Just Like Riding a Bike…
... you may never forget how but your muscles may remind you how out of shape you are.
It is the first evening of vacation. The wind is acceptable and the sun is fading. Part of me wants to find all the parts to the windsurfer and get out on the lake for a ride. The other part of me tries to speak some sense into my brain, "You're tired, it's going to be aggravating to scrounging for the parts and then assembling them amongst the biting flies will be torture, why don't you wait?" Considering all of the pro's and then the con's I decide to assemble the board, despite the pile of gear, biting flies, and a couple "ufff, forgot how bulky this was to carry" phrases.
Enduring the effort and fly bites was worthwhile just to have such a great picture taken to commemorate such a wonderful first evening out on the lake. Perhaps even better is I managed to sail BACK to shore 
As the blog title goes, I didn't forget how to windsurf but my body sure reminded me of all the muscles I hadn't used in the last year. On the bright side, I slept like a rock that night.
The New York Times Is Bad Medicine
In my opinion there aren't many people who would argue that laughter isn't good medicine. Experience has shown that people often use laughter to try and soften an uncomfortable situation. When the dust settles after a bad situation or a stupid mistake, there is nothing like a good laugh to heal a broken spirit. If you happen to be blessed with a well rounded sense of humor you probably find the comics in the Sunday paper to be of exceptional importance.
How can a world renown paper like the New York Times not have a comics section?
My observation and opinion of the Times may be frivolous but a thoughtful and humorous comic can shed more light on the world better than any well written piece of dry reporting ever could.
NJHSA Choir Performance at Pascack Bible Church
Friday the NJSHA Choir performed at Pascack Bible Church (PBC) in Hillsdale, NJ. They recently returned from a European tour. I heard them give a Christmas performance to raise money for their trip. I remember they were good but I had forgotten how good until I heard them again Friday night.
The performance was excellent, the young men and women were exceptionally talented. To say the performance was priceless would be and understatement. They sang with superb harmony, melody, and all the other musical terms that a critic can use to rate a performance. Most of all they sang with a joy and exuberance that made me smile.
Several of the songs really stood out to me. "Paru parong Bukid" was a song about a young girl in a new dress who was having trouble paying attention in church. The emphasis put into the music made me think about the conflict in her mind as she fought to not think about the dress but to focus on the church service. It brought to mind memories and thoughts that made me smile from ear to ear. Sort of like being at the office at 4PM on beautiful friday afternoon.
"I Sing the Mighty Power of God" is a favorite song of mine and the vigor and technical skill it was sung with added power and meaing to the words. It was a marvelous opening to the line up of songs.
The YouTube videos don't do the songs justice but they are an excellent reminder of a wonderful performance and the emotions that they stirred up by hearing them. Thanks to jgreendyk for posting them. You can find the rest of the videos of the performance as PBC (Pascack Bible Church) on this YouTube channel
Protected: Life Caught In Time
(Real) Stargate built in backyard
Hack A Day had this wonderful link filed under "misc hacks" that shows a home made stargate along with an amateur action video. Check out the page for more details.
If you happen to think this is pretty cool then check out this Stargate themed merchandise from Cafe Press.
Kinda wish my birthday was coming up soon because the geek is sexy shirt and the stargate shirt are awesome. I wonder if I can get this as a shirt instead?
Running With The Fireflies
Through the dark,
under lofty tree tops,
across the night shadows
cast by the moon and the stars,
I ran.
The temperature,
wasn't hot or even all that cold.
Invigorating, it spurred me on.
I ran.
Everywhere,
and yet nowhere.
The fireflies teased me with light,
Left, right, no... straight ahead,
Keep up, run faster if you can.
I run...
.... as fast as I can.
Running With The Fireflies by Jared Bratu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Thoughts of a Gmail Convert
Recently I converted my mail client from Lotus Notes to Gmail. Sure, I had a Gmail address but only so I could enjoy the benefits of Google Wave and Google Voice.
Lotus Notes has always had a soft spot in my geek heart because it pioneered mail file replication and provided advanced search queries. Unfortunately it lacked in a streamlined client and to run a Domino server for myself just wasn't feasible.
Google Apps promised a solution to cover my email, scheduling, and more for only $50/yr. Considering an Exchange account from 1and1 is almost $84/yr the trade up to Google Apps seemed attractive considering all of the features available.
My initial evaluation of the Gmail interface have been surprising, negatively surprising. This isn't a gripe session and overall I'm impressed with Gmail and Google Apps but I'm shocked at the lack of certain features.
Notably, how to keep labeled items out of the inbox. Thanks to David Tan for demonstrating the magical setup of filters to arrange the inbox.
Gmail supports Active Sync for connecting my outlook data to Windows Mobile phones but the connector won't sync my phone tasks with the Gmail tasks.
Oh, and no HTML embedded signatures? Gesh.
One of the advantages to Gmail is the numerous and widely used methods of checking email, POP, IMAP, Webmail, Exchange, Active Sync, etc so in the long run the lack of features in the Gmail interface shouldn't be a stumbling block.
More to follow as I probe the depths of the Google Apps world.
Quote: To The Traveler
may your travel be smoothmay your guide be kindmay you arrive on timewith the Lord shall you dine.-RIC S. BASTASA
Brazilian BBQ
Technically it was an American Brazilian BBQ and it was in the New York suburbs... but hey, it was still a Brazilian BBQ. To validate the experience I tried grilled chicken hearts. Before you think "Eww, I could never eat that", please tell me what part of a pig a hot dog is made from. Stumped? So don't knock chicken hearts. Think of them as a fine piece of meat encased in a heart shaped sausage casing. *Mmmm delicious*
All kidding aside the BBQ was wonderful and I found myself enjoying the Brazilian style better than the American counter part. The American style is to cook a big steak and then slice it up on piece at a time. The Brazilian style is to have smaller finger picking size tasty morsels. *Smacks lips* tasty.
The company was as equally wonderful, if not more so! What a delightful time. Thanks Margot for posting some great pics. Check them out at her Interior Design blog.
“I Will Believe It A Good Comfortable Road”
Over 10 years ago during vacation bible school a friend shared this passage with the students she was teaching. The passage was from a book about the travels of Lewis and Clark.
May 26, 1805 - The camp was in Fergus County, Montana, two miles below the mouth of Windsor Creek. The men used the tow lines to pull the boats up the river. Lewis saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time and left a lengthy description of the countryside: "In the after part of the day I also walked out and ascended the river hills which I found sufficiently fortiegueing. on arriving to the summit one of the highest points in the neighbourhood I thought myself well repaid for any labour; as from this point I beheld the Rocky Mountains for the first time these points of the Rocky Mountains were covered with snow and the sun shone on it in such manner as to give me the most plain and satisfactory view. while I viewed these mountains I felt a secret plaesure in finding myself so near the head of the heretofore conceived boundless Missouri; but when I reflected on the difficulties which this snowy barrier would most probably throw in my way to the Pacific, and the sufferings and hardships of myself and party in them, it in some measure counterbalanced the joy I felt in the 1st moments in which I gazed on them; but as I have always held it a crime to anticipate evils I will believe it a good comfortable road untill I am compelled to believe differently." -Meriwether Lewis
Adapted from the NPS.gov Lewis and Clark timeline. Emphasis added.
The quote may have been misplaced in my mind for almost 10 years but recent events in my life knocked it lose from the back of my mind and brought it to my memory. There may be 200 years between Mr. Lewis and myself but the words so succinctly describe my feelings on the adventure that was awaiting me.