In desperation as the replacement hadn’t arrived I cracked it open and blew it out with a compressed air can.  After replacing the batteries this thing is humming along and working like new.  Except I still have a new one on order.  Anyone looking for a trackball? :)

I am so excited I can’t tell you how excited I am.  But I CAN tell you that we’re having another baby (gender unknown) and its pretty darn awesome.  Just have to let you know.

Names that will cheese off people who think we should name the baby other names, or who think it should be kept a secret:

Girl: Charlotte Rose Peterman – nickname: Charlie, though Unkle Kurt has said he’ll call her Lotty.

Boy: Eric Matthew Peterman – nickname: Eric, though Unkle Kurt has said he’ll call him Eric.

We’re excited and hope you’ll celebrate with us!

A phun photo I took this morning when inspired by a lime slice Jessica had cut. The light under it was actually heating it up filling the room with awesomeness in odors.

If you think that government spending is out of hand: watch this film.

If you think that Americans are nutritionally screwed up and need to eat better: watch this film.

If you think that you’ve got everything together and your life is all roses: watch this film.

I am allergic to corn grain and corn syrup, though corn oil does seem to be OK in moderation, and so for me corn is just not a great item to eat.  After watching how corn syrup is made, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to eat corn syrup even if I were able to eat it.  I’m convicted, once again, that I should be careful what I put into this body, but don’t take my word for it.  Watch this film, read Michael Pollard’s book “In Defense of Food” – and see where you land.  I bet it isn’t in a field of corn, or in line at McDonalds.

I have put a lot of time into thinking about that passage and I hope you find it edifying on its surface.  Further it is a great passage to use for looking into how we can grow together as a body.  Who has God put into your life for you to grow and have as an example?

Check out the recording of the lesson here.  And the handout that is referenced here.  Feel free to post any questions or comments below in the comments section and I’ll get back to you with answers (assuming I have them).

Hell has a special place for virus coderz and I’m pretty sure they only serve caffeine free diet soda there.

Am I prejudiced against the pretty faced girl who sings like an ‘angel’ (pardon me while I puke in my mouth after writing that)? I think so. What if the unnamed country-pop star is really a great, talented gal who writes real songs from her heart? I’m scared if she does because she’s got to have a large chunk of bubble-gum lodged in there and its coated with banjos [this makes her songs authentic country, I believe]. Definitely enough to have a need for heart surgery. If she likes country music and enjoys singing about love, broken heartedness and incestuous relationships like traditional country musicians that’s great, but it just doesn’t show up in the lyrics and the videos are more about her hot young body than they are about her personality.  Or, as my sister, who likes country, likes to say: her qualities [a reference to the Bachelor TV show].

Help me find a really, really good country artist who writes quality songs, has depth in lyrics, music stylings, and isn’t just a celebrity for appearance sake.

Me: An excuse to start drinking after Mardi Gras.

Abby: blank stair.

Jessica: “The Catholics like to do that to their holidays.”

Evie puts on Sunglasses and says, “This way the sun can’t see my eyes.”

Work is a good thing – I’m glad to be employed and part of the problem of our economy has been the glamorization of not working.  Or working less.  I don’t like to be exhausted from work (which I have been in the last few weeks) but I do like honest physical labor, good intellectual challenges in coding, and to achieve something that is sometimes mundane, sometimes new, but always a job well done.

Keep up the good work.  And if you’re not, change that.

I love my family and to my knowledge we’re all healthy, Abby’s school is going well as is her dance class and Jessica is starting Evie in gymnastics on Monday next week.  I’m not sleeping tonight (I’ve been up since about 3) for no apparent reason, but I figured I’d take a stab at putting information on this blog that folks might also read.

While I haven’t blogged a lot lately I am posting weird bits on Twitter and you can follow some stuff (and repeats of what’s on Twitter) on Facebook.  Just for fun here are some updates from Twitter that I posted last week on a business trip:

Kevin & Randy’s excellent adventure: listening to some hip hop bit at the airport. White & nerdy indeed [weird al reference].
Kevin & Randy’s excellent adventure: customs had *4* sitting employees not open. they were chatting whilst we stood by.
Kevin & Randy’s excellent adventure: Toronto International better deliver on some cheese after this rat maze.
Canada, you get an “eh” for effort.
Kevin & Randy’s excellent adventure: applebutter BBQ sauce for the gigantic win. [seek this out]
Kevin & Randy’s excellent adventure: “These are our dog’s and ponies.”
Kevin & Randy’s excellent adventure: dog & pony show went well. They want to use a few one trick ponies in another movie.
Kevin & Randy’s excellent adventure: if we catch the rabbit down this trail I’m totally cutting its foot off for luck.
Kevin & Randy’s excellent adventure: note to self disable EVERYTHING but PowerPoint. Kills bings, bongs, & popups.

All of those “Tweets” [and more!] were done while on a trip with a great guy, marketing director, and handy travel companion, Kevin.  I’d tell you more but I’d have to grill you.

I awoke to the sound of the captain speaking on the intercom, but all other passengers, including the escortee, were still seated.  Fortunately nothing crazy happened and when we landed no officers came to collect this unique individual.  I’ll assume he had no papers or passport.  I don’t know, but I didn’t want to ask lest he help me discover a more practical heavenly position by rushing me through the process of dying.

After enjoying the zoo that is Chicago O’Hare airport I boarded the plane en route to Denver.  I stayed awake this time as I had already napped on the other flight and I was seated next to a woman who was not my wife, I didn’t want to wake up with her pushing me off of her as I had unknowingly snoozed in her direction.  I spent some time viewing podcasts, read a little Fast Company, and generally waited until we could land in Denver.  Upon coming close to the landing strip the flight attendant gently suggested that all passengers stay seated and buckled while airport personnel board the plane.

Did someone puke?

Did someone start having labor pangs?

We landed, taxied to the jet bridge and then sat waiting for personnel to quickly board the plane and then walk to the very back of the plane where they found their man and escorted him off the plane.  What gives?!  Did the guy threaten someone?  Did he happen to be on the FBI’s most wanted list?  Did he mention terrororists?

I have no idea, but after waiting for the police to exit the plane the rest of the passengers moved in slow motion and exited the plane in a fashion that can only be described as sloth-like.  In fact, I think this may have been faster than sloths, but slower than a sloth in a panic.  After leaving the plane I could see that the other passenger was being questioned still by ‘airport personnel’ and I was glad that they hadn’t grabbed me.  Mostly because I think I stole a single dry bean from the grocery store in elementary school and they’re still looking for me.

I also managed to not get time with Vincent this trip.  He also hasn’t talked to me on the phone all that much due to him calling when I’m in the middle of something.  Sadly that something is usually when he has time – one day, probably in heaven we’ll have enough time.

I also didn’t get a lot of sleep this last week – serving folks and doing presentations and what not, but the good thing is that most everything went off without a hitch.

I’m leaving another country early Monday morning, which will be another business trip, but the good thing is that this trip will be amazingly new with new faces and new experiences.

All of this leads me to one thing: I love my friends and family and I’m entirely grateful for their love and support through these wild times.  Thanks!

Jessica was an amazing wife and let me stay in bed on multiple ocassions.  She soloed some of the cleanup herself.  Then, this morning Abby got up with a cold and cough.  Hopefully this morning small doses of various things will help them both.  I love my family and this was not the return from a short trip to TX that I had hoped for :)