Back in the Saddle Again

This morning I drove into work from Sherman.
Jerry had said I could be late due to the trip.
I got to work at 10:00.
After a short bit of reading email and newsgroups Jerry came in and invited
me to go to lunch with himself, Arvel and Jon.
We went to the Cacherel, which is a fabulous restaurant near
Alt-N.
After a lunch retelling our adventures in and out of Cancun we headed back to
Alt-N.
But on the way down to the car from the Cacherel Arvel mentioned wanting to
go look at cars.
So we did.
We looked at Dodge Vipers.

The new 2003/2004 body design is much better than the older body
design.
The interior also is better.
Arvel really liked them.
They’re way outside of my price range 🙂

I know, a tough day at work.
I’m tired now from entering my hand written articles from over the weekend
(here, here and here).
I put up many of the pictures I took with our
digital camera under the media section.
Hope that you had as fun a weekend as I did – you should visit Cancun.

Resting in Him,

Randy “They don’t make’em like they used to” Peterman

Sundelay (Sunday Delay)

Today was a long day.
It started out nice enough, I woke up to a gorgeous sunny day with the sound
of waves crashing on the shore outside.
We got ready, packed our bags (so we didn’t have to do it later) and then
went downstairs to eat.
We met Steve Bardenhagen for breakfast and then played miniature golf with him.
Steve works for Alt-N on RelayFax, our fax server application.
Without Steve it would still be one of our lesser worked on programs.
Now ComAgent-Java is the least focused on 🙁
I need more time to work on that.
Back to the story…

So far things are going OK, but we’re supposed to wait for our shuttle to
pick us up at 1:55.
It came at 2:15.
We got to the airport and were pretty rapidly given our tickets and sent to
go through security.
We made it through that pretty painlessly.
Then we got to our gate, A6.
A6 had the worst PA system,
it sounded like a megaphone.
Our flight was supposed to bored, I mean board, at 3:55.
At 3:55 we were watching another plane start to board at A6 – it was going to
Mexico City.
We heard nothing over the PA
saying that the gates had been switched, that things were delayed or that
small rodents had eaten the runway up and that we were stuck in Cancun.
So Jon, Steve Jess and I went into the bar/restaurant next to the A6 gate and
ordered some drinks and fries.
We talked and continued to wait.

We finished our drinks and fries and then headed out to meet up with Jerry
(which was the first time I saw him all weekend).
Then, then, they announced that the flight would start boarding in
20 minutes.
They announced it with a megaphone, there was no
PA system!
After 20 minutes they megaphoned that they would start boarding in 15-20
minutes (again).
Finally, we all boarded.

The plane made relatively good time back north and I slept most of the way –
I was bushed.
Upon arriving at DFW airport we landed and taxied towards the gate.
I say towards the gate because just when it looked like we were going to
actually reach the gate, they stopped the plane.
The plane that was at that gate still had apparently not figured out that we
needed to be there.
So we waited.
Then the captain came over the overhead speakers (no megaphone) and said that
the plane was out of the way and we’d be at the gate shortly.
Jessica had to go pee.
The captain came over the speakers again and said that the ground crew was
moving some equipment and so we’d have to wait some more.
Jessica’s bladder ruptured and the paramedics were rushed out.
Just kidding, but by now she was in pain.

Finally we disembarked the plane and headed towards
U.S. customs.
We headed from gate A18, where our car was parked at, towards customs.
Towards customs we walked.
And walked.
And walked some more.
We arrived at customs which was at gate A1.
There we stood in a long line.
Jessica still needed to go potty.
Finally the customs agent checked us out and we were herded towards an
escalator.
At the bottom of the escalator was a lobby with baggage… and a bathroom for
Jessica.

So after taking care of business Jessica and I headed back across the airport
to A18.
We got there, got into the car and headed towards home.
At the toll booth, where the airport practices extortion, we handed the older
gentleman in the booth our ticket.
He looked at it for some time.
Then, he muttered something and punched a number on a device next to him.
After a few moments another man walked into the booth – apparently a manager.
That many apologized to me for the delay and then the older fellow said,
“It’s mutilated.”
Wrong!
That ticket had been in my glove box all weekend long where it had peacefully
rested, and unless some glove box gnomes came and mutilated it and then
cast a spell on it so that it looked fine to us, but not to the toll booth
fellow, it was not mutilated.
The manager told him to type ‘mutilated’ into the computer and then punch in
the ticket’s number.
The computer seemed to like that because they then asked us for $48.00
USD for our car’s three
day stay.
I could have stayed at Motel six that long for that much – with Jessica and
my car.
Then they explained that my ticket was too long.
Like I had stretched it out before pulling up to the booth.
Darn glove box gnomes!

We rushed home and got our change of clothes for the night in Sherman with
Amanda and Doug and to check the phone messages.
Then headed to get gas in the car, some money for dinner, and then to Sherman.
Right.
This day needed more delays.

I inserted my debit card into the pump and told it to use it as a credit card.
Stupid me – it didn’t like that – it told me to see the cashier.
Stupid them – the station’s store was closed and the cashier was not present.
I tried again and all was well – 1 minute lost at the gas station.

I then proceeded to the Bank of America
ATM in Albertson’s.
The machine didn’t like my card and said it wouldn’t work in that machine.
I went to the second machine – same error.
I finally bought a pack of gum and took some cash out that way.
5 more minutes lost in Albertson’s/B. of A.

Money in hand I went to McDonalds.
Where I waited for them to ask me to give my order.
We waited about 1 and a half minutes.
Then I backed up and drove forward again in case my car hadn’t triggered some
trigger.
Nothing.
So I thought after yet another minute, “I’m going to pull forward and give my
order in person.”
Good thing I did because once getting around to the other side of the
building there was a sign that read, “Place order, pay, & pickup here.”
Doh!
That was just icing on the cake.
Why would you not put a sign up saying, “Pull forward.” or have someone out
in the front using sign language to get us to pull forward.
Neon lights would work, even chalk on the sidewalk would have been better
than a sign on the other side of the building.

We drove our car up to Sherman from there and went to bed around midnight.
Abby was asleep so we just talked with Amanda and Doug for a bit and then
crashed for the night.

Finally resting,

Randy “Jet lag” Peterman

El Segundo Dia

This day started out rough.
I didn’t sleep that well last night and then Jerry called out room at 7:30.
I had slept so poorly that my stomach hurt.
We got up and got ready and then ate breakfast.
After breakfast we walked on the beach and collected shells.
Tiny Shells.
We also got sand blasted by the wind on the beach.

At 9:50 we left with Mike and Louanne Mason on the public buses and made our
way to the ferry to take us to the Isla Mujeres.
There Jessica and Louanne were to swim with the dolphins.
The boat ride rook about one half hour and presented us with still more wind.

The dolphin facility was neat, Jessica and Louanne were the only
ones in the class.
It was very cool that they got to ‘share’ a dolphin.
The look in their eyes was a constant glow.
The instructor first explained to them the signals they would need to know to
work with the dolphins.
Their eyes brightened even more as the instructor modeled what they would be
doing with a wooden cutout of a dolphin.

Mike and I were instructed to stay a distance away from the area that the
dolphins were in.
I got pretty bogus pictures, but since Mike has such a great camera he was
able to zoom in.
We could hear the gals laughing from our view across the water.

After the dolphins we went to “downtown” Mujeres.
It’s a small town and it is pretty run down looking.
In what was a great decision we at lunch at a restaurant that has
been the best meal so far.
I had some of the best fajitas I have ever had.
We all agreed lunch was fantastic!
As lunch ended it started raining and we made our way down to a shop where
Louanne had planned on buying a belt.
She bought three belts.
We bought four bracelets that we liked.
I was pleased that the shopkeeper, an older woman, had a Bible and appeared
to have been putting it to good use.
We didn’t haggle with her but paid full price.
Hopefully that was a blessing to her.

The ride on the ferry back was brought due to the storm that brought us the
rain.
We endured it and then hopped on a but that amused us once reaching the
mainland.
A passenger was shouting from the first seat, out the window, for folks to
get on the bus.
He was the frontman while the driver moved the bus ‘rapido.’
We stopped to pick up passengers until there was standing room only.
We had to shout and ask for the driver to stop in front of our hotel or else
he might have kept going right past the empty bus stop.

I have a real heart for the Mexican people.
I want to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.
Unlike the affluent Americans they seem simpler, and the Catholic culture may
lend them to an easier understanding of the message of Grace.
Then again, since Catholicism is a works based religion, they might find
grace to be a foreign concept.
I’ll have to talk to some of my missionary friends.

Speaking of foreign, on one of the customs forms they had a typo.
It asked if we were Mexican Nationals or ‘Foreing.’
Since I’m not that much into golf I said I was Mexican!
Just kidding, I filled out the form correctly, but I did think that was
funny.

I have to go get ready for the company dinner so I’ll write more later.

[Randy and Jessica get ready – then go to the company dinner here]

The company dinner was great fun.
Unfortunately Jerry and his two kids,
Grace and Eric
could not make it to the dinner because the kids were just warn out from
their deep sea fishing trip earlier in the day.
We had a good seat in the middle of the table so as the conversations drifted
I could change my focus of attention with ease.
Some interesting food was served, but more than that some interesting and
tasty drinks were served.
Jared and I had these really (really, really, really) cool coffee
drinks.
The waiter put sugar on the rim of the glass and then carmelized it with a
torch.
Then, he poured some alcohol into the cup that he had lit (fire!).
After the fire burned a few moments (5-6 seconds) he sprinkled in some cinnamon
and then he poured coffee into the cup.
Then, he heated a spoon and took the spoon and scooped up some frozen whipped
cream and put it into the cup and then placed the spoon across the top of
the cup.
After placing the cup in front of me he lit another ladle of liqueur and
poured that over the coffee and spoon.
Yum!
Here is a recipe that looks like it might get you
close to the same thing.
We all agreed you couldn’t get this at Starbucks 🙂

The restaurant closed at 11:00 so we left and went back up to our rooms.
Full, glad to have seen some new and fun things and to have socialized.

Resting in Him,

Randy “Eat-A-Fajita” Peterman

La Primera Dia

Or “The First Day”

Well y’all, I’m writing this by hand in Mexico with one of the most valuable
tools they’ve got: a pen.
That’s right, I think that a pen is nearly impossible to come by in Cancun.

Upon departing from DFW airport we were given customs forms to fill out.
Just the forms.
We had to provide our own pen.
We didn’t have one.
Normally I have one with me at all time in my backpack.
When we landed we were corralled into customs where we were directed to a
counter with the same forms, yet it had no pens.
We eventually borrowed one, and the n left it there in case other travelers
were in the same situation.

In out room, which is OK, we found envelopes, paper, brochures… and no pen.
I bought this pen at Walmart (my favorite store) tonight out of utter
frustration.
If the pen is mightier than the sword Cancun is ready for an invasion.
Or, maybe they don’t use pens so that college students will more willingly
come down and drink millions of gallons of alcohol on break.

After Walmart we left to go to one of Cancun’s flea markets.
Jessica had two goals: find something for Abby and find herself some Jewelry.
I had one goal: to leave the flea market with cash left.
I haggled a fellow down to $20.00 for a bracelet for Jessica.
He tried a long list of tricks to entice us.
I wasn’t going to budge because we didn’t need the bracelet.
In the end Jessica got her bracelet and I got to wonder, “Could we have
gotten it for less?”

Mexico has different soda: Coke is the drink if you want a soda and
they don’t sell Diet Coke.
They sell Coke Light.
It truly tastes better than Diet Coke – it’s sweeter.

Tomorrow we will go to the dolphin swim, but its supposed to be raining in
the morning.
Hopefully the weather calms by the noon appointment.
I hope Jessica has a great time, if the bracelet is any indicator of how
happy she’ll be I’ll have a happy gringo on my hands.

It’s 12:21 (palindrome) so I’m going to bed.
I’ll let you know how today (since it’s so late) goes after it’s mostly over.

Resting in Him,

Randy “Bartering Bandito” Peterman

Abby is Learning ‘The Look’

This evening, in preparation for our trip to Cancun tomorrow we dropped
Abigail off in Sherman at Jessica’s cousin’s house.
We had dinner at Chili’s where Amanda (Jess’ cousin) took a cup of goldfish
crackers and gave some to Nolan, her son.
We had been sharing and so it didn’t bother us in the least for her to do
that.
On the other hand Abigail felt that those goldfish were hers and so she
grabbed the cup once Amanda had set it back down in front of her and gave
Amanda ‘The Look.’
Normally that sort of behavior would get a smack on the back of the hand and
a good verbal warning, but we were so surprised and humored by this first
‘Look’ that we just laughed.
Sometimes being a parent is hard 🙂

We’re leaving to go to Cancun tomorrow morning around 9:40 AM and we’re most
likely going to arrive at noon-thirty.
Odds are we’ll get to our hotel hungry and be ready to eat some of the food,
drink some of the drinks (which may have to be alcoholic simply to avoid
the water).
Then we’ll have some fun with our friends the Mason’s and probably crash
somewhat early just to get some rest and prepare for Saturday’s adventures.

Saturday will hold the dolphins.
Jessica and Louanne (Mason) will swim with the dolphins while Mike (Mason) and I
shoot them.
We’ll be shooting with cameras 🙂
I’m excited that Jessica will be able to do that, and I hope that she really
enjoys the opportunity.
Ever since she was a young girl Jessica has wanted to see a unicorn up close
and personal.
Since she can’t have that she’s settled for dolphins.
Dolphins are just like unicorns only instead of a large horn twisting up out
of their heads they’ve got an air hole.
And instead of four legs and a whinny they have flippers, fins and a squeak
similar to the voice of Mariah Carrey.

Sunday we’ll leave mid-afternoon and get home in the evening late enough to
drive back up to Sherman and then spend the night.
Jerry has graciously offered us a late arrival Monday morning at work so that
we could recuperate before jumping back into the code.
This is probably good since the code may suffer if we work on it while tired
(or in the case of some co-workers, hung over).

This trip is by far the most lavish Christmas party Alt-N has taken us on.
Each year they say, “Don’t expect this again next year.”
However, this is next year and we are going on a trip.
We don’t need these trips to think our jobs rock, but it is sure a nice
gesture and Arvel and Jerry have been fabulously generous.
Thanks guys!

Utterly Excited

Sunday night, about the same time we land back in Dallas our good friend
Jaime Utter is landing with some of the men from his congregation to go to
the Pre-Trib Study Group Conference.
We’re excited to see him since he and his wife and kids were our only friends
here when we moved to Texas.
We literally spent hours and hours over at their house and Jaime and Ruth
counseled Jessica and I through the tough months that it took for us to
get adjusted to life in Texas.
They then left to go help a church in California.
Then they left California to help a church in Michigan – where they’re
currently located.
We’ll miss Ruth and Jay and Lacy, but we’re glad for the chance to see Jaime.

Resting in Him,

Randy “Can-koo koo-n” Peterman

All the Trimmings

I got my haircut today.

Lots of it.

They cut lots of my hair, all over my head.
My regular hair, my neck hair, my facial hair, and they even trimmed my
goatee.
When I say ‘they’ I mean this one gal at the Pro Cuts I go to periodically.
I go there when Gina, my friend and regular ‘beautician,’ can’t cut my hair.
Gina is a beautician, but she’s just not making me any more
beautiful.

Anyway, it feels nice to have my head back in order, I was starting to look
like a televangelist.
Periodically I’d find myself having thoughts about cast demons out of
televisions.
Fortunately Jessica kept me in line.

Discipleship

Discipleship has been an interest of mine since I was discipled by my dad
with the material from Disciplers Training International.
I’m working on other material that will augment what I learned from DTI with
things I learned in seminary.
I really hope to make good progress so that at some point I can release it to
the public with a request for feedback.

To Market, To Market to Buy a Fat Pig

I’m learning more about trading – maybe some day I’ll be able to do it
professionally.
What I’m learning most though is that I need to stick with the rules.
What are the rules?
Only trade 1/3 of your trading capital at one time and don’t get greedy.
Also, don’t trade anxious.

In the long run a consistent 10% trader will do better than an inconsistent
30%+ trader.
This is because 10% every day with little to no losses is much more
effective that making 30% every couple days due to compounding of capital
and sleep your not losing at night.
The not losing sleep at night thing is very valuable.
That’s All for now though, if I tell you everything it’ll just be one long
entry for today and then no need for anything more on this website 🙂

Resting in Him,

Randy “That One Guy” Peterman

Mad Bling-Bling

OK, so the title has some reference to money.
This news item doesn’t.
It does have a reference to mad though.
I’m mad that people take God’s word and twist it out of context.
I’m mad that people might say something like, “God’s word says we should home
shool our children.”
To which I would say, “Where?”

I’m reading a book (lent to me) called
Educating the WholeHearted Child.
I’ve only read the first page of the first chapter and I’m already wrestling
with its contents.
The issue is not with the idea of home schooling, I think it can be a great
method of education.
Jessica and I are considering home schooling our children.
However, I am really concerned that they blatantly say that homeschooling is
the Christian thing to do.
There is just no proof-text for that statement.

The book’s first page has one verse out of context (3 John 1:4), a second
verse ‘adapted’ to twist Colossians 1:28-29 to be towards children and a
sentence saying that they’re not trying to tell you what you should do.
The premise of the book is that you should home school and that you should
use their methodologies.
I must confess that I haven’t finished reading the book, but the content will
probably continue on in this pattern.
I’m going to finish the book because I committed to it, but I expect it to be
long and tedious because I’m going to read every word and check every
passage referenced.

Anyway, I hope that I can gain some insite from the book, just because parts
of it are errant doesn’t mean I can’t glean anything of use.

Resting in Him,

Randy “Hermeneutical” Peterman

Theologians Gone Wild

My good friend Tony mentioned the above title earlier today while we chatted.
The context was the vacation we’ll be taking this weekend to go to Cancun and
he was implying that I would be a wild and crazy guy.
Obviously I like to have a good time and I like to joke around, also, I like
theology.
I admit it.
I like to study God’s Word and learn and grow.
Why?

I like to study God’s Word because I love God.
He is my father, and He is the one who sent His Son, Jesus to pay the just
penalty for for my sin – death.
I love to get to know my Lord and Savior better.
Sometimes I wonder at how those who reject Christ can say, “If God wants to
forgive me, why doesn’t He just do that rather than make me go through
this Jesus guy?”
It is a misunderstanding of God’s grace and the wonderful work of
forgiveness.

Yes, this weekend I will go wild.
There will be parties and I might be at some of them, but not as a hooligan
or reveller in man-centered pleasures, instead I plan on being a light.
A joyful, hope-filled light for Christ.
Enjoying my position as a sanctified saint.
I will enjoy being with my wife, just the two of us.
We’ll both look forward to seeing Abigail again, but you know what?
We’ll be pleased to just be with one another as a happy marriage founded in
God’s love.

Resting in Him,

Randy “bond-servant” Peterman

Thanksgiving

All is Fare in Love and War

This Thanksgiving weekend was one of the most violent weekends to date for
Doug Dellow and myself.
We managed to play 5 games of Empire Earth.
Thousands of pixels died painful deaths at the hands of our civilizations.
There was great rejoicing – our villages celebrated by eating Turkey.
Doug and I even stayed up until 4:00AM Thursday night/Friday morning – my
army got whooped, but Doug stuck it out and won.

Doggone Traditions

Thursday morning we got up and were watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving day
advertisement, I mean parade.
But in between floats, balloons and bands there were commercials – and those
commercials involved a pitch for the Purina Traditional Thanksgiving day
dog show.
What!!?
When did that become annual?
When was watching judges feel all over dogs that have been spoiled worse than
most teenagers in Incline Village (Nevada) a family tradition on the day
we’re supposed to be thankful for what God has blessed us with?
It was surely never a tradition in our house.
We watched part of it anyway.
Lame.

Wave the Dead Bird

We ate lots of food that day, part of which included the grilled turkey and
whine.
The kids provided the whine while Doug and I provided more pixels with death.
Oh, I mean wine, we had wine with Thanksgiving dinner/lunch.
It was good food, good clean fun and we were stuffed.
Millions of American’s gained millions of pounds this week, collectively.

The problem with Turkey, however, is that it dries out.
It takes a lot of self control to not mention microwaves in front of the
turkey, because if you do, your turkey will dry up into turkey jerky.
Sometimes walking by a microwave with a bit of turkey will cause it to just
shrivel up.
Day old turkey soon becomes a sinewy mess of meaty strips.
Don’t talk about microwaves with turkey present – its just not pretty.

Fry Day

Friday was the annual ‘Glutton for Punishment Day’ where shoppers done their
stupid hats and show up at stores as early as 4:30 AM to get a good price
on items that are being sold for cost or less by retail giants.
They use three ploys: 1) Use rebates that will take 3 months to fulfill or 2)
carry one of each super cheap item so that they will be out of the special
offer and 3) create such a tiny window of opportunity that only 6 people in
a metropolitan area could possibly manage taking you up on it.
Most stores use all three tactics.

Jessica and Amanda went out and were our family representatives for the
holiday post turkey shop-a-thon.
Twelve hours of cash blowing fun, lines and caffeinated bliss.
We had to take multiple trips out to the car to get the gifts that were
purchased.
Some nations around the world have a budget smaller than the amount of money
spent in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on Friday.
I’m glad we could contribute to our economy.

Thinking Outside of the Box

Saturday Doug and I (with assistance from our wives periodically) put the
cabinet doors up in their kitchen (we’ve helped in the remodel process).
This was pretty cool, the kitchen still needs the countertops, but its
looking really nice.
I can’t wait to see it done, unfortunately since they’ll be out of town for 2
weeks near Christmas and Doug has to work in Tulsa every other week, it
may not be done until next year.

My’s Boyfriend

My sister Becky (sometimes called “My”) has a boyfriend, Kurt Katzorke.
He’s been in Colorado since Tuesday (he arrived sick, what a bummer) and
they’ve been spending time together, which is great.
Unfortunately he leaves tomorrow and so Becky will have to be down for a
couple days.
But I’m sure that they’ll resume their incessant text messaging, emailing,
phone talking ways within about 4-5 minutes of Kurt’s arrival back into
Carson City.
Maybe sooner as once he lands he can start using his cell phone.

Resting in Him,

Randy “Pixelator” Peterman

Gollum was a Victoria’s Secret Model Once

We bought the Lord of the Rings: Two Towers DVD set a week ago and I
was watching how they used computers to tweak a real person to look like
what is rendered as Gollum.
This is not too different from our ‘cleaning up’ images of models for
advertisements, pornography and publicity shots.
This sort of thing cracks me up.

Anyway, the extra stuff on the DVD set is really neat and I was impressed
with all of the work that went into making the movie as cool as it was.
If you haven’t bought the set, you may consider doing so, its worth your
money.
We enjoyed the extended scenes and we are enjoying the extra material.

OK, that’s all for now.

Happy Thankgiving Tomorrow!

Pnang.

Resting in Him,

Randy Peterman