Category Archives: News

Things, Goings On, and Stuff I write

The Latest Catastrophe

I’m amazed at the number of lives that have been lost in the latest quake over in Pakistan and India. I’ve prayed specifically for them several times now during family prayers and each time I see news reports or some sort of reminder I’m boldly going before the throne of God to (Hebrews 4:16) to ask for the safety of those who survive and for quick aid and medical attention. I’m also praying for the missionaries that are in that area because right now there are a mixture of religions, lots of tension and a lot of social and spiritual things to try to handle at once.

Fortunately, I know God’s big enough and infinite enough to be ‘up to the task.’

Snow Girl

Abby played in the snow this morning with Grandma Forland. Fun was had by all. In this picture she was actually trying to carry snow that would be lobbed at me. In the house. In my socks. Holding a Camera that literally cost me more than I would like to replace due to it getting wet.
Snow Girl

First Snow

We got our first snow of the season overnight. its only a couple inches at the present, but it is rather nice to see some white stuff. Of course our trees in the backyard are sagging down so far that I think they’re possibly going to be injured. Or, maybe they’re just doing tree yoga.

Her Appendage Doth Append

This morning Jessica said, “Randy, feel this.” Which, as I learned in junior high, can be a bad thing. You see, then I was asked to place my hand into a bag, feel something I couldn’t see, and then attempt to tell the person what it was. I was always afraid someone had somehow gotten a wild wolverine to hold still long enough for me to cram my hand into the bag… fortunately that was not a problem this morning. Instead I felt one of Evie’s appendages protruding from Jessica’s belly in a very intense way.

Wow, this baby has got to come out soon.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Please don’t get bumped and have a fall.

This morning when I took out the trash it was actually kind of cold… and the leaves all over the ground were a lovely shade of orange. It was kind of weird. It was like fall was arriving. Finally!

Oh, and here’s a picture of the Abigator to help you realize that fall is here and she is getting older. Mommy had not had a chance to do her hair yet, but she demanded pictures (yeah!)
Abby

Happy Anniversary, My Bride!

Today is 7 years for Jessica and I. I was so amazingly anxious, its not even funny. Actually, it’s hilarious to look back on. I was so nervous that I could not iron a shirt I needed to wear after the reception. I drove the shirt over to my parents’ house where my Grandma Martin was at. She ironed it for me. And it was then that she gave me the best sex advice I had gotten at that time: Be a gentleman. She said, “Your grandpa was such a gentleman the night of our honeymoon.” Which sounded like it was going to lead to a conversation that had too much information. However, that’s all she said (and Randy rejoiced for fear of hearing about grandparent sex).

Jessica and I have been through all sorts of crazy stuff since this day seven years ago, but I’ve loved it all because we’ve grown close, together.

News That Doesn’t Matter

One thing that is tough in these, the ‘information age’, days, is filtering out the cruft from the fluff from the actually valuable information. News that makes America or Australia or China or citizens think or react due to its true value. However, news like George W. Bush’s approval rating based on a poll of a small ‘cross-section’ of America is about as useful as a steel toilette seat in an igloo. George is working, vacationing and presidenting through his second and last term. The American people have an opinion about how he’s doing that list of things. So what? Its his second term. If 98% of America didn’t approve of what he was doing, but he was not breaking the law then when his presidency is over – move onto another candidate that we can all love to hate. Saturday Night Live is not going to be changing their mix of jokes any time soon from 60% sexual humor, 35% political humor and 98% stereotypical humor. That means that unless the guy who comes into office next is either
1) Jesus and doesn’t do anything wrong
2) Sleeping with Tina Fey (head writer for Saturday Night Live)
3) Sleeping with Lorn Michaels
4) Actually Dead
They’re going to keep mocking the president. The people will continue to not have a super-duper approval rating for various reasons like not having a chicken in every pot, naving/not having pot in every household, or PETA still in existence. The president’s current approval rating is about as useful for the average news watcher, reader or listener as the Pony Express for Al Gore, who clearly invented the internets for faster communication.

Bye-bye, Helmut and Heidi

We have some friends from church who are moving to California (which is far too strange an idea to me, but maybe I grew up there for part of my life and found the political culture strange). We’ll miss them and hope that they come back often to visit. They’re from Germany and so Helmut, whose name you have probably not seen in the context of a surname, is full of fun trans-culture stories and Heidi makes the tastiest foods. Fortunately we get to spend eternity with them so we won’t be away from them forever 🙂

Six Dollar Jar Opener

Other than sounding like a mediocre rock band that is actually how much I paid for a jar opener tonight. Three boys from the local elementary school came around because their school was in need of a ‘fun raiser.’ “We really need a fund raiser,” on boy said to me. His two friends quickly said, “Yeah.” I had heard them outside our house arguing over who was going to talk so I was pleased to see that the neighbor at the corner’s son had won. He was wearing what appeared to be swimming goggles on his head (not covering his eyes, but up on his hair) but I could be wrong, they could have been super hero goggles… but I can’t prove either. They wanted me to purchase anything or everything in their catalog. Aside from the usual wrapping paper, crumby candy or large quantities of popcorn… pardon me, there’s another knock at the door.

OK, so another neighbor kid was just at the door selling the same stuff from the same catalog. He said something like, “Will you buy something for me?” To which I replied, “No, I’ve already bought something.” I had to resist all of the genes that my mother passed onto me to not correct his grammar. That may have not been a grammatically incorrect statement, he may have actually wanted me to buy him something. I hope he didn’t/doesn’t but I don’t know, its a bit tough with youth these days.

As I was saying they had lots of nice things in the catalog including kitchen items like double wire wisks, the jar opener and an egg cutter. The last thing I need is an egg cutter. The wrapper paper is over priced and the candy is probably the same candy we sold as kids… and that’s just wrong 🙂

I just hope that the jars open more betterer with our fancy new opener.

Welcome to the Tree, John

My brother-in-law John – who used to let me sit in his room and we’d play games, watch Nowhere Man, and various other manly things like fart, have push-up contests, and eat ice cream – just got a Mac. A 12″ Powerbook with Superdrive. Welcome to the Apple Tree – sure there are some low hanging fruits here, and sometimes people get a little distracted by the OS… but its OK, because we’re all, unitedly, thinking different 😉 Enjoy the ride.