going and going and going

I've been driving a lot lately. Yesterday, from Lafayette to Monroe. Today, from Monroe to Lafayette. Tomorrow, from Lafayette to Columbus, then to Tulsa, where I'll sleep for about 24 hours and then hop on a plane (or rather, a series of planes) to get to D.C. , where I'll work a good solid 80 hours and then hop on a plane to Amarillo and drive to Corpus Christi via Lubbock, Wichita Falls, Dallas, and Houston.

I'll send postcards.

A Side Note

You may notice that I added a little box with a link to Dave Ramsey's site over there on the side. His articles are a wonderful introduction to those not familiar with The Teachings Of Dave :) and a reminder to those of us working on our Total Money Makeover to keep beating up on our debt.

It wasn't easy to make that little box work the way I wanted it to. If you're not a script geek, you should stop reading now. The following is not for the faint of heart.

The code they (the fine web guys at www.daveramsey.com) provide for just "adding to your own web site!" doesn't work on blogger, I guess because of the style sheets or the page processor/publisher or something. They (Dave's team) have a bit of src linked javascript you're just supposed to stick where ever you want their content and that, in turn, uses document.write to add the current content in the right place.

But like I said, it doesn't work with blogger at all. And I didn't like the text link that they add under their box anyway. So, I created a js feeder that rips their rss feed, re-packages it as variables (http://musak.mp3-best.com/dave.asp) , and then another onload function on this page uses that data to get the content and make the update. I tried to do it with XmlHttp but the cross-site scripting security makes that impossible to do without iframes and lots of tomfoolery.

While I was at it, I made the content random from all the available bits inside the feed, so you get one of the bits that's there, and not necessarily the most "current" bit.

Finally, I added a variable that I can update on the server to indicate what Baby Step we're on.

If you want to try this kind of thing on your site, drop me a line. I can change the 'babystep' var to an array with names (like 'Jeremy and Sarah') and step number (like 2), and then give you a custom js src for ya.

UPDATE: added the little [next] thing so you can scroll through all the items in the array from the current rss feed.

Marriott Platinum (aka, "Wearing The Marriott Underwear")

I used to look at the numbers, and think to myself, "Man, you'd have to be gone from home most of the time to get to Marriott Rewards Platinum status."

I guess I'm now officially "gone most of the time," because I have achieved the holy grail of Marriott Rewards, the Platinum Level. What this means, in real terms, is that when I show up to check in, I'm more likely to get a smile than a ho-hum-here's-your-key. And I always get a little something at the front desk or pre-placed in my room as a special "thank you" present. It's never anything to write home about- typically a bottle of water and a bag of chips, or a package of cookies, or, in today's case, a package of almonds. Nevermind that I can't stand almonds, the point is that they are free, right?!

Here's the thing I meant to write about today. I'm staying in a Fairfield Inn in Monroe, Louisiana, which is actually an old converted motel. It's the first time I've stayed in a real motel since I was a kid, but it's really kind of neat- I actually parked right outside my door, about 5 feet from the door of my van to the door of my room. And it's a great room for a mere $75 a night. Plus a free bottle of water.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Columbus, Mississippi, and then next week I spend 5 days in our DC office. I'll finish off that week with well over 400,000 points.

Faith or Works?

I know I haven't yet completed my series on religionism, but I found this today and even though I really don't have the time to comment, I'm going to anyway. First, the article:

The difference between a prophet and a heretic is time.

It's about Carlton Pearson, a minister in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who believes in the "Doctrine of Universal Salvation." (aka "Doctrine of Inclusion")

Most Christians think he is nuts, because they have been brainwashed their entire lives to believe that. I remember the Sunday we heard about his belief, and how I, along with all my friends, discussed how insane he must be. It was only long after my own conversion (which came through study, and not by persuasion- no one else I know believes this way) that I remembered what he believed.

One of the comments to the post (above) is that Christ said "No man cometh unto the father but by me." (I love how the really dogmatic types always have to quote from the King James Version)

Yes, Christ said that. And then He hung on a cross and died.

Perhaps he who quoteth, too quickly forgetteth.

This is the simple form- You either believe in salvation by "works," or you believe in salvation by "grace" through the cross. Most Christians today deny salvation by works and then preach salvation by works. You disagree? See if your version of "salvation" includes a verb.

Speak? Confess? Believe? Follow? Look those words up in any dictionary- each one has a "v" following it. Either you believe that Christ died for our sins, or you think there is something else you/we/us need to do to "finish up" the work at the cross. "Lest any man should boast."

You probably know that "...If you do not confess me before men, I will not..." . Compare that with "...Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess..."

What part of "finished", "every", or "all" do we, as Christians, not understand?

Someone else, in the comments, says "What about Hitler?" Well, what about him? Yes, he was bad- but is Christs' blood only sufficient for "most" or "some" sin? How much more amazing is it if even the sins of Hitler have been forgiven through the crucifixion of a sinless lamb, and His subsequent resurrection? It's so mind-boggling amazing that most of you can't comprehend it enough to even consider it. But you're not God. Thank God you're not God.

This is where you click the "comments" link below and call me a heretic. It's ok- I've been called that (and worse) by people with more letters after their name than you have. Before you do, read 1 Timothy 4:10. (et al)

Religion, Part Two

In a previous post, we started a discussion about religion. This post begins my story.

As a child, I was raised in a Southern Baptist church in a small town in Oklahoma, where my grandfather was the pastor and my father was the youth minister. They managed to grow that small church into a rather large church, with a gymnasium and everything. Wow! The fun I had there!

When I was 10 or 11, my grandfather spoke one Sunday morning about divorce, and what the Apostle Paul thought about the matter. This got some people upset, and those people decided to start their own revolution. One of the tactics they used was to take people out to lunch- in a town 10 miles down the road. Why 10 miles? That's 20 minutes in a car that were "religiously" used to discuss the shortcomings of my grandfather, what they had heard about him, how they thought that maybe it was time for the church to find a new pastor.

The deacons of the church held some secret meetings, and then started calling special "business meetings" at the end of the Sunday services. I remember lots of screaming- it was craziness. It brought out the worst in people that were our friends.

When it finally came down to it, a night was set for a vote "by secret ballot". The opposition managed to get everyone in town who had ever had anything against my grandfather to come and vote against him. I'd never seen som many people in that building. After the votes were counted, my grandfather stood up at the front of the church and simply stated "I am no longer your pastor." That ended his 21 years there.

When my father went in to work the next day, the "Education Minister" (whatever that is) told my father that if he didn't resign his position, "the same will happen to you." Of course, he would have (obviously) resigned anyway, but this moronic "Man Of God" didn't have the brain cells to rub together and come up with that.

What were the reasons stated for outing my grandfather? Well, there really weren't any. Some people didn't like the fact that he sold used cars on the side- in fact, the head of the deacons had this as a major argument. The term being tossed around was "bi-vocational pastor" - never mind that most New Testament accounts of leaders were people who managed to have regular jobs. The best part was when this head deacon broke off, started and became pastor of his own church- while owning and operating a horse farm. Hyprocrosy? Perhaps.

Being Good Baptists, we had to find another "church home", because that's just what Good Baptists do. We went down the road (10 miles, on the road where so much about my grandfather was apparently discussed) and "joined" another Baptist church, where my father was hired as their new part time youth minister.

We stayed there a few years (until after I graduated from high school, in fact) and had a good time. During this period, my father (being only a part-timer at the church) was building up his own electrical contracting business, and was doing well. The church leaders (in their infinite wisdom) determined that it was time for them to spend a lot of money by hiring a full-time youth pastor. They offered the position to my father, who not only declined, but attempted to show them that they probably didn't really need to spend the money on a full time person. He was probably putting in 40 hours a week there anyway. Being much smarter than my father, they let him know that they were intent on finding a full time youth pastor and somewhere in all of that mess, I stopped going altogether, and he stopped being the part-time youth minister.

The point of part two is, don't be a Baptist pastor, don't sell cars, don't trust deacons, and don't be a youth minister!

In the next article in our religion series, we'll go over the churches that ignored me entirely and the ones that straight out asked me to leave!

Drug recommendations

A new poll ("Patients Trust What Pharmacists Recommend") suggests that people trust pharmacists when they make a recommendation about an OTC drug. That's not surprising- we look at pharmacists as smart people who know more than anyone about the drugs. You've probably never had a doctor tell you that your pharmacist was wrong, but a pharmacist correcting a doctor (You can't take medicine A while you're on medicine B) happens on a daily basis.

On top of that, we never see pharmacutical reps showering pharmacists with, well, bribes the way they do doctors. Maybe it happens, but I don't see it. Every time my doctor recommends a drug, I always imagine the rep behind him, passing him a $100 bill and patting him on the back.

Cesarean; Myth or Fact?

Risks of Cesarean Delivery are Underreported, Benefits Overstated; Media Briefing Highlights Concerns In Advance of NIH Conference

We read something to this effect before we had our second child:

The overall rate [of cesarean deliveries] has increased an unexplainable 40
percent since 1996.

We also noticed, from our first birthing experience, that once you get to the hospital, they tend to try everything they can to get you off your body's schedule and on to thier own schedule. For example, the administration of oxytocin to control the rate and intensity of contractions. We were really bullied around at the hospital the first time- but with our second born we were wise to their little schemes.

The first child bearing experience was awful for us, because we were pushed around by doctors and nurses. Our second was a breeze- partly because we got into a better hospital, partly because we had a doula on our team, and mostly because we stated our intentions early via verbal announcements and written signs posted around the room.

Having a baby? Just remind them who the client is early on, and always remember that mom does know what is best for her in times of childbearing, and stand your ground.

Religion, Part One

Many of you have expressed an interest in my personal beliefs. Some of you have been justifiably offended by my statements on religion in its various forms.

I'm going to try to explain what I believe, and more importantly, why I believe it, in a series of articles on Religion. It may take years to get it all out, or I might finish it in a week. There is a lot to go over, I think.

I could dive in anywhere, I could probably get straight to the point, but I'm going to start from the beginning and move forward from there. In the process, I'll give you little bits of what I believe, Mormon style.

Now, I've already lost half of you, and I've upset the Mormons. Let me explain. First of all, I don't have anything against Mormons, in fact, the two Mormon families I know are two of the nicest, most respectful groups of people I know. But if you walk into an LDS church today, they aren't going to tell you everything about Mormonism all at once. There are some things you won't find out about for years. They give it to you a little at a time, because, honestly, you can't handle the whole thing all at once. If you got it all at once, you'd suspect hidden cameras and a TV show host popping out any minute. But seriously, I love you Mormons. Tell me I'm wrong here.

My point here is that you shouldn't take one thing that I say in any particular sentence and get all bent out of shape about it. You're entitled to your opinion (and I expect for you to state it in the comments below) and I'm entitled to mine. That's one of the great things about this country. And we can still be friends. Nothing you believe or don't believe will make me like you any less than I already do. :)

In Part Two, we'll go over where I started, and try to get to the list of churches I've been kicked out of.

Sign up, sign in

Today's entry is written exclusivley for you. I know you're out there. Let me explain.

Every day I write up an entry, I get some email (probably from you) about it. From the email responses, I can tell that there are 10 or so people who seem to enjoy reading these little entries about nothing important.

And every day I write up an entry, you don't post a single comment about it. The discussions I end up having via email would be so much better if they were had here, for everyone to take part in and enjoy. Instead of me saying things like "yeah, that's what so-and-so thought too. They also said this-and-that, what do you think about that?" in multiple emails throughout the day.

Why aren't you posting comments? I'm told it might be because you don't want to "sign up." Fear that Blogger (er, google) will sell your social security number to a convicted felon so that he can steal your job. Or something. Maybe it's the 60-month commitment to make payments. No, wait, that's your CAR- there are no commitments when signing up with blogger.

Here's the thing- it only takes a name (which you can make up) and an email address (which you can probably make up) to post a comment. Crawl out of that shell just a little!

Give it a try. You might like it. Let's see what can happen when I'm not the email-hub for all the comments. Start by clicking the "comments" link below.

Airports, Security, Travel, Fox, Death

In order to save $400, I flew from Tulsa, OK to Bakersfield, CA, via Atlanta and Phoenix.

And they wonder why the airline industry, as a whole, has never had a single year of profitability?

I learned never to fly via Phoenix. They have multiple terminals like many large airports, but they aren't actually connected except via bus, outside security. That's freakin' genius.

On top of that, well, don't even get me started on "security" at the airports. It's a huge joke, which anyone who knows anything about security will confirm. The ONLY reason there hasn't been another plane flown into another building is because the crazies haven't decided to do it yet- not because of any "security" -- and I use that term only because they call it that.

So, I finally got to Bakersfield, and my equipment wasn't there yet (DHL?) and I had to head on to Sacramento, because the schedule this week is very tight and I have a lot of ground to cover. I'll be in Oregon on Wednesday and Washington on Thursday. I don't expect you to care.

The Courtyard in Sacramento gave me a free upgrade because of my "gold" status in the Marriott Rewards program. I've never been a room this large at a Courtyard- I've been in bigger, nicer rooms (TownePlace Suites, for example, or the ultra-suite at the Venetian) but not at a Courtyard. I kind of just assumed they must be all the same.

Fox News is back on Sirius as of today or tomorrow, so I've re-subscribed. They better give Fox whatever they want in the future. The drive will be easy.

Finally, and speaking of Fox News, I don't know how one responds to something like this.

At first, I thought it was some sort of hoax, because it seems like one of those really bad jokes. But then, after reading the first bit of it, I realized it was true, and just really sad.

The executive summary is, Miss Deaf Texas was killed by a train. Actually, that's the headline. But if you're an executive on the go, that might be all you have time to read.

We all agree that it's sad, but I think that it is also weird- what in the world was this person doing, apparently walking on or alongside railroad tracks? If you're deaf, if you know you won't hear the train, would this be a suicide method? Along that vein, given the db level of a train horn at close proximity, wouldn't a deaf person feel something with those sound waves hitting her skin so hard?

And the hardest thing of all to take in- I've been next to tracks when a train is coming- even if there are only engines and no cars in-tow, you can *feel* the thing coming, long before it gets to you, and this is from 10 feet OFF the tracks. The ground shakes/vibrates a lot. Being deaf since birth, I would expect that her ability to feel things like that would likely be greater than mine- and all she has to do is turn around, move out of the way. Even if it was going 65 mph, you're going to feel it in time to move, unless you're unconscious, inebriated, or otherwise incapacitated. You don't let a train kill you just because you're deaf and "didn't hear it coming."

Now then, dive in and tell us all about your travel and near-death-by-train experiences. Ever been in a really cool hotel, or a really crummy one? Does flying just piss you off? Aren't trains huge!? :)

Universal Pre-K Socialism Defeated

Why don't people today understand the difference in a representative democracy and democracy? Why don't people today understand the difference in a republic and a monarchy? Why don't people today understand the difference in Socialism and Capitalism?

Case in point- they almost passed a universal Pre-K bill in Vermont that would have cost taxpayers millions and put 400+ private businesses out of business. Read the full story here.

You think that you're entitled to free health care? You're not. Nothing is free. You think "the government" should pay for your insurance? Guess what- the government only prints money, it doesn't make money. Every penny of government money was taken from a taxpaying citizen. It isn't my job to support you- this is something the founding fathers strongly believed in. You're entitled only to the air you're breathing.

You want something? Get up, leave your cave, kill something and drag it home.

New $10 Bills

Press Release: Redesigned $10 Note Starts Circulating Today

This may come as a shock to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, but honestly, no one cares.

Cable TV Gets Competitive in Indiana

Indiana passed a bill today to allow competition in the cable industry. It included provisions for video over phone lines.

I recently had the pleasure of working with the telephone company in Kaplan, LA. Kaplan is a small town about 30 minutes west of Lafayette, LA, with a population of about 5000. The telephone company there is very advanced for its size. They also happen to be the town's cable TV and Internet service provider, and they are using video-over-adsl to provide cable TV and broadband Internet access to their customers, while also providing POTS service.

Their video system is pretty good- the quality at the customer's location is as good as your standard coaxial cable tv signal, with the benefits of an on-screen guide and the ability to access multiple channels from a single set-top box. The boxes can tune in up to three streams simultaneously, which it then outputs on a single RF line (but on three different channels- I think they are VHF 3, 7, and 11) and they connect to the central office using an integrated adsl modem. Cool!