Personal blogging dead? I doubt it.

On my usual perusal of World Magazine on line, I found an interesting post about personal blogging “going the way of the rotary dial phone.” So I followed the link to Wired.com. The premise is that writing a personal blog has become “so yesterday”, and now the fad is Facebook or Twitter. I have only gone to Facebook once in my life, and have never visited Twitter. So, here I am behind the times again, along with my email and land line phone. I actually have a cell phone, but I only use it to make and, rarely [hint to my away-from-home children], receive calls. I would rather email someone or leave a voice mail than text, as the thumbs are not made for pushing tiny buttons several times just to get one letter. Usually I don’t get the button pushed fast enough, so I get the wrong letter and have to go back and delete. Or I push too many times and have to repeat.

But I digress. I post this comment to ask my few readers (and those I invited from Worldmagblog, to tell me your thoughts on this trend. Is our society so fad based that we have to go from one form of communication to another, just so we can keep in touch? Are we so technologically bound that we cannot keep a good thing going anyway? Is the day of posting pictures of the family for all to see now going to Facebook and its kind? I have nephews who post family pictures on blogs, and I like them, as I do not have to log in every time I want to see what the latest happenings in their households are. Since I do not live in the same town, I can see how their children are doing with the click of a mouse (1960s’ technology, BTW). If I want to comment, I can use my QWERTY keyboard (1800s’ technology) and post something. And if I actually want to talk to them, or get them some message “for their ears/eyes only”, I can pick up either phone and call (19th or 20th Century technologies), or send an email (1980s) or even get out paper and pen and send a letter (B.C. “technology”), put it in an envelope, get a stamp (1800s) and send it by postman (predates Ben Franklin in the 1700s, but he was the founder of the Postal Service, you know).

Anyway, is the personal blog a thing of the past? Or will those of us who prefer this form keep it going (at least until the Internet providers make it impossible, as the phone companies have done with rotary/pulse tone phones)? Please comment (but don’t let moderation stop you, it prevents the trolls and spammers, who, according to Wired.com article, are the only ones who will read this).

Year-end ramblings

The end of another year is upon us. This arbitrary calendar date always gets us in either a nostalgic or anticipatory mood. Either we reminisce (Thank you, Lord, for spell check!) about what has happened in our lives over the last 12 months, or we look ahead to what might come our way in the next. Newspapers and magazines remind us of the “top ten” stories, which are nothing more than the editors’ way of rehashing their own opinions on the readers. Radio stations play the “top” songs, or at least the ones that sold the most copies or got the most airplay. I often wonder who chooses these. When I was in radio, many times I didn’t like the “hit” song on an album, but preferred one of the other cuts, so it would get more airplay on my shift. Now, I don’t like buying albums (or whatever they are called now-a-days), as there might be one or two songs I like, and the rest are fillers.

So, what has happened at 3rd and College to make 2008 special? Let’s see. We celebrated a college graduation of our second child (oldest daughter). Now she is engaged to be married in March. How soon before I become “grandpa”? It is scary to think of my children starting married lives.

Daughter 2 turned 21 this year. Another scary thought: I have three children over 21 years of age! They do grow up fast, don’t they?

In the next year, other than the wedding, another milestone will take place: oldest child (the son) will hit the ripe old age of 25! To think I was his age when I wed. Was I so inexperienced as he? And youngest daughter will start high school and be old enough to get her permit to drive. More gray hair as I teach another to drive.

Small things in the great scheme of life, but daunting none-the-less. Lord, help me know and Your will.

Felicitous Salutations for the Winter Celebration

It’s that time of year again, the hectic time between my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving) and the most over-commercialized event in any society at any time in history (Christmas). What started out as a religious celebration of the birth of Jesus, has become another way to make a buck. Now the holiday returns to its non-Christian origins, though not its pagan ones. No, now the religion is “PC-ism”. Want something entertaining to do this year? Keep track of how many store clerks greet you with the PC “Happy Holidays” or the religiously “unacceptable” phrase “Merry Christmas”. Some stores have policies telling the clerks which to use. However, I have never found one as bad as this one.

We’ve only just begun

So, the election is over and Barack Obama is going to be sworn in as the 44th President on January 20th. Historical, to be sure. Many questions remain to be answered, and all we can do is pray that God will intervene when needed.

While I am not a prophet, just an observer in this world, here are a few predictions:

• Mr. Obama will not be reelected in 2012. Not because he won’t run, but because the economy will continue to fall into the abyss, and he will not be able to get us back to where we were last year. The same would happen were McCain to be president. It is just going to be another Herbert Hoover situation.
• The $700 billion for Wall Street, the proposed bail out of Detroit, and the housing crisis will all work together to bring us to a depression, though not as deep as the 1930s. Get ready for it now. Learn to do with less.
  
• Al-Qaida will continue to be our enemy, in spite of efforts by the Obama administration to talk them out of their hatred. There will be another attack on US soil, though not as big as the 2001 attacks.
• The rest of the enemies of the US will soon see that Obama is too inexperienced at international affairs. He will try his charm on them, and it will work for a while. But Iran will continue its hatred of us, and will work with Al-Qaida to destroy us, regardless of the Sunni-Shia hatred of each other.
  
• Russia will also take advantage of Obama’s inexperience, and make attempts to regain more of its empire, testing Obama to see if he will negotiate or defend.
• There will be a strong 3rd party in 2012 which will cause the two major parties to reorganize themselves so we can tell them apart.

What do you think? The last prediction is more of a hope than anything, as I for one, am tired of the Republicans reaching out, only to find that “bipartisanship” means something else to the Democrats: “Our way is the only way.”

Poem: A Testimony

Note: This poem is based on a vivid dream that I had back in the 80s shortly before my conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Walking on Sand

1
Sand.
A mountain of sand.
I was walking on a mountain of sand.
I thought, "The sand is firm.
I will walk on
this sand."

While climbing a dune
I thought that though
the sand was firm,
it was also soft to the feet;
It was easy to walk on
the sand.

Suddenly, a hole opened

in the sand.
I fell,
I slid,
I was surrounded
by sand.
I didn't know where up was,
I didn't know where down was.
I couldn't breath
because of
the sand.

I swam.
I tried to swim in the sea
of sand.
The more I swam,
the more I sank.
I couldn't get out of
the sand.

I tried to scream.
But I couldn't.
When I opened my mouth,
it filled with sand.
I was drowning in
the sand.

2
I awoke.
It was a dream.
I had dreamed that
I was drowning in a sea of sand.
But, thought I, it was so real.
I could actually feel
myself being drowned by
the sand.

I thought
"What does this mean?
Why is it so real?
And why did I dream
about sand?"

I couldn't sleep.
I could only think
of the dream
about drowning in
the sand.

Finally I realized
what the dream meant.
All my life I did
what I wanted;
what I thought was right.
I did my own thing.
It was as if
I were building a castle
on sand.

3
In a Book, I have read
of a man who built
his house on the sand.
The foundation was shaky.
A storm came,
with its winds and waves,
and destroyed the house on the sand.
That was my life:
A life built on
the sand.

In that Book,
the One telling the story said,
"He who hears my words
and does them not,
is like the foolish man
who built his house on
the sand."

I had heard that story.
I was living that story.
My actions and thoughts,
both good and bad,
were each a grain
in the sea
of sand.

But the Book tells more.
The One telling the story
told of the wise man
who hears the words
of Him who spoke
and does them.
This is the one
who built his house on
the Rock.
The storm came,
with its winds and waves,
and could not destroy it,
because it was built on
the Rock.

I had heard that story.
But I wasn't living like that.
My life wasn't built on
the Rock.

4
I knew that to build on the Rock,
I needed to change.
But how does one change?
Can one change by doing good
instead of bad?

No, learned I.
One cannot change from
good to bad
any more than a bad tree
can grow good fruit.
One can only be made good
by trusting in Him who said
"I am the Way,
the Truth,
and the Life."
This is how to build
a house on
the Rock.

5
If one bases his life
on the true words
which are found only in
the Book which I have mentioned,
he will live a life of peace.
The storms of life will come,
with their winds and waves,
and his life will stand,
because it will be built on
the Rock.

If one does not base his life
on these words,
his life will be built on the sand.
The storms and trials
of life will come,
with their winds and waves,
and his life will not stand,
because it will not have
a foundation.
It will not be built on
the Rock.

PSL 1997

Remember: God will still be in control on November 5th!

I saw this over at World Magazine blog today. It is rather important for us as Christians to remember these truths.

Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praises to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross for you.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost if they turn to Him.

ISN’T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS STILL IN CONTROL?

What a week!

Whew! Another day of this week and we will all go crazy.

The economic crisis did not get fixed with the Congressional taxpayer ripoff. Wall Street seems to be getting lower and lower, and Washington seems to get more and more generous with our tax money. Our great grandchildren will be serving the Chinese government before it is all over. I believe that whoever is elected next month will not get a second term, as the economy is probably going to collapse out from under him, and he will leave office in disgrace in 2013, sort of like Herbert Hoover 80 years ago. For that reason only I am thinking a Barack Obama victory will be good.

Along those lines, I am tired of this election year. Each side gets nastier as the days go by. Each side blames the other for the economic collapse, when really, both sides are to blame. Even after November 4th, we will have to put up with campaigning, as those wanting to run in 2012 will begin to make announcements on the 5th (or at least by Thanksgiving). Oy vey!

On the good news front, my daughter announced her engagement to a fine young man Monday. We are all happy for her. Now, do I go buy a suit at the clothing store that is going out of business, or do I wait to see if she wants me to rent a monkey suit. Perhaps I’ll get a suit either way, as that is something I can use for other occasions (like the other three children’s weddings).

“Debates”: More of the same

So, I watched (and slept) through the presidential “debate” last night. Ho-hum. No wonder my fatigue took over. All I saw were two candidates repeating what they say on the stump. I really do not think either came out the winner, though Sen. Obama sounded better (even though he didn’t have much new to say). The moderator, Jim Lehrer, had a hard time getting them to answer the questions asked. Why do we still bother with these dog and pony shows, anyway? Are any undecided voters swayed by these, other than deciding for the guy they feel looks better on TV? Both candidates last night ignored the question about what they would cut from their plans in order to pay for the $700 billion bank bail out. At least John McCain finally offered up a spending freeze. Later, watching the talking heads discussing the show, mentioned that certain parts of the federal budget are set, and cannot be cut, leaving a small percentage that can be cut (called discretionary spending).

So, what did any of you think about the debate? Was there a clear winner? Does it really matter at this point?

(I respect Jim Lehrer, by the way, as a good journalist who keeps his opinions to himself, unlike many other so-called “objective” journalists.)

Autumn is near...

And I cannot wait. Yes, the cooler weather is great. But what a fall it is going to be! The presidential election looks like it is going to be electric with Sen. McCain picking Gov. Palen as his running mate. The World Series looks to have at least one of my teams this year, with my favorite Diamondbacks in the hunt for another division crown, and the Cubs, Mets and Cardinals also most likely going on to the post season. Too bad only one of the four can go to the series. I suppose since the Cubbies have waited so long, I’ll pull for them. At least then all the Cubs fans will be happy. (But then, what will Chicagoans have left to hope for?)

Various ramblings

So, I get on here and see it has been almost a month since I last posted. Therefore, it is time to again put something here so I don’t lose my two or three readers. After all, with 13 million blogs, and only 39 million bloggers, I need to do my part to keep the few dedicated friends happy! (I remember reading those numbers somewhere, but of course my forgetful self forgot the source.)

Here then are a few ramblings on various subjects in my mind.

Have you ever noticed that the “Yard of the Week” that smaller towns have are usually the same yards year after year? At least that is my theory. It is also my theory that the yards are owned by people with a lot of extra time on their hands, or enough money to hire a gardener. I barely have time in a week to mow the lawn, let alone plant pretty flowers and shrubs. If it were not for previous owners planting peonies and irises, our yard would be nothing but grass (or should I say, various weeds and grasses that look nice when mowed). Nor do I have the money to buy all those landscaping necessities (nor time to put them in the yard). I do not begrudge those who have a green thumb and like to use it. Neither do I begrudge them the honor of having their picture in the newspaper and a sign in the yard. As Jesus said, “They have their glory in full.” (I know that is not the context of that scripture, but it fits anyway.)

I believe it is time for the newspapers to honor those of us who keep our yards free of clutter and junk cars, mow the grass when needed and don’t let it get out of hand. How about a weekly “Normal Person’s yard of the Week”?

Speaking of lawns, this summer has been a lot wetter than the last few years. Normally I do not have to mow as much this time of year, as there is usually just a few weeds growing. One recent summer, I did not have to mow from early July to the middle of August, as it was so dry even the weeds couldn’t grow. Last year I had July grass in June (almost brown with green weeds). This year I have May grass in August (thick, wet, green grass).

This week was the Missouri state-wide primary election. I live in a rural, Democratic county. There are so few Republicans, that the GOP does not even run candidates for the local offices! However, most of the voters lean conservative. That is seen in the general election, especially in a Presidential race. You drive through the countryside and see yard signs for Democrats at all levels, except for president.

On the same subject, I am glad there are only a few more months until the November election. I got tired of the Presidential race last November, with all the caucus and primary elections news. Of course, the way it has been the last few cycles, the 2012 campaign will probably start November 6th!

All for now. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to stop by 3rd and College. At least leave me a note so I know you were here. (Since I moderate all comments, you can tell me if you do not want your note published.)



Addendum: At the request of a cousin, here are two pictures of my yard.