Rachel, Abby and me. It's interesting - I remember very specific things that were discussed, and where we were sitting, etc. It's kind of crazy to think of how much changed soon after that. Eventually only me and Dan T were left from that group, and we didn't replace any of the other people. A few other people came on (Jim, Brian, Benee), but didn't fill exactly the same roles as the people who left. That means that I took on a lot of the work of three other people! I like how my restaurant reviews allow me to go on tangents.

Best of 2008: Pictures

Best pictures we took in 2008.

Paul and Martha's dog, Shelby



This one of the "STAR team" is one of the first pictures taken with our camera.



Meeting Miles in September


Not sure how Courtney did this one, but it's cool

Best of 2009: Videos

I have documented my favorite videos for the first time in 2009. Now, I've tried to pick out the best. These 3 are the best. It's kind of tough to put them in order.

1. Her Morning Elegance




2. Distraxion





3. Kittens

Movie Review: Murder on the Orient Express

This was not an Oscar winner, but it was recommended by Kenny, Courtney's father.

It doesn't matter whether it's a book or TV show or movie, I can never guess who did it in a murder mystery.

This one is by Agatha Christie, the legendary author from England. She rarely gave permission to make her books into movies, but for whatever reason was positively inclined in this case.

I really enjoyed the movie, not gonna lie. It is stacked with "stars", supposedly, really the only household names were Sean Connery and Ingrid Bergman. And from my movie watching in general, I have also heard of Albert Finney and Anthony Perkins and John Gielgud and Jacqueline Bisset

Book Review: Cosmos

It's been 9 days since a post, I figure I should write one. We were on vacation.
Plus, my life has changed, and I am focused less on "get things done" mode. I feel more freedom to do what I want. Our lives upcoming will probably 90% reacting to needs that have to get done. But for now I still do have some discretion. I am getting very close to taking my SQL Server Administration certification exam, and after that I will feel better!

Anyway, I don't have the time to do this book justice. But we came across Cosmos on sale in the book store, which is at first glance a collections of pictures of outer space. But on second glance, there is a lot of text that accompanies the pictures. On third glance, this text is very scientific and difficult to read. But I tried to read it all.

The book is also like two feet tall, so it was difficult to read...physically.


This book challenged my views of creation. Because due to the way the universe is set up, objects in the universe appear to be really old. And this doesn't match a 6 Earth day creation. Sure, God could make things look old that are really new. But for me a more acceptable answer, is "I don't really know". To me it doesn't matter, and we shouldn't let faith get in the way of honest scientific discovery. Now, I believe scientists are also in the wrong, because they can be closed minded toward Creation. They do not want to admit that science will not have all of the answers.

And that is what I gathered from this book....there have been amazing discoveries, but there are more questions than answers. I am very impressed at the science of outer space. There have been many geniuses in our past that paved the way toward understanding the universe. And now we can send probes out to Pluto, and sending people into space is old news.

The most mind boggling thing is the size of the universe. There are billions of suns like ours. And billions of galaxies. There is no way for me to comprehend it, other than considering it as infinity.

The book has a lot of sweet pictures that I'll show my son or daughter.

PS Hey I've come a long way....for 9th grade science class I wrote that snakes only existed because God cursed a salamander and then it no longer had arms and legs. Shoot. Now, I am willing to venture that a snake is a literary tool to describe the way sin entered the world... There are many questions, and we need to have courage to admit that.

Book Review: Becoming a Dud

This book started out funny and relevant, and toward the middle it was becoming a dud, then it got okay at the end again.

Toward the middle, the authors, who are professional Christian counselors, decide to do a brain dump on everyone about their philosophy of life. And although it existentially had to do with becoming a father, it was a little too deep for what I need right now. I am ready for some practical stuff.

The main premise of the book is that fatherhood is a wild, exciting journey, full of joy and heartbreak. We need to be prepared to be connected with God, and enter into the risk that is inherent with being a dad, not with our own confidence, but that which comes from Him. See what I mean about wanting some practical stuff.

I really want to be there for my child, and get to know him/her. I don't want to lash out at them, but want to understand them. All you parents out there are like ha, ha, good luck understanding a 2 year old. But I'm just talking about a general attitude, one that is not confrontational, but more relational. I need to be prepared that they may like stuff that I care nothing about, and I need to enter into their life and encourage and affirm them. And I will not claim to have it all together, or force my family to think they have it together.

PS If you want a copy of Becoming a Dad, it's $4 at Mardel!

Best of 2009: Movies

Here are the 10 best movies I saw for the first time in 2009.

#1
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)



The only movie we saw in 2009 that was either 1. rented with money, or 2. viewed out of town with someone else. Although I found it to be a very frustrating movie, plot-wise, I can't deny that it is really the greatest movie I saw for the first time in 2009.


#2
Ordinary People (1980)
Pretty much an amazing movie. It is not the type of movie I typically like (family strife, etc), but I really enjoyed it.




#3
Chariots of Fire (1981)

A true story about guys training to sprint in the Olympics and overcoming life obstacles during the process.





#4
Annie Hall (1977)

It's a funny movie, and creative in the way it was written.






#5
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)



Despite being a little dated from the special effects standpoint, Close Encounters is entertaining and interesting.



#6
Gandhi (1982)
Gandhi the movie is educational and inspirational, and even though it is around 3 hours long, it kept my attention the entire time, and doesn't drag.


#7
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

There are some good tunes in Fiddler, and good characters, and a message that makes you think about tolerance and change.


#8
The Guns of Navarone (1961)

Although I didn't care for the acting that much, I guess I still like a good old fashioned action movie.





#9
Bullitt (1968)
A good detective/action/mysterious movie.





#10
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Even though family/courtroom dramas are not my favorite, I can still call this a good work of art.

Restaurant Review: Stone Canyon Pizza

This is in Parkville, MO. What brings us up there, you ask? Two things. Gluten free pizza and Devin's magic.

The gluten free pizza greatly competes with Waldo Pizza in both price and taste. And Devin did a few magic tricks for us.

It was New Years Day, and it was a slow night, so Devin was able to hang out with us a bit.



We also hung out with our Indian friends that day.

Movie Review: Young Frankenstein

A parody of previous Frankenstein movies that I assume were easy to make fun of. I haven't seen the old Frankenstein movies, so I have to take this one by itself.

Several of the characters are funny, and lots of funny things happen. Some stuff is "inappropriate".

Gene Hackman makes an appearance as "Blind man"

Memorable things - I'll take a chance that someone has seen it.

"It's Fron-kon-steen"
"Elevate me. Right here, right now?"
"What hump?"
"Behind ze bookcase."
"Yes! Yes! Say it! He was my BOYFRIEND!"
"You know, I'll never forget my old dad. When these things would happen to him... the things he'd say to me. "
"What knockers"
"Could be worse. How? It could be raining"
"Abby. Abby Who? Abby Normal."
"You haven't even touched your food. There. Now I've touched it. Happy?"
"SEDA-GIVE? "

SQL Server 2008 Administration, by Ross Mistry

This book is more of a reference book than a teaching book, but that didn't keep me from reading it! My company paid for it so that I could study for my certification exam coming up.

SQL Server 2008 has a lot of sweet features.

• Resource Governor. Create limits for the amount of CPU that user connections can use.
• Policy Based Management - set constraints on "Facets", such as names of objects. This would have been useful when I was obsessed about prefixes on tables at my last job!
• High availability options, which were also on SQL Server 2005!
  Clustering - On failure, the server automatically fails over to a different server. The disk space is shared between the two servers, and a virtual server manages the name of the server.
  Mirroring - Each database transaction is also sent to a different server to be recorded to its database as well. A high safety mode can be enabled, where the first database can't commit any additional transactions until the second one has reported back with success
  Log Shipping - similar to Mirroring, except the transactions are sent in chunks (called logs) at scheduled times.
  Replication - a publisher sends updates on objects to subscribers

Some very nice things about the book are the "What's New with SQL Server 2008" at the beginning of every chapter, and the bullet point summary at the end of every chapter.

It will be good to have this book around as a reference.

Movie Review: Invictus (2009)

In a rare occasion, we saw a movie in the theater. The last one we saw was Prince Caspian on June 19, 2008. So if I had SQL open, I could do my datediff function to see the number of days we went between theater visits. But roughly that's about a year and a half.

Haven't missed it that much. The theater was nearly empty, but a perfumed lady sat down two seats away from us. But we got used to the smell or it was just an initial waft.

Anyway, Invictus appealed to us because two of our pastors are from South Africa, and this movie is situated in South Africa. It is about Nelson Mandela and his efforts concerning the rugby team after his election to the Presidency. To the many Black people, the official rugby team was a symbol of apartheid, and wanted to dismantle it. But Mandela convinced them to keep the team around. And they ended up winning against all odds, and both races of South Africans were unusually united around the event. So the point is that Mandela saw something that many others didn't. The movie portrays Mandela as really distracted while doing official duties, because he was so concerned about the rugby team.



Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela, and Matt Damon plays the captain of the rugby team. I didn't think Damon was great for the role, but they obviously wanted two stars in the movie, so that is ok. It was directed by Clint Eastwood.

I thought it was a nice movie to see, but not a must see.