Work In Progress

@davexenomorph Test.

2011-06-07T10:11:00.001-07:00

This is how my son likes to sleep.

2011-05-10T20:54:00.001-07:00

If You Like Mediocre, Depressing Artwork...

2011-04-15T11:00:00.001-07:00

Head over to http://numberseven.posterous.com to follow my new creative outlet, where I use post-it's and a ballpoint pen for a little scribble therapy.

The Number Seven comics are inspired by situations or feelings I encounter each day, and the sketches have become a little routine break in my mornings that allow me to keep my sanity.

I hope you enjoy them. Heart and/or leave comments if you do!

With a name like that, how could you NOT stay there?

2011-04-11T18:26:00.001-07:00

What's On Shuffle?

2011-03-08T16:11:00.001-08:00

Press shuffle on your iPod or other media player and list the first 20 tracks that play.

1.) Open My Heart With Knives - So Elated
2.) All Arise! - The Decemberists
3.) Melody - Kate Earl
4.) Tennessee - The Wreckers
5.) Birmingham (We Are Safe) - David Crowder Band
6.) Dear John Letter (To The Devil) - Keith Green
7.) Rain It Down - Carlos Whittaker
8.) Blue As The Sky - Tyler Burkum
9.) Falling - The Civil Wars
10.) Viral (The Incapable Rival) - So Elated
11.) Girl Named Tennessee - Needtobreathe
12.) Fireflies - Owl City
13.) Part of My Heart - Jim Brickman
14.) Angel Dance - Robert Plant
15.) Shorty - The Get Up Kids
16.) Phos Hilaron (Hail Gladdening Light) - David Crowder Band
17.) Gimme - She Keeps Bees
18.) Lead Me To The Cross - Chris and Conrad
19.) June Hymn - The Decemberists
20.) The Ache of Going Without - So Elated

Need an iPod Touch?

2011-02-13T08:32:00.001-08:00

I am selling my 8gb 3rd generation iPod Touch, with Wildcharge wireless charging pad, protective case and screen protector.

It is in great condition and still works flawlessly.

I'm asking $150, plus shipping dependent upon on where you live.

Words To Live By

2011-02-09T22:00:00.001-08:00

My son desperately needs to hide the words of Isaiah 42:2 in his heart and meditate upon them daily.

Especially right now, because his parents need to sleep.

"He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street." (KJV)

Posterous

2011-02-09T19:22:00.001-08:00

This is a test of Posterous. Check out my igloo.

Everything I Need To Know About Working, I Learned From A Four-Year-Old

2010-10-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while on a field trip with my daughter's class of preschoolers, my wife was deep in conversation with one of the other mothers, when a small voice called out to her, "Excuse me! Excuse me!" Candace turned her attention to one of the students, a boy named Eli, who obviously had something very urgent that needed to be relayed to a parent.

"Yes, Eli?" my wife asked him, no doubt expecting to hear about a need to use the restroom or that somebody's pumpkin had been taken by another student.

"When I grow up, I want to be a landscaper."

Candace laughed and offered an, "Oh yeah?" sort of response.

"Yes, and I will have a tractor that is too big to fit on the trailer that I pull behind my pickup truck."

When my wife relayed this story to me later in the day, I laughed at the humor of it, but it got me thinking. When I was four, I had all sorts of aspirations to do big things that I enjoyed, but never even considered the "prestige" or financial implications of those desires. I knew what I liked. I knew what I wanted to do. Nobody could tell me no.

I fast-forward a few years and find myself working in a cubicle, staring at a computer, growing stale under artificial light and controlled temperatures. Is this the career I had dreamed of? Not really. There are a lot fewer dinosaurs, airplanes and magic taking place than I had ever envisioned.

It's the story that most of us can tell. Our goals and priorities change, we take what we can get, we settle for mediocre because it is comfortable, or we kill ourselves working jobs we hate because of the recognition and the lifestyle it affords us.

Maybe Eli will change his mind as he grows up. He'll discover he has a desire to drive an expensive car. He'll want the next iDevice that Apple cranks out. He'll want the notoriety of having words like "Senior Vice President" in his job title.

Or maybe Eli will grow up to be the World's Greatest Landscaper, just like he had dreamed.

What Dreams May Come

2010-10-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, I dreamed I was walking down a long gravel road strewn with broken down school buses, in order to reach a barn for some food. I have no idea why the food came from a barn, but that's just where everyone in the world got food from.

On the way, I passed my Aunt Sandy, who was walking away from the barn, talking to herself and not acknowledging having seen me.

When I got there, I found a guy I used to work with, named Miguel, talking to an Iranian guy about won-tons; not the kind in soup, the crispy fried ones. I know this, because Miguel asked the Iranian guy his opinion on won-tons and the guy replied, "They are crispy."

Miguel and the Iranian then had a short discussion about Miguel's (previously unknown to me) Egyptian heritage, and that it was obvious from the shape of the bridge of his nose. The Iranian guy disagreed and said that Egyptian noses had a slight bend in them, much like his, and that Miguel must be mistaken.

There is no point to this story, I just felt it was high time I updated the blog again.

Greek Mythological References in the book of Job?

2010-01-03T07:11:00.001-08:00

At a weekly Bible study I attend, we ran across a couple passages in Job in which God is speaking and makes some very specific references to constellations named after Greek Mythological characters:

Job 38:31-32 (NKJV)

31 “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?

Since Job is regarded by many to be the oldest book in the Bible, this made me wonder about the timeline in relation to the Greeks and also why God would choose to use Greek Mythological characters as a reference in His message to Job throughout this chapter.

As with most of the issues I run across and can't seem to find a decent answer, I turned to my dad to find his take on it, since he has studied the Bible in its Greek and Hebrew forms with some intensity, hoping he might be able to shed some light on it for me.

Below is our exchange, which I think gives a pretty good answer to my questions.

Begin Question>>
http://read.ly/Job38.31.nasb

Why does this verse and the next, spoken by God, reference characters from Greek Mythology? Is it this way in Hebrew? I would have thought Job would predate Greek Mythology. If it doesn't, does this then mean that Greek culture was a, or even the prevelant philosophy in the area at the time, and that God was using these references to be relevant to their culture in this chapter?

This came up at our Bible study this morning and none us can figure out why those specific references would have been used. - Adam
End Question>>

Begin Response>>
Adam:

It is at least somewhat accepted that Job is the oldest book in the canon. There is also a legend that Job was in fact, the architect of the Great Pyramid of Giza which is on the order of 4500-5000 years old, (some think much older). In Isa. 19 there is a description of an altar to the Lord (a "pillar") in the "midst of the land of Egypt" and "at the border" which may refer to the pyramid since it is in the place which is both in the middle and at the border as the land "Egypt" has not remained geographically the same through its history.

The Hebrew text uses distinctly Hebrew names for these Greek translations. I can only assume that the translators emplaced the more modern Greek names. For example, the Hebrew text uses "the seven stars" -or more literally, a derivative of the word "cluster" in the case of Pleiades. Now that does however at least imply that these groupings or constellations were widely recognized across various cultures a very long time ago. Having said that, Greek mythic history is very old. Athens for example, is one of the oldest cities, possibly as old as 5000-7000 years (before there were "Greeks") and the name is obviously a derivative of Athena (though the corresponding myth could have been constructed to fit the name of the city ?)

In any case, the mythic characters were well known and were written about nearly 3000 years ago and the verbal history obviously predates the written records by a long time. So- I dunno which is older but constellations were widely recognized, whatever they may have been called, in various cultures for a long time. Gen. 1 states: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" .

Sorry for the slow response time.
fwiw
End Response>>

October Book Review

2009-10-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

Green

Ted Dekker

Thomas Nelson Publisher

Thomas of Hunter is a legend among The Circle, a mysterious warrior who seemingly came from nowhere and sparked a revolution, changing the way of life for the people of The Forest. Guided by the light and power of Elyon, he leads his people in the ways of peace and The Great Romance, a deeply passionate relationship between a groom and his bride, a Creator and His creation.

But darkness has settled across the land. A mysterious scabbing disease has infected the enemies of The Circle, an evil race who follow a serpent called Teeleh, and the people of The Circle have grown restless. They wait for Elyon to reveal Himself once again and deliver them from the hands of their enemies, but some among them believe that the time for peace has come to an end, and the only way to free themselves from the surrounding Darkness is to wage a full-on war against their oppressors.

What’s Black will become Green, and what’s Green will become Black in this action-packed fantasy thriller from Ted Dekker.

I went into this book with some skepticism, as I’m not typically a fan of the fantasy genre, but I was won over within a couple of chapters. Dekker has consistently written some of my favorite books, folding a captivating story and brilliantly descriptive imagery along with mind-blowing plot twists into something that once I start, I simply cannot put down. This book was no exception, and I found myself incredibly inspired by it to remain dedicated to my faith in my Creator and hopeful for a brighter tomorrow.

NASCAR on the radio?

2009-10-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

I just overheard a discussion by two coworkers involving listening to NASCAR on the radio. I have to say, if there is any way to make an already dull event more dull, that has to be it.

Here's how I imagine radio NASCAR:

Announcer 1: And welcome back to the program. To those just joining us, the cars are making a left turn right now...

Announcer 2: Just a friendly reminder, this program brought to you by Slim Jims. If you're hungry and can't afford food, snap into a Slim Jim. And also by Hot Pockets. Whaddya gonna pick? Hoooot Pockets!

Announcer 1: Thank you, Dale. Now Jeff Gordon making a left turn, followed by Tony Stewart in the number 14 car. What do you think Dale, what's his next move?"

Announcer 2: Well Roger, if he goes with those instincts he's famous for, he will make a left turn with precision and speed, but he could always pull the wild card and make the power play, that being a left turn with slightly less precision and slightly more speed.

Announcer 1: Let's just hope he can keep that wheel cranked to the left, Dale. And now Dale Jr coming up in the pack, looks like he's going to go with a left turn maneuver in an attempt to outplay the competition.

Announcer 2: Dale Jr, as we know, the son of Dale Sr., God rest his soul. We'd like to observe the traditional moment of silence for Dale Sr. right now.

*one minute pause*

Announcer 2: And there we have it. Never a dry eye in the house. Oh! Roger, look at this, we've got Rusty Wallace throwing caution to the wind and coming up fast with a left turn. Unbelievable move, executed with brilliance. Really helped him gain those 5 spots, and I have to say, he has earned every one of them.

Announcer 1: Yes he has, Dale. Rusty Wallace, as we've seen, doing extremely well after returning to the sport after that completely unexpected and nearly fatal right turn he made at Talladega back in 2007...

*Station Change*

Photo Comic 3

2009-09-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

During my commute home, a lot of things cross my mind that I would love to stop and carelessly spend money on, but then there's always that nagging feeling of responsibility that keeps me from throwing away my money.

And sometimes, that nagging feeling of responsibility doesn't win.

Do yourself a favor

2009-09-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Buy this album today on Amazon or iTunes.

Here's an idea...

2009-09-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

If you're easily bored and looking for kicks, why not try randomly gifting a friend or relative?

They'll be pleased to find a package addressed with their name on the doorstep when not a holiday is in sight, and you'll be pleased when you imagine the look on their face as they open a box containing a shiny red apple, 5 sheets of printer paper, a pen and some Sea Monkeys with a card congratulating them on their new home office.

Photo Comic 2

2009-09-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Decided to try my hand at a personalized font after reading about fontcapture.com on LifeHacker last week. Thought it was awesome until I realized I have no good reason to ever use a font that looks *similar* to my own handwriting.

Hot Links (see what I did there?)

2009-09-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

Check out the links below for some interesting reads from around the web.

Lifehacker tells us how to Outsource Your Chores
Wikipedia's Today In History
Amazon gives you a free mp3 download of your choice to celebrate 1 Million followers on Twitter.
Apple's newest must-have product, the iPhone 3GI.

Photo Comic 1

2009-09-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

I received this item this week at work, as it was handed out to everyone in the office. Little did I know that unzipping it would be like opening Pandora's Box of Crap.

Post, The First

2009-09-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Work In Progress.

Do I do the trite thing and give an official definition here, letting you know that "a piece of work that is not yet finished" would be how Princeton's WordNet would best phrase it?

Well, it seems I already did.

But ah, if I left it at that, then you would miss the whole point of this blog. This isn't simply about some self-focused ramblings where I try to make sense of life and refer to myself as a Work In Progress in the sense that I'm always trying to better myself. True, that may be a secondary function, but the main focus is this: I'm going to document the ways I try to find interesting things in the mundane world of cubicles. Working long hours in the beige jungle will kill a person if they don't find some way to pull inspiration, amusement or knowledge out of everyday life.

These posts may not always be funny. They may not always be inspiring. They may not even always make sense, but hopefully, they'll always be interesting.

-AB