This is where my family, my faith, my job, my ministry, my struggles, my joys, my dreams, my ambitions, and everything else get heaped together, all in one pile - my life.
I don’t know how you listen to sermons. I’ll tell you how you should listen to sermons. You should listen to sermons praying. You don’t have to pray out loud while you’re listening. You should just periodically be whispering, “God, do this text in me.” You don’t have to say “do John Piper’s ideas.” Just “do this text in me. Make this happen in me.”John Piper
@ 5:18 PM 0 comments Labels: faith
TWe just discovered Buffalo Wings & Blue Cheese potato chips from Superstore. Truly Amazing! The taste is very real. Very spicy. Very blue cheesy.
It amazes me the flavors “they” can get on chips. It also makes me wonder how they do it. Do they just blend chemicals together till they get a great flavor, discern what it may be, and market it as such?
I vaguely remember my high school science teacher Mr. Reed mixing a bunch of chemicals he happened to have “in the back” with crackers and making us try what was supposed to be an apple turnover - the kind you’d buy at A&W or McDonalds. I think they were good. He told us this is how the fast food restaurants actually make apple turnovers. It’s soo much cheaper if you don’t have to use apples. Apparently.
I’ll still eat the occasional turnover and I think of Mr. Reed every time but I have to convince myself that what I am eating contains real apples. But I digress.
I’d love to see a Discovery Channel series on the process of imparting flavors on foods that are supposed to something other than what they are - like the Buffalo Wings Blue Cheese potato chips. I wonder if they don’t want us to know. That’s probably why I have never seen a show on it.
And now that I think about it once “they” come up with a healthy, nutritious potato chip, one that makes us loose weight, we will never have to eat original food ever again! It seems to me that they are figuring out ways to get any flavor you want on a chip. That could be cool. But that could be gross too. I don’t know if I could eat turkey & stuffing flavored chips, nor tapioca pudding flavored chips. Imagine milk chocolate flavored chips.
Now let’s talk about ice-cream flavors. No lets not. I don’t want to get started on that. But they should include ice-cream in the Discovery Channel series on food invention.
So I’m writing from our little cottage on Silver Star Mountain. We’re spending just under a week at Fairhaven in an attempt at rest and relaxation. We’re been here before so we know this place is conducive to R&R. And being here before, we know to bring a TV & VCR for the kids and my laptop with the rest of season one and the whole of season two of 24.
One thing I did not expect was that I am able to stay connected to the “real” world through Fairhaven’s new wireless access point. I had actually considered “dropping off the grid” or “going dark” - not even connecting at hotspots in Vernon but I can’t resist. I think that the thinking behind my thinking was really: if I could live without a week of internet access, I could wear it as a trophy. I could boast about it. How foolish.
We could debate the pros and cons of internet dependency but I don’t want to go there. I want to now rest and relax. Blogging, surfing, downloading The Office, are great ways to do that.
@ 4:33 PM 1 comments Labels: entertainment, family
I am trying to decide if I am in a good position here. It sure doesn't feel like it.
Our church leadership (my senior pastor, church board and I) are looking to the future. We are asking the tough questions. The questions that make people uncomfortable. The questions that challenge thinking and stretch faith. The questions that shape the mission, direction and purpose of a church. It's an exciting place to be, especially because I believe our leadership and people are really pliable right now. We are ready to hear from God, to make adjustments, apologies if we need to, and ready to be used by God in an unresisted way. This is all good except for a question that has been directed from the board to me. The board has asked me to come up with three or four areas of ministry that I would like to focus on if there were no obstacle. And they want to do everything they can to make those things happen. Essentially, they are asking for me to write up my own job description. They have even used phrases in our meeting like, "you can start with a clean slate" and "tell us what you want to do."
A bit of history: I have shared with the board my tumultuous life/faith journey that I have traveled these last couple of months. I didn't want to tell them and I wasn't going to but there were a series of events that gave me no choice but to be candid. The amazing thing about our leadership is that they are gracious. The stuff I shared would have not been accepted very well had my colleagues shared the same stuff with their boards - mainly that I struggle with my desire to be a pastor, that there is a number of responsibilities that I really loath but that are a part of being a pastor, that I struggle with my own vision and direction for the ministry areas that I am responsible for. So in response, my board has asked me to tell them what I would like to do? What church board does that? That is pretty amazing if you ask me.
But therein lies the difficulty - that amidst the freedom to chose my future at my church, I really have no idea what I want to do. I have no idea what I should be doing. I have no idea what God wants me to do. I do not have an answer to their question.
On one hand, I have the option to 'chose my own adventure' and in church ministry, that's rare. But on the other hand, I have no idea what that looks like. I don't know what I should chose. I don't know where I am most useful. I don't know where I'll find joy or if I will. And really, I don't think finding joy is the point.
I am having a hard time choosing my words because I have an idea of who will read this and being candid, even on this blog, can affect people in more ways than I know. So if you are a friend and you know me well, you can probably guess the mental/heart/faith battle that is raging in me. If you are family, don't jump to too many conclusions. If you are church family, know that I struggle with stuff just the same as you do, I don't know what the future holds, I'm not leaving, and yeah, I could use your support. And if you aren't a friend or don't know me at all, I am curious to know what makes you read my ramblings anyway.
@ 10:19 PM 1 comments Labels: faith, ministry
I took a drive in our old 1990 Honda Accord yesterday (first time since we bought our new Civic) and was surprised by how good it felt. Yeah, it still has a problem with the distributor that I am working on but it just felt good. It wasn't that the seats were still very comfortable, or that the steering and suspension were still tight, or that there was relatively little interior noise for a 17 year old car. No, it wasn't any of that. It felt good because the car was me.
Angela and I are extremely grateful for our new car but despite our gratitude, I have found myself thinking, and have at times said so to Angela, that this new car doesn't feel like our old one did. We really love it but it just doesn't feel the same. And since the drive in the Accord yesterday, I think I know why. I think our pewter (or tan, or light brown car - I never really decided) 1990 Honda Accord EXR became for us a significant part of our identity (or mine at least, speaking for myself). I am not saying that the Accord defined me but it was very much a part of who I was. We had that car for over five years so people got to know that if I were driving somewhere, I'd be driving the Accord. They knew that if they saw the Accord parked at a local establishment, there would be a good chance that Chris or Angela Hiebert was inside. Those that knew me recognized me easily when I was driving that car.
Yesterday, sitting where I have sat for most of my sitting time in the last 5 years, I felt I belonged. I have stared many hours through that windshield. I knew where every button, dial, or lever was in the dark - even the ones that were no longer illuminated like they once were. That car, that Honda Accord was me. It was a part of me. I knew it inside and out. I knew what it smelled like, felt like, sounded like - as if it were an extension of my living body. It was me.
I am still getting used to our new car - it's curves, smell, look, feel, sounds. Our new car is a place of peace for us. Seriously. Our boys love driving and I think it is because they sense that their parents are no longer tense when they drive. They sense that their parents aren't wondering if they are going to make it or not. They sense that their parents are really enjoying themselves. Our new car is great - from the 16" alloy rims to the auxiliary stereo input. I love to drive it. I want to drive it right now. But it just isn't me (yet).
@ 9:54 PM 2 comments Labels: family
So here is another one: I haven't blogged in a while so I feel the need to write an update to release the weight of all that I have not written, bringing the freedom to write again. This time, I'll start with right now and work my way back in time. . .
- Today is Halloween. We carved our first pumpkin. Went trick or treating for the first time as a family (and for the first time in my life). Mackenzie was a bee. Lukas was a puppy. Very very cute!
- Yesterday was a board meeting focused on my future (hopefully I will get to writing about this specifically).
- Monday October 29 - I drove to Oroville WA to pick up a part for my Honda Accord. It still isn't fixed.
- Sunday October 28 - Angela and I met with the organizers of a missions trip to Guatemala. We are leading the team into the field in March. All four of us are going. This is pretty significant for us, as you can imagine.
- Saturday October 27 - We attended our first ever, in our lives, Halloween party.
- Monday October 22 - We were visited by Marc & Dixie Vandersluys. Marc is a childhood friend that I connected with through blogging (and I blogged about it a loooong time ago)
- Sunday October 21 - We finished (formed). (formed) is the name for a junior high youth retreat that I was a part of planning and putting on. It started on Friday for the kids but months ago for me. This is a post or two in itself. At this point, I'll just link to the video I shot, edited and posted to youtube which is a highlight of the weekend.
- Saturday October 13 - Console Gaming Day at the church. I wanted to blog about this and whether or not Halo 3 and such video games should be a tool youth pastors use in ministry.
- Thursday October 11 - Left for a three day trucking trip that I didn't want to go on. I hate being away from my family. My boss broke his nose, I agreed to help him out, and heck, the pay is good.
- Monday October 8 - Thanksgiving day. My parents came over and we ate turkey, surprise. A good meal is always worth writing about.
That brings me to my last post. There were significant happenings that took place before my last post that I didn't write about. Most notably, we bought a new car. A 2007 Honda Civic LX. We are very pleased with our new wheels. So far, averaging 38 Mpg while topping out at 42 Mpg. I am expecting it to increase.
So right now, I am just pleased that I came up with a post. A good blogger will also add pictures. That is asking too much of me right now. I think Angela has been keeping up on her blog. You can check there for pics.
@ 10:25 PM 3 comments Labels: family, kids
I had a hard time in this morning's service. Perhaps it didn't help that since I awoke, I was plagued with "what's the point of all this anyway" thoughts about my role as pastor and worship leader in our church. My senior pastor asked me on Thursday that Chris Rice's song: "Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus)" would be an appropriate song to close our Sunday service with. Because I knew where he was going with the sermon, I agreed. As soon as I did though, a battle began.
If you know this song, you know it is a good, powerful song. Chris' choice of instrumentation and arrangement help make this song what it is. His choice of instruments are none that can be found in our congregation, however. My options? Sound track - absolutely not. Learn the song on piano - maybe but I can kiss my weekend good-bye. Play it on guitar - I guess so because all the other options are worse.
I don't do solos very often and I don't like to finger-pick in public, and I certainly don't do solos while finger-picking my guitar. I don't know if I could really convey how stressful this is for me but I soldiered on and spent time with the song over Friday and Saturday.
To add to this weight, there's this lady in our church who is a professional singer. She is a vocal teacher and a performer. She is amazing! She has a good deal of fame around here. I teach her son guitar and she coaches me vocally in trade. I definitely have the better end of the deal by a long shot but I really enjoy playing and hanging out with her son. This lady is Angela's very close friend too. And she performed this exact song in our service about a year ago with a piano player and a violist, if my memory serves. A moving performance. Lot of tears. And I knew she was going to be in the service.
Now, I know it's not about pleasing people and being amazing, but I am being transparent here. These are some of the things that I battle through leading up to the very moment I play the first note and all throughout a song.
To my standards (I am a perfectionist, remember), I really disappointed myself with how I sang and played the song. Yeah, I know that this is not the point but I gotta give you the back story. . .
I didn't really look at people while singing and afterwards, I just looked down so I have no idea what it did or what it meant for people.
My senior pastor came up to close and pray and I actually schemed that if I could sneak out the side exit without talking to someone, I would race home and hope no one would notice. I even justified that I've never done something like this before and I must be allowed to sneak out every once in a while.
As I was thinking this and with the prayer now over, the mom of one of my friends races to me, on the stage, and says "I sense you need a hug." She gave me a long squeeze, looked at me with tears in her eyes and said again, "I felt you needed a hug." As quickly as she came, she turned and left. That was it.
God gave me a hug today.
I stuck around. It was good. I was encouraged by others and I think I was able to encourage others too.
My mind, heart and soul want to construe the happenings of the last couple of days surrounding this song in a hundred different ways. But all I can come back to is that God gave me what I needed today - a hug.
@ 12:00 AM 3 comments Labels: faith, ministry, worship
Could it be that my prayer for wisdom, or that God would fix our car, or that He'd miraculously give us a new one, or that he would "fix" our situation, comes out of a heart of doubt rather than trust?
Through this little trying time and really all throughout our dark summer, we've been trying our best to trust God. We have asked a million times: "what does it mean to trust God?"
So Angela and I read this passage this morning:
John 7 (The Message)
1-2 Later Jesus was going about his business in Galilee. He didn't want to travel in Judea because the Jews there were looking for a chance to kill him. It was near the time of Tabernacles, a feast observed annually by the Jews.3-5His brothers said, "Why don't you leave here and go up to the Feast so your disciples can get a good look at the works you do? No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If you're serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world." His brothers were pushing him like this because they didn't believe in him either.
6-8Jesus came back at them, "Don't crowd me. This isn't my time. It's your time—it's always your time; you have nothing to lose. The world has nothing against you, but it's up in arms against me. It's against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions. You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don't wait for me. I'm not ready. It's not the right time for me."
9-11He said this and stayed on in Galilee. But later, after his family had gone up to the Feast, he also went. But he kept out of the way, careful not to draw attention to himself. The Jews were already out looking for him, asking around, "Where is that man?"
It's odd to say but it was really Eugene's comments about this passage that spoke to me:
Unbelief is impatient with God's ways. The counsel of Jesus' brothers stemmed not from their trust in him, but from their doubts about him. But Jesus will not be hurried, and he will not be pushed.If Mr. Peterson is correct, than there is a good chance that when we approach God and ask Him to come through on our prayers, it may be because we don't actually trust Him - like the disciples in the passage. We doubt he is able and we approach him with a "cummon, I gotta see it, show me what you got" attitude, like the disciples in the passage.
A Year With Jesus: Daily Readings And Meditations by Eugene H. Peterson
Do it your way, Jesus, and in your time. Give me the gift of patience to wait, the gift of courage to persevere, and the gift of faith to believe that you do all things right. Amen.
@ 9:35 AM 1 comments Labels: Bible, faith
When we pull into the driveway of the house we rent, my 1980 Yamaha Virago and VW Westy of the same year, are there to greet us. Both have been parked there for over a year. If I park the church van in the driveway, my yard closely resembles a junkyard. Almost every time we pull in, I say something to Angela like: "I wish I could just get rid of that bike and/or VW van." I mean it half of the time.
See, at one time, all I could think about were motorcycles. Two of the three bikes I've owned in my life were given to me outright, including my current Virago. But I don't think about bikes all that much anymore. Especially since I made the decision not to insure it. This was a tough decision made easy because of my commitment to my wife and kids. No problem. I can deal with that. I just wish I didn't have to see it every time I came home.
And the VW van - once a dream. Since it broke down last summer, it has served as a storage locker with wheels. We love camping but have not done so since that fateful July day in the Roger's pass.
So, these two vehicles serve as a daily slap in the face. They are reminders that I don't earn enough money to get either on the road.
Now I can add a third vehicle to the junkyard collection: our 1990 Honda Accord EXR. Yeah, we did just got it fixed (again) but now it's not running reliably and I fear it will not make it home if we decided to leave the yard.
So we are grinding through the decision to lease or buy and it seems like leasing is our only option right now. I wish it weren't so. Even if I could sell my bike, I can't sell the van cause I am only part owner. The new parts on my car are worth more than what I could get for it at a junkyard.
Ideally, I'd like to drive home to an empty driveway in a newer Civic or Mazda 3 Sport. It's just not that easy. I've been challenged lately by Marc's and Sheldon's thoughts on these issues and wonder where I fit in with "wanting more" and "living the easy like."
I don't really know what I am saying by this post. I'm just a little frustrated with our life situation right now. We don't know what to do about car stuff. We can't really afford much. And we don't know what it means to trust God either. I wish it was as easy as trading 3 defunct vehicles in for one that works and is reliable.
I like Saskatchewan but not today. And not the day 'it' happened.
Not quite a year ago I replaced our windshield in our 1990 Honda Accord EXR (the EXR only means something to people who have owned or are otherwise well versed in Accords). A stone chipped the windshield 2 Christmases ago when we were on our way to Saskatchewan. Mackenzie bumped his head on the windshield while playing in the front seat and sent cracks flying out in all directions from that chip. So we replaced it.
This August, we headed to Saskatchewan for the first time since the new windshield. I was nervous we'd have a head on collision with a flying stone. I was especially nervous navigating the gravel roads (very few of those here in BC) so I would slow for oncoming traffic. After a week or more in Saskatchewan, I finally eased up and forgot about it. Yeah, you know where this is going . . .
On the way to the farm from Swift Current, down Highway 43, I passed a semi with two grain trailers and an airborne stone following close behind. The semi stayed on the appropriate course down the road but the stone did not. It decided to head my direction, but not for long because once it collided into the center of my windshield, it decided to go somewhere I couldn't see because my gaze was frozen on the sight of the one and a half in spider crack it left behind. I hate Saskatchewan.
We left for home shortly after this incident. I thought I would check in Swift Current for a place that could fix it. Turns out that it takes about an hour and we wanted to get going to meet friends in Calgary that night.
Well, I thought of doing it in Calgary but wanted to get home. Then I thought I'd get it done at home and then wanted to go to bed. Then I thought of doing it the next day but our car died on us. I thought thought that if this was truly the end of our car's life, I would never have to fix it. Then it only cost a few hundred dollars to get the car to work again. Then, when I was bringing it home, I thought I could get the chip repaired but I was hungry and wanted to go home for supper. Then the next day I was too busy. Then the day I decided I would get it done, I got in the car and saw faint shiny lines escaping from the chip. Too late. I hate Saskatchewan.
I'm not going to fix it. Ever. Our car has 412,000km on it and I feel it's not worth putting a new windshield on a old dying car. New wine in old wineskins comes to mind. It's biblical.
Really, I don't hate Saskatchewan at all. It just feels better blaming Saskatchewan for my broken windshield rather than my inability to be responsible and fix something I know I should have fixed right away. Ok, it doesn't feel any better at all.
So go to Saskatchewan. Really. It's beautiful and full of wonderful people. Just don't expect your windshield to make it home without a scratch.
And know I think of it, if I were riding my motorcycle, I'd hate dentists. But it's already too late for that.
A year ago today I started this blog. I've only blogged 93 times. That's about 1 post every 4 days. That's sure not many. I think there were 2 one month stints that I went without posting much of anything.
I don't know what any of this means. . . I'm just doing some math and throwing a party.
Party's over.
Presently (I like that word - it's in a bunch of Mackenzie's "Thomas The Tank Engine" books), I am watching "The Bourne Supremacy" (and I am using that word in context because I am actually, right now, watching the movie as I type). I watched "The Bourne Ultimatum" the other day and a few days before that, I watched "Bourne Identity." What I've noticed about this movie, and any current action movie for that matter, is all the crazy sounds that accompany various electronic devices. You have the cell phones that "beep" and "blip" with every keypress and text message, you got all the high tech gadgets that do many amazing things. These gadgets "deet" and "boip" as they do their tech job. Then you have computers which "zip", "tick", "zeet", and "buzz".
It's Bourne's latest internet search that got me thinking: He's searching for a dude named Neski. Imagine your typical google search. Imagine your computer playing a sound effect for every keystroke. Imagine a "blip" when you press enter. imagine a "bloip" as the results are displayed. Imagine a "dint" when you click on a link. Another "bliop" as the results are displayed again. Then you start scrolling . . . "tick tick tick" as the text scrolls on the screen.
Do these sound effects really make a movie more entertaining? Would a normal, soundless search be boring?
I am thinking that most people find similar sound effects annoying. One of the first things I do when I get a new computer is disable most of the sounds.
And that's what I find disappointing about great movies - the unrealistic sound effects. That and actors drinking out of empty coffee cups . . .
@ 10:10 PM 5 comments Labels: entertainment
I quit using conditioner about a month ago. It has changed my life. Well, not really. All it has changed is that Angela has to buy conditioner less often.
It was kind of an experiment to see if I really needed to use it. I don't.
I now have a macbook and I guess I am blogging about it cause it's fun to try doing things I'm used to doing on a PC.
Turns out this experience is pretty much the same. In that case, I'll sign off until I find something useful to say.
So, I added some code to my blog a long time ago that allowed me to post only the summaries of posts and then the reader could click on a link and read more if they wanted too. Well, I haven't been keeping up to date with my own blog and realized that something has gone wrong and no matter what I do, the "Read More" link shows up on posts whether there is more to read or not. So don't be confused.
I'll have a look at the problem soon but in the meantime . . .
I'm reading The Genesee Diary: Report from a Trappist Monastery by Henri Nouwen. It's his diary of his seven months spent at the monastery. I'm blown away at how much I parallel his thinking, feeling and experiences. Here are some statements he makes and questions he asks (we'll the ones I resonate with, anyway):
"What was turning my vocation to be a witness to God's love into a tiring job?" p. 13.
"Maybe I was slowly becoming a prisoner of people's expectations instead of a man liberated by divine promises." p. 13.
"While complaining about too many demands, I felt uneasy when none were made." p. 14.
"Is there still a point where my life is anchored and from which I can reach out with hope and courage and confidence?" p. 14.
"Why do I always want to read about the spiritual life and not really live it?" p. 27.
"I think that most of my fatigue is related not to the type of work I do but to the fragile tensions I put into it." p. 37.
"The more my mind broods, the farther away from God and neighbor I move." p. 47.
". . . right under the threshold of my "bravery," there is a tremendous insecurity and self-doubt that is easily triggered and laid bare by a small event." p. 52.
So, I've kinda been living within a shadow in the last couple of months. Through conversations and even Nouwen's book, I have been encourage to find the shadow's edge and step into the light. I'm working on it . . .
@ 10:22 AM 2 comments Labels: books, faith, ministry
Mackenzie was clapping his hands over his head this morning at breakfast. No big deal, right? Well, Angela says: "good job on clapping over your head, Mackenzie! Shows it's time that we start going to the potty now!" (yeah, despite a previous posts we haven't been working too hard on this skill with Mackenzie).
Turns out that "they" say when a child can clap their hands over their heads, they are ready to be potty trained. I am only left to wonder how a connection can be made between clapping skills and potty skills.
@ 10:07 AM 1 comments Labels: family, kids
I'm thinking that if I recap the last month or so, I'll find more freedom to blog more consistently and more often. I think that if I cover the basics of my life's happenings in the last while, I won't be haunted by the "shoulda's" (I shoulda blogged about this, and I shoulda blogged about that.) Without further adieu:
June 26 - Today is my birthday. 29 I am.
June 25 - Finished reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. A must read.
June 24 - I took Mackenzie for a bike ride on the Trans Canada Trail near here. He slept through most of it.
June 21 - Mackenzie and I attempted a night out in the VW van. We didn't make it
June 18 - I arrived home from my week long trip to California. My friend Terry and I took a load of very expensive horses to Las Angeles. 5500 km in 3 days. It was fun, exhausting, and I missed my family7.
June 12 - I left for Calgary. Unloaded Wednesday. Picked up the horses early on Thursday, and then straight through to LA.
June 11 - Lukas' close encounter with our coffee table. Lots of blood. Good photo opportunities.
June 10 - Mackenzie turned 3 years old.
June 5 - Lukas turned 1 year old. Angela and I celebrated by going to see Pirates 3 (give me a break, Lukas was sleeping when we left for the theatre)
June 4 - Angela's parents headed home after a good visit.
June 3 - Actionfest service in the park. I led a sweet band. We led worship for some 300 people in Memorial Park in Summerland. The morning was good. The weeks leading up to it - not so good.
June 2 - Local Parade. The first time Mackenzie enjoyed a parade. The only thing that scared him was the giant dog.
June 1 - Epic bike ride up and down Giants Head Mountain. (Epic for me)
May 31 - Angela's dad arrived. I am not totally sure this was the day but it was close. He came later because he had to finish seeding.
May 30 - Finished The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. A funny, light-hearted read.
May 29 - Arrived home after taking a pile of Jr. High kids to YC Alberta in Edmonton.
May 28 - Met up with an old friend from High School, James Reed. We spent the day at West Edmonton Mall and James came up to meet me. Good times
May 27 - Angela turned 30. I wasn't at home to celebrate :-(
May 24 - Left for YC Alberta. Turned out to be the best time I've had at a conference with youth. Nothing super spiritually significant but good none the less. The bands were really good this year. I enjoyed David Crowder, United, Lincoln Brewster, Leeland, Delirious?, and after missing the first quarter of the Toby Mac show (I fell asleep), I was rather entertained (surprise surprise).
May 22 & 23 - A couple of funerals for church family members.
May 21 - Good friends, Anthony & Amanda, came for a visit. Very refreshing. Good catching up.
May 20 - Angela's mom arrived for a good visit.
May 19 - A day of quadding/4x4ing. Soo much fun. We didn't kill ourselves.
May 18 - Finished The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. The story of how a bunch of guys escaped a prison camp in Yakutsk and walked to British India. Intense.
May 17 - Recycling day. We like recycling day.
May 16 - Arrived home from a quick trucking trip to Calgary.
May 14 - Last post on my blog before this one.
The span between this post and my last post is definitive proof that the novelty of the internet has finally warn off...
My first introduction to the internet was in the high school computer lab. All I used it for back then was to find guitar tabs of the songs I was into. I think all web stuff was mostly text based back then.
In my first year of college, my parents got a computer and hooked up to the net via dial-up. I don't really know why they wanted internet because they didn't really know much about it or have a need so it may have been my influence.
Angela and I were married in 1998 and we didn't have a computer so we would head down the street to my parents house if we ever needed anything. I think it was shortly after we were married that we signed up for our first address - a hotmail address that we still have to this day.
We finally purchased our first computer in 2000. We needed one for the work we were doing and for school. I hooked up to the net via dial-up and I became a new person. I was a data hog, downloading any and everything I could get my hands on. I became addicted to online gaming spending many sleepless nights trying to pick off people I didn't even know with the M-21 sniper rifle (can anyone guess which game?)
During this time, my friends that lived in other towns started connecting via broadband. I shortly became jealous but there was nothing I could do because broadband wasn't offered in our town.
We didn't hit the jackpot of available bandwidth until we moved to Summerland 5 years ago. I believe the first phone call after we arrived was to Shaw to get them to come out and hook me up. I couldn't wait any longer.
I've gone through all sorts of phases of internet usage from downloading movies, to gaming, to surfing for all sorts of stuff I didn't really need to look for, to instant messaging and on and on. I guess the latest two things I have really been into are were blogging and more recently Facebook. I really don't have a desire to keep up on either anymore. I mean, it's nice to reconnect with old friends and see what everyone is up to but I don't really want to put forth an effort. And, I don't have a lot of time to blog but I think that if I really wanted to blog, I'd find the time.
So where does that leave my blog? I dunno. I like having it here and I do like writing every once and a while and I like getting feedback but for right now, all I can say is don't expect too much. Feel free to check back from time to time and see what's going on but you may find grand lapses in time between posts. I may get a second (or third or fourth) wind so you never know, there might just be a pleasant surprise awaiting at your next return.
And where does that leave my relationship with the internet? It's now a tool. I need it for stuff. I need it to keep in touch with people. I need it to watch TV. I need it to check the forecast. I need it to find fixes when something screws up. I need it to buy things. I do check my emails from time to time but the novelty of that has warn off too. I can leave my laptop at home without giving it a second thought whereas a few years ago, every second thought was: "I wonder if I have any email since I checked it 30 seconds ago."
I don't know how to end this post. I'm trying too hard to be clever. So, until the next post, have a pleasant day/night or whatever it is for you.
Mackenzie: "Daddy, we go camping in the VW Van?"
Daddy: "That is a great idea but the VW Van is broken."
Mackenzie: "Oh, VW van need a new engine?"
Daddy: "Yes, the VW Van needs a new engine."
Mackenzie: "Um, how bout we take Honda car engine out and put Honda car engine in VW Van, Daddy?"
Daddy: "Hmmm, I never thought of that idea."
