I forgot to mention that the Chris Craft Roamer moored in front of me sank.
The bilge pump apparently hadn't been working in quite a while and with the additional weight from last weekend's rain, the transom finally sank low enough to start the scuppers siphoning lake water straight into the hull.
The fiberglass top broke off on the way to the bottom, and was last seen floating about 4 inches below the surface somewhere near Anchor Point.
Today the marina plans to sink 55-gallon drums around the boat, where a diver will fasten them to hoisting straps cradled under the hull, pump out the air from the drums and let their buoyancy float the Roamer back up to the surface.
Neat.
Memo to self: fix The Kid's bilge pump soonest.
That didn't work. The crew got the hull about 8 feet off the bottom, then it slipped off its cradle and fell back to the bottom. Add that was the end of the beginning of that. Ah, well.
Try again tomorrow. At least I get to move into the Roamer's previous slip, soon as the salvage barge goes away, for an unimpeded view of the gorgeous Lake Hartwell sunsets.
The Blue Book's IT Department is busy working overtime compiling an appropriate Playlist to pipe down to the divers working on the bottom, but so far this is all they've come up with (I knew it was a mistake to go with Macs):
Should I Stay Or Should I Go? - Clash
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Batteries not included - updated
The "Ex" (the shrink) mentioned in a previous post had another observation that's stuck with me.
She had her own theory about why, when bad things happen to us (say a car accident), we have a tendency to look back and convince ourselves, "If only I'd left the house 10 seconds sooner." Or, "If only I'd stopped to get gas, like I was supposed to."
We like to pretend things woulda been different if only we could use life's remote control, hit the button to re-wind time, and do an insignificant thing different that we could've changed the sequence of events leading up to the moment when disaster snuck up and grabbed us.
It's like the football fan who's convinced his team lost the big game because he didn't have his Lucky Shirt tucked in just right, or because he forgot to walk backwards three times around his favorite recliner before the game started. He's convinced two half-billion dollar sports franchises are more affected by what he wears, or by the way he walks around his living room, than they are by coaching, game planning or team practice.
If only I'd ...
The reason, the good doctor explained, is our persistent need to feel in control of our lives ... even with situations and events that took place in the past.
You can expand her point to include most any ordeal that either hurt , disappointed, or caused us to think "That would never have happened if only I'd ..." or "If only I hadn't ..."
If I'd only done one little thing different, that wouldn't have happened underscores our belief that we've actually had control over the billions of sequences of events that've happened to every one of us up to this second in our lives all along.
We don't like getting nasty surprises, especially when we're convinced we don't deserve them. And none of us like accepting the fact that we don't have a cushy seat reserved in Heaven's VIP Departure Lounge while we're watching the clock here on earth waiting to catch our flight home.
It scares us to think our lives might just be out there in the cosmos somewhere, bouncing between random bumpers like an un-numbered foosball, and that misfortune can still surprise us no matter how young we are, no matter what degrees we've earned, no matter where we live and no matter how much money we net after taxes.
We'd rather brick up the windows than acknowledge tragedy might show up unexpectedly at our doorstep, enter without knocking, move in like an uninvited guest and change our safe little routines forever.
We'll trust lucky key rings, astrologers, superstitions and even our own ability to prevent tragedies rather than place our faith where it matters most ... in the Creator himself.
If only I could do it over again ... if only we weren't so audacious.
She had her own theory about why, when bad things happen to us (say a car accident), we have a tendency to look back and convince ourselves, "If only I'd left the house 10 seconds sooner." Or, "If only I'd stopped to get gas, like I was supposed to."
We like to pretend things woulda been different if only we could use life's remote control, hit the button to re-wind time, and do an insignificant thing different that we could've changed the sequence of events leading up to the moment when disaster snuck up and grabbed us.
It's like the football fan who's convinced his team lost the big game because he didn't have his Lucky Shirt tucked in just right, or because he forgot to walk backwards three times around his favorite recliner before the game started. He's convinced two half-billion dollar sports franchises are more affected by what he wears, or by the way he walks around his living room, than they are by coaching, game planning or team practice.
If only I'd ...
The reason, the good doctor explained, is our persistent need to feel in control of our lives ... even with situations and events that took place in the past.
You can expand her point to include most any ordeal that either hurt , disappointed, or caused us to think "That would never have happened if only I'd ..." or "If only I hadn't ..."
If I'd only done one little thing different, that wouldn't have happened underscores our belief that we've actually had control over the billions of sequences of events that've happened to every one of us up to this second in our lives all along.
We don't like getting nasty surprises, especially when we're convinced we don't deserve them. And none of us like accepting the fact that we don't have a cushy seat reserved in Heaven's VIP Departure Lounge while we're watching the clock here on earth waiting to catch our flight home.
It scares us to think our lives might just be out there in the cosmos somewhere, bouncing between random bumpers like an un-numbered foosball, and that misfortune can still surprise us no matter how young we are, no matter what degrees we've earned, no matter where we live and no matter how much money we net after taxes.
We'd rather brick up the windows than acknowledge tragedy might show up unexpectedly at our doorstep, enter without knocking, move in like an uninvited guest and change our safe little routines forever.
We'll trust lucky key rings, astrologers, superstitions and even our own ability to prevent tragedies rather than place our faith where it matters most ... in the Creator himself.
If only I could do it over again ... if only we weren't so audacious.
Monday, January 8, 2007
In the beginning ....
God is sitting in Heaven when a scientist says to Him, "Lord, we don't
need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing. In other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning."
"Oh, is that so? Tell me..." replies God.
"Well, " says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of You and breathe life into it, thus creating man."
"Well, that's interesting.
So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil.
"Oh no, no, no..." interrupts God,
( I love this)
"Get your own dirt."
Driving Along Main Street at 3 PM
Word of God Speak - Kutless
-I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say.-
-I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say.-
Had to Happen
And I knew one day it would.
Yesterday afternoon while driving to the 4:15 it seemed like a good idea to check my cell and see if I'd missed any messages. And while scrolling through menu options I blew right through a stop light.
I was so distracted (or so intensely focused on the wrong goal) that if I hadn't looked up and seen the startled faces of the drivers facing me at the intersection, I might've never even suspected what I'd done.
Uh, and this came after I'd hit the curb with the front-passenger side wheel a few miles before, while trying to plug in the charger.
Lesson learned: either drive, talk, recharge or text message ... but don't do more than three at the same time.
Yesterday afternoon while driving to the 4:15 it seemed like a good idea to check my cell and see if I'd missed any messages. And while scrolling through menu options I blew right through a stop light.
I was so distracted (or so intensely focused on the wrong goal) that if I hadn't looked up and seen the startled faces of the drivers facing me at the intersection, I might've never even suspected what I'd done.
Uh, and this came after I'd hit the curb with the front-passenger side wheel a few miles before, while trying to plug in the charger.
Lesson learned: either drive, talk, recharge or text message ... but don't do more than three at the same time.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Goal to go at the 3
Disclaimer: I'm not on the church staff and any observations or statements presented here are entirely my own. Any errors are mine, too.
This afternoon was the very first 4:15 PM service at the new building. The extra service, which is now the third of four, was added because the brand new 2500-seat auditorium had pretty quickly run out of seats as attendance soared past 8000 people per Sunday.
This is in a community with a county-wide population last year of 175,514.
I've heard that pastors from across the country call the church office, send e-mails and ask, "What are you doing to see such growth?" though I think the question also means, What are you doing to see so many people saved?
The answer has to be just one thing: instead of getting "deeper in the word", focusing on boycotts or wasting time with finance committees or worrying about steeples and stained glass windows, it comes down to ministering and preaching Jesus Christ and nothing but Jesus Christ.
Every Sunday, four times each Sunday ... it's all about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 5:42
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3
This afternoon was the very first 4:15 PM service at the new building. The extra service, which is now the third of four, was added because the brand new 2500-seat auditorium had pretty quickly run out of seats as attendance soared past 8000 people per Sunday.
This is in a community with a county-wide population last year of 175,514.
I've heard that pastors from across the country call the church office, send e-mails and ask, "What are you doing to see such growth?" though I think the question also means, What are you doing to see so many people saved?
The answer has to be just one thing: instead of getting "deeper in the word", focusing on boycotts or wasting time with finance committees or worrying about steeples and stained glass windows, it comes down to ministering and preaching Jesus Christ and nothing but Jesus Christ.
Every Sunday, four times each Sunday ... it's all about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 5:42
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3
Saturday, January 6, 2007
First Ever Re-Post
Ya'll are so nice to me. Really.
Taking the time to either write or call to say how much you enjoyed and appreciate the following post means a lot, an awful lot. So here ya go for one more time around the block
You're the best friends in the world ... and I trust you to hold me to my word.
This applies if you and I are of the opposite gender: If my cell phone rings in your presence during a pre-arranged meeting of any kind, I will:
1. Give you $100
2. Vacuum, clean your house, be your butler, do your grocery shopping and be your yardman for one (1) week
3. Destroy the phone on the spot
My reasoning here is simple: you deserve my 100% undivided attention even if we're only casual acquaintances or "just friends."
I'm serious. I hate cell phones .... and besides, You are worth much more than that.
Taking the time to either write or call to say how much you enjoyed and appreciate the following post means a lot, an awful lot. So here ya go for one more time around the block
You're the best friends in the world ... and I trust you to hold me to my word.
This applies if you and I are of the opposite gender: If my cell phone rings in your presence during a pre-arranged meeting of any kind, I will:
1. Give you $100
2. Vacuum, clean your house, be your butler, do your grocery shopping and be your yardman for one (1) week
3. Destroy the phone on the spot
My reasoning here is simple: you deserve my 100% undivided attention even if we're only casual acquaintances or "just friends."
I'm serious. I hate cell phones .... and besides, You are worth much more than that.
Please - updated
Pray for K, ok? We just got off the phone and she's getting close.
It's today's 11:15
It's today's 11:15
Love Is All Ya Need ...(loser) - updated
One of the wisest things I've ever heard came from an ex-girlfriend.
TPW may have been quoting someone else, I don't remember and guess it doesn't matter. But what she said is this:
"People don't fall in love with a person, they fall in love with how they feel when they're with that person."
Whoa. The subtext here is, "I must be in love because I really like the way I feel when I'm with you. I'm willing to overlook your issues at the same time, because I'm desperately hoping you can fix and make me feel better about mine."
That's why we see middle-aged men who've been married 30 years buying Corvettes soon as their kids are out of college and start running around with teen-aged girlfriends... they feel trapped and are rebelling against their marriages through sheer boredom and the lack of any prospect for a meaningful future (it's also why middle-aged women who feel neglected and left-at-home start exploring romance novels and pool boys.)
The compulsion to fix what's broken inside me is often misidentified as Romantic Attraction and leads us toward partners with their own gritty issues, eventually steering us into relationships that can be hurtful, destructive and co-dependent.
The persistent longing for approval explains why young women become promiscuous, especially at very young ages: Girls hurting inside from fractured notions of their self-worth use boys (and anything they do with them sexually) as a fix, learning from their peers to dress and advertise themselves like prostitutes ... because they're willing to trade sexual favors in return for a man's attention and the illusion of his affection.
Being goal-oriented, young men who've grown up seeing women neglected or abused, whether physically or emotionally, quickly learn to feign emotional affection (or provide young women with gifts ... whether clothes, jewelry or drugs) in exchange for immediate sexual gratification.
Never mind the lie that's happening in-between or the consequences taking place afterwards: young women and girls end up being treated as disposable sex toys and become bitterly convinced that "all men are just alike and only want one thing."
Boys and young men who forget the most important thing inside a woman's shirt is her heart never quite grow beyond an adolescent infatuation with the simple mechanical physicality of sex.
No matter what their age, people who keep trying to heal themselves by sleeping with their partner's issues inevitably leave those same relationships feeling tricked, misled and deceived ... and carry that same baggage with them as they begin each new search for the "right" fix ... always missing that sexual intimacy between a man and his wife is an emotional act designed to affirm their commitment and secure the spiritual bond between them.
Sexual intimacy is meant to build a life-long communion that's a celebration of life. It's a gift given to us not by pornography or romance novels, but by the Creator himself ... to be used only as he intended.
Ooey-gooey infatuation, sexual attraction and physical gratification grow thin pretty durn quickly and eventually one partner or the other starts getting a bad case of Bedroom Boredom resulting in Wandering Eyes Syndrome. Because it's more fun, and more exciting, seeking new sexual challenges and lurid fantasies than it is turning the finger around and pointing to the emptiness inside ourselves as being the root of the problem.
Admiting I'm Broken And Need Fixing is hard. It makes us feel vulnernable and might even be humiliating if we acknowledge something so personal to the wrong person. Still, we have that yearning and desire to be loved and accepted, unconditionally and no matter what, that too often remains unsatisfied and leaves us wondering What's wrong with me?
Please doctor, can you fix me?
---
Another wise thing I heard came from an Ex who was a clinical psychologist.
She told me "Joe, everybody has their stuff" .. and we all do. Everybody's had their share of issues, hurts, frustrations, rejections, "What If's" and "Why did that happen's" going all the way back to childhood, with enough plot-twists to fill a best-seller.
But that only means we're all broken inside ... that's what the world does and the way the world works and no one should feel special, self-important or deserving because of it.
Some of us look for solutions through money & accumulating material possesions, or through porn, sexual escapades, alcohol, drugs, gambling or you name it. We fall into those traps and try clawing our way out because our pain's so severe that if it can't be fixed Right Now, like we see on TV, we forget about finding the real cause and start digging all over again with whatever bright, attractive new shovel that happens to fall into the hole with us ... even if the handle's broken and there's nothing there to hold on to.
Just one more drink, one more lottery ticket, one more credit card or one more new boyfriend on the side.
We wind up digging the hole deeper. And deeper still. But we think The Fix lies with finding just one more.
---
Nothing in this world pre-exists the Creator and none of today's worries, hurts, or anxieties will matter to anyone else 100 years from now. And nothing you write in your diary, lock away in your journal or post on your blog will ever go back farther or be more important than this:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
So why do people who feel their lives are out of control continue living as though control might finally come if only they could have just one more?
See ya in a few Sunday Playlist:
Mighty to Save - Hillsong
TPW may have been quoting someone else, I don't remember and guess it doesn't matter. But what she said is this:
"People don't fall in love with a person, they fall in love with how they feel when they're with that person."
Whoa. The subtext here is, "I must be in love because I really like the way I feel when I'm with you. I'm willing to overlook your issues at the same time, because I'm desperately hoping you can fix and make me feel better about mine."
That's why we see middle-aged men who've been married 30 years buying Corvettes soon as their kids are out of college and start running around with teen-aged girlfriends... they feel trapped and are rebelling against their marriages through sheer boredom and the lack of any prospect for a meaningful future (it's also why middle-aged women who feel neglected and left-at-home start exploring romance novels and pool boys.)
The compulsion to fix what's broken inside me is often misidentified as Romantic Attraction and leads us toward partners with their own gritty issues, eventually steering us into relationships that can be hurtful, destructive and co-dependent.
The persistent longing for approval explains why young women become promiscuous, especially at very young ages: Girls hurting inside from fractured notions of their self-worth use boys (and anything they do with them sexually) as a fix, learning from their peers to dress and advertise themselves like prostitutes ... because they're willing to trade sexual favors in return for a man's attention and the illusion of his affection.
Being goal-oriented, young men who've grown up seeing women neglected or abused, whether physically or emotionally, quickly learn to feign emotional affection (or provide young women with gifts ... whether clothes, jewelry or drugs) in exchange for immediate sexual gratification.
Never mind the lie that's happening in-between or the consequences taking place afterwards: young women and girls end up being treated as disposable sex toys and become bitterly convinced that "all men are just alike and only want one thing."
Boys and young men who forget the most important thing inside a woman's shirt is her heart never quite grow beyond an adolescent infatuation with the simple mechanical physicality of sex.
No matter what their age, people who keep trying to heal themselves by sleeping with their partner's issues inevitably leave those same relationships feeling tricked, misled and deceived ... and carry that same baggage with them as they begin each new search for the "right" fix ... always missing that sexual intimacy between a man and his wife is an emotional act designed to affirm their commitment and secure the spiritual bond between them.
Sexual intimacy is meant to build a life-long communion that's a celebration of life. It's a gift given to us not by pornography or romance novels, but by the Creator himself ... to be used only as he intended.
Ooey-gooey infatuation, sexual attraction and physical gratification grow thin pretty durn quickly and eventually one partner or the other starts getting a bad case of Bedroom Boredom resulting in Wandering Eyes Syndrome. Because it's more fun, and more exciting, seeking new sexual challenges and lurid fantasies than it is turning the finger around and pointing to the emptiness inside ourselves as being the root of the problem.
Admiting I'm Broken And Need Fixing is hard. It makes us feel vulnernable and might even be humiliating if we acknowledge something so personal to the wrong person. Still, we have that yearning and desire to be loved and accepted, unconditionally and no matter what, that too often remains unsatisfied and leaves us wondering What's wrong with me?
Please doctor, can you fix me?
---
Another wise thing I heard came from an Ex who was a clinical psychologist.
She told me "Joe, everybody has their stuff" .. and we all do. Everybody's had their share of issues, hurts, frustrations, rejections, "What If's" and "Why did that happen's" going all the way back to childhood, with enough plot-twists to fill a best-seller.
But that only means we're all broken inside ... that's what the world does and the way the world works and no one should feel special, self-important or deserving because of it.
Some of us look for solutions through money & accumulating material possesions, or through porn, sexual escapades, alcohol, drugs, gambling or you name it. We fall into those traps and try clawing our way out because our pain's so severe that if it can't be fixed Right Now, like we see on TV, we forget about finding the real cause and start digging all over again with whatever bright, attractive new shovel that happens to fall into the hole with us ... even if the handle's broken and there's nothing there to hold on to.
Just one more drink, one more lottery ticket, one more credit card or one more new boyfriend on the side.
We wind up digging the hole deeper. And deeper still. But we think The Fix lies with finding just one more.
---
Nothing in this world pre-exists the Creator and none of today's worries, hurts, or anxieties will matter to anyone else 100 years from now. And nothing you write in your diary, lock away in your journal or post on your blog will ever go back farther or be more important than this:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28
So why do people who feel their lives are out of control continue living as though control might finally come if only they could have just one more?
See ya in a few Sunday Playlist:
Mighty to Save - Hillsong
just me, personally
My PH in Africa got a little sore with me because I didn't bring along a high-tech digital camera, apparently like other clients do, to take lots of pictures in the Selous. All I took with me was a pocket-sized Nikon 35mm that could easily be confused with a disposable point n' shoot.
Not sure why it bugged him so much nor whether he'd understand the reasons why a "professional photographer" wouldn't take along the best camera he could find.
One of my favorite all-time quotes comes from David Lynch's movie Lost Highway. Not far into the film, while police are on the scene investigating the arrival of a mysterious VHS tape on the doorstep of a suburban couple's home, one of the detectives asks Bill Pullman, "Do you own a video camera?"
Pullman answers uneasily, "I like to remember things my own way."
That's what it comes down to, and the reason I wasn't burning up megapixels during my stay. I've seen video shot during my hunt and what I saw on the screen wasn't in any way at all like what happened. And nothing like what I remember.
----
Several great quotes from Lost Highway. Here's just a few:
"This is where mechanical excellence and one-thousand four-hundred horsepower pays off. "
Fred Madison: [angrily into the phone] How did you get inside my house?
Mystery Man: You invited me. It is not my custom to go where I am not wanted.
Fred Madison: I had a dream about you last night.
Renee Madison: Yeah? What was it about?
Fred Madison: You were in the house, calling my name, but I couldn't find you. Then there you were ... but it wasn't you. It looked like you, but it wasn't.
Pete Dayton: I want you.
Alice Wakefield: You'll ... never ... have me.
Pete Dayton: What's going on?
Mystery Man: It's been a pleasure talking to you.
Al: Do you know what I think?
Fred: What is it? What is it that you think?
Al: There is no such thing as a bad coincidence.
Not sure why it bugged him so much nor whether he'd understand the reasons why a "professional photographer" wouldn't take along the best camera he could find.
One of my favorite all-time quotes comes from David Lynch's movie Lost Highway. Not far into the film, while police are on the scene investigating the arrival of a mysterious VHS tape on the doorstep of a suburban couple's home, one of the detectives asks Bill Pullman, "Do you own a video camera?"
Pullman answers uneasily, "I like to remember things my own way."
That's what it comes down to, and the reason I wasn't burning up megapixels during my stay. I've seen video shot during my hunt and what I saw on the screen wasn't in any way at all like what happened. And nothing like what I remember.
----
Several great quotes from Lost Highway. Here's just a few:
"This is where mechanical excellence and one-thousand four-hundred horsepower pays off. "
Fred Madison: [angrily into the phone] How did you get inside my house?
Mystery Man: You invited me. It is not my custom to go where I am not wanted.
Fred Madison: I had a dream about you last night.
Renee Madison: Yeah? What was it about?
Fred Madison: You were in the house, calling my name, but I couldn't find you. Then there you were ... but it wasn't you. It looked like you, but it wasn't.
Pete Dayton: I want you.
Alice Wakefield: You'll ... never ... have me.
Pete Dayton: What's going on?
Mystery Man: It's been a pleasure talking to you.
Al: Do you know what I think?
Fred: What is it? What is it that you think?
Al: There is no such thing as a bad coincidence.
Curious and curiouser - The Boomerang Effect
Last night I was rooting around under sofa cushions looking for spare change, and look what I found.
It's a genuine AVCLUB-issue Spyderco knife. Just like Boomerang, the one Ken used to have ... with one big difference: this one's sharp as a muke-skinner's razor.
I'll bet Ken's gonna want one just like it.
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