Ooops! Haven't Posted in a while

So I've been so caught up in work and life in general that I haven't posted in some time.  As this is my catch-all blog I will try and catch up the many happenings in a brief (for me) post.  Hopefully I will get back on the two or three posts a week schedule soon.

Alright since my last post on Sarah: Women of Genesis I have completed that series and must admit that Orson Scott Card is hands down my favorite author of all time.  For the women who follow my blog this series is a must read.  There is reportedly a follow up to Rachel and Leah but no word on when it will be finished.  To all the men who follow this is a must read so you can learn how to recognize your spouse for the incredible being that she is.  I gained a whole new level of respect for the lives that women lead in secret from men.  How a man could write these novels is beyond me...lots of research and a wife over his shoulder no doubt.
I also read Last Song by Nicholas Sparks...yup.  Now that the men have stopped laughing I will continue with my review.  It seems to me that Nicholas Sparks has a real talent for tragedy turned happy ending.  His writing at times was very juvenile and perhaps that was to match the main characters personality because as the seriousness of the book became more clear the youth of the writing became more sober and a little more adultish.  I didn't cry...although I almost did.  I found the story to be predictable like most Hollywood situational romances which at times made for a boring read.  If I were to give it a rating on a scale of 5 I would give it a 3 for entertainment value and certainly not for quality of writing.

Now moving on past the book reviews (I really haven't read much lately). Since my last post I have acquired new gadgetry!  Yup I finally got an Android phone.  I stuck with AT&T so my choices were quite limited as their contract with Apple has made it unnecessary to delve deep into the Android market.  I got the HTC Aria which has the Sense UI.  I love it.  It's the right size (I could have purchased the Samsung Captivate but it was BIG) and price.  The apps that I've downloaded make life easier and it sure is nice to have organization right at my finger tips.  All the "neat" things that smartphones do, make me, a tech geek, just go crazy.  In fact I accidentally went over my Data usage plan...$15 mistake.  Now I have to be more careful and watch my data more closely.  I'm quite happy with almost all of the features of the Aria (probably because I don't know what I'm missing with the iPhone or something else) but one of the things that doesn't seem to be working properly (well) is the gyroscope doesn't register when I've turned it portrait or landscape consistently.  This can be a problem occasionally but I deal with it and still love my Aria.  It scores a 4 of 5 from me.  I'm anxious to get the most recent Android update (2.2) soon so I can enjoy Chrome to Android features.  I may geek out about this phone again at a later date.

Sarah: Women of Genesis Series

Many readers may wonder exactly why a man would be interested in this series.  They may even wonder specifically why I would be reading this book.  The honest answer is that despite the overtly feminine themes and the clearly female demographic that Sarah was written for I am a consummate fan of Orson Scott Card and having read some of his novels with strong female characters I felt like this would be another opportunity to see how a man writes for/like women.  Yup.  I said that men and women do in fact write differently.  It's not a matter of content.  It's not even a matter of the characters and themes, although those do in fact make a difference.  When it comes right down to it when asked I think that most women and men could tell whether an author was male or female simply by reading a book.  Women have used pseudonyms to enter the literature market as men.  Some have done so very successfully.  Rarely have men done something similar.  Why?  I would contend that Orson Scott Card could have successfully done so with this series.  I have read Rachel and Leah before reading this and when I read it again (this time in the proper order) I will review it as well.  That book was so enthralling and classic Card that I was anxious to get time and my hands on the rest of the series.  After reading Sarah I can say proudly that I understand women better as a result.
This book is really an opportunity to see how women's intuition is experienced and more specifically it also helped me understand a little better how to sense the whisperings of the Spirit in my life.  Sarai (her pre-Covenant name) is strong, smart and spiritual.  Abram may have been a holy man from the beginning but the reality is that (at least in the context of this fictional book) the saying that behind every great man there is a greater woman is indeed true.  I found myself admiring Sarai (and by extension all women) for her weaknesses and strengths, her self doubt and confidence.  Orson Scott Card makes the culture of the middle east come to life and pours on modern interactions, which really aren't modern at all, to make this a really entertaining book.  I'm now about half way through Rebekah and while very different from Sarah is, so far, a very good companion to Sarah.  Look for my next review early next week or sooner depending on my ability to finish the book.  Read this book and let me know what you think.

Work is no longer a dirty word.

This week I began work at the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau.  Some of the first posts on this blog (well over a year ago now) were about my struggle finding a career.  After this first week at TCVCB (it's a mouthful) I can say that my search has ended and that God's hand was in the journey.  

My new job title is Technology and Website Specialist.  The position I now hold has never existed at TCVCB before.  I applied for the Marketing and PR Director position and was called in, after a little follow through on my application, to, ostensibly, interview for the Directorship.  Upon beginning the interview it became clear that I was not going to be getting that position.  Instead the President of the Bureau started talking to me about their website and about their print copy Visitor Guide and brochures.  She asked me point blank, "Could you make this?".  I answered, almost too confidently, "Yes".  We had a very good conversation about the needs of the Bureau and some of the technology difficulties they had.  She asked me about social media, blogging, search engine optimization and a variety of other wed centered questions.  I felt at ease answering her questions and felt encouraged to provide my uncensored opinions of their website.  In the end I used all the faculty of my degree (both majors) to communicate my ability to provide them with the expertise they needed.  It was an agonizing wait while she interviewed other candidates for the Directorship to see if any of them had the specialized skills that I have in addition to the experience they wanted for the Directorship.  A day or two later than I had expected (and after being depressed but reconciled to not getting the job) I was called to come in for another conversation.  It was the offer to come on as a "website, technology guru".  At long last I had an offer for a career position.  She asked me to think about the offer over night and get back to her the next day.  It took a considerable amount of effort not to call her at 6am and accept.  I did wait until about 9am the next morning to accept and she was genuinely excited to have me accept.  

A week and a half later I had my first day.  It was exciting and a little intimidating.  I was shown to my office (more on  that later) and then we met in the "Board Room" for a team meeting.  I was wearing a tie to work and I felt like I was important.  That first day was a blur.  I felt like the day had barely begun and I was already leaving.  I came home swimming with ideas and excitement about what I was going to do for the website and the print materials.  The rest of the week was encouraging as I got to do some simple fliers and brochures.  I was beginning to see my place in the team and I know it will be defined even more this coming week.  

Work used to be something I dreaded.  The weekends were separated by far too many days and the prospect of doing tasks that were mind-numbingly dull and excruciatingly simple made me irritable.  Now, as we celebrate Memorial Day, I am chagrined by the fact that I have a three day weekend.  Yup, I said it, I would rather go to work than enjoy a three day weekend.  Sick, huh?  Work is no longer a dirty word.  In fact I have officially struck it from my "four letter word" taboo list.  I look forward to using the skills that I gained through hobbies, education and God given talent.  I look forward to exercising my mind with tasks that excite and intrigue me.  I can hardly wait for Tuesday to get back at it and start back to WORK.  

Mother's Day. The most important day of the year.

Today is Mothers Day.   As my title suggests, this is the most important day of the year.  Why?  Well without mothers there would be no days.  Pretty simple huh?  More to the matter though is the fact that Mothers all over the US finally get recognition for being awesome.  Sure there's a few bad apples in the bunch that get press when they get found out but in general Mothers are the glue that binds us to society and makes it function.  Without them the world devolves into anarchy much like small children left unattended.
I'd like to just add my two cents to the celebration of motherhood.  I have a mother who taught me compassion.  I owe all the good fatherly actions I do to her guidance.   My mom taught me how to get along with women...an indispensable gift that has paid huge dividends in my marriage.  My mom also taught me the importance of education...even when I didn't listen to her.  My mom taught me that talents should be encouraged and shared.  (I'm working on the sharing part mom)  My mother was very young when she had me and had to make a decision that many other young women have had to make.  She was unmarried and finishing High School.  She had made arrangements to have me adopted, which is a very compassionate thing indeed.  In the end she made the decision, with the help of the Spirit, to keep me and to raise me despite the incredible hardships she would surely endure.  For that willingness to listen to the Spirit and to act according to the promptings, I will be forever in debt.  She was blessed to meet a man who had as much compassion as she did and took us both in and made us a family.  Their efforts made me the man I am today...despite all my efforts to ignore their influence.  I'm proud of my mother.
There's another mother that I would be in trouble if I forgot her.  She happens to be the mother of my children.  (I know...you didn't see that one coming)  My wife is the most important person in my life right now.  She is the one who makes sure I have something worth working for.  She is the person who manages my household.  She is a woman who seeks to do good continually.  The only reason she hasn't been exalted yet is because she's waiting for me to catch up so I can go with her.  She makes sure that my kids are taught things that are more important that catching a ball.  She is a mother after the pattern of her own mother.    I know that she will take that as a compliment because her mother is a terrific woman who has been a great second mother to me (after all she's seen me through half my life now).

And to all mothers I say this...the single most important job in the entire world is that of mother.   Despite the times when you feel like you aren't that great of a mother I can say without equivocation that you are indeed the most important person in the life of your children.  Your influence shapes nations.  Your love binds families.  And your life is an example of divinity on Earth.  Today we, in a small way, pay tribute to you, humbly, and with sincerity.  HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Avalanche in Richland Uptown.

You have to visit this place.  They don't serve any alcohol and their food is awesome.  We went for an early dinner.  I had their buffalo burger with beer battered fries.  Karen had the soup and salad (Potato soup and tossed salad).  Avalanche is located in the Uptown in Richland next door to the Papa Murphy's.   They advertise American but with their own twist.  The fry bread appetizer is large enough to be a meal all by its self.  The menu includes things like Dutch Oven Chicken and Cobblers.  We didn't get desert...but that's only because we were too full and not because the options didn't look absolutely mouth watering.  I'm not sure how long they've been open (rumor has it that they've been around almost a year now) but I hope they stick around for a very long time.  I'd really like to have something from their lunch menu sometime too.  You should check them out and try the Elk burger and let me know how it tastes.  If you get a chance to try out the deserts I'd also like to hear from you.
Also you should check out http://tastetricities.com  they say that they've got over 300 restaurants for the Tri-Cities...which would be news to me.

(Here's a pic of pigs in a blanket and Fry bread)
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