Random thoughts that came to my mind as we drove to/from Greenville, SC today:
1 - I saw a vehicle with its business name and contact information plastered all over it. Odd thing is that it was called 'Highway 801 Towing'. Isn't that a bit limiting of a business name to have? I'm not sure to which Highway 801 it was referring, but the one near us is not too tremendously well-traveled. If that is the market you're aiming for...hmm, back to the drawing board, I'd say. Oh, and the really odd thing? It wasn't even a tow truck. It was a van. What exactly was THAT supposed to do?
2 - Thankful for a good bit of fog to hide most of the billboards about...well, you know what I mean if you've driven on that part of I-85 in SC.
3 - We've only lived in NC for just over six years and already, we have memories that flooded my mind as we drove through Greenville. Remember when...?
4 - Approximately 87% of the cars that were moving along in a 'dangerously unique' manner had drivers talking on their cell phones. Just saying.
5 - It just feels much hotter in SC. Closer to the equator, I guess.
6 - Lots of unmarked police cars out there. Glad I was law-abiding for the most part today.
7 - The cruise control on my truck fares a bit better on hills than does that same tool on my van. In case you wanted to know.
8 - Those Shriners. Good folk.
9 - Back to vehicles with business contact information. Here's an idea...make it legible! All I could tell is that is was some kind of company that does graphics. Not the best advertising when you can't read the font even stopped behind you at a red light.
10 - What is it about driving? Nearly five hours today doing nothing but steering the van and the first thing I wanted to do when I got home...take a nap.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Why We Don't Watch TV
We don't watch television. When I say "we", I am referring to the collection of Bowers that reside at our little abode in Mooresville, NC. And when I say "don't watch television", it is not a set up and an attention-getting way of really saying that 'we experience it!' or 'we let it watch us' or something cutesie like that. No, it means just that. We don't watch it.
There are many reason for this, I suppose. First, our TV set is broken. Second, that whole digital changeover thing caught us. And, then, well, we never really missed it. Here's how I would describe the journey we've been on.
I realized a few months ago that we hadn't watched much TV for a while. Maybe it was the beautiful weather that the spring months around here supply. Maybe it was the busy season we were in. Maybe it was the new and different activities we were experiencing (watching your one-year old doing new 'firsts' all the time...what could be more entertaining?!). Whatever it was, we just were not engaged in flipping on the tube. Then early June arrived.
We were in the process of reviving the 'we're moving soon' routine again. Get boxes. Load up boxes. Move boxes around to make room for more...boxes. One evening, Jace and I were downstairs while Sarah and the girls were upstairs getting cleaned up and ready for the night with William already enjoying his sleep. With a little bit of slight exhaustion and a fair amount of laziness, I decided to watch some NBA Finals with my son. You know...bonding. But before we could get to grunting and high-five-ing, we found out that all we had when we turned the TV on was fuzz. I figured it was a station thing and began wondering how they could allow such a mistake to happen. When all the other channels showed the same thing, I thought maybe a wire was loose or something. But we finally came upon a station that was airing a special program. It was explaining the digital change that had recently been made to all the television programming in our little neck of the woods known as (what...USA?, North America, the world? I have no clue how far-reaching this this is).
Months ago, I had remembered some announcement about the soon-coming change (whatever happened to February 2009?). I was told that if you had purchased your TV set in the last couple of years (which we had), it would most likely be fine for use after the change. So I didn't think much of it. In the back of my mind, I knew February had come and gone and I thought we were safe. Guess not.
No big deal, though. Get a converter box and we're back in business. With the soon-coming move nearly upon us, I decided to wait until we got settled in to our new home and then deal with it. Now on to reason #1 above.
Have you ever had one of those surreal moments that just kind of lingers with you? Something is going on and you see it happen in slow-motion and there's nothing you can do? Well, that was me a few days after we moved in. We have decided to make our garage into a family/homeschool/'other' room. And that includes keeping the TV there. Long story short, I REALLY thought I was moving both the TV and the base upon which it sets forward a tad in order to finalize the wiring and set up in the back. A slight shove forward confirmed that this was NOT the case. TV went forward, base did not. Gravity took over from there. In the longest split-second in my life that afforded me the opportunity to grasp at every conceivable wire protruding from various electronic devices, the TV met the floor. I was expecting a crash, a shatter and a hurried command to all within the household to 'not walk near that' with bare feet for a while until all was cleaned up.
Well, there was no shatter. Even the case of the TV just looked slightly off. But off enough, it was. Subsequent attempts at using the TV have proven that it is most likely ready for the grave. (I will be hanging on to it and checking every now and then, you know, just in case...).
But I am pleased to announce that in the midst of all this 'can-you-believe-it' activity, we have not missed TV viewing in the least. Granted, we never watched much anyway. And we had no regular programs that were must-see for us. But I can honestly say that we don't miss it. Kinda' wish something like this would have happened earlier, in fact. We had always known that we didn't watch much, and had always desired to even watch less than the little that we did, but we just never did much about it.
Let's see, I usually try to watch the MLB All-Star game, but survived just fine. We would watch PBS occasionally for various offerings they supplied, but our brain cells haven't fried and we have more than filled the time with other options. And then there was...well, like I said, we never watched much anyway. Admittedly, you may want to check back when football season is in full swing as I tried to watch a little bit of a game here or there (again, a lot less with the Vikings not being on to tempt me). But by this time, we've got so many other options, that your accountability check-in to see how I'm doing come mid-October may be greeted with a puzzled response of "what do you mean 'am I missing it?'...missing what?".
Now, if you will excuse me, we've got some family corn-shucking to do for dinner before we ride our bikes to the tennis courts and get some exercise together.
There are many reason for this, I suppose. First, our TV set is broken. Second, that whole digital changeover thing caught us. And, then, well, we never really missed it. Here's how I would describe the journey we've been on.
I realized a few months ago that we hadn't watched much TV for a while. Maybe it was the beautiful weather that the spring months around here supply. Maybe it was the busy season we were in. Maybe it was the new and different activities we were experiencing (watching your one-year old doing new 'firsts' all the time...what could be more entertaining?!). Whatever it was, we just were not engaged in flipping on the tube. Then early June arrived.
We were in the process of reviving the 'we're moving soon' routine again. Get boxes. Load up boxes. Move boxes around to make room for more...boxes. One evening, Jace and I were downstairs while Sarah and the girls were upstairs getting cleaned up and ready for the night with William already enjoying his sleep. With a little bit of slight exhaustion and a fair amount of laziness, I decided to watch some NBA Finals with my son. You know...bonding. But before we could get to grunting and high-five-ing, we found out that all we had when we turned the TV on was fuzz. I figured it was a station thing and began wondering how they could allow such a mistake to happen. When all the other channels showed the same thing, I thought maybe a wire was loose or something. But we finally came upon a station that was airing a special program. It was explaining the digital change that had recently been made to all the television programming in our little neck of the woods known as (what...USA?, North America, the world? I have no clue how far-reaching this this is).
Months ago, I had remembered some announcement about the soon-coming change (whatever happened to February 2009?). I was told that if you had purchased your TV set in the last couple of years (which we had), it would most likely be fine for use after the change. So I didn't think much of it. In the back of my mind, I knew February had come and gone and I thought we were safe. Guess not.
No big deal, though. Get a converter box and we're back in business. With the soon-coming move nearly upon us, I decided to wait until we got settled in to our new home and then deal with it. Now on to reason #1 above.
Have you ever had one of those surreal moments that just kind of lingers with you? Something is going on and you see it happen in slow-motion and there's nothing you can do? Well, that was me a few days after we moved in. We have decided to make our garage into a family/homeschool/'other' room. And that includes keeping the TV there. Long story short, I REALLY thought I was moving both the TV and the base upon which it sets forward a tad in order to finalize the wiring and set up in the back. A slight shove forward confirmed that this was NOT the case. TV went forward, base did not. Gravity took over from there. In the longest split-second in my life that afforded me the opportunity to grasp at every conceivable wire protruding from various electronic devices, the TV met the floor. I was expecting a crash, a shatter and a hurried command to all within the household to 'not walk near that' with bare feet for a while until all was cleaned up.
Well, there was no shatter. Even the case of the TV just looked slightly off. But off enough, it was. Subsequent attempts at using the TV have proven that it is most likely ready for the grave. (I will be hanging on to it and checking every now and then, you know, just in case...).
But I am pleased to announce that in the midst of all this 'can-you-believe-it' activity, we have not missed TV viewing in the least. Granted, we never watched much anyway. And we had no regular programs that were must-see for us. But I can honestly say that we don't miss it. Kinda' wish something like this would have happened earlier, in fact. We had always known that we didn't watch much, and had always desired to even watch less than the little that we did, but we just never did much about it.
Let's see, I usually try to watch the MLB All-Star game, but survived just fine. We would watch PBS occasionally for various offerings they supplied, but our brain cells haven't fried and we have more than filled the time with other options. And then there was...well, like I said, we never watched much anyway. Admittedly, you may want to check back when football season is in full swing as I tried to watch a little bit of a game here or there (again, a lot less with the Vikings not being on to tempt me). But by this time, we've got so many other options, that your accountability check-in to see how I'm doing come mid-October may be greeted with a puzzled response of "what do you mean 'am I missing it?'...missing what?".
Now, if you will excuse me, we've got some family corn-shucking to do for dinner before we ride our bikes to the tennis courts and get some exercise together.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Pleasant Interruption
Working, I was.
Just sitting there at my desk today going over the training agenda that I was planning and formulating. And then I would practice on that which I was going to train. And then again. And again.
Before I knew it, a couple of hours had passed. It felt good to get some breathing room in the training formulating portion of my to-do list and agenda for the day. And I appreciated it because it is the type of work that I can do with some soft music playing in the background. Volume down. Lots of instrumental.
Then a song came along that made me stop what I was doing for a bit. It was a version of the song "At Calvary". As the sounds of the refrain came across my ears, I couldn't help but sing the words in my mind.
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty;
At Calvary.
I was instantly overwhelmed with the truth of what happened at the place called Calvary so many years ago. It still has a great impact on everything about me. I, sluggard soul that I am, was a recipient of God's abundant and amazing grace. He initiated a transaction with me that is far beyond anything that the most creative mind could ever think up, the most loving heart could ever extend, and the strongest will could ever accomplish.
I even verbally had to just stop and say to myself, "My sins are forgiven. I have been set free!"
Great mercy!
Free grace!
Multiplied pardon!
Liberated soul!
If you were to have been in my office throughout the rest of the day, you may have very well heard me whistling this very tune. And my heart and soul were indeed energized by this most pleasant interruption to the day.
I quickly returned to the tasks at hand. But with a zeal and confidence in things eternal. I invite you to likewise be in awe as I close with verse four:
Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!
Just sitting there at my desk today going over the training agenda that I was planning and formulating. And then I would practice on that which I was going to train. And then again. And again.
Before I knew it, a couple of hours had passed. It felt good to get some breathing room in the training formulating portion of my to-do list and agenda for the day. And I appreciated it because it is the type of work that I can do with some soft music playing in the background. Volume down. Lots of instrumental.
Then a song came along that made me stop what I was doing for a bit. It was a version of the song "At Calvary". As the sounds of the refrain came across my ears, I couldn't help but sing the words in my mind.
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty;
At Calvary.
I was instantly overwhelmed with the truth of what happened at the place called Calvary so many years ago. It still has a great impact on everything about me. I, sluggard soul that I am, was a recipient of God's abundant and amazing grace. He initiated a transaction with me that is far beyond anything that the most creative mind could ever think up, the most loving heart could ever extend, and the strongest will could ever accomplish.
I even verbally had to just stop and say to myself, "My sins are forgiven. I have been set free!"
Great mercy!
Free grace!
Multiplied pardon!
Liberated soul!
If you were to have been in my office throughout the rest of the day, you may have very well heard me whistling this very tune. And my heart and soul were indeed energized by this most pleasant interruption to the day.
I quickly returned to the tasks at hand. But with a zeal and confidence in things eternal. I invite you to likewise be in awe as I close with verse four:
Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Inspiring Calculations
An insightful and yet somewhat troubling discussion was had around the lunch table this fine day. Sarah was enjoying herself at a bridal shower (congrats to Michelle and Justin!) and the four kids and I were munching away at various goodies. (Yes, my children understand my propensity to answer 'yeah, sure' when asked about including different food items outside the norm...popcorn, canned fruit, etc).
Then the question came. We were anticipating the celebration that we were to attend that very afternoon. Five youth from our church were graduating from high school and for the first time in quite a while (and a first for the kids), we were going to be there to experience it. As we discussed the responsible step that these young ladies and man were taking, the children quickly gathered that they too would someday have the same privilege, Lord willing. And then somebody who had math on their mind asked the obvious "how long until I get to...?"
Luckily, I believe it was Celia and so we started there. Twelve years. Sounds safe. William? Let's say seventeen. But as we moved the other direction, reality started settling in a bit. Nine years for Priscilla and seven years for Jace, perhaps? That is starting to get a bit closer. But schooling at Pilgrim's Ford Academy is like a well-oiled machine, right? Well, I guess the next seven years plus will show us whether that is true or not. But the discussion didn't stop there.
On the way home, math was still on somebody's mind, for the calculations turned to marriage and starting families. We have created the habit of solving simple math problems with 'real life' examples. Like, when Priscilla is eighteen (and supposedly graduating from high school), how old will you (Celia) be? And yes, there are answers for these questions. And yes, they know them. And yes, they can come up with more. So they quickly figured out how many nieces and nephews will be there for little William's graduation!
But it is the numbers attached to me that brought some unique motivation. When William graduates from high school, I will be 57 years old! I have been thinking the last week or so about getting back into a more consistent pattern of exercising. That short discussion in the van alone served as inspiration aplenty for just that purpose. And then there will be weddings and grandchildren after that!!!
See you in the exercise room bright, early and often...
Then the question came. We were anticipating the celebration that we were to attend that very afternoon. Five youth from our church were graduating from high school and for the first time in quite a while (and a first for the kids), we were going to be there to experience it. As we discussed the responsible step that these young ladies and man were taking, the children quickly gathered that they too would someday have the same privilege, Lord willing. And then somebody who had math on their mind asked the obvious "how long until I get to...?"
Luckily, I believe it was Celia and so we started there. Twelve years. Sounds safe. William? Let's say seventeen. But as we moved the other direction, reality started settling in a bit. Nine years for Priscilla and seven years for Jace, perhaps? That is starting to get a bit closer. But schooling at Pilgrim's Ford Academy is like a well-oiled machine, right? Well, I guess the next seven years plus will show us whether that is true or not. But the discussion didn't stop there.
On the way home, math was still on somebody's mind, for the calculations turned to marriage and starting families. We have created the habit of solving simple math problems with 'real life' examples. Like, when Priscilla is eighteen (and supposedly graduating from high school), how old will you (Celia) be? And yes, there are answers for these questions. And yes, they know them. And yes, they can come up with more. So they quickly figured out how many nieces and nephews will be there for little William's graduation!
But it is the numbers attached to me that brought some unique motivation. When William graduates from high school, I will be 57 years old! I have been thinking the last week or so about getting back into a more consistent pattern of exercising. That short discussion in the van alone served as inspiration aplenty for just that purpose. And then there will be weddings and grandchildren after that!!!
See you in the exercise room bright, early and often...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Industry Insider Information!
I was doing a bit of research today at work. Reading up on the ins-and-outs of the advertising and marketing world. Interesting stuff.
One thing that caught my eye was a paragraph or two on 'consumer behavior'. Having just secured an agreement to purchase our next home, I thought it might be insightful to take a closer look. A psychographic method is applied that puts you, the consumer, into one of four categories relating to your psychological type. Think of a recent purchase that you made ('big' like a house or 'small' like a bag of potato chips...or anything in between) and rate yourself on the following:
1. Need-drivens: those with limited financial resources who are driven more by need than choice
2. Outer-directeds: those whose buying habits, attitudes, and activities are influenced and shaped by what they think others will think
3. Inner-directeds: those who live their lives according to inner values rather than the values of others
4. Integrateds: those whose inner direction and outer direction are combined into a functional entity
Maybe its a good idea to do some self-evaluation in regards to how you purchase things, products, and services. Just know that there is an entire industry doing that very thing and trying to meet you where you are.
So, where do you see yourself?
One thing that caught my eye was a paragraph or two on 'consumer behavior'. Having just secured an agreement to purchase our next home, I thought it might be insightful to take a closer look. A psychographic method is applied that puts you, the consumer, into one of four categories relating to your psychological type. Think of a recent purchase that you made ('big' like a house or 'small' like a bag of potato chips...or anything in between) and rate yourself on the following:
1. Need-drivens: those with limited financial resources who are driven more by need than choice
2. Outer-directeds: those whose buying habits, attitudes, and activities are influenced and shaped by what they think others will think
3. Inner-directeds: those who live their lives according to inner values rather than the values of others
4. Integrateds: those whose inner direction and outer direction are combined into a functional entity
Maybe its a good idea to do some self-evaluation in regards to how you purchase things, products, and services. Just know that there is an entire industry doing that very thing and trying to meet you where you are.
So, where do you see yourself?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Very Interesting and thought-provoking
I'm not much of an economist, but I found this video clip quite intriguing. It is nearly an hour long, but maybe you will be caught up in it a bit like I was.
Food for thought anyway...
Food for thought anyway...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
blah, blah, blah...BRETT FAVRE!
Good evening, cherished followers! I hope both of you have had a good day.
So I see where my Vikings are/were considering adding the oft-retired Brett Favre to their quarterbacking mix. And I further saw that the sports sites that I check on had an article or two (or...) with their thoughts, observations and inside scoops regarding this possibility. So the thought occurred to me...why not ME?
I don't mean suiting up for the Vikings. Although that would realize a bit of a dream for me and I'm only a few months older than Favre. No, I mean why don't I give MY opinion and thoughts about the whole thing. And then I realized the availability of this forum and here we go...
Um...
I don't care.
Really.
Pick a quarterback, any quarterback. Play the games. Try your best. Win some (hopefully a lot) and see how it goes. But, really, I don't care.
Well, that's about it. Maybe that's why I'm not a sportswriter.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Maybe this feeling of nonchalance stems from the following:
1. much joy was afforded me this morning just watching my 6 YO daughter play with my 1 YO son and make him thoroughly smile. (Brett who?)
2. my lovely wife left today to attend our church's women's retreat. Much prayer today for a rich time. I miss you, Sar, but I am so glad that you are able to take part in this great means of grace.
3. We've had a series of family celebrations in the last few days. We have even decided to make it an annual tradition to round out the school year. We had a special bike-riding excursion for Celia (Miss "I-learned-to-tie-my-shoes"), a unique evening where we all joined in a poetry reading of the works of one Priscilla Joy Bower (complete with poetry-reading-friendly dessert), and we ate heartily at a grand eatery to honor the 'ten essays written' accomplishment of budding blogger/writer Jace. I love my peoples.
4. Both vehicles went down for an eight-count but bounced up off the mat and are back in tip-top shape. I may have just mixed up metaphors a bit, but I'm still a little giddy from getting quality repairs for a fraction of the cost due to God's abundant provision of skilled people. (Thanks again Jeff and Dave!)
5. It's like just barely into May and you think I want to talk about football now?! Come on, let's pace ourselves people.
So I see where my Vikings are/were considering adding the oft-retired Brett Favre to their quarterbacking mix. And I further saw that the sports sites that I check on had an article or two (or...) with their thoughts, observations and inside scoops regarding this possibility. So the thought occurred to me...why not ME?
I don't mean suiting up for the Vikings. Although that would realize a bit of a dream for me and I'm only a few months older than Favre. No, I mean why don't I give MY opinion and thoughts about the whole thing. And then I realized the availability of this forum and here we go...
Um...
I don't care.
Really.
Pick a quarterback, any quarterback. Play the games. Try your best. Win some (hopefully a lot) and see how it goes. But, really, I don't care.
Well, that's about it. Maybe that's why I'm not a sportswriter.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Maybe this feeling of nonchalance stems from the following:
1. much joy was afforded me this morning just watching my 6 YO daughter play with my 1 YO son and make him thoroughly smile. (Brett who?)
2. my lovely wife left today to attend our church's women's retreat. Much prayer today for a rich time. I miss you, Sar, but I am so glad that you are able to take part in this great means of grace.
3. We've had a series of family celebrations in the last few days. We have even decided to make it an annual tradition to round out the school year. We had a special bike-riding excursion for Celia (Miss "I-learned-to-tie-my-shoes"), a unique evening where we all joined in a poetry reading of the works of one Priscilla Joy Bower (complete with poetry-reading-friendly dessert), and we ate heartily at a grand eatery to honor the 'ten essays written' accomplishment of budding blogger/writer Jace. I love my peoples.
4. Both vehicles went down for an eight-count but bounced up off the mat and are back in tip-top shape. I may have just mixed up metaphors a bit, but I'm still a little giddy from getting quality repairs for a fraction of the cost due to God's abundant provision of skilled people. (Thanks again Jeff and Dave!)
5. It's like just barely into May and you think I want to talk about football now?! Come on, let's pace ourselves people.
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