Sunday, October 06, 2002

I'm Outa Here!

I've redone my Contend4TheFaith site, converting it to a blog. I'm a big fan of Blogger, but it was easier to do what I wanted back at my old site. Check out BlogSpy as well.

Randy

Sunday, September 01, 2002

Ch-Ch-Changes

I'm busy redesigning everything in my life--well, not everything, but a lot of computer-related things. I think I'll set up Contend4TheFaith as my blog site. First, I'm putting the finishing touches on BlogSpy, my handy little Windows app for tracking all of your favorite blogs and automatically monitoring all of the new posts. It's perfect for blogaholics! More to follow soon.

Tuesday, August 27, 2002

Humor of Parenting

Kids still crack me up after 17 years of parenting. Last night my 8-year-old youngest child (by 27 minutes), Matthew, was the driving force behind getting me a DVD player for my birthday. He paid much of it with his savings, and made sure I knew by adding a letter to the box:

Dear Dad,

I hope you like your DVD player. It cost 90 dollars.

Of course, he was probably thinking more of DVD's he could watch, but it was still amazingly generous. Keep in mind that the money he had was in savings from birthday/Christmas gifts from grandparents, so it was very abstract--he had never actually handled the cash. Contrast that with the physically tangible bag of M&M's he gave me last night. He came up to me at dinner today and said this:

"Dad, remember those M&M's I gave you last night? Well, I put them on your desk, but when I went downstairs today I couldn't help myself and I ate them all."

I couldn't stop laughing. Perhaps we shall have to purchase another bag and watch a DVD together...

Monday, August 26, 2002

Ego Boost

I hit 42 today. Two girls at work guessed that I was 31, but they think that's old anyway. I like 42. I'm not too sure about 50, but 42 seems just right. I have much to be thankful for, from a gracious Savior to a loving wife and five healthy kids, friends and relatives. Life at 42 is good!

Saturday, August 24, 2002

On Aging

I was feeling a little emotional after reading the Walking by Faith post (see Suffering and Joy below) when my 8-year-old daughter, Amelia, walked up and gave me a hug. The following conversation transpired:

Me: It's kind of sad. I remember when Heather and Erika were little girls like you. Pretty soon you'll grow up and I won't have a little girl to give me hugs. I guess I'll have grandkids someday, though.

Millie: If you're still alive.

Me: What?

Millie: You're old!

There's nothing like a child to encourage you. My 42nd birthday is Monday. That does sound old!
Suffering and Joy

There's no point in writing your own material when something like this is available:
Walking by Faith.

Thursday, August 22, 2002

Oh, Cannabis!

The brilliance of my native land shines forth from Vancouver today. As recounted in the AP story, Film Makers Hear From Prostitutes, activists are bemoaning the slumlord-style antics of American moviemakers.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - The movie industry should compensate prostitutes, drug addicts and homeless people for forcing them from their neighborhoods during filming, activist groups say.

In a letter sent to 30 production companies working in Vancouver this year, the Housing Action Committee and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users argue that workers in other trades get compensated for lost wages if film production disrupts their work sites.

Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users? I've been in board meetings that seemed drug-addled even when everyone was sober. These guys must make Dilbert-style meetings seem sane.

"Sex trade workers must be compensated for displacement they experience at your hands in the same manner you would compensate a business if you were to use their locale during operating hours," the letter said. "The same must hold true for homeless people you push from beneath a bridge or doorway and drug users you move from a park."

Sex trade workers must be compensated? I thought the visit of a movie production company guaranteed that. And just how do you gauge the value of one bridge or doorway over another? The lawyers can be the only winners in such a dispute.

Production companies pay federal, provincial and municipal taxes and fees to film in Canada, but the activist groups want the film industry to negotiate directly with residents.

Makes sense, eh? Stars like Charlie Sheen are experienced at negotiating with prostitutes, and Robert Downey, Jr. is certainly capable of handling the drug side, so it does seem quite logical to cut out the middleman.

Housing committee member Chris Livingstone said Wednesday that he lives on the streets, so "film companies are invading my life when they take over these streets."

Just how much tax does Chris (Dr. Livingstone, I presume) pay for upkeep on his beloved streets? And who would want to take advice from a "Housing committee member" who lives on the streets? That's like having an actress who's played a farm wife testify before the House Agriculture Committee about farm issues. Oh wait, Sissy Spacek and Jessica Lange already did that. Maybe my fellow Canadians are on to something after all. They certainly picked the one industry addled enough to take them seriously.

The solution is simple. Let's ship the Baldwin brothers to Vancouver to act as permanent liasons--the inaugural diplomats of the Hollywood embassy. That would allow Alec to keep his promise regarding our last election, and would provide the street people of Vancouver with endless amusement as they tried to guess which Baldwin they were negotiating with this time.

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

Commies and the Church

I've got plenty of stuff to post when I get to it, but in the meantime I'm involved in a few fun discussions on other blogs. One is at Joel Garver's sacra doctrina. On 8/12/02 he posted a comment about Karl Barth. That led to a discussion of communism and the Bible and has brought out some interesting viewpoints. Look for the post that starts as follows and click on Discuss:

I've been reading The Cambridge Companion to Karl Barth (2000), edited by John Webster (professor of divinity and canon of Christ Church, Oxford).