Trips, Gadets and Such

I know it's been a long time since I updated this BLOG. I keep on pushing Julia to update hr BLOG, but that's just the pot calling the kettle black... Do as I say, not as I do....

TRIP TO OKLAHOMA
What a great experience to visit Julia and Jessica and John! I arrived on a Friday night at the Anderson's new house and got the tour - as well as the game! The house is just beautiful! I am so proud of John and Jess. You can view the house on Jessica's BLOG. I was able to help evaluate their HDTV situation and show them the difference between regular a DVD and an upconverting DVD - you should look into it if you don't know the difference! Then there was the Wii...

I've never been a video game player - certainly not as active as John! But I found the game really interesting and fun! I'm assuming that most of you have heard of the Wii (from Nintendo). The hand-held controller is wireless and is sensitive to motion in every conceivable direction. This allows you to play golf by acting like you are really swinging a golf club! I golfed and played tennis among other things. When Jessica joined-in, we did some boxing! It was unexpectedly fun.

The best part of the trip was actually visiting and chatting with John and Jessica. I was able to hang around and also spend some time with each of them individually. They are a fun and intelligent couple. They are beautiful together with a heart for their families, friends and their jobs. I am so proud of them. Keep praying for their effort to have kids. They will make GREAT parents!

Then there was Julia! Fresh from Rome and London, I got to see her entire compliment of pictures from 3 weeks abroad. No one else in my world has such an interest in history and culture - it's fascinating to hear Julia talk about her observations and emotions. Julia has a BLOG with some entries and pictures. You should visit! I must say that I am the proud owner of a small piece of history. Julia brought me a discarded tile from an ancient Roman fresco. How cool is that?!?!?

Julia looks so good these days. She's clearly a success at Randy's (where she's a manager) and she's entering her senior year at OU studying Archaeology/Anthropology. Since this subject is so foreign to me, I just love to hear about it. When Julia describes jumping into an ancient tomb, turning a boring assignment out of the trenches into a new discovery, or volunteering for many different jobs just for the experience - I am filled with pride.

Julia has a wonderful sense of adventure and spirit of determination that I admire. I wish I had her ability to conceive a big effort and keep plugging until it happens. I can't wait to see how it all comes out. It looks like Julia will continue to be a lot of fun at dinner party discussions!

CELL PHONES
I can proudly announce the pending end of my Cingular contract! I've been comparing cell-phone networks as well as new cell phones lately in anticipation. Whatever I choose, it will likely NOT be Cingular. I realize that there will always be dropped calls and spotty coverage, but I've been dealing with these issues far to much in the places I live. So far, T-Mobile is winning. That's primarily because of their nifty selection of cell phones and their willingness to talk with me to compare services.

Verizon (while seemingly omnipresent on the east coast) doesn't offer much beyond their wonderful network. That's kind of like driving a Yugo on the Autobahn - sheesh! What a dowdy, single-minded offering of cell phones! The other network providers aren't doing much better for one reason or another. Sprint/Nextel is acclaimed as bad all around. Alltell rides on the back of the Sprint - as does Ocean and a handful of others. I'm looking forward to the FCC decision to open up the airwaves. That may force American providers to adopt the more user-friendly cellular industries of Europe and Asia. Imagine being able to choose any cell phone you want and then choose the network provider you want - all without competition-inhibiting long-term contracts!

HYBRID CARS
The time is fast approaching when the old Grand Prix will simply cost too much to maintain. It's been a great car, relatively inexpensive to maintain and best of all.... IT'S PAID-OFF!!! So what will replace it? Any car buyer that is not considering gas mileage these days is a fool! Since I'm a consummate commuter, I need a car that drives well in traffic as well as avoids the escalating costs of the gas pump. The result? A Hybrid!

When you approach car-buying in this way, the choices become really limited. I'm not going to be trading-in my 22 MPG sedan for a 25 MPG SUV! I want a quantum leap in performance. This limits the field even further! When we're talking 35 MPG or higher in traffic, the Honda and Toyota offerings are all that's left. The Prius (which is reported to get 60 MPG in traffic) is the clear winner.

I test-drove a Prius the other day. It has a very high 'geek' factor (which is appealing to me). The body style takes a little getting-used-to, but if you drive one, you don't have to look AT it... This process will continue until the Grand Prix dies or I win the lottery, so I have no immediate plans to buy a new car. It's fun to look and compare!

COMPUTERS
My company laptop has been my friend for over 3 1/2 years, but it is on it's last legs. As of this writing, it's doing fine. But it's out of warrenty and will not be fixed if something goes wrong. As a result, I've been surveying the new offerings. There are some pretty exciting models, including ones with built-in 803.11n, Bluetooth, EDGE and 3G capability. For those who don't otherwise know, that means you can carry around your laptop and it will connect to the internet in normal ways as well as through the cell-phone signals - virtual ubiquitous connectivity! This Dell looks very interesting...

HDTV
The HDTV wars continue at my house without resolution. No one seems to step up to the plate with a compelling package of HDTV, internet, phone, etc. So far (at least at my location), DISH Network is the winner, but I'm not enthusiastic about their combo packages that would save me money. I wish I had Cox Cable like John & Jessica.

CHURCH
We've continue to visit churches in search of a fellowship home. Our most recent round of regular attendance has been at Hosanna! and we're looking into their involvement classes. Summertime is a down time for many organizations due to family vacations and such, however, their "bikers for Jesus" program seems to meet quite often!

JOB
I've been investigating several job options inside the company as well as the open job market. I've found that I have a keen interest and passion for LEAN processes. As a result, I've been positioning myself in doing several LEAN Projects! Sadly, it doesn't look like my management is as enthusiastic. So far, I've been able to pursue my interests, but I fear those days are numbered. God may be opening up new things for me, so I continue to investigate. It's not bad, but it could get frustrating.

HOUSE
DeAnna has applied 2 gallons of paint to the hallway and we're moving into the living room. It's looking nice, but taking pictures is really difficult. I'll try to get some updates posted soon

Thanks for reading. Live each day worthy of the blessing that God gives!