farmer's market

There’s something about Wednesdays that just brightens my day. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s hump day (midpoint of the week), or perhaps it’s because it’s Alejandros day (Mexican place by work), but I’m almost willing to bet that it’s cuz of farmers market! There’s just something special about farmer’s market that will just make the day better. I like the fact that I can take a break from work, walk out of the lobby and into the mayhem that’s downtown Sac; however, the minute I jaywalk across 9th St (unless you’re a cop, in which case I’d saunter over to the crosswalk and wait my turn to walk, not run, in a leisurely pace across the street) I’ll have stepped into a whole different world. Between the fresh smell of flowers over by the Caesar Chavez statue and the overwhelming array of colors at the fruitstand by the fountain, the experience of the market hits all senses at the same time. There’s a sweet aroma of nectarines as you walk by the first stand, crowded by people picking out white and yellow nectarines, vying and tussling for the attention of the busy fruit peddler. As you keep walking you encounter the vegetables table, with an assortment of greens and reds, zucchinis and tomatoes. The entire time, the smell of kettle corn fills the air, but you can always buy a bag as you head out. It’s not all fruits and vegetables at the market, as the cheese, juice and nut guys all hawk their product to folks walking by the stands. By now my hands are full of bags of peaches, grapes and occasionally some bok choy, but I still swing by the nut guy to pick up some garlic almonds. As I head back across 9th St, I glance back at the world I’m leaving. There’s nothing like getting away from work for a good twenty minutes of locavorism and relaxation. In a week filled with spreadsheets and meetings, it’s definitely been a welcome break. Until next week, there will be other things to keep me entertained, but there’s nothing like the welcome break of a Wednesday farmers market.

stumbling blocks

here's something for ya'll to think about:

"The Day America Told the Truth" – "What are you willing to do for $10,000,000?"
25% - Abandon their entire family
25% - Abandon their church
23% - Become a prostitute for a week
16% - Give up US citizenship
10% - Withhold testimony and let a murderer go free
7% - Kill a stranger

Materialism is definitely a major stumbling block for Christians. Now…I’m not saying that it wasn’t a problem before, as Christ and the early Church dealt with such issues frequently, but that the magnitude of the problem is worsening, especially at a time and age where everything is instant and cable channels broadcast 24 hrs a day to feed the voyeuristic gluttony of a society hooked on bad soap operas and the home shopping network. Our society has come to a point where our successes aren’t measured by contributions to society or strong moral principles, but rather by low much money you have, how big a home you live in, how big your stock portfolio is, or how fancy a car you drive. Many people today (including Christians) measure themselves according to this standard.

I myself admit (shamefully) to sometimes measuring myself according to these standards, losing sight of what is really important. I think sometimes I allow certain things like gadgets, a good job, and other worldly measures of success to separate me from God. I’m not saying things like toys and job security are bad, but allowing these things to get in the way of my faith is obviously not healthy. I’ve vowed to not let material things get priority over God, but the temptations are still there. Every once in a while I find myself thinking that I need a better car, a faster computer, a nicer watch, or a cleaner place. These thoughts may be justified or reasonable, but when I ask God for it instead of praising him for the things he’s already given me, or when I forget to do devotions because I’ve been thinking about these things, they become a distraction from God.

I’ve noticed that many Christians are struggling with the same problems I am. We act nicely towards each other in church but subconsciously (and sometimes consciously) we compete with each other for the best house, or the best car, sometimes even the best answers during bible study. We let these material things dictate our social groups, sometimes judging others by how they measure up based on these trivialities. Sometimes we use these material things in order to make others feel inferior, rather than using such materials to build each other up in Christ.
My point for putting you guys through this horrendously long statement is so that we can all be more aware of this problem and perhaps if you’re dealing with this same issue, we can hopefully pray for each other and overcome this hurdle together.

Alright…now that you’ve heard my opinion, what do you think about the subject?

50 beans | weightless coffee?

Pretty cool video on how astronauts drink coffee in space:

relishing in pain

What the heck is wrong with people? Do you notice that sometimes people take pleasure in the misfortune of others? Are people hard-wired this way? Is it something that we're brought up with?

I know this sounds awfully cynical, but think about it. Remember when you were a kid, watching cartoons and all that stuff? Think back...Yogi Bear, Coyote and Roadrunner, Sylvester and Speedy Gonzales...the funniest moments where when Yogi failed to get a basket, or coyote blew himself up or fell off a cliff, or when Sylvester gets smoked trying to chase Speedy.

Even on TV these days, we see that the funniest plotlines are when the main character is failing miserably or about to fail. Take Frasier for example. In that show, for seven seasons Niles has been madly in love with Daphne, but has seen missed-opportunities and epic failures come in the way of asking her out. In Cheers, the recurring Bar Wars between Cheers and Gary's Old Towne Tavern has Cheers losing or screwing themselves up each time. Why is that?

Frustration is funnier than victory. It wouldn't be funny if Yogi got the basket right off the bat, or if Coyote and Sylvester ate their respective counterparts. The entertainment is built upon their knack for failure and ensuing frustration. Is that twisted that we find this funny? I supposed now that we've somewhat established that people are kinda screwed up, is it something we can change? I'm definitely not saying I have the solution, I'm just posing the question. Please let me know what you think.

youth group kid's question

So a few weeks ago I went on a camping trip with the youth group from church, and one of the kids asked the most random question: do you think we spend too much money funding NASA and wouldn't that money be put to better use elsewhere such as feeding people here in our country? I looked at Paul and Gideon, the two that were with me at the time and we had no clue where the question came from. I tried to explain why we fund NASA and why it's important to our national priorities, and ended up pontificating for a good 15 minutes on how research that doesn't produce fruit now may be incredibly important one day, and we shouldn't let funding decide which issues get the most attention. After that, she was more confused than when she asked the question, and I looked more confused than her. So that got me to thinking, is it really worth it? Of course it is; and after some research and number crunching I finally have the backup.

The common misconception is that we spend a lot of money on NASA. True, the budget for NASA is $16.143 Billion (as of 2007); however please take that into perspective. The national budget that year was $2.784 trillion, which means NASA funding accounted for 0.58% of the national budget. Wow that's a whopper. We spend $1.581 trillion on social services in 2007 (the budgets for the Department of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Agriculture, and Labor). For every $1 we spend on NASA, we spend $98 on social services. If we cut social programs by 1% we could double the budget for NASA. Of course, the amount we spend on social services is really even more than the $1.581 trillion since that's only FEDERAL spending. If we were to add together the state and local governments' spending on social services, we could very nearly double that amount. Now I think it's fair to assume that state and local gov'ts aren't spending money on space exploration right?

Many people, including the youth group kid, believe that we should solve our problems here on earth before we try to conquer space. The reality of it is, even if we increased social services budget by 1% (the reality is, it could very well be less than the 1% when state and local govt spending is taken into account), do you really think that 1% will make a difference? Honestly, it's a drop in a bucket.

When we look at the benefits of space exploration, keep in mind the intangibles, the things that we gain that cannot be quantified. Space travel is inspirational, not only for children, but for adults as well. There is currently various forms of research done aboard the International Space Station as well as on all Shuttle missions. We haven't fully grasped the benefits of what space research has garnered, but that doesn't mean we should give it up. And at $17 billion a year, or 0.58% of the Federal budget, that's a steal.

the guy on the other team's sidelines

Today, a stalwart of the Democratic Party, Ted Kennedy, passed away. As a Republican, I've noticed quite a few of my colleagues and friends make certain comments, not all of which are flattering toward his passing. I would like to point out that regardless of political affiliation, please remember that this man did serve his country for almost half a century, through the civil rights movement, the cold war, as well as various other major events that helped shape the country today. We can remember and honor a man for his service without necessarily having to subscribe to his politics.

j d booty

Today, in a move that pulled the spotlight from Michael Vick and placed it squarely upon himself, Brett Farve signed with the Vikings. Sudden every sports blog and beat writer is frantically typing up op-ed pieces and status reports. The one thing i'm noticing is...what about John David Booty? When Farve signed, Booty became the 4th string quarterback on a team with (realistically) room for only 3 qb's. To make matters worse for Booty, Farve jacked his number. Booty, who has been #4 since he's been with the Vikings, didn't really even have a say in the matter. Wouldn't that suck to show up to to practice one day only to find out your number has been taken...oh and you might get dropped now too. Probably not the best day that guy's had...