This is what I do…
One of my co-workers placed this comic on my desk yesterday. I’m not a big LOL’er, but this one did it for me.
I know it’s kind of dorky to post comics, but this pretty well describes what I do:
She’s all growed-up.
Hayley has her very own blog now. It’s amazing.
The Great Ramsey Smokeouts
I have an unhealthy infatuation with gadgets and kitchen implements. Our closets and cabinets are filled with testaments to that reality. However, two of my recent purchases filled our house on a completely different level.
The first Ramsey smokeout happened around New Year’s Eve. Hayley and I are somewhat addicted to one of the greatest video games ever created, Rock Band 2. And by somewhat, I mean stupidly obsessed. We’ve spent money adding songs, new instruments (Hayley has a schweet bass guitar) and, the accessory to beat all accessories:
The stage kit was first announced with the release of Rock Band 2, but was priced at $100. Even at that steep cost, I wanted it. Then, a few months ago, I noticed that the price had dropped to only $60. Again, it was expensive, but I still wanted it to be mine. And then, at Christmas, I was looking for something to spend some gift-card money on, and I saw that Gamestop had the kit listed for only $25. It was time.
The stage kit extends the virtual stage into your living room with a strobe light, light show and a fog machine, all timed with music on screen. It truly is a marvel of entertainment engineering.
Unfortunately, this marvel is a little too powerful. As we started to rock out to Kelly Clarkson’s classic “Miss Independent,” the fog machine kicked out its first blast – which promptly filled our small living room with smoke. Then, about five seconds later another blast. Five seconds more, another. By the third blast, our smoke-filled living room started choking Hayley and me up. And setting off our smoke alarm. Which is connected to our ADT security system. And doesn’t stop beeping very easily.
Fortunately, ADT called, we answered and no fire trucks were dispatched to our house. Sadly, I’m not sure when we’ll be able to use the fog machine again.
The second happened just tonight, on Valentine’s Day. Being the romantic type, I thought it would be nice to make a nice dinner for Hayley. So I bought some red-skinned potatoes, asparagus, bread and strip steaks for a delicious dinner at home. I also bought a cast-iron grill pan for the steaks, since it’s 30-degrees outside. And, much like the stage kit, I’d been wanting one for quite a while.
Everything was going swimmingly – the steak marinade smelled great, the potatoes were cooking and the asparagus was simmering nicely – until I threw the steaks on grill pan. Immediately, our house filled with smoke.
Our exhaust hood was powerless to do anything with the amount of smoke that was coming from the steaks. We opened windows and doors and tried to fan the smoke out, but after only about 30 seconds, the ADT smoke alarm started going off. And we couldn’t get it to stop. At all. It beeped, loudly, for at least 5 minutes, which, in ear-spitting-beeping-time, is actually an hour.
Also, we somehow missed the call from ADT. So, we got a nice visit from three very friendly firemen. In a very large red truck, called a fire truck.
On the upside, we were able to throw the steaks in the oven and salvaged the dinner.
But I definitely hope that the future objects of my desire are smoke-free.
In the whitespace
I’m a relatively busy individual. My job, friends, wife and cats all conspire to keep my schedule full. And I know I’m not alone in this.
A couple of weeks ago, Paul Hill, pastor of Wheatland Mission, was leading a discussion around the idea of margins and he made a pretty shocking suggestion: living a busy life is sinful.
At first, I was taken aback. I wasn’t necessarily offended, but I was certainly surprised. Then I began chewing on the idea and arrived at the following conclusion:
Being busy is not sinful harmful. Living a busy life is sinful harmful. (Note: Edited because I wanted to.)
Everybody is going to experience a season of busyness in his or her life. I can feel confident that God understands that. But I know some people who manage to constantly fill their life with activities and obligations. For them, busyness isn’t a result of circumstances. It’s a result of choice.
My former employers had a great saying about needing to be “restfully available.” That idea has resonated with me since I first heard it. And though I haven’t always achieved it, I’ve tried to be aware of times when I’m not restfully available.
When driving, am I in such a hurry that I’m unable to stop and help a stranded motorist? Am I so strapped for time that I don’t have a moment to spare for a hurting coworker? Are my finances so stretched to the limit that I’m unable to pitch in to help with a need?
Margins are critical in our lives. They allow us to be open to what God is doing around us and to be able to join Him in it.
I don’t know what your life looks like, but I encourage you to carve out some whitespace. I know I’m going to try.
The 2010 Sudanese Election
Despite what a minority of people say, the situation in Sudan is far from peaceful. I got an email from Save Darfur this morning that I wanted share.
Intimidation, torture, and violence. Hundreds of activists, opposition party leaders and journalists arrested and beaten.
Welcome to election season in Omar al-Bashir’s Sudan.
Sudan’s first multi-party elections in 24 years are scheduled for April 2010. The elections were intended to serve as a capstone to the democratic transformation of Sudan promised in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that was signed by North and South Sudan in 2005.
Instead, none of the conditions for truly free and fair elections are in place.
Bashir’s regime has failed to: ensure freedom of association, movement, assembly and speech; limit the broad powers of arbitrary arrest, detention, search and seizure; end press censorship; allow equal access for all political parties to media; implement mechanisms to prevent election related violence; and allow unrestricted access for both domestic and international observation teams.
Not only are brave Sudanese who call for greater freedom being violently suppressed, the current conditions in Darfur make credible elections there inconceivable. Random attacks on civilians continue, movement of UN peacekeepers is restricted, and millions of Darfuris who live in displacement camps worry that participation in the election will lead to denial of their right to return to their homes. Any national election that does not include Darfur cannot be viewed as legitimate.
So what is the benefit of elections for Bashir’s genocidal regime? They are a means to give it a veneer of legitimacy.
And without scrutiny by the Obama administration and the international community, the elections will deliver the sort of legitimization that Bashir desires.
This is why it is critical for the U.S. government to shine a spotlight on the fact that the political freedom necessary for free and fair elections in Sudan does not exist. We need President Obama and our elected leaders to send a message to the world that they will not recognize the results of an illegitimate electoral process, and will not permit a fugitive of the International Criminal Court to legitimize his brutal dictatorship.
Over the coming months we will need your help to make sure that our leaders do not let the upcoming elections provide legitimacy to Bashir’s government. We will be collecting signatures, organizing lobby days and local events, blogging, and raising awareness through the media and social networks.
The people of Sudan need our support. Spread the word to your friends and family and encourage them to learn more.
Sincerely,
Mark Lotwis
Save Darfur Coalition
The situation in Darfur is crippling. Knowing how to help is difficult, but a good place to start is education. If you’d like more information about the Sudanese election, be sure to read this.
I hope that you will learn more and share the information with your friends and family. And I ask for prayers for the people of Sudan – though I’m not sure for what one should pray exactly.
2010 Resolutions
I’m not a big resolution-maker. My resolve typically dissolves about two or three days after I’ve declared my new-year intentions. We’ll see if 2010 will be different.