Journal
Off to ASI, Floriday Keys
2008/08/04 19:15
Tomorrow I am flying to Tampa, Florida, first to
attend the ASI convention, and then for a couple days
in the Florida Keys with my mom.
|
Battle Creek, Michigan
2008/07/30 22:51
This past weekend, July 25-27, I went to Battle
Creek, Michigan, to do some photography for the “Our
Heritage” series I’ve been writing for 3ABN
World. Battle Creek is the home of the Historic Adventist Village,
and there are many sites related to Seventh-day
Adventist history in the area. So many of my
friends and family and coworkers have been
there, but I’d never been there to visit.
Providentially, my friend Diana was leading a group of Bible workers at Battle Creek, and she invited me to come. The timing was perfect, since if I had waited any longer, their evangelism series would have been over, and I would have lost my “inside connection.” Thanks, Diana!
The drive there would have been about 7.5 hours, except for a little mishap. Near Effingham, Illinois, a police car came up behind me, and flashed its lights. I was driving exactly the speed limit, so I couldn’t guess what would be the problem. He pegged me for two things: not having a front license plate (my saving grace was that I had the missing plate in the car, having intended to put it on as soon as I could visit a dealership), and my back plate was half off! I could hardly believe it. We walked around to the back of the car, and as I was fiddling with the plate to see if I could reconnect it, the other screw popped out, and the whole thing fell to the ground! (The screws were the ones that came with the car, but they were definitely non-standard.) The officer was friendly, though, and didn’t fine me for anything. He told me where to go to get it fixed, which I promptly did. The whole episode cost me maybe 30 minutes.
When I arrived in Battle Creek, the night’s evangelism series was in progress at the local SDA academy, so I went directly there. The evangelist was Ted Struntz, someone who I’d never met, but indirectly knew: He was the father of a girl I knew in academy and whom I had done LE work with one summer (Julia). Also, it just so happened that I sat down, without realizing it, next to David and Marie Tenold, who had been staff at Oklahoma Academy when I was a student there. Also, Marie had been my work supervisor for two years. The night’s message was good, and it was encouraging to hear that quite a few non-SDAs were attending and interested in baptism. Besides Diana, I also bumped into someone else I knew that night: Phil Mills.
The Bible workers were staying right at the Historic Adventist Village, and they let me stay with them. I had a nice, comfortable room to myself, on the second floor. The room had eight windows, four each on two adjacent walls—really nice.
Sabbath morning I went to the Dime Tabernacle, the main SDA church in the area. There was a large painting behind the pulpit, Heinrich Hoffman’s “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler”—one of my favorites—which I thought was cool. I joined a Sabbath school class taught by Jerry Finneman, which was really good. The sermon was by the evangelist, and was part of the series. Later, at lunch, I met a couple more people I know: Doug Carlson, an associate pastor who previously was the pastor at my grandma’s church in Edenville, and Ranger Jim from Kids’ Time on 3ABN! He was showing off a hummingbird and a chipmunk, both of which were in large glass jars.
Sabbath afternoon I took the official tour of the village.
William Miller’s prophetic chart, on display in the visitor center:
The pulpit in a church where Ellen White spoke:
Garth Stoltz, Village Director:
The Whites’ home:
An early edition of Early Writings, published in Battle Creek:
The dining room in their home:
Where Ellen would write jounal entries, manuscripts, and letters (these are not the original items of furniture, but are similar to what she would have used):
Copies of her writings (pretty good penmanship!):
A carriage similar to what the Whites would have used:
That evening we returned for more of the evangelism meetings. Later back at the village, we had a long discussion about women’s ordination; it lasted past midnight! Although the five or so of us most involved in the discussion had deep-seated opinions on this subject, the entire exchange was very civil, and I came away with greater perspective on the subject.
The Bible workers:
In front of David Hewitt’s home:
On Sunday we all went out to eat at a pancake place. This was mainly in honor of the Bible workers for all their hard work, and was paid for by Pastor Russell from Andrews who had oversight of them. But they invited me along. It was a good meal! But my stay was over all too soon!
I left soon after we got back from the restaurant, but on the way home I stopped at this cemetary in Battle Creek where many SDA pioneers are buried:
The tombstones of James and Ellen White:
On the way home I passed these vehicles. I took this while driving, so it’s a bit blurry. But if you look closely, you can see the car on the left is one of those models that can be driven in water. You can see two propellers under the bumper, and it has a high exhaust pipe to keep the water out. The other truck is towing a log cabin!
Providentially, my friend Diana was leading a group of Bible workers at Battle Creek, and she invited me to come. The timing was perfect, since if I had waited any longer, their evangelism series would have been over, and I would have lost my “inside connection.” Thanks, Diana!
The drive there would have been about 7.5 hours, except for a little mishap. Near Effingham, Illinois, a police car came up behind me, and flashed its lights. I was driving exactly the speed limit, so I couldn’t guess what would be the problem. He pegged me for two things: not having a front license plate (my saving grace was that I had the missing plate in the car, having intended to put it on as soon as I could visit a dealership), and my back plate was half off! I could hardly believe it. We walked around to the back of the car, and as I was fiddling with the plate to see if I could reconnect it, the other screw popped out, and the whole thing fell to the ground! (The screws were the ones that came with the car, but they were definitely non-standard.) The officer was friendly, though, and didn’t fine me for anything. He told me where to go to get it fixed, which I promptly did. The whole episode cost me maybe 30 minutes.
When I arrived in Battle Creek, the night’s evangelism series was in progress at the local SDA academy, so I went directly there. The evangelist was Ted Struntz, someone who I’d never met, but indirectly knew: He was the father of a girl I knew in academy and whom I had done LE work with one summer (Julia). Also, it just so happened that I sat down, without realizing it, next to David and Marie Tenold, who had been staff at Oklahoma Academy when I was a student there. Also, Marie had been my work supervisor for two years. The night’s message was good, and it was encouraging to hear that quite a few non-SDAs were attending and interested in baptism. Besides Diana, I also bumped into someone else I knew that night: Phil Mills.
The Bible workers were staying right at the Historic Adventist Village, and they let me stay with them. I had a nice, comfortable room to myself, on the second floor. The room had eight windows, four each on two adjacent walls—really nice.
Sabbath morning I went to the Dime Tabernacle, the main SDA church in the area. There was a large painting behind the pulpit, Heinrich Hoffman’s “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler”—one of my favorites—which I thought was cool. I joined a Sabbath school class taught by Jerry Finneman, which was really good. The sermon was by the evangelist, and was part of the series. Later, at lunch, I met a couple more people I know: Doug Carlson, an associate pastor who previously was the pastor at my grandma’s church in Edenville, and Ranger Jim from Kids’ Time on 3ABN! He was showing off a hummingbird and a chipmunk, both of which were in large glass jars.
Sabbath afternoon I took the official tour of the village.
William Miller’s prophetic chart, on display in the visitor center:
The pulpit in a church where Ellen White spoke:
Garth Stoltz, Village Director:
The Whites’ home:
An early edition of Early Writings, published in Battle Creek:
The dining room in their home:
Where Ellen would write jounal entries, manuscripts, and letters (these are not the original items of furniture, but are similar to what she would have used):
Copies of her writings (pretty good penmanship!):
A carriage similar to what the Whites would have used:
That evening we returned for more of the evangelism meetings. Later back at the village, we had a long discussion about women’s ordination; it lasted past midnight! Although the five or so of us most involved in the discussion had deep-seated opinions on this subject, the entire exchange was very civil, and I came away with greater perspective on the subject.
The Bible workers:
In front of David Hewitt’s home:
On Sunday we all went out to eat at a pancake place. This was mainly in honor of the Bible workers for all their hard work, and was paid for by Pastor Russell from Andrews who had oversight of them. But they invited me along. It was a good meal! But my stay was over all too soon!
I left soon after we got back from the restaurant, but on the way home I stopped at this cemetary in Battle Creek where many SDA pioneers are buried:
The tombstones of James and Ellen White:
On the way home I passed these vehicles. I took this while driving, so it’s a bit blurry. But if you look closely, you can see the car on the left is one of those models that can be driven in water. You can see two propellers under the bumper, and it has a high exhaust pipe to keep the water out. The other truck is towing a log cabin!
Christmas Insanity
2008/07/29 13:34
On July 15, I received my first adertising by mail
for Christmas cards. This comes from National
Geographic. I need to write to Lands’ End and L. L.
Bean, and ask them if their marketing departments are
asleep. I mean, if they were following the lead of
National Geographic, they’d be selling holiday
sweaters and winter wear, instead of swimsuits and
summer duds.
Each year it seems the Christmas season gets pulled further ahead. You may have seen this cartoon (it’s been around), but I think it depicts the situation perfectly.
Each year it seems the Christmas season gets pulled further ahead. You may have seen this cartoon (it’s been around), but I think it depicts the situation perfectly.
Thirty Mile Bike Ride
2008/07/22 20:40
This past Sunday, July 20, I went biking with
Hernando and two other guys from 3ABN, Ralph S. and
Tim L. It was a really nice biking trail, which
started in Harrisburg. This is one of those old
railroad beds that has been converted into a bike
trail. The first portion was paved, but after that it
was mostly limestone, which is not too bad to ride
on.
We went 30 miles roundtrip, with the turn-around point being the small town of Carrier Mills. Further on down, this same path crosses the famous Trail of Tears, but we did not go that far.
It got quite hot. Fortunately we started early. Still, by the time we finished, the temperature on a bank sign said 103 degrees! I lost a lot of fluid, even though I was drinking like crazy. I was still re-hydrating on into the evening. I also got a bit sunburned.... I have to remember to use sunscreen!
We went 30 miles roundtrip, with the turn-around point being the small town of Carrier Mills. Further on down, this same path crosses the famous Trail of Tears, but we did not go that far.
It got quite hot. Fortunately we started early. Still, by the time we finished, the temperature on a bank sign said 103 degrees! I lost a lot of fluid, even though I was drinking like crazy. I was still re-hydrating on into the evening. I also got a bit sunburned.... I have to remember to use sunscreen!
3ABN Fans on Facebook Reach 300
2008/07/22 19:57
The number of people who have become “fans” of
3ABN’s Facebook page reached
300 last Monday, the 14th. Activity has been a
little slow, because — frankly — I am the
only person maintaining that page. I’ve been
adding news about major upcoming events, but
other than that I haven’t really had any great
inspiration for what our page visitors would
like to see. A page like this gains value as
more people become fans of it, so the future
looks good.
Our ASI event on Facebook has taken on a life of its own, with other people inviting friends, beyond my circle of friends that I personally invited. Although the number of people who have indicated their intent to attend is relatively small, it is still good to see regular additions to the numbers just about every week. A frustrating aspect of Facebook is that you can’t simply invite fans to an event (or so it seems); the most you can do is send an update to the fans, and invite your personal friends.
Our ASI event on Facebook has taken on a life of its own, with other people inviting friends, beyond my circle of friends that I personally invited. Although the number of people who have indicated their intent to attend is relatively small, it is still good to see regular additions to the numbers just about every week. A frustrating aspect of Facebook is that you can’t simply invite fans to an event (or so it seems); the most you can do is send an update to the fans, and invite your personal friends.
Four-day Work Week
2008/07/10 19:11
This week was our first 4-day work week. Previously
all 3ABN employees typically worked 8:00 am to 5:30
pm, Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 until noon on
Friday. With a half-hour lunch break this came out to
40 hours. Now we are starting at 7:30 am, and working
essentially 38 hours per week (but pay remains the
same), with Friday off.
With finances a little tight, 3ABN has not been able to give raises for some time, and this was deemed one way of benefitting employees without increasing payrolls. Besides the advantage of having a 3-day weekend—like many church entities have, as well as various ministries—it also saves employees the expense of the Friday commute to work. With gas prices getting so high, it is potentially a significant savings.
I’m really happy about this new arrangement, and hope it works out.
With finances a little tight, 3ABN has not been able to give raises for some time, and this was deemed one way of benefitting employees without increasing payrolls. Besides the advantage of having a 3-day weekend—like many church entities have, as well as various ministries—it also saves employees the expense of the Friday commute to work. With gas prices getting so high, it is potentially a significant savings.
I’m really happy about this new arrangement, and hope it works out.
Nicole Issa
2008/06/26 22:05
Our new employee Nicole has been a blessing to the
ministry already. She’s been kicking out small
projects left and right. It’s great working with
someone as focused and as quick to learn as Nicole.
And she has a great personality besides.
Here’s a photo of her working on a small project that was finished today, uploading new Kids’ Time Praise music videos to our YouTube page.
Here’s a photo of her working on a small project that was finished today, uploading new Kids’ Time Praise music videos to our YouTube page.
Annette Christian
2008/06/25 22:06
This morning we received the sad news that Annette
Christian had passed away last night, June 24, a
short while before midnight. Annette had a long
struggle with cancer, finally culminating in a number
of brain tumors that proved fatal. Last week she was
taken home from the hospital to be under hospice
care. Her family was hopeful that she might recover,
but also mindful that she might not. Our pastor
described her passing as “bitter-sweet”; although she
will be dearly missed by everyone, we are glad she is
no longer suffering.
Annette was married to Jay Christian, one of our staff at 3ABN Radio; her daughter Cari also works at 3ABN, and Annette herself had worked at 3ABN in various capacities up through the early stages of her disease.
Over the last several years, Annette has undoubtedly been one of the most prayed-for people at 3ABN. However, even in her hardest days, she was an encouragement and source of blessing to those around her. Please continue to keep her family in your prayers.
Annette was married to Jay Christian, one of our staff at 3ABN Radio; her daughter Cari also works at 3ABN, and Annette herself had worked at 3ABN in various capacities up through the early stages of her disease.
Over the last several years, Annette has undoubtedly been one of the most prayed-for people at 3ABN. However, even in her hardest days, she was an encouragement and source of blessing to those around her. Please continue to keep her family in your prayers.
A Happy Birthday
2008/06/19 21:58
Today was my 35th birthday. I had lots of birthday
greetings from friends and family, an unprecedented
quantity I think. Thanks to everyone who sent one!
Most of them came via Facebook. I got two “old
fashioned” paper cards: one from my mom, and one from
my friendly neighborhood bank. My mom also sent a
gift package (clothing), and my coworker Adam’s wife
Gabriela made a vegan cheesecake with “Happy
Birthday” written across it in berry sauce. Yummmm.
Another blessing today was the arrival of my new graphic design assistant, Nicole. She’s moving here from Colorado, and turns out she knows some mutual friends of mine (Adrian, Regi, Diana, maybe others—friends who’ve gone to Southern). From what I’ve seen, she is quite talented, and seems like she will be fun to work with.
Hernando and I also went biking this evening. It was the perfect weather for it. We have a little loop that we do, which runs around the campus of 3ABN. It takes us 30-45 minutes to do it. I’m not sure how many miles it is. Great way to end a long day at work!
Another blessing today was the arrival of my new graphic design assistant, Nicole. She’s moving here from Colorado, and turns out she knows some mutual friends of mine (Adrian, Regi, Diana, maybe others—friends who’ve gone to Southern). From what I’ve seen, she is quite talented, and seems like she will be fun to work with.
Hernando and I also went biking this evening. It was the perfect weather for it. We have a little loop that we do, which runs around the campus of 3ABN. It takes us 30-45 minutes to do it. I’m not sure how many miles it is. Great way to end a long day at work!
3ABN Managers
2008/06/18 18:29
This morning in our 3ABN managers’ meeting, J.D.
suggested we get a photo of everyone to share in the
e-mail newsletter that our Pastoral Department sends
out. J.D. sent me a copy of it, and here it is:
L to R: Mollie Steenson, General Manager; Don Yost, manager of Maintenance Department; Jennifer Todd, manager of Marketing Department; J.D. Quinn, manager of Pastoral Department; Shelley Quinn, manager of Program Development; Jim Gilley, President; C.A. Murray, Production Manager for television; Jay Christian, co-manager at 3ABN Radio; Greg Morikone, manager of the Call Center; Len Wenzel, manager of television editing; Tim Lass, manager of Programming Department; and me, manager of the Publishing Department.
Not shown: John Dinzey, manager of 3ABN Latino; E.T. Everett, manager of Sound Center; Brian Hamilton, manager of Finance Department; John Hauser, Safety Coordinator; Moses Primo, director of Engineering Department; and Dave Turner, manager of Construction.
L to R: Mollie Steenson, General Manager; Don Yost, manager of Maintenance Department; Jennifer Todd, manager of Marketing Department; J.D. Quinn, manager of Pastoral Department; Shelley Quinn, manager of Program Development; Jim Gilley, President; C.A. Murray, Production Manager for television; Jay Christian, co-manager at 3ABN Radio; Greg Morikone, manager of the Call Center; Len Wenzel, manager of television editing; Tim Lass, manager of Programming Department; and me, manager of the Publishing Department.
Not shown: John Dinzey, manager of 3ABN Latino; E.T. Everett, manager of Sound Center; Brian Hamilton, manager of Finance Department; John Hauser, Safety Coordinator; Moses Primo, director of Engineering Department; and Dave Turner, manager of Construction.
I (heart) OmniFocus
2008/06/16 19:01
Some years ago I decided to pull my gloves on and take care of the clutter in my life once and for all. Now, older and wiser, I’ve come to see that years of bad organizational habits are not easily undone.
Lest you think I’m a slob, I want you to know that I’ve been a neat freak since about age 10, and in high school one of my proudest possessions was a 2-drawer filing cabinet. Unfortunately neatness, cleanliness, and basic orderliness are inadequate without a well-thought plan. Sooner or later, depending on the volume of potential clutter, every overlooked detail in your organizational scheme will become a magnet for chaos. Once chaos begins to collect, it snowballs.
A while back I made one of my best organizational investments in the form of a book: Getting Things Done, by David Allen. I’ve written about it before. While in Sweden, I was laughing with my friend Daniel that—insert a little nervous chuckle here—I’ve never finished the book. The good news is that, despite not completing it (yet), the book set me on a good course. You could say it was because of the book’s advice that I had to set it aside. I had to focus on other things immediately.
I have recently become a huge fan of the software OmniFocus (available for Mac only). It is built around the “Getting Things Done” principles, and I say without hesistation that it is the best organizational application I have ever used. It makes Outlook’s Tasks look like a toy. Mind you, OmniFocus is not a productivity suite with e-mail, calendar, contact list, etc. It is simply an amazing, glorified to-do list manager. But what it does, it does extremely well.
I’ve been using OmniFocus at work and at home since the version 1.0 release came out. I don’t know what I’d have done without it. With dozens of projects to juggle, I’d be totally lost with just about any of the other to-do list programs I’ve seen. Instead, I’m able to keep focused and, generally speaking, on top of things.
For any OmniFocus users, or potential ones, out there, here are my hints and tips:
- In your Library (in the Planning mode), create subfolders called “Action List,” “Delegated List,” and “Someday-Maybe List.” These correspond to the respective concepts in the book Getting Things Done.
- Never create ambiguous tasks (“Complete the Jones project” ). Always break projects down into concrete steps (“Call Bob,” “Confirm dates with Peter,” “Gather data for progress report” ).
- Create sensible contexts. For me, the default contexts of “Phone” and “E-mail” are meaningless. I just put everything I do at my desk under “Desk.” Create contexts for people (your boss, your spouse), your places (home, work, nearby towns and cities), anything that is likely to be related to actions that you do regularly. You can create nested contexts. For example, I have a context called “3ABN,” and underneath it, all the different departments, and in each department the people I regularly work with. When I need to visit a particular person or department, I can quickly see what other items of business I can take care of at the same time.
- Create a context called “Unassigned” for projects you will assign to someone else.
- Pause all projects in the Someday-Maybe folder.
- Create a bin for miscellanous actions. I call mine “Singletons.” Set it to function in Single Action Mode (each action is a project unto itself).
- Create a bin in your Action List for use as a shopping list.
- Create a bin in your Delegated Items for order tracking. (This one sounds a little sloppy, but basically you are delegating the order fulfillment to the company, and are waiting on them to ship you the products.)
- Create automatic, repeating actions and projects for those things you do regularly.
- It really helps to have a multiple-monitor setup, so you can have several windows open at once. I have a list by context, a list by priority (flagged), and a master list on screen at once.
- Add shortcuts/aliases to your documents and folders in your OmniFocus projects. This saves a lot of time, since you don’t have to switch to the Finder and find the related items every time you return to a project.
- Do the weekly review! OmniFocus has a built-in feature to make this really easy.
Outpaced!
2008/06/11 20:18
Until yesterday, I had more friends on Facebook than
3ABN’s Facebook page had
fans. Now I can no longer say I am more popular
than 3ABN. (Ha ha.) Of course, one look at my
modest number of friends, and you will clearly
see that this is not because I am a popular
person, but because 3ABN’s page had a late start
and has had a low trajectory due to inadequate
promotion, which are we working to improve.
If you’d like to help promote 3ABN, one way you can do that is by joining our Facebook Cause. This requires you to add the Causes application to your Facebook account, which is a very popular and well-behaved application. With no further action on your part, its presence on your profile simply tells other people that you support the organization(s) of your choice. I’ve added several causes to my Facebook profile, and many of my friends have them too. Of course, you can go further, and easily invite all YOUR friends to add your favorite causes. In this way you become an evangelist for your favorite causes. And, what’s most important, you can donate through the Causes application. As you may know, 3ABN is a donation-supported ministry, and most of our donations are from individuals such as yourself. We receive no income from the various outlets that carry 3ABN, such as DISH Network, local stations, or cable networks. The support of our viewers and listeners is what enables 3ABN to keep reaching more people with the truths for this time.
If you’d like to help promote 3ABN, one way you can do that is by joining our Facebook Cause. This requires you to add the Causes application to your Facebook account, which is a very popular and well-behaved application. With no further action on your part, its presence on your profile simply tells other people that you support the organization(s) of your choice. I’ve added several causes to my Facebook profile, and many of my friends have them too. Of course, you can go further, and easily invite all YOUR friends to add your favorite causes. In this way you become an evangelist for your favorite causes. And, what’s most important, you can donate through the Causes application. As you may know, 3ABN is a donation-supported ministry, and most of our donations are from individuals such as yourself. We receive no income from the various outlets that carry 3ABN, such as DISH Network, local stations, or cable networks. The support of our viewers and listeners is what enables 3ABN to keep reaching more people with the truths for this time.
Cave-in-Rock State Park
2008/06/07 21:55
Since moving to Illinois about nine years ago, one
place I’ve often heard about but had never visited is
Cave-in-Rock. It was a little
further distance to drive than the places our
young adult group usually visits, but I was glad
I went.
I put a collection of photos up on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=40771&l=afab0&id=809418097
I put a collection of photos up on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=40771&l=afab0&id=809418097
3ABN Spring Camp Meeting and Ten Commandments Weekend
2008/06/04 20:14
We had a great camp meeting and Ten Commandments
Weekend this year. It's the first time we combined
them and had them here at 3ABN's Worship Center.
There was a great turnout. I've put some photos on Facebook (link below), and then I've added a few other photos below that.
There was a great turnout. I've put some photos on Facebook (link below), and then I've added a few other photos below that.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42845&id=12296170694
It was great to see
long-time friend Staci (L), who was here visiting
mutual friends Jill (pictured) and Greg
Morikone.
We had a very good panel answering
Bible questions on Wednesday night. L to R: Stephen
Bohr, John Lomacang, Mike Tucker, Kenneth Cox, David
Asscherick, C. A. Murray.
Many 3ABN staff, such as Larry McLucas, put in
long hours. It was practically a marathon!
Eva doing what girls do best:
Ken Cox gave a great message on the commandment,
"Thou shalt not murder." If you missed it, you need
to find a copy and learn the secret of why women
outlive their husbands!
David Asscherick spoke on "Thou shalt not commit
adultery." He brought down the house!
Another friend from college days, David Shin,
spoke on "Thou shalt not steal." It included a
powerful personal testimony.
If you missed it, I've heard that the DVDs should be
shipping sometime in July. Eventually the programs
with air again on 3ABN, as well. Check the program
listings for times.
Garden of the Gods
2008/06/04 19:49
On May 17, I went with some friends to Garden of the
Gods, one of our favorite spots. I've posted some
photos over on Facebook, which you can see at the
following address. These were all taken by Monique,
who works in the production department at 3ABN.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=40258&l=6d15c&id=809418097
Our Heritage - Rock Skipping Photo
2008/05/15 18:10
The first installment in my series "Our Heritage"
appears in the June 3ABN World magazine. I
wanted a creative introduction to this first story,
and this is what I came up with:
I stand at the edge of a small lake. It’s quiet here—a good place to meditate, to think. As I skip a rock across the water, I notice the ripples. At each point where the stone strikes the surface of the lake, waves radiate outward. Together they look like a series of points, each sending out signal waves in every direction. In a sense, that’s what this series is about. Our Christian heritage is a string of pivotal events, each with its own lasting repercussions in the stream of time. It’s a story that inspires me every time I think of it.
I thought it would be cool to add a little thumbnail illustration. I tried to look for stock photos of a rock skipping across a pond, but couldn't find any. So Adam and I headed down to the nearest little pond, and this is what we got:
The original photo:
Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts, we couldn't quite capture the feel of skipping stones. The surface of the water was really icky. We did get some nice splashes, but they just didn't look like what I wanted to convey.
Add "Pond-Scum-Be-Gone" (aka, Photoshop):
Ripples:
A nice reflection:
Some nice early morning mist, and we're done!
I stand at the edge of a small lake. It’s quiet here—a good place to meditate, to think. As I skip a rock across the water, I notice the ripples. At each point where the stone strikes the surface of the lake, waves radiate outward. Together they look like a series of points, each sending out signal waves in every direction. In a sense, that’s what this series is about. Our Christian heritage is a string of pivotal events, each with its own lasting repercussions in the stream of time. It’s a story that inspires me every time I think of it.
I thought it would be cool to add a little thumbnail illustration. I tried to look for stock photos of a rock skipping across a pond, but couldn't find any. So Adam and I headed down to the nearest little pond, and this is what we got:
The original photo:
Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts, we couldn't quite capture the feel of skipping stones. The surface of the water was really icky. We did get some nice splashes, but they just didn't look like what I wanted to convey.
Add "Pond-Scum-Be-Gone" (aka, Photoshop):
Ripples:
A nice reflection:
Some nice early morning mist, and we're done!
Chris and Erin's Wedding
2008/05/12 23:15
On May 11, after leaving my mom's place, I headed to
the Indian Creek Camp for the wedding of Erin Worf
and Chris White. Erin was one of my regular weekend
buddies when she was living in this area for a while.
Her dad works at 3ABN.
The hall was decorated really nice. Lots of lights, candles, lanterns, and greenery. There was beautiful music playing too; I later learned the album is called "Celtic Wedding."
Two bridesmaids; two groomsmen. One of the bridesmaids sang I song a really like, "Bless the Broken Road."
The sermon:
The kiss:
The cake (decorated with rose petals):
A special presentation in honor of the mothers (it was Mothers Day):
Happily ever after:
The hall was decorated really nice. Lots of lights, candles, lanterns, and greenery. There was beautiful music playing too; I later learned the album is called "Celtic Wedding."
Two bridesmaids; two groomsmen. One of the bridesmaids sang I song a really like, "Bless the Broken Road."
The sermon:
The kiss:
The cake (decorated with rose petals):
A special presentation in honor of the mothers (it was Mothers Day):
Happily ever after:
Mothers Day
2008/05/12 22:59
This past weekend, April 9-11, I went to Tennessee to
visit my mom for Mothers Day. We had a nice time. We
went for a walk Sabbath afternoon. In the evening I
presented her some small gifts I had bought while in
Sweden, and then we played two 3-round games of
Boggle. (I won both times. Sorry, Mom!) Sunday we
went to Wal-Mart and bought some mulch and flowers
(creeping phlox), and I helped her mulch around her
house. I had to leave at around 11:15 a.m., to make
it to the wedding.
This is Violet, about one year old now. My mom has been babysitting her occasionally for some months now. My mom purchased this dress for her, so she would have something special to wear to church.
Tishka:
This is Violet, about one year old now. My mom has been babysitting her occasionally for some months now. My mom purchased this dress for her, so she would have something special to wear to church.
Tishka:
Toyota Prius
2008/05/12 22:44
As I mentioned on April 30, I am now the happy owner
of a 2005 Prius. I have never had so many people
asking me about my car. Once even a stranger at a gas
station asked me about it (and I've only been to a
gas station about five times since I've owned it!).
One of the most common questions is what kind of mileage I'm getting. So far it is about 45-50 mpg. But on a recent trip, there were 15 miles of mostly downhill driving in which I was getting 75-100 mpg. (You can watch a running mpg meter while driving.)
The built in GPS navigation works well, but is not perfect. It successfully got me to the wedding this past Sunday, even showing me all the little back roads at the private SDA campground where the wedding was. On the other hand, it gave me wrong or confusing directions later, causing me to miss an exit that I wouldn't have missed if I had simply followed the handwritten directions I had with me. (In my experience, this seems to be the case with any GPS navigator. You're always better off if you start out knowing where you are going. But in a pinch the instrument can be very handy.)
Here she is:
Pretty roomy for a car this size:
The white box on the left is the battery box:
One of the most common questions is what kind of mileage I'm getting. So far it is about 45-50 mpg. But on a recent trip, there were 15 miles of mostly downhill driving in which I was getting 75-100 mpg. (You can watch a running mpg meter while driving.)
The built in GPS navigation works well, but is not perfect. It successfully got me to the wedding this past Sunday, even showing me all the little back roads at the private SDA campground where the wedding was. On the other hand, it gave me wrong or confusing directions later, causing me to miss an exit that I wouldn't have missed if I had simply followed the handwritten directions I had with me. (In my experience, this seems to be the case with any GPS navigator. You're always better off if you start out knowing where you are going. But in a pinch the instrument can be very handy.)
Here she is:
Pretty roomy for a car this size:
The white box on the left is the battery box:
Loma Linda in the News
2008/05/09 14:03
Loma Linda gets a passing (1 second or so) appearance
in a CNN video about coyotes attacking small
children.
Although it is not named in the news commentary, the above picture comes on for a brief moment while talking about a girl who was taken to the emergency room after a coyote attack.
Although it is not named in the news commentary, the above picture comes on for a brief moment while talking about a girl who was taken to the emergency room after a coyote attack.
Sweden
2008/05/01 19:49
I recently returned from a weeklong vacation to
Sweden, April 20-28. Although it was a bit tiring at
times, it was a great experience. It was awesome to
see my friends at LifeStyleTV — the Nybos,
Pedleys, and Ramonts — as well as my friend Ellen in
Stockholm. And I also made some new friends whom I
hope to see again some day.
* * *
My flight departed on Sunday, April 20. It was a long flight, but mostly uneventful. I traveled from a regional airport in Marion on a small plane (18 seats or so), to St. Louis where I caught a larger plane (an MD-80, I think) to Atlanta, where I caught an even larger plane (a 767 I think) to Copenhagen. I managed to sleep quite a bit, and this seemed to help me adjust to the time zone change, which was 7 hours.
Flying over Denmark was quite interesting. Looking down I could see all these little farms, bunched together in oddly-angled shapes, not like the large one-mile square tiles you may see in the western U.S., but not too different perhaps than the smaller farms in New England. Denmark and Sweden are both covered in farmland.
My flight arrived in Copenhagen the next morning, Monday, April 21. Theresa Nybo was there to meet me at the airport. She had brought her dog Max along, and this was my first time meeting him. He is a big fluffy white dog (there is a picture of him below). After a little shopping in Malmö, we were on our way to LifeStyleTV.
I have several longtime friends working at LifeStyleTV: Claus and Theresa Nybo, Daniel and Antonella Pedley, and Richard and Roxana Ramont. It was great to see all of them again. It was also neat to see their facilities — which are extremely modest compared to what we have at 3ABN. Still, what they do with what they have is quite amazing.
Daniel at his workstation:
Claus:
The LifeStyleTV master control:
Their cool OS X based server rack:
Dan and Jennica:
Torleif:
Huldah:
Andrea:
Max — always ready to play:
The guys' "dorm" — where I stayed:
My room:
A couple times a day I walked this 10-15 minute journey from the dorm to the LifeStyleTV center (the Nybos' home):
On Tuesday I worked in the Nybos' garden, mulching the berry bushes and other things. I miss the garden I had at my previous residence, so it was a fine way to spend the morning. Later I went with a group to a place called the Hallesberg Stones. These are statues and carved stones created in the 1800s by a Swedish farmer. One set of stones contains writing and pictures related to the Bible, including Old Testament chronology, the Fall, and prophetic symbols with interpretations. LifeStyleTV was planning to use these as a springboard for doctrinal presentations.
The badly eroded mountain of sculpture at the Hallesberg farm:
This stone depicts Bible chronology:
This one depicts the Fall:
This one shows the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension:
This one is full of prophetic symbols — the Lamb on Mount Zion, the King on the white horse, the woman riding the beast — along with dates and explanations:
A stone face:
On Wednesday I led morning worship for the group, in which I talked about how God has led all types of people into the unity of the Adventist message, and how that unity in the truth is so important for a ministry such as LifeStyleTV. Later Theresa took me to look at a castle in the area. Later I helped prepare lunch (tofu squares with tartar sauce), which I didn't get to eat. Instead, I had lunch with the Pedleys. Their children are so cute!
A Swedish castle — this one remains a private residence:
The Pedleys:
Thursday I flew to Stockholm, where I met up with my good friend Ellen. That evening we visited the Vasa Museum, where a large warship that was raised from where it sank, is on display. It was really fascinating. Later we walked around the downtown area called Gamla Stan, ate out at a Korean restaurant, and had some sorbet and oat-based "ice cream" for dessert. On the way back we stopped by the Royal Palace. I spent the night at the church headquarters, in an apartment shared by a new friend, Ronnie.
A church in Stockholm:
The warship at the Vasa Museum (photo: Ellen Kim):
Ellen:
One of the many canals in Stockholm — it's built on a series of islands (photo: Ellen Kim):
Ellen and me:
A street:
Moi (photo: Ellen Kim):
On Friday Ellen and I visited some shops in the morning, and then I was on my way back to Malmö. But the bus that was taking me to the airport kept crashing! Computer crashing, that is. The monitors were locked in an endless cycle of Windows XP booting and crashing with an error message. Tsk, tsk. If only they had Mac OS X.
Windows XP: Where do you want to go today?
Back in Malmö, I enjoyed a tasty haystack lunch at the church. Then I joined other workers from LifeStyleTV handing out fliers in the community, inviting them to an upcoming event with Louis Torres. Later, back at the Nybos' home, we had a tasty fruit smoothie supper. And then we discussed Bible verses related to baptism, which Claus was gathering for his sermon the next day in Malmö.
Saturday morning found us at the Malmö church. The program was good. Theresa interpreted the sermon in English for several of us. After the very nice fellowship lunch, I joined the Ramonts and Pedleys for a walk in the park with their families and some friends. Later, back at LifeStyleTV, we had a birthday supper for Andrea, and then played a fun game, "Four on the Couch," that I had never played before (the guys won, haha!).
On Sunday the Nybos took me for a little drive to the beach. On the way we saw a sheepdog herding competition. It was quite fascinating to watch. The dogs did such a good job, but the sheep were just a little too stubborn. We had a great time at the beach. The Nybos' dog Max met some new friends. It was a beautiful beach, with white sand. There were swans out swimming on the water.
Sheepdog competition (the dog is crouched to the right of the sheep pen):
Another Swedish castle:
I thought this was funny — the "Badhotell" (it actually translates to the "bath hotel" — it's near the beach):
Claus and Theresa, with Max:
The beach is lined with these concrete bunkers from WWII:
White sand:
A creek flowing into the ocean:
Flowers at the beach:
Later I traveled with some of the other workers at LifeStyleTV back to Malmö. Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah gave me a tour around the city. In the evening a couple of us watched a David Asscherick training video that had been taped at the Bible Institute in Norway. This was my last full day in Sweden.
Banner at the church advertising the meetings with Louis Torres:
Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah enjoying their falafels:
The Turning Tower in Malmö:
This is a small dam in a park area; the small black things are faucets — quite clever:
On Monday I took a bus, and then a train, which took me to the airport in Copenhagen. With the benefit of the reverse time zone changes, I arrived home the same day, at around 9:00 pm. It was great to be home again!
* * *
My flight departed on Sunday, April 20. It was a long flight, but mostly uneventful. I traveled from a regional airport in Marion on a small plane (18 seats or so), to St. Louis where I caught a larger plane (an MD-80, I think) to Atlanta, where I caught an even larger plane (a 767 I think) to Copenhagen. I managed to sleep quite a bit, and this seemed to help me adjust to the time zone change, which was 7 hours.
Flying over Denmark was quite interesting. Looking down I could see all these little farms, bunched together in oddly-angled shapes, not like the large one-mile square tiles you may see in the western U.S., but not too different perhaps than the smaller farms in New England. Denmark and Sweden are both covered in farmland.
My flight arrived in Copenhagen the next morning, Monday, April 21. Theresa Nybo was there to meet me at the airport. She had brought her dog Max along, and this was my first time meeting him. He is a big fluffy white dog (there is a picture of him below). After a little shopping in Malmö, we were on our way to LifeStyleTV.
I have several longtime friends working at LifeStyleTV: Claus and Theresa Nybo, Daniel and Antonella Pedley, and Richard and Roxana Ramont. It was great to see all of them again. It was also neat to see their facilities — which are extremely modest compared to what we have at 3ABN. Still, what they do with what they have is quite amazing.
Daniel at his workstation:
Claus:
The LifeStyleTV master control:
Their cool OS X based server rack:
Dan and Jennica:
Torleif:
Huldah:
Andrea:
Max — always ready to play:
The guys' "dorm" — where I stayed:
My room:
A couple times a day I walked this 10-15 minute journey from the dorm to the LifeStyleTV center (the Nybos' home):
On Tuesday I worked in the Nybos' garden, mulching the berry bushes and other things. I miss the garden I had at my previous residence, so it was a fine way to spend the morning. Later I went with a group to a place called the Hallesberg Stones. These are statues and carved stones created in the 1800s by a Swedish farmer. One set of stones contains writing and pictures related to the Bible, including Old Testament chronology, the Fall, and prophetic symbols with interpretations. LifeStyleTV was planning to use these as a springboard for doctrinal presentations.
The badly eroded mountain of sculpture at the Hallesberg farm:
This stone depicts Bible chronology:
This one depicts the Fall:
This one shows the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension:
This one is full of prophetic symbols — the Lamb on Mount Zion, the King on the white horse, the woman riding the beast — along with dates and explanations:
A stone face:
On Wednesday I led morning worship for the group, in which I talked about how God has led all types of people into the unity of the Adventist message, and how that unity in the truth is so important for a ministry such as LifeStyleTV. Later Theresa took me to look at a castle in the area. Later I helped prepare lunch (tofu squares with tartar sauce), which I didn't get to eat. Instead, I had lunch with the Pedleys. Their children are so cute!
A Swedish castle — this one remains a private residence:
The Pedleys:
Thursday I flew to Stockholm, where I met up with my good friend Ellen. That evening we visited the Vasa Museum, where a large warship that was raised from where it sank, is on display. It was really fascinating. Later we walked around the downtown area called Gamla Stan, ate out at a Korean restaurant, and had some sorbet and oat-based "ice cream" for dessert. On the way back we stopped by the Royal Palace. I spent the night at the church headquarters, in an apartment shared by a new friend, Ronnie.
A church in Stockholm:
The warship at the Vasa Museum (photo: Ellen Kim):
Ellen:
One of the many canals in Stockholm — it's built on a series of islands (photo: Ellen Kim):
Ellen and me:
A street:
Moi (photo: Ellen Kim):
On Friday Ellen and I visited some shops in the morning, and then I was on my way back to Malmö. But the bus that was taking me to the airport kept crashing! Computer crashing, that is. The monitors were locked in an endless cycle of Windows XP booting and crashing with an error message. Tsk, tsk. If only they had Mac OS X.
Windows XP: Where do you want to go today?
Back in Malmö, I enjoyed a tasty haystack lunch at the church. Then I joined other workers from LifeStyleTV handing out fliers in the community, inviting them to an upcoming event with Louis Torres. Later, back at the Nybos' home, we had a tasty fruit smoothie supper. And then we discussed Bible verses related to baptism, which Claus was gathering for his sermon the next day in Malmö.
Saturday morning found us at the Malmö church. The program was good. Theresa interpreted the sermon in English for several of us. After the very nice fellowship lunch, I joined the Ramonts and Pedleys for a walk in the park with their families and some friends. Later, back at LifeStyleTV, we had a birthday supper for Andrea, and then played a fun game, "Four on the Couch," that I had never played before (the guys won, haha!).
On Sunday the Nybos took me for a little drive to the beach. On the way we saw a sheepdog herding competition. It was quite fascinating to watch. The dogs did such a good job, but the sheep were just a little too stubborn. We had a great time at the beach. The Nybos' dog Max met some new friends. It was a beautiful beach, with white sand. There were swans out swimming on the water.
Sheepdog competition (the dog is crouched to the right of the sheep pen):
Another Swedish castle:
I thought this was funny — the "Badhotell" (it actually translates to the "bath hotel" — it's near the beach):
Claus and Theresa, with Max:
The beach is lined with these concrete bunkers from WWII:
White sand:
A creek flowing into the ocean:
Flowers at the beach:
Later I traveled with some of the other workers at LifeStyleTV back to Malmö. Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah gave me a tour around the city. In the evening a couple of us watched a David Asscherick training video that had been taped at the Bible Institute in Norway. This was my last full day in Sweden.
Banner at the church advertising the meetings with Louis Torres:
Jonathan, Jennica, and Huldah enjoying their falafels:
The Turning Tower in Malmö:
This is a small dam in a park area; the small black things are faucets — quite clever:
On Monday I took a bus, and then a train, which took me to the airport in Copenhagen. With the benefit of the reverse time zone changes, I arrived home the same day, at around 9:00 pm. It was great to be home again!
What Happens When You're Away
2008/05/01 05:24
When I returned from Sweden, I had two shocks:
First, I learned the sad news that my friend and coworker Kenton Rogers had turned in his resignation. His last day will be May 9, I believe. His family is moving back to the West Coast, to be closer to their relatives. Kenton is a very talented and spiritual person, and will be greatly missed at 3ABN. He plans to start a small publishing house at a location yet to be announced.
That means we are looking for someone to replace him in my department. You can read the job posting announcement on my Xanga blog. If you know of any qualified individuals, please pass the word along. We are looking for people who are professionally employed in graphic design, not hobbyists or persons wanting to enter the field (although we make exception for college graduates with no employment history).
The second news is happier: Another friend and coworker, Connie Kuehn, got engaged and will be married this month. Unfortunately, there is a sad side to that story as well: She will be moving away to be with her future husband in Mississippi. We will all miss Connie's bubbly personality and valuable marketing skills. Congratulations, Connie!
First, I learned the sad news that my friend and coworker Kenton Rogers had turned in his resignation. His last day will be May 9, I believe. His family is moving back to the West Coast, to be closer to their relatives. Kenton is a very talented and spiritual person, and will be greatly missed at 3ABN. He plans to start a small publishing house at a location yet to be announced.
That means we are looking for someone to replace him in my department. You can read the job posting announcement on my Xanga blog. If you know of any qualified individuals, please pass the word along. We are looking for people who are professionally employed in graphic design, not hobbyists or persons wanting to enter the field (although we make exception for college graduates with no employment history).
The second news is happier: Another friend and coworker, Connie Kuehn, got engaged and will be married this month. Unfortunately, there is a sad side to that story as well: She will be moving away to be with her future husband in Mississippi. We will all miss Connie's bubbly personality and valuable marketing skills. Congratulations, Connie!
Mom's New Cat
2008/04/30 13:26
My mom used the trip to Dallas and back to swipe my
brother's cat, Tishka. Eugene had been willing — dare
I say eager? — for her to adopt the cat for some
time. Tishka is a Russian name; I believe it
translates to "cat."
Tishka did not much care for his pet carrier. But he arrived at my place safe and sound. My mom and Tishka spent one night here, before continuing on to my mom's place in TN. In the second leg of the journey, Tishka played Houdini and learned how to open the double latches of the pet carrier. But he didn't give my mom any trouble while she drove, so she let him stay out.
Tishka seems to be a pretty smart kitty. He had never been potty trained as far as we know, but he figured out the litter box on the first go. He's also pretty athletic for a cat of his size. At my brother's place he was known for jumping up on the porch railing in a single bound, and from there jumping up onto the roof.
Poetry in non-motion:
Tishka did not much care for his pet carrier. But he arrived at my place safe and sound. My mom and Tishka spent one night here, before continuing on to my mom's place in TN. In the second leg of the journey, Tishka played Houdini and learned how to open the double latches of the pet carrier. But he didn't give my mom any trouble while she drove, so she let him stay out.
Tishka seems to be a pretty smart kitty. He had never been potty trained as far as we know, but he figured out the litter box on the first go. He's also pretty athletic for a cat of his size. At my brother's place he was known for jumping up on the porch railing in a single bound, and from there jumping up onto the roof.
Poetry in non-motion:
New Car
2008/04/30 13:21
Around April 1, I won an eBay auction for a Toyota
Prius. My mom was kind enough to fly to Dallas (I
paid her fare) and drive it back for me. She arrived
with it on Friday, April 18 — two days before my
vacation to Sweden.
It's a 2005 model, with 80,000+ miles. I'm quite happy with it. The price was pretty decent.
I'll be posting a couple photos soon. In the meantime, if you know anyone looking for a used Jeep Cherokee, give me a call!
It's a 2005 model, with 80,000+ miles. I'm quite happy with it. The price was pretty decent.
I'll be posting a couple photos soon. In the meantime, if you know anyone looking for a used Jeep Cherokee, give me a call!
Sweden
2008/04/16 21:56
On April 20, I'm flying to Sweden for a one-week
vacation. I'll be staying with my friends at
LifeStyleTV, not far from Malmö. I'll also fly up to
Stockholm for one day to visit friends there. I'll
post photos and more details when I get back.
My plane flies in to Copenhagen, so I'll get to see a little bit of Denmark too.
It's been a crazy month, trying to get everything wrapped up and squared away for one little vacation abroad. It will be so nice to be a loooooong way from work for a little while!
My plane flies in to Copenhagen, so I'll get to see a little bit of Denmark too.
It's been a crazy month, trying to get everything wrapped up and squared away for one little vacation abroad. It will be so nice to be a loooooong way from work for a little while!
Tax Time
2008/04/07 20:56
Although I always do my own taxes, and it usually is
a fairly smooth process, it is also time-consuming
and sometimes stressful.
I'm usually quite meticulous about hanging onto even the smallest receipts until I've accounted for the spending. I even record the 50¢ or so I pay for snacks that I bring home from work. Of course, sometimes things slip through, and so every so often I compare the cash I have with what I think I should have, and the difference goes to miscellaneous expense and/or my best guess. Because I am so careful, it really bothers me when I have a bill that I cannot account for, or when a discrepancy shows up in a balance. This doesn't happen too often, but there's usually one or two snurks in each year's tax preparation.
Of course, there are also the occasional happy surprises. There have been at least two years when I found, while getting caught up on my bank reconciliations, that I had $500–1000 more than my checkbook balance contained.
And here's a little FYI for you: Did you know that, according to IRS policy, if you make a loan to someone, and do not charge interest, or charge interest below the "applicable federal rate," you have to pay tax on the interest you did NOT charge? It's true! You can read all about it in Publication 525. (It's way down the page under "Below-market loans.") Not only that, but the borrower who did not pay the interest that you did not charge, may have to pay tax on what you didn't charge them, depending on the circumstances. I'm not a tax expert, but my best guess is that this is based on the idea that the federal interest rate represents inflation, and inflation is the only way to rightly estimate the value of money; and if you don't charge interest, you are effectively losing money, which is effectively the same as giving it away to the person you made the loan to. Naturally you cannot give away something you never had, so the IRS taxes you for receiving the interest (as though you received it and then gave it away). At least this is the impression left by their explanation of how this tax law works.
Also from the same IRS publication: (I hope this doesn't apply to any of you!) "If you steal property, you must report its fair market value in your income in the year you steal it unless in the same year, you return it to its rightful owner." Hmmm. What if someone returns something that they stole, but waits until the following tax year? Does it become taxable income for the person who receives it back?
I'm usually quite meticulous about hanging onto even the smallest receipts until I've accounted for the spending. I even record the 50¢ or so I pay for snacks that I bring home from work. Of course, sometimes things slip through, and so every so often I compare the cash I have with what I think I should have, and the difference goes to miscellaneous expense and/or my best guess. Because I am so careful, it really bothers me when I have a bill that I cannot account for, or when a discrepancy shows up in a balance. This doesn't happen too often, but there's usually one or two snurks in each year's tax preparation.
Of course, there are also the occasional happy surprises. There have been at least two years when I found, while getting caught up on my bank reconciliations, that I had $500–1000 more than my checkbook balance contained.
And here's a little FYI for you: Did you know that, according to IRS policy, if you make a loan to someone, and do not charge interest, or charge interest below the "applicable federal rate," you have to pay tax on the interest you did NOT charge? It's true! You can read all about it in Publication 525. (It's way down the page under "Below-market loans.") Not only that, but the borrower who did not pay the interest that you did not charge, may have to pay tax on what you didn't charge them, depending on the circumstances. I'm not a tax expert, but my best guess is that this is based on the idea that the federal interest rate represents inflation, and inflation is the only way to rightly estimate the value of money; and if you don't charge interest, you are effectively losing money, which is effectively the same as giving it away to the person you made the loan to. Naturally you cannot give away something you never had, so the IRS taxes you for receiving the interest (as though you received it and then gave it away). At least this is the impression left by their explanation of how this tax law works.
Also from the same IRS publication: (I hope this doesn't apply to any of you!) "If you steal property, you must report its fair market value in your income in the year you steal it unless in the same year, you return it to its rightful owner." Hmmm. What if someone returns something that they stole, but waits until the following tax year? Does it become taxable income for the person who receives it back?
R.I.P. Shawneelink Email Address!
2008/04/02 21:12
Occasionally I learn that someone has been trying to
contact me through my old Shawneelink email address.
Unfortunately sending friendly messages, your
cousin's baby pictures, forwarded spam, love letters,
and YouTube links to that address is about as
effective as printing them out, stuffing them in an
old paper envelope, and burning it. To put it simply,
that address is no more.
If you have this address in your address book, or penciled in a coffee-stained notebook opposite your online banking passwords (I'm not telling how I know), please DELETE IT, cross it out, or whatever you must do.
That address has been defunct for about eight months now, so if you've sent anything important (money, fan mail, etc.) to that address during that time, I haven't received it.
Here is the address you should use:
Besides being easier to remember, it has this major benefit: It works. You can, of course, also contact me through this website. Or at my workplace. Or by phone. Or chat. Or Facebook or MySpace. Or just Google for my name—it's everywhere!
If you want a free and easy way to keep your contact information current, try Plaxo. It synchronizes your contact information with the latest updates from other members. Works on Macs and Windows PCs. I've been using it for some time now, and quite a few of my friends use it too. It seems to work reliably, and has been a great help. The only gripe I've had is that it has merged contacts who shared an email address, such as married couples. But if you make sure Plaxo is set to require confirmation before making changes, rather than working in fully automatic mode, that kind of error won't happen. (It doesn't hurt to backup your data first, either. I believe Plaxo does this automatically the first time you run it, at least in Outlook.)
If you have this address in your address book, or penciled in a coffee-stained notebook opposite your online banking passwords (I'm not telling how I know), please DELETE IT, cross it out, or whatever you must do.
That address has been defunct for about eight months now, so if you've sent anything important (money, fan mail, etc.) to that address during that time, I haven't received it.
Here is the address you should use:
Besides being easier to remember, it has this major benefit: It works. You can, of course, also contact me through this website. Or at my workplace. Or by phone. Or chat. Or Facebook or MySpace. Or just Google for my name—it's everywhere!
If you want a free and easy way to keep your contact information current, try Plaxo. It synchronizes your contact information with the latest updates from other members. Works on Macs and Windows PCs. I've been using it for some time now, and quite a few of my friends use it too. It seems to work reliably, and has been a great help. The only gripe I've had is that it has merged contacts who shared an email address, such as married couples. But if you make sure Plaxo is set to require confirmation before making changes, rather than working in fully automatic mode, that kind of error won't happen. (It doesn't hurt to backup your data first, either. I believe Plaxo does this automatically the first time you run it, at least in Outlook.)
3ABN Behind the Scenes: Finally
2008/03/21 21:39
My 3ABN Today "Behind the Scenes" appearance
was last night, in case you missed it (which might be
a good thing!). In respect to content, it went well.
I think I said everything I wanted to say.
However, I made myself watch it when it aired last night, and I am kind of torn-up about it. Mostly I realized that I need to smile more, and sometimes when I think I'm smiling, or at least looking pleasant, I'm not. Somehow when I'm thinking hard, I tend to look like I'm mad or upset. It was quite a revelation to see myself from a third-party viewpoint like that. Hopefully with a little practice I can turn that around.
The other thing is that I don't sound like what I th
However, I made myself watch it when it aired last night, and I am kind of torn-up about it. Mostly I realized that I need to smile more, and sometimes when I think I'm smiling, or at least looking pleasant, I'm not. Somehow when I'm thinking hard, I tend to look like I'm mad or upset. It was quite a revelation to see myself from a third-party viewpoint like that. Hopefully with a little practice I can turn that around.
The other thing is that I don't sound like what I th