Friday I saw something surprising at a local gas station: The "Unleaded Plus" price was less than the regular unleaded price ($3.03 for regular, $3.00 for plus). My guess is that this is because petroleum prices have gone up while ethanol has come down. (The unleaded plus here contains 10% ethanol.)

When I first moved here to southern Illinois, the regular and unleaded prices at my most frequented gas station were always the same, or not more than one cent more for plus. Later, due to military action in the Middle East, both prices went way up, and the plus was a few cents more. This is the first time I've ever seen the plus prices lower, although both prices are very high relative to five years ago.

With one of my coworkers, Adam, getting married very shortly, my thoughts turned to the innumerable details that swarm from the very mention of the word, "wedding." Of all the elements that make for a successful wedding, perhaps none captures the attention of the graphic designer as the wedding announcement and invitation. Should that glad day eventually wend its way into my plans, I am sure that designing a fabulous and memorable card will be high on my priority list.

Unfortunately, for many brides- and grooms-to-be, it is also a burdensome expense. Sending custom cards to hundreds of potential attendees, as well as to those you full well know will not attend but would be mad if you didn't invite them, can cost no small sum. This started me thinking about alternatives. Not that I would use these myself (honest!), but perhaps someone will find a lifesaver here.

Aside from the obvious but in-law displeasing option of not sending cards, the clearest choice seems to be making use of the internet. One could send an HTML-formatted email, with links to a custom website designed with all kinds of glitter and glow, for nothing. For those lacking time and talent, a plain old text message could suffice. Black on white is popular for printed cards, after all.

But if we're wanting to use the latest technology, why not skip email and websites altogether, and go straight to the summit: Cell phones. That's right, you can send text messages instantly to all your kin. Many cell phones support multiple recipients and groups, so you could hit all your family and friends in one wireless whack. Of course, many service providers charge for this service. You can skirt that issue by using any of the various free software or website applications that let you send text messages for free. But even if you have to pay for it, a few cents a message is a lot less than the cost of postage, especially with the postage rate hikes expected this very next month.

Of course, choosing the mode of communication is only half the battle. You also have to decide what to say. With a cell phone you can't be long winded and wordy. No one is going to have patience with your text message, "The families of Jon Dough and Jayne Smith wish the pleasure of your presence...." It's already off the screen, and no one likes to scroll.

The trend with cell phone text messages is to be short and concise. They just need the facts: who, what, when, where. And it helps to know the lingo. Use letters to stand in for words when possible: "RU" for "Are you." Drop vowels and unimportant letters in common words. Don't spell out the obvious. Everyone knows JD is Jon Dough. So how could you do it? Behold the wedding invitation of the future:

JD+JS 6/24@TVILLE CH. UR CMNG? Y/N

LOL. Yes, the title of this post if a little over the top. But that's the expression used by Paul Graham in his blog entry. If you have any interest in competing computer operating systems, please read it. You may also enjoy the vigorous reader feedback over at MacDailyNews in reaction to his post.

I don't HATE Microsoft — even though my repeating "Microsoft is Dead" makes me smile and laugh involuntarily. I used to be very supportive of them (especially in opposition to Mac OS 7, 8, and 9), but lately they have become so inept and mired in the past that I cannot enjoy their OS anymore. Mac OS X is so much better, which I've been using ever since shortly after it was released a number of years ago. I've tried Linux, but it left me unimpressed, and I haven't tried any of the more recent Linux distributions such as Ubuntu. OS X works very well. And while it's not perfect, I say it's the best OS available for general users.

Recently while working on the May 2007 issue of 3ABN World magazine, I realized that our two feature stories that month had two unusual similarities: In Feature 1, a short biography about Pastor Kenneth Cox, the article told how the first city where Pastor Cox and his wife worked was Albuquerque. In Feature 2, recounting how a layperson named Beth Skarritt got 3ABN on cable in her hometown, which happened to be Albuquerque, the story explained that the first company that Beth worked with in Albuquerque was Cox Communications. So in this issue, both “Albuquerque” and “Cox” play an early, pivotal role in the events both stories describe. (Not to mention that Kenneth Cox can now be seen in Albuquerque on the Cox Communications cable network that Beth and her fellow supporters got 3ABN onto.)

I asked the editor, Bobby Davis, what he thought about this. Turns out it was not intentional, and he indicated that he was not aware of it until I had pointed it out. He thought the coincidence was "odd."

At this very moment (starting 8:00 pm Central Time), 3ABN and Amazing Facts are announcing on 3ABN Today the union of these two ministries. You can watch the broadcast online at www.3abn.org (if you miss it tonight, it will re-air Friday morning, April 20; check 3ABN's listings for the exact time).

When I first learned about this, I was so excited. I think this is a great move for both 3ABN and Amazing Facts. The boards of both ministries unanimously voted to approve the start of the joining process. However, it will be some weeks or months before all the details are worked out. At this point, it appears that Doug Batchelor of Amazing Facts will be the new president of the joined organizations; Danny Shelton will continue as a part of the ministry, but in a different capacity; both campuses in Illinois and California will continue to operate; some redundant operations will eventually be united and streamlined; some staff will probably relocate, but most will probably remain where they are (Doug plans to remain in California); most or all employees will be retained, and additional job openings may appear; both organizations will start using both ministry names on all their publications; both branches of the new organization will continue to run under their existing names, perhaps indefinitely. Remember, all of these details still need to be finalized by a new board of directors. Nothing is set in concrete yet.

About ten years ago I taught my first class in graphic design and layout. At this particular college, a private missionary/Bible college in Virginia (Hartland College), all the classes were small; what's more, the class I taught was part of a new major, and consequently I had only a few students. But, in spite of the small size and my lack of training and experience as a teacher, we had a good time. In fact, my students so enjoyed the class that one of them wrote me a song, which to my surprise they all sang one morning at the start of class. I am under the impression that at this particular college such a tribute was completely unprecedented.

Anyway, recently my mom asked me for the words of the song. Finding it and reading it again brought back happy memories. Since I did not have a blog at the time, and since I haven't previously shared it with anyone but a few people, I thought I'd go ahead and post it here.

* * *

Official Layout and Design Class Song
By Rosalie Lewis
Sung to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad"

We're in layout and design class,
Held four times a week;
We're in layout and design class,
And we each are quite unique.

Though we've learned about alignment,
Our heads still aren't on straight.
Even subjects such as lemmings
Can spark a fierce debate.

Do the lemmings swim?
Do the lemmings drown?
Do the lemmings overpopulate?
Faces all are grim
Till the answer's found—
What a stir this did create!

Anthony is Australian,
Genesis is professional,
Melinda seeks perfection,
And Rosalie's original.

CHORUS:
And we're singing,
"Mr. Prewitt is our favorite teacher.
Mr. Prewitt ought to run for President!"

We're in layout and design class,
Learning new techniques.
We're in layout and design class—
Wish it lasted ninety weeks!

Can't you hear a student groaning,
Trying to be brave.
Can't you hear our teacher whispering,
"Next time you will save!"

Students, won't you save,
Students, won't you save,
Students, save your publication.
Students, won't you save,
Students, won't you save,
Students, save your work right now.

Scanning, cropping, cutting, and pasting,
Repetition, contrast, and balance,
Yawns, giggles, and hyperactivity
Add to a designer's life.

CHORUS

* * *

The part about lemmings is referring to a little debate that came up in one of our labs. I don't recall what sparked it, but I had recently read that the proverbial story of lemmings jumping off cliffs and drowning is a myth, and so when one of my students said something about lemmings committing mass suicide, I tried to set the record straight. They didn't believe me, so I think we all went online and hunted down the answer.

I don't know how many teachers have students tell them (or sing to them) that they should "run for President," or how many students say, even tongue in cheek, that they wish their class lasted "ninety weeks." I have a feeling it is a rare privilege, even among teachers that are well-liked. Anyway, it made me really happy.

Below are pictures of the caves I visited this past weekend (see previous blog post for a full account). These photos were not taken by anyone in our group; the photographer is a friend of Will, the man who was our host and guide. It may be worth pointing out that we did not have lighting anywhere near this good for our photographs. Also, there was no water in Walnut when we visited, which made it easier to explore.

Walnut Cave:





Waterfall Cave:

This past weekend, March 30-April 1, I was invited by my friends Rob and Christine Neall to join them for a canoe trip, hiking, and possibly some caving near the Buffalo River in northern Arkansas. The place had previously been discovered by another mutual friend, Amy Clark, who also joined us, along with a friend of hers, Megan Smith. Our hosts were Will and Eve S., a very gracious retired couple who gave us free lodging in a guest bunk house, and provided expert guide service as well.

Our group came together from two directions: The others from a few hours farther south in Arkansas, and I from Illinois. The driving distance for me was a little farther than I expected, just under 400 miles, or about 7 hours. There was no perfect route to take: It was either navigate through a maze of little country roads, or go far out of the way and stick to major highways. I opted for the shorter route, and went up and down hills, around 25 and 35 mph hairpin turns (lots of them!), and through dozens of little towns strung out along the Missouri-Arkansas byways. The spring scenery was beautiful, though, with dogwoods and other trees in bloom, and the variety of roads (I traveled at least 10 different highways) broke up the monotony of hours alone behind the wheel. Such journeys are always opportunities for extensive contemplation for me, since my Jeep's radio and cassette player have been broken for years. (I seldom used them even when they did work, although these days I would be tempted to play podcasts I've downloaded.) They also afford a fine opportunity to work on my fake Eastern European accent: "Eet eez zo beauteeful here, no?" If I get on a roll, I can entertain myself with such monologues for ... I don't know ... seven hours?

The weather was perfect: Maybe in the 50s at night, in the 60s or 70s during the day. We had a nice breeze, and mostly clear blue sky. Friday night we all arrived quite late, so there wasn't much time for anything more than a little chit chat before going to bed. Rob and Christine shared an enclosed porch, I had the living room, and the two girls had the bedroom. It was a nice little bunk house, complete with a small refrigerator, camp oven, and high speed internet (though only Megan had a laptop — a cool MacBook in black).

Sabbath morning we had a yummy waffle breakfast. Then our group of nine — the five of us friends, Will and Eve, and their daughter and her boyfriend — drove out to an old country church, where we had a Sabbath school program. Rob led the study on Ecclesiastes 12, and we had a really good discussion. Later we walked around an old homestead that is now a historical site.

Rob and Christine with their dream home:



Afterwards, we hiked in towards a couple caves. Along the way we passed over a beaver dam, and enjoyed a simple lunch of sandwiches we had prepared earlier.

We explored two caves: Walnut and Waterfall. Not counting walk-in caves, I had been caving only once before. The entrance passages were very low, the kind where you have to get down and crawl through. They were also both very muddy. In Walnut, there was a long, steep, muddy incline down to the bottom. It was tricky to keep your footing and not go sliding into the darkness below. Fortunately there were rocks and other things to hang onto. In Waterfall, we had to slide along on our back or chest to get through the first part. It was very slow going! However, both caves opened up into large caverns inside. Walnut had amazing stalactite and stalagmite formations all around. Waterfall had a beautiful waterfall inside. We saw a few bats, some hanging, others flying around.

For practical reasons I did not take my camera inside. Some others did. Later I may post some photos taken by others from inside these two caves.

Three smiling spelunkers (L to R): Amy, Christine, Megan:



By then it was evening, so we returned to Will and Eve's home. They treated us to a delicious haystack supper. I tried a juice blend I had never had before: white grape, blueberry, kiwi. It was really good. In the evening we visited a little, but we were all tired and soon went to bed.

The next morning after eating breakfast and packing another lunch, we set out. We took four canoes, with our group of nine split between them (Christine, Amy, and Megan shared one canoe; Rob and I another; and the other two couples each had one).

We canoed the Buffalo River. Although people said it was lower than normal, still it was very navigable. And it was a beautiful river to canoe, with incredible views of bluffs along the river, all the spring colors, and fish swimming below in the clear water (in places we could see down as far as 10 feet).

My worthy companion, Rob:



The three girls (the competition):



A look back:



Some of the bluffs over the river: