The Dishwasher

Sarah and I have made it for 6 years of marriage without ever owning a dishwasher. Before that, we were college students that ate at the dining commons and didn't have to worry about the dishes (except for the times that we each worked in the dishroom, but those tenures were short-lived).

So I walked into the Habitat For Humanity ReStore in Richmond, VA today - as I do at least twice a week looking for hot deals on household stuff from shutters to light fixtures. At the front of the store were about 20 dishwashers. They were all FREE for the taking. There was a limit of two per customer and no holding of items. The first person to haul it out gets the dishwasher.

I had a 2001 Toyota Corolla in the parking lot. That's not designed to haul dishwashers. And if I would have left to borrow my Dad's truck 45 minutes away, maybe all 20 would be gone. What would I do?

I picked up the best looking dishwaher (a Maytag) and carried it out to the parking lot (yes, I picked it up myself). Dishwashers are deceivingly lightweight. I opened the trunk of the compact car and shoved the bottom part of the machine into the trunk. Most of it was sticking out of the trunk, so I tied it on to the back of the car as best I could, with the help of a nice passerby who, when I asked his name, said, "they call me Jimmy".

So thanks Jimmy (and Reggie, too, for helping me unload the thing when I got home). I have a free Maytag in the basement awaiting the day of our full kitchen remodel. Until then, I guess we'll just keep washing those plates by hand.

Our New House!

New House Pictures Forthcoming

Since we bought a new house, we have not yet gotten internet in it (which is actually really nice - it saves money and TIME!). That means that pictures of our new place take a little bit of work to post (putting them on a zip drive and taking them to the local library to load and then post for you all). I'll get around to doing that soon enough. I've already replaced a basement window and put up new gutters with my Dad. There are plenty more projects, but "one step at a time."

My Updated Birdwatching Life List

I started birdwatching in May 2009 and here is my list of birds observed in the wild.

Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Mourning Dove
Black Pole Warbler
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Common Grackel
American Redstart
Bay Breasted Warbler
Carolina Chickadee
Spotted Sandpiper
Redwinged Blackbird
Black and White Warbler
Prothonatary Warbler
Turkey Vulture
Carolina Wren
American Goldfinch
Tufted Titmouse
Northern Mockingbird
Cowbird
Mallard Duck
Gray Catbird
Indigo Bunting
Orchard Oriole
Great-Tailed Grackle
Belted Kingfisher
Barn Swallow
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Black-Capped Chickadee
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Red-Tailed Hawk
Osprey
Glossy Ibis
Black-Crowned Night Heron
Great Blue Heron
Double-Breasted Cormorant
Great Egret
Little Egret
Wild Turkey
Northern Bobwhite
Canada Goose
Killdeer
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Common Tern
Rock Pigeon
Eastern Bluebird
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Chipping Sparrow
Purple Finch

The Ten Commandments of Using Volunteers in a Kid Show

This can apply to anyone who performs shows for kids - jugglers, magicians, clowns, variety entertainers, teachers, etc.

1. Thou shalt use volunteers and audience participation
2. Thou shalt use a variety of volunteers (age, gender, race, etc.)
3. Thou shalt get and remember names
4. Thou shalt respect the volunteers
5. Thou shalt make the volunteer the star
6. Thou shalt keep the volunteer safe from harm
7. Thou shalt amplify the volunteer
8. Thou shalt use a plethora of volunteers throughout the show
9. Thou shalt learn some useful one-liners in working with volunteers
10. Thou shalt embrace the unexpected and have fun with whatever happens.

I have stories that go along with many of these items on the list to help illustrate what I mean. I have learned some of these lessons the hard way. I shared this in a 45-minute workshop at the Fellowship of Christian Magicians this past week in Marion, Indiana. I hope it helps some performers out there who may read this.

Calvin on Loving Righteousness

"...no man ever hated sin without being previously enamored of righteousness." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book 3, Chapter 3, Number 20).

I Found a New Hobby

Can you name that bird?

I never thought I would admit this, but I just got the "bird-watching" bug this morning. My friend, Kevin, took me on a hike near the James River with a few binoculars and some bird books. He has been birding for a few years and this was my first day. Coincidentally, we happened to run into one of the most "famous" birders in Virginia (according to Kevin). This kind sir (from England originally) knew all there is to know about birds (he called it his "obsession"). Because of his help, I saw 25 unique birds in the wild in a matter of 2 hours of birding - most of them with my binoculars. Here is the list of what I got to see today:

Cardinal
Blue Jay
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Mourning Dove
Black Pole Warbler
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Common Grackel
American Redstart
Bay Breasted Warbler
Carolina Chickadee
Spotted Sandpiper
Redwinged Blackbird
Black and White Warbler
Prothonatary Warbler
Turkey Vulture
Carolina Wren
American Goldfinch
Tufted Titmouse
Mockingbird
Cowbird
Mallard Duck
Graycat Bird
Indigo Bunting
Orchard Oriole

Kevin said that learning something new like this allows us to name that which is naturally around us - and the better we get at that, the more we expand our experience in life - which leads to greater joy and appreciation of God's wonderful Creation.

Again, name that bird (hint, its in the list above)

Library Surprises

Have you ever gone to the library for certain books and left with a stack of completely different books? If you do that with your grocery list at the grocery store (too many times) you might spend too much money in life. But libraries are FREE!

I went to Union Seminary library in Richmond today with a few books in mind. I instead found a small stack that was different than I intended, but they look like great reads. I started two of them today and I am looking forward to digging into both. The titles and authors are pictured above. Have you visited your local library lately?

The Canterbury Cathedral Choir

Sarah and I had a surprising date tonight - a free concert at St. James Episcopal Church in Richmond for the USA tour of the Canterbury Cathedral Choir. This world-renowned choir of men and boys is on their first US tour in 10 years and is making stops in NYC and DC, among other places. They stopped here in Richmond for a concert tonight, which was superb.

They sang a beautiful French piece called Cantique de Jean Racine by Gabriel Faure, which I had sung as a senior in High School. They also did the magnificent Zadok the Priest, which is often sung at coronations and other royal events.

Afterwards, there was a reception full of yummy foods. Sarah and I got to meet some of the young choristers and ask them questions about their lives. I found out that thousands of boys audition for a few dozen spots. They board at Canterbury for school, and they practice their singing every day. This choir has a 1400-year tradition of performing.

After watching Bill Maher's movie Religulous earlier in the day (his "treatise" on hedonism and why theistic faith is delusional and destructive), I was struck with the thought of the wondrous beauty in the music of human voices (just listen to a clip of this choir on iTunes). Could such sounds really be the result of godless chance? I seriously doubt it. And that's what Maher wanted me to do as a result of watching his movie - doubt. I just don't think he had that type of doubt in mind when he produced the movie.

The "Instant Equity!" Scam

I'm sorry, but as I look through the real estate market, there is something that really irks me about the misleading things sellers like to say about their homes. Let's take a home that is on the market for $150,000. The seller says that the recent assessment of the home's value was $180,000, so if you buy it, then you will have $30,000 "instant equity"!

Now, think about this: A home is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it. If I am willing to fork out $150,000 and nobody else is willing to fork out more than that, then guess what? The home is only worth $150,000 and there is NO "instant equity." I could turn around and immediately try to re-sell the house, but I will probably only get that same amount or less for it - unless I fix it up, wait several years (and hope the neighborhood appreciates), or try the same stupid misleading tactics of telling potential buyers that they will have instant equity.

A home is NOT worth what your municipality tells you it is worth. That might be an educated guess (some more educated than others, I'm sure) based on the recent sales of comparable homes in the area. But ultimately, a home is only worth what the buyer actually pays for it.

Phoenix and Boston in One Weekend

This past weekend, I got to spend time in both Phoenix and Boston - and half of it was unplanned! I did a scheduled trip to Phoenix as I got to share my juggling presentation at a church on Easter Sunday in Prescott, AZ. The people there at Heights Church were great to me. On Easter afternoon, a family invited me over for a big extended family lunch. They lived out in the desert country. While driving to their house, which sits on some 40 acres of family property overlooking a beautiful mountain range, I passed an elderly couple running their dog while driving their car. Yes, they had the leash out the driver's side window and the poor dog was trying to keep up with the running vehicle, with other cars trying to go around it all. Now, that is redneck.

After great food and socializing, I took my first four-wheeling trip of my life. The dad and son took me up into the hills to see some ruins, a water spring, and an old mine with a wild owl that was protecting her eggs. It reminded me of the Humphrey Bogart movie The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (if you haven't seen it, it is a great narrative of the gold rush days).

On Monday, my friend dropped me off at the airport with about an hour before my flight. But it ended up being the wrong terminal (long story). So I took the shuttle to the right terminal and ended up being too late to check my bags for the flight. It was then impossible for them to re-route me to Richmond, Virginia that night. I had to be re-routed through some other city and arrive home the next day - and pay for my own hotel somewhere.

One of my re-routing options was Boston. So I called my college roommate, who lives in Boston (at BU) with his wife, and he was delighted to hear from me and was excited to put me up for the night. He just happened to have the day off on Tuesday (so did I). So he and I saw one another for the first time in several years and spent all day walking the streets of Boston and eating authentic Italian pizza in the North End. We even took the free tour at the world headquarters for the Church of Christian Science (the "reading room" folks). That was very educational, since neither of us Protestant boys knew much about this Christian Science group. Not to mention, the architecture and grand organ of the building were stunningly beautiful. The entire day was a pleasant surprise for both of us.

God is so good. He takes what seems to be disasters (missed flights) and somehow turns them into glorious experiences (seeing a long-missed friend).

Listen to Your Local Police Scanner

I just learned about a neat website that lets you listen to live streaming audio of your local emergency responders. Listen in by clicking on your local area at this website: http://www.scanamerica.us/index.php