10 January 2006
We got into LA last night, & were famished so we hit the first steakhouse we found – Outback. I haven’t eaten that much red meat in months – my stomach was letting me know that it was not too happy with the gut bomb I sent it.

In spite of Ben’s worries, we navigated our way to the Super8 motel using our Mapquest directions – & it wasn’t a roach motel. Our wives would even approve of the cleanliness & spaciousness of the rooms – we could totally pack the 5 of us into one room & have plenty of space to share.

This a.m. we made our way to the Brooklyn Bagel Bakery; it only took about 30 minutes of getting lost, many U-Turns & other difficulties of LA traffic. Fortuneately, only Ben gave me crud for my not knowing where we were going.

Found a parking spot in front of Angelus Temple, & hope & pray that it doesn’t get towed. J Then, we stood in line for a while to get into the registration area. Boring. So, a division of labor was required – Moe & I walked to Starbucks to amp up our caffeine intake, & Ben & my dad stood in line to register.

We greeted Johannes & the other 7 Euros (national youth leaders from different countries…) that he brought with him to the conference – the rest of the a.m. has been spent saying hi to old friends, finishing my 5-shot Americano, & waiting to get started.

Worship today has been a “United Live” Hillsong Church-like group. About 7 singers in the front, lots of jumping around & dancing – several guitars (3 electrics & 2 acoustics, 1 bass, 1 keys, 1 drummer). No songs I’d ever heard before.

Speakers today were James Craft, Kim Dirmann, & Wayne Cordeiro – Kim & Wayne really were great – I’ll be posting the notes from both of their sessions this evening after we get to hear Jack Hayford.

I’ve just finished a tall stack of blueberry pancakes & am feeling a syrup-driven high/low coming on.

Scientists at Syracuse University, recently describing for a British journal their study of body measurements of bats, found an inverse size relationship between a male bat’s brain and testicles.

Syracuse University’s Science A-gogo

My favorite baseball player calls it a day. I’ll miss him!

CBC Sports

Outfielder Larry Walker, from Maple Ridge, B.C., reportedly announced his retirement on Wednesday night. (AP Photo)

The St. Louis Cardinals outfielder announced his retirement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch following Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.

“I couldn’t even breathe,” the native of Maple Ridge, B.C., told the paper, referring to his final game played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

“All these emotions were going every direction. I knew it was it. I’m not coming back.”

Walker was caught looking at a Dan Wheeler pitch to lead off the ninth inning and finished the night 1-for-4 as the Cardinals fell four games to two in the best-of-seven series.

He walks away from the game at age 38 following an impressive 17-year career in the majors.

The 2005 season was tough on Walker, who was repeatedly bothered by neck and back injuries.

Traded to the Cardinals by Colorado late last season, he hit .289 in 100 games this season with 15 home runs and 52 runs batted in.

The left-handed hitting Walker struggled in the post-season, mustering only three hits in 28 at-bats (.107) with one RBI.

That’s a far cry from a year ago when Walker hit at a .357 clip with two homers in a World Series loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Originally signed by the Montreal Expos as a non-drafted free agent in 1985, Walker debuted in the big leagues in 1989.

He boasts a lifetime batting average of .313 with 383 homers and 1,311 RBIs.

Walker was named the National League’s most valuable player in 1997 when he hit .366 with a career-high 49 homers and 130 RBIs for the Colorado Rockies.

He also collected 2,160 hits in 1,988 regular-season games with Montreal, Colorado and St. Louis.

Walker led the Rockies to a playoff berth in 1995, the franchise’s only post-season appearance, and also hit at least .360 in three straight seasons (1997-99).

The five-time all-star also won seven Gold Gloves and three batting titles.

with files from Sports Network

Bus driver becomes a human disco

Saturday night fever: Mark Davis is ready for new year celebrations
A bus driver who sported a Christmas tree with lights on his head for a month has turned himself into a disco to see in the new year.
Mark Davis, 31 from Pontypool, south Wales, of Newport Transport, spent the festive season with a fully-decorated fir tree woven into his hair.

His new look sees him with a fully-functioning disco ball on his head, with “2006” shaven into his hair.

Mr Davis said: “I’m going to go even madder for the rest of the year.”

Like his previous hairstyle, the new year look, complete with flashing and spinning disco ball, took several hours to create at Mr Davis’ local hairdresser.

The style is topped off with metallic spikes and “2006” shaved into his hair.

‘Totally crazy’

His original Christmas tree style was popular with passengers and had led to world-wide media attention.

He added: “It went totally crazy. I’ve even been on a radio show in Canada.

The bus driver sported a festive look in the build-up to Christmas

“I’m world-renowned for my hair. The way it’s gone has totally blown me away.

“I haven’t had one miserable comment. The kids love it when they get on my bus and I’ve done it for charity.”

Mr Davis, who has previously sported hair designed like a football and a dartboard, plans to adopt further new styles in 2006 despite admitting his Christmas tree look had caused him problems sleeping.

He said: “I’ve been approached by another charity and I’m going to have a competition to design my hair.

“I’ve got something planned for Valentine’s Day as well.”

Mr Davis was sponsored by friends and family to take on the task, though he admitted that wearing the tree at night caused problems sleeping.

As well as the Christmas tree growing out of the top of Mr Davis’s head, the original multi-coloured style also included Santa’s face on the back of his head and holly.

BBC UKNews 12-05

I enjoyed reading no..el’s post on saying “NO” instead of defaulting to “YES” answers. It got me to thinking about one of the “el guapo’s” in my own life (Three Amigos reference for the uninitiated.)

It’s living out the repercussions or results of my “NO.” I don’t really have a problem saying “NO” when I want to &/or when it’s appropriate to do so. I do, however, struggle navigating through the “punishment” phase of having said “NO”, where the person/persons that I’ve said “NO” to bring all kinds of questions, frustrations, problems, guilt-trips & other junk because my “NO” has displeased or aggravated them. Examples: its the guy on the phone asking for money who gets bent & challenges my Christianity for not hooking him up; it could be the person asking for me to take on a project that I have no time for, as though the measure of a “good person” is being a doormat; perhaps its the person that wants me to do something that violates my sense of personal values, & my “NO” becomes the latest proof that I’m “oh, so self-focused…”

It’s true that this is not necessarily my problem; it’s the problem of the person that doesn’t like to hear my “NO” for whatever reason. However, it doesn’t make it easier to endure knowing this.

I don’t enjoy having people displeased with me, but I’d rather go through this than the ramifications of saying “YES” when I really, truly, with all my heart mean “NO.”

We’ve had Moby, a yellow lab, since about August. One of the things we’ve discovered is that Moby gets lonely by himself. So, we’ve been on the lookout for another dog, preferrably a small one, that can be his buddy.

A family we know got a dachshund puppy & then found out that they were allergic to her. We saw the 10 week old & thought she’d fit the bill, especially when she gets bigger. Weezer thought of a great name for the new puppy – Pastor Jack, though we’ll call her PJ for short.

Now, they’re playing well together (in short, supervised bursts of hide & seek,) & we’re having lots of fun watching them play.

Thanks to Dennis for the catch on this… it begs the question: How far would you go for the ultimate in high-end coffee?

Pricey coffee good to the last dropping

Fri Dec 30, 9:09 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Would you pay $175 for a pound of coffee beans which had passed through the backside of a furry mammal in Indonesia?

Apparently, some coffee lovers wanting to treat themselves to something special are lapping it up.

Kopi Luwak beans from Indonesia are rare and expensive, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat.

“People like coffee. And when they want to treat themselves, they order the Kopi Luwak,” said Isaac Jones, director of sales for Tastes of The World, an online supplier of gourmet coffee, tea and cocoa.

Despite being carnivorous, civets eat ripe coffee cherries for treats. The coffee beans, which are found inside of the cherries, remain intact after passing through the animal.

Civet droppings are found on the forest floor near coffee plantations. Once carefully cleaned and roasted, the beans are sold to specialty buyers.

Jones said sales for Kopi Luwak rose three-fold just before the Christmas holiday compared with the first half of the year. The company started selling the rare coffee in February 2005.

He expects to sell around 200 pounds of the coffee this year, with orders coming from North America and Europe. So far, most of the orders have been from California.

Indonesia produces only about 500 kilograms, or roughly 1,100 pounds, of the coffee each year, making it extremely expensive and difficult to find.

“It’s the most expensive coffee that we know about in the world,” said Jones.

By comparison Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee, considered to be an expensive type, sells for $35 to $40 per pound, while a pound of Colombia’s Supremo arabicas can be bought for about $14.

Buy it now!

In just a couple of days, it will be 2006, a new calendar year. Though I don’t feel like I’m captive to the need for “New Year’s Resolutions” I don’t mind taking the time to take stock of life, family, church, etc.

Some of the thoughts running through my head: Am I becoming who I’m supposed to be? What areas have I grown in over the last year? How am I doing as a husband? Am I becoming a better father? What does it mean to get “better” at being a husband &/or dad? Are we on the right track at church? What steps are necessary for us to take in order to keep growing in the manner God would intend for us? How can we not just maintain or slip backwards by falling into routine? What is the tangible difference between the Holy Spirit’s leading & the my own will driving me towards something?

Lord, please do Your work in me – in my family. Give me wisdom to know when to sit & rest, & also when to get up & go for it. May I prioritize people over things, & Your priorities & values over all else. Guide our church family, that we wouldn’t languish due to laziness, & strive due to selfish ambition. May we be about Your business, O God & let the monsters that drive the machine of church not get a hold of me. Show us how we can continue to let our good works shine from this “City on a Hillside” to bring glory & honor to You.

At least I get ESPN!
Turn out the lights…

A gift for the whole year long…

For those that are interested in once & for all dealing with unwanted, troll-like comments on your blog – choose to “moderate” comments.

In your blogspot ‘dashboard’ choose the SETTINGS button

Under SETTINGS, choose COMMENTS

Select the “ENABLE COMMENT MODERATION” bubble.

Now, if you don’t use blog membership (which I do) all comments will be sent to you via email in advance of them being published. You can choose to publish or reject the comment – no more trolls on your public blog.

Merry Christmas!