Hard day at work

I still remember the day, it was Monday.  It started out like any other day until there came the announcement the CEO was to hold a meeting at 8 for all available employees.  We all figured it wouldn't be good news, we were right.  About an hour after the meeting our boss came in to tell us what the meeting was about.  The hospital was going to lay off about ten percent of its workforce.  So 70 people were going to lose their job that day.  I was a little nervous, we had just laid off a worker about a month before this. 

We were told there were no foreseen cuts coming and then we get this.  We were all worried it was going to be us.  However, our boss told us the people being laid off were not at work.  We all started to think about who it could be.  It happened to be my friend that lost his job.  His hours were going to be cut in half, there was no way it would be enough money to support his family.  He decided to take the severance package and look for work elsewhere. 

Not only did we lose that one extra person but another employee is quiting after Christmas and we are not re-filing the position.  So those of us still at work are going to have to make up for it.  We are all expected to do more work in the same amount of time.  It's going to be stressful.

Fixing

Doesn't it feel good to fix something that once was broken?  I was looking on craigslist about a week ago at the free category to see what there was.  I found a free TV that just stopped working.  Lizzy and I drove the few miles to pick it up.  The first thing I did when I got home was open it up and take a look inside.  There wasn't power to the TV so I figured that should be the first place I look. 

Indeed, there was a fuse that appeared to be blown.  I went to our Christmas lights outside and took the extra fuse from there and placed it in the TV.  Guess what?  The TV turned on and worked great for a day or so.  I was surprised when the TV worked so I wasn't surprised when it stopped working.  I looked up the original fuse on google and found that it was a 4 amp 250 volt slow blow fuse.  Talk about confusing.

I entered this information on ebay found fuses for sale and purchased them.  They arrived yesterday and I wasted not time.  I put the new fuse in the TV and it works again.  The fuse happens to be bigger in size than the orignal one but seems to work.

The TV was once unwanted put up on a site to get rid of.  Sometimes that is how we are, we are what others consider trash.  We have sinned, we have failed, the world sees us imperfect, useless.  However, God comes along to pick us up and make us new.  This isn't to say that I am God by any means.  This is simply an analogy for how God looks at us.

He views us by what is on the inside, not what is on the outside.  The world judges by outer appearnces while God looks to the heart.

Gay rights

Is gay the new black? - Life- msnbc.com

This article has some statements that I found intriguing.  The struggle to obtain rights for homosexual marriage is linked to the civil rights movement.  For me this is a stretch, for me I few being "gay" a choice.  Heterosexuals choose who they become romantic with, who they give their heart to.  Homosexuals can and should do the same.  It may be with the same gender, but it is a decision. 

Now comes the question, why can't two men marry or two women marry and have rights?  For Christians, they use the Bible as an example.  1 Corinthians 6:9 states that homosexual offenders will not inherit the kingdom of God.  However, it also includes those who are greedy, sexually immoral, adulterers, or idolaters. 

I think Christians miss this point.  It's not just homosexuals, its all those listed and more.  Christians can be greedy, they can be sexually immoral, adulterers.  They can be focused on the splinter in their brothers eye and miss the plank in their own (Matthew 7:3-4).

However, I do not agree with homosexual marriage.  The act is wrong to me, degrading to what we were designed for.  I know there are bigger issues out there, worse things going on, however, it is something that needs to be addressed in the US.  Right now it is the hot topic, a topic that is challenging the constitution.

I know when the fathers wrote the constitution they never realized how big some of the issues would get.  I'm sure they tried to write the laws out to encompass anything and everything they could think of.  But back then some issues were not really issues.

Homosexuality is nothing new, it is just making its mark on a new part of history.  Challenging society like other issues.  However, this issue is about people and their "freedom", unlike other issues that deal with other less personal factors.

It'll be interesting to see how BO takes care of the issue, if he address it at all in the first year. 

Pandas do not give out free hugs

Panda bites student who just wanted a hug - Animal weirdness- msnbc.com


Thought this story was kinda funny.  It was a college student who wanted a hug and thought a panda would reciprocate his feelings.  However, the cute and cuddly panda bit him on the arms and legs.  The student was quoted saying he didn't think a cute panda would ever bite him.  So I guess we can all learn a lesson, don't judge a book by its cover.  It may look cute and harmless but beware.  However, there are things that look cute and cuddly and they really are, like my son. 

Squirel does not survive

Squirrel knocks out power to 8,000 customers in Nampa | KTVB.COM | West Treasure Valley, Nampa, Caldwell, Parma, Fruitland, Ontario, Marsing, Homedale news & weather


Poor squirrel, thought he'd look around but instead found a quick way to heaven.  I now know why I didn't have power this morning.

Free Dr. Pepper

Dr Pepper to deliver on its free-soda promise - Music- msnbc.com

Check this out!  Dr. Pepper said it would give out free Dr. Pepper with the release of a specific album.  That album is going on sale and Dr. Pepper is giving out coupons on their website for a free bottle of Dr. P.

Communication Companies not Communicating

My wife and I recently purchased Qwest Internet service at Walmart.  We were told we would receive a gift card after our purchase.  Well, we're still waiting on that gift card.  We then called to add a phone line, which they did, but to another account, which they charged us another 50 dollars to set up.  By the time we found out we had two accounts we called to let them know.  They appolagized and cancelled that account and told us we would receive a check for that amount.  We're still waiting for that.  When we set up our other account they said we would receive a gift card since we didn't get our other one.  We're still waiting for that one too.  Meanwhile they keep messing up our bills.  I found an additonal 20 dollars on our bill that wasn't supposed to be there.  Everytime we call we get another person and a different opinion about why something is wrong or why something can't be done.  When we agreed to Qwest it was at 14.99 a month for internet, I called today and it was 29.99.  So, here we are wondering why nobody can give us the same answer or explain why things are always changing.  So they may not have our service anymore.  If they can't give us the price we agreed to and if they keep changing things and charging us then why should we stay with them?

IFC 08

Idaho Family Christmas 2008

This years shoot seemed to go better than last years.  At least on some points of it.  We used new cameras that made it easier for lighting.  Or at least it felt that way.  The HDV cameras didn't need as much light and they were easier to match.  Last year the cameras we used had to be "colored", which means that the brightness and contrast and all that had to be matched.  I think that is what took a long time, and where we saved time this year.  The camera ops this year could simply white balance and adjust the camera themselves instead of having one person manually do it in the control room.  As far as I know we are done filming.  There are small pickups and other shots that will be filmed later.  But the majority of the filming is done.  It was a lot of fun this year, a lot of Freshman, so it was a learning experience for a lot of people.

Try again

I'm going to try to start writing again.  I often times get busy or just plain forget that I even started this thing.  Right now I am working on writing a paper for class.  I haven't really gotten into a rhythm yet.  For me once I get writing and get the ideas going then I can usually finish up pretty quick, so that's what I am going to go do.  I'm going to try to finish my paper.

Affordable Housing

So I was reading this book on the poor and all that and it mentioned how property prices are going up. Times are getting hard, not just for married students who don't make more than 2.5o after all the expenses. There are so many expenses to think of, many of them imperative to our very existence. We need several insurances in case of accidents, we also need to pay for power and food and several other things. So what happens when you are barely making it and you find out that you are about to lose 200 dollars a month?

You pretty much start to worry, actually worry doesn't describe the emotions that are starting to consume me. I'm petrified, so much so I can't move. I'm going to start looking at new possibilities of surviving, many of them will be relying on someone else. Money shouldn't be our main priority, however, it becomes our priority when it determines our existence. We'll back to reading and trying to figure out how to make some extra money.

The World We Live In

Where we are born and who we are born to determines our successfulness in the world more than we know it. Whether or not we are born into a developed country (First World) or a undeveloped country (Third World)? Who your parents are also determines your chance at success in the world. In a recent book I was reading for Compassionate Ministries class, it mentioned how advancements haven't been made because the poor have not been given the chance. Poor(er) people face more limitations that the rich. They face limitations, often a lack of education, a struggle to survive.
People don't give homeless people or poor people a chance or the credit they deserve. The most overused theory is that homeless people and poor people are that way due to their personal choices. People make bad choices and that is why they are at the bottom of the social scale. This could be true to a point, some people are poor due to bad choices. However, are the bad choices made due to the lack of proper education due to the parents choices.
People recently seem to have noticed the poor and are really trying to do things. There are programs now where people in First World countries or any country can give to entrepreneurs to help them make a living. This is a great thing where people are globally helping others. The future will be exciting to see how we can become globally connected and working towards true equality.

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Life is busy life is good.