The life of Brian...

Buffalo Christmas

2011-12-19T06:53:00.000-08:00

It is the season of joy, peace, love and giving.... So as your friend I give you the greatest gift anyone could ever recieve.:

Guy on a Buffalo, Episode 2

Where I Belong

2011-11-28T06:33:00.000-08:00

We spent the week of Thanksgiving camping up in Yosemite. We loaded up the old family caravan and pulled the trailer up to the beauty of the valley. It really is one of those "thin" places for our family. A place where the boundaries of heaven and earth seem to come together. It is not simply the beauty or the majesty of the place, but just the sense of peace, tranquility and "home".

As we drove there and back, we listened to a number of albums while we traveled down the central valley corridor before making a left and heading up to the mountains. One of our new favorites to listen to was the new Switchfoot album, Vice Verses. From start to finish it is a brilliant record, perhaps their best to date. The production, content and music is the best of their discography in my opinion, the album is also a great narrative and flows for beginning to end and back again.

Since the era of the music "tape cassette" has passed, I do not often just let an album loop over and over. We did this with Vice Verse and we were able to see how the story ends right where it began 11 songs earlier. Listen to the last song and first song together and you will see what i mean.

The album is filled with great songs that Nate loves to sing out from the back seat. The song that I lyrically can not get out of my head is the closing track, "Where I belong". It has a catchy, anthem-like musical foundation that you can't help imagining as a the closing song of a Switchfoot show. But, it is the lyrics which keep me thinking and reflecting.

It is a story about how we live out our life. Do we live our lives to the fullest? Do we live to make a difference now? Do we believe that we can make a difference? Or do we sit back and watch from the sidelines? If we are people of faith, do we simply view this life as a place to get through on our way to another? Too many people i encounter on a daily basis are living life for nothing, feeling as if they are stuck in the muck of the world, just trying to get through to the next day or the next thing.

This is what the song inspires for me: To live out this life as if it is the only thing we have, believing we can make a difference and change the world, one person and one thing at a time so that as Foreman writes;

"On the final day I die
I want to hold my head up high
I want to tell You that I tried
To live it like a song"

I want to see a generation wake up and live in a way that changes the world. I have the privilege of doing that as a vocation. Our young people are inspiring and truly believe they can make a difference in poverty, world slavery and more. How are you living today? Is it just another day to get through? Or are you looking to change the world, one moment at a time?

-B

Here are the full song lyrics:
"Where I Belong"

Feeling like a refugee
Like it don't belong to me
The colors flash across the sky

This air feels strange to me
Feeling like a tragedy
I take a deep breath and close my eyes
One last time
One last time

Storms on the wasteland
Dark clouds on the plains again
We were born into the fight

But I'm not sentimental
This skin and bones is a rental
And no one makes it out alive

Until I die I'll sing these songs
On the shores of Babylon
Still looking for a home
In a world where I belong

Where the weak are finally strong
Where the righteous right the wrongs
Still looking for a home
In a world where I belong

Feels like we're just waiting, waiting
While our hearts are just breaking, breaking
Feels like we've been fighting against the tide

I wanna see the earth start shaking
I wanna see a generation
Finally waking up inside

Until I die I'll sing these songs
On the shores of Babylon
Still looking for a home
In a world where I belong

Where the weak are finally strong
Where the righteous right the wrongs
Still looking for a home
In a world where I belong

This body's not my own
This world is not my own
But I still can hear the sound
Of my heart beating out
So let's go boys, play it loud

On the final day I die
I want to hold my head up high
I want to tell You that I tried
To live it like a song

And when I reach the other side
I want to look You in the eye
And know that I've arrived
In a world where I belong
In a world where I belong
In a world where I belong

Where I belong
Where I belong

Where I belong

Where I belong

I still believe we can live forever
You and I we begin forever now
Forever now
Forever
I still believe in us together
You and I we're here together now
Together now
Forever now
Forever now
Forever now
Forever
Forever

To censor or not to censor? That is the question....

2011-11-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

Last night , i went to see David Sedaris speak/read at Laxson Auditorium over at Chico State. He is absolutely brilliant and really made us laugh. It was a great night of giggles with our good friends, Tom and Peg...

I laid in bed last night thinking about the fact that his schtick, is pretty simple. He simply says/writes whatever thoughts come into his mind. Whether that thought is something deep, something shallow, something gross or something profound. It just comes out. And it is funny.

I tend to communicate in a similar manner. Often when preaching or teaching, I wander into unknown verbal territory as I tangent into the realm which my brain has involuntarily opened. This most often results in positive interactions with audiences and people, but can also get me in trouble fom time to time.

The question to consider is when should these avenues of thought and communication be censored and when should they be set free? How should this blog operate? Should it be a place of free thought and communication? Or should I see it more diplomatically? These are the deep things I ponder in the middle of the night....

BTW: my coffee cup has a chip on the side and I don't like to look at it....So I make sure to drink out of the other side of it...

I suppose that I could have censored that...

Triple T - 6/15/2010

2010-06-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's Twisted Tune: (for 6 weeks to prepare for summer, I will be posted a music video that engages your brain in some form of weirdness...)

Rymdreglage - 8-bit trip
This is actually my first video that I have posted that i really do like a lot. The thing that is weird about it, is the amount of time required to produce it.

CHeck it out!

PS: Legos kick Butt!

B

Triple T - 6/8/2010

2010-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's Twisted Tune - (for 6 weeks to prepare for summer, I will be posted a music video that engages your brain in some form of weirdness...)

FUNK FUJIYAMA

You may have thought his video was offbeat, this music video is a crazed explosion of Japanese culture. This includes a man committing seppuku, a frightening jolly samurai, and a living, canibalistic Mt. Fuji.

There's really not much I can say about this one. I'll let you watch and see for yourself.

B

Triple T - 6/1/2010

2010-06-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's Twisted Tune: (for 6 weeks to prepare for summer, I will be posted a music video that engages your brain in some form of weirdness...)

Klaus Nomi - Lightning Strikes

I have a feeling Klaus will have a few Tuesday's with us in the future... He is a brilliant man.

er... I mean he is totally insane, creepy, and generally just odd.... Enjoy!

B

Triple T - 5/25/2010

2010-05-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's Twisted Tune:(for 6 weeks to prepare for summer, I will be posted a music video that engages your brain in some form of weirdness...)

We all know this song well. It is a twisted video to what is really a classic song from the 80's. I would have never guessed it had such a weird video. Here is what to look forward to: Doves, Ninja's, Gymnasts, oh and a boys choir of boys who fly and have glowing blue eyes. It all makes perfect sense... oh wait, no it doesnt

Triple T - 5/18/2010

2010-05-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's Twisted Tune: (for 6 weeks to prepare for summer, I will be posted a music video that engages your brain in some form of weirdness...)

Sometimes I wish I could time travel. Purely to sit in the room when this videos was conceived... What were they thinking?

It is possibly the weirdest music video ever created…and I don’t say that lightly.

Enjoy:

Triple T - 5/11/2010

2010-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's Twisted Tune:(for 6 weeks to prepare for summer, I will be posted a music video that engages your brain in some form of weirdness...)

I have moved my weekly strange music video from Facebook to my blog for easier archiving. Here is today's entry. Come back every tuesday for six weeks to be exposed to the world of fine music videos.

Finnish singers Ilkka Lipsanen and Armi Aavikko paired up back in 1974 to create a "Grease" inspired music video to their hit song, "I Wanna Love You Tender". The video seems alright, but once you add in the horrible back up dancers, the space setting and the flying car, it gets a little strange.

Day 7 of Expulsion... FREEDOM!

2010-05-03T19:55:00.001-07:00

And so it was that at 2:00 PM on May 5 in the year 2010, the Facebook gods deemed me worthy and my world was recreated with the push of a button... It is like I never left...

Since i no longer am in need of a spokesdog. Charlie will be retiring and deleting his Facebook profile at 12:01 AM on Wednesday, May 5. Please send him any thank yous before then.

Day 7 of Expulsion...

2010-05-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Day 6 of Expulsion...

2010-05-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

“Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos.”

-Snoopy

Day 5 of Expulsion...

2010-05-01T10:09:00.001-07:00

"Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream." Malcolm Muggeridge

Day 4 of Expulsion...

2010-04-30T08:15:00.001-07:00

“We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise if we have waited in the darkness”

Day 3 of Expulsion...

2010-04-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hello world, I find myself being encouraged in the midst of my exile. My faithful hound is getting the story of our plight out to the world. The masses are marching in the streets to have my identity returned. (ok, not really...but since i am in solitary confinement i can imagine whatever i please...)

But in truth, the enemy will not crush my spirit. I may have been erased from the world, but i continue on.

Day 3 of my wanderings in the land of nothingness brings potential good news. A rescuer has responded to my smoke signals which are reaching the known world.

There is future opportunity for a face to face meeting with one of the leaders of the opposition.

We shall see how this continues to develop...

I will continue to post updates from this otherworld. I am off for another long stroll to read today's book: , Civil Disobedience, Solitude and Life Without Principle by Thoreau....

Send any inquires or words of encouragement to the hound...

10:00 AM Update: Still no word whatsoever from the overlords i emailed and called on Day 1.

Day 2 of Expulsion...

2010-04-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have been erased from the universe. I am but a shadow...

In the midst of my confused state, i have moments of clarity. I recall who I am, my kids look familiar for a moment, or I sense i have a role in the world. The state of familiarity quickly passes by and I descend back into a fog of indiscernable nothingness.

While being exiled from society, my morale is high. The Revolution has begun. I will conquer and I will return stronger than ever.

I have appointed my faithful hound as my official spokesperson/spokesdog. He remains by my side as if nothing has changed. Follow his updates for more.

I am off to take a long walk through nothingness...

I am also taking my new book which i am finding very enlightening....

12:30 PM Update: Still no word from those holding my identity captive.....

Day 1 of Expulsion...

2010-04-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

DAY 1 OF EXPULSION: Today i was banned by Facebook... Not quite sure who I am anymore. My wife is no longer married to me.. I do not exist.

So far in my attempt to find myself, here are the addresses i have contacted:

(and how come Elliot gets a first name only email address?)

info+yp2uodt@support.facebook.com
abuse+dw2xxzx@facebook.com
mzuckerburg@facebook.com
bling@facebook.com
eschrage@facebook.com
jheiliger@facebook.com
privacy@facebook.com
login@facebook.com
elliot@facebook.com
abuse@facebook.com
appeals@facebook.com
jelman@facebook.com
appeals+d6c2z7x@facebook.com
appeals+ngq0zsr@facebook.com
appeals+nr3menr@facebook.com
appeals+0vjf0cn@support.facebook.com
disabled@facebook.com
warning@facebook.com
appeals+nrzm3rr@facebook.com
info+076i7mu@facebook.com
info+0pc6762@support.facebook.com
appeals+ngq0zsr@facebook.com
appeals+0vjf0cn@support.facebook.com
disabled@facebook.com
info@facebook.com
warning@facebook.com
login@facebook.com
appeals+nrzm3rr@facebook.com
info+076i7mu@facebook.com
josofsky@facebook.com

Math Time

2009-11-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

You wonder why our North American economy is tanking these days? Why we are losing manufacturing jobs to oversees? On and On and On.... Here is why it is impossible to be a business on this continent. Fear and Liability is killing our industry....

Infant Entrapment and Suffocation Prompts Stork Craft to Recall More Than 2.1 Million Drop-Side Cribs

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., of British Columbia, Canada, today announced the voluntary recall of more than 2.1 million Stork Craft drop-side cribs, including about 147,000 Stork Craft drop-side cribs with the Fisher-Price logo. The recall involves approximately 1,213,000 units distributed in the United States and 968,000 units distributed in Canada.

Now don't get me wrong, the death of any child is a tragedy beyond words. But the reality is that our world is not perfect. When we demand perfection we will fail every time...The expectation of perfection in the business world causes business to fail, and or move to a place where reasonable expectations are placed upon them.

let's look at the math behind this story.

2,100,000 Cribs are being recalled.

Let's assume for the heck of it that each crib is used only once per day for a sleep cycle.

So those 2.1 million cribs are used 365 times a year. That is 766,500,000 sleep cycles per year.

These cribs being recalled have been in use since 1993. That is 16 years of sleep cycles. or

12,264,000,000 Sleep Cycles total...

that is 12 Billion times they have been used...

In that time, there have been 12 reported problems with the railings, which unfortunately resulted in 4 deaths.

That means that a child in that crib has a:

Chance of Injury: 1-in-1,000,000,000

Chance of Death: 1-in-4,000,000,000

Compare that to the following risks of death:

Air Travel Accident	1-in-20,000
Flood	1-in-30,000
Legal Execution	1-in-58,618
Tornado	1-in-60,000
Lightning Strike	1-in-83,930
Snake, Bee or other Venomous Bite or Sting	1-in-100,000
Earthquake	1-in-131,890
Dog Attack	1-in-147,717
Asteroid Impact	1-in-200,000
Tsunami	1-in-500,000
Fireworks Discharge	1-in-615,488

So are these cribs really so dangerous that we need to have companies spend millions of dollars on recalls and liability? Or are we just expecting perfection in an imperfect world?

-B

you put your weed in it...

2008-12-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

I recently caught sight of a couple of drunk, weed smoking disc golfers in the park. It is stunning how they are ruining our community:

Here is a copy of the letter I wrote to the paper today:

Over the previous few weeks it has been disheartening to witness and experience first-hand the attitude and attacks by those who oppose disc golf. Letters in the paper, phone calls, and personal conversations have often been filled with degrading stereotypes, profanity laced tirades and even harassing phone calls to people’s homes by those who seek to keep disc golf out of Bidwell Park.

Disc golf supporters have recently sat at the table with city officials and opponents and attempted to compromise. The only compromise offered by opponents has been to close the courses and study other possible locations. (locations that are already known to be impossible or impractical for disc golf) The entire debate centers around the fact that the Bidwell Park Plan supported a number of compromises and the council chose the only option that contained no compromise for recreationists. We want to work to make our park recreational as well as more environmentally nurturing. We are willing to compromise.

The referendum effort has been an incredible experience of community involvement. The wide cross-section of our community that I have encountered and worked alongside has increased my love for the Chico community. The absolutely unwillingness to compromise and derogatory attitude of disc opponents has been greatly discouraging. I applaud the council’s decision to reconsider their previous vote at the next council meeting. I simply ask for reason and compromise by all who are involved and a new decision that accurately represents the views of our community.

I referred to the council decision to reconsider disc golf. You can read about that here.

2008-12-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

In response to Josephine's letter in the paper today and in particular the following quote:

"Instead of working with the city to find a new location, they are obstructing implementation of the entire Bidwell Park management plan using
fear-based myths. "

1. Disc Golf supporters have been working with the city to find a new location. Please refresh yourself on the last couple of decades of disc golf history. Every attempt to locate an alternate location has lead back to the current location being the most suitable.

2. Yes, i concede I am using fear-based myths. I think that is very appropriate in this situation. I am honestly afraid of losing additional recreation in our park. That is my true fear. I fear my kids will be limited in their ability to hike, bike, swim, disc golf and more.

Every day when i ride my bike through the park to work, (because even as a disc golfer, i do consider myself to be an environmentalist...) I look around and hope that I am wrong. That is the fear that that I face each day. Perhaps it it is irrational, perhaps it is purely myth, but in my opinion the council's decision opened the door to future reduction in recreation opportunities.

There is no other conclusion to draw when we have far greater intensive recreation occuring all over the park and we are being told that disc golf is too intensive. One group of opponents pushed for disc golf to be removed, who is to say that won't happen to hiking, biking and more?

I admit it, I am a fear-monger. I fear the park will become a nature preserve. I love nature preserves. I have visited many. But Bidwell is meant to be a place where nature and recreation co-exist. So I will continue to ask for signatures. I collect them not to save disc golf. But because i fear losing something far greater and special... the place my kids run, play and explore each day. I sincerely hope you are right and this fear is purely a myth...

Brian

Join the revolution!

2008-12-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Let me know if you want to sign a petition!

On a lighter note...

2008-11-25T11:29:00.000-08:00

If I had a monkey, I would borrow my wife's sewing machine and make my monkey a little monkey suit. Then if anyone said "Thats not a real monkey, it's just a monkey suit, I can see the zipper", I could say "I bet you fifty dollars it is a real monkey" and when they said "that seems like a reasonable bet, you are on", my monkey would take off the monkey suit and they would have to pay me fifty dollars.

Referendummy

2008-11-21T08:39:00.001-08:00

You have all watched my involvement in local politics from back in the Davis days of fighting for our neighborhood school to be built as promised. That was the motivation for creating this blog back in 2004. It was a place to express my frustration with the lack of foresight that our elected and appointed officials were operating with or without.

It has been a while since i was very involved in much going on. Part of that was due to having 3 young kids, part of that was moving to a new community and getting perspective on what is occuring in our community and local government.

Now I have placed the gloves back on. Save Disc Golf will be our rallying cry! I am far too tired of the story already to go into detail about all that has occured in the last 20 years and the culmination of that last Tuesday night. You can read the history of the council meeting and the commentary on Lon Glazner's Blog. We are launching a referendum drive if the council does not take some immediate official action on the things they are promising under the table.

So we simply are going to need you! If you are a Chico registered voter we are going to need your signature or need your assistance in gathering the ~8000 signatures we need. Here are some more details on the upcoming whirlwind process.

And here is a response to someone who was frustrated that Disc Golf supportors keep saying that the "Council decision has removed families from Bidwell Park..."

It all still continues to boggle the mind...

Mark, I also don't believe Lon is implying that they have "banned" families from the park. We all know there are many alternative family activities in the park. But consider the following theoretical scenario:

Let's imagine that our family has a tradition of every saturday morning going to the Farmer's Market and then heading up to the HWY 32 courses for disc golf and a lovely picnic. My kids are young, but i still get beat by the little weasels. They love the competition and challenge of trying to get their discs to the tone poles. In fact it has really assisted in their athletic and coordination development.

Now since the council vote we are forced with a choice. We could go to Sherwood Forest, but my kids play there often and are looking for something a little more challenging and different. We could also drive to another city and play and picnic there.

The net result is the council decision has "Removed" our family from being able to continue our saturday morning tradition. We are well aware that the council did not create "family detectors" that zap us as we enter the park. They just made a decision that forces us to go elsewhere, thus removing our activity.

Instead we are having to drive to O-town, stopping at their donut shop and then never making it to disc golf because the donuts cause such a ruckus with my kids. My wife is upset that i stopped the car at a donut shop and now we are not talking. This all leads the kids on to a path of self-destruction that ultimately leads to prison for all three of my kids.

Brian

PS: This is a theoretical situation. My wife and i have never been in a fight.

the tale of two very different men....

2008-11-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the Disc Golf Fiasco, i have been thinking a lot about integrity.

What is it that drives someone to live a life of full integrity? Is it an internal force, or an external force? Perhaps it comes down to the simple, yet complex reality of self-esteem. A confidence in who you are that leads to you knowing that mistakes and failures in judgment do not necessarily decrease your value as a human and leading you to pursue truth rather than to deception.

Here are two very contrasting news stories, which do you relate to?:

By STAFF REPORTER

Published: Today

A WOMAN is divorcing her husband after he told her it was an "iPhone glitch" that sent pictures of his genitals to another woman.

The man's wife, "Susan", consulted Apple after finding a close up and erotic image of her husband in his sent emails folder.

When she confronted her shocked husband he blamed the message on his phone.

But Susan, understandably a little dubious, decided to ask for advice on an Apple help forum.

She explained the situation saying: "When I approached him about this he admitted that he took the picture but says that he never sent it to anyone.

‘ I think your marriage has a glitch ’

"He claims that he went to the Genius Bar at the local Apple store and they told him that it is an iPhone glitch: that photos sometimes automatically attach themselves to an e-mail address and appear in the sent folder, even though no e-mail was ever sent."

She asked her online helpers for information on the alleged glitch, saying her marriage depended on it.

But she found that the issue has never previously been reported on Apple's support forums.

Instead, she was offered advice on her ailing marriage.

"It's a glitch, but only happens if the pic is sufficiently raunchy," one user said.

"I think your marriage has a glitch," added another.

Susan said she was working on divorce proceedings and thanked everyone for their input.

AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EQUATION:

Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:50 pm EST

J.P. Hayes is as honest as we like to think we are

By Jay Busbee

The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching. John Wooden said that, or maybe it was Spider-Man. Whatever, it still holds true; being noble and upstanding is easy enough when you've got people watching, but when you're alone with yourself, when you could do the wrong thing (or avoid the right thing) and get away with it, well -- that's when you find out what kind of person you are.

By that standard, then, J.P. Hayes is among the best that sports has to offer. He played a nonconforming ball for a single hole of the second stage of Q School last weekend. He realized it more than a day after the "violation," called it on himself, and thus disqualified himself from Q School ... with some severe, career-altering effects down the line.

So how did this go down? So easily, you'll cringe:

On his 12th hole of the first round at Deerwood Country Club last Wednesday, Hayes' caddie reached into his golf bag, pulled out a ball and flipped it to Hayes, who missed the green with his tee shot. He then chipped on and marked his ball. It was then that Hayes realized the ball was not the same model Titleist with which he had started his round. That was in violation of the one-ball rule, which stipulates that a player must play the same model throughout a round.

Okay, so, two-stroke penalty, no big deal. He recovered well enough to put himself in position to finish in the top 20 and advance to the third and final round of Q School. The top 25 finishers in that round, plus ties, earn exempt status for the entire 2009 PGA season. So, breathe deep, think about how close you came to disaster, then tee it up for the next round.

Only, while Hayes was breathing deep, he realized something else -- not only did he play the wrong ball, he might have played a ball that wasn't even approved for play at all.

"It was a Titleist prototype, and somehow it had gotten into my bag," he said. "It had been four weeks since Titleist gave me some prototype balls and I tested them. I have no idea how or why it was still in there ... I called an official in Houston that night and said, 'I think I may have a problem. He said they'd call Titleist the next day. I pretty much knew at that point I was going to be disqualified."

Now, the easy move here would be to either do nothing or blame the caddy. Hayes rose above both those temptations, putting all the blame on himself and asserting that everybody else on the PGA in his shoes would have done the exact same thing. We'll never know, but let's hope so.

Also, Hayes already has more than $7 million in career earnings, so it's not like he'd consigned himself to another year working the counter at the Quik Stop. But still, knowing you're taking yourself out of the running for a year of career stability and wealth takes some serious situational ethics.

Would you do it?

Really?

Free our discs....

2008-11-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

Do Something!

2008-11-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

This holiday season I humbly urge you to think outside of the box... One less gift = lives changed forever in our world... It doesn't take much...

Want some perspective? Where do you stand? I am in the top 0.98% of the world in terms of income....

Here are just a few organizations I believe are worth supporting. There are many, many more, so please comment and add others.

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems.

Blood:Water Mission exists to promote clean blood and clean water efforts in Africa, tangibly reducing the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic while addressing the underlying issues of poverty, injustice and oppression. Blood:Water Mission is building clean water wells, supporting medical facilities, and focusing on community and worldview transformation, both here in America and in Africa.

ENOUGH is a project of the Center for American Progress which aims to answer questions about what is really happening and offer a clear path to sustainable solutions. We were co-founded by CAP and the International Crisis Group in early 2007, setting out to establish a new paradigm for action.

Heifer Project:
This simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief caught on and has continued for over 60 years. Today, millions of families in 128 countries have been given the gifts of self-reliance and hope.

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.

Around the country and across the globe, the Save Darfur Coalition is inspiring action, raising awareness and speaking truth to power on behalf of the people of Darfur. Working with world leaders, we are demanding an end to the genocide, and our efforts are getting results.

As the ONE CAMPAIGN, we are raising public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and efforts to fight such problems in the world's poorest countries. As ONE, we are asking our leaders to do more to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE believes that allocating more of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world's poorest countries.

World Vision is a humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

Charity: water is a non-profit bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. It’s hard to imagine what a billion people looks like really, but one in six might be easier. One in six people in our world don’t have access to the most basic of human needs. Something we can’t imagine going 12 hours without. We’re not offering grand solutions and billion dollar schemes, but instead, simple things that work. Things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. For about $20 a person, we know how to help millions of people.

News from the future...

2008-11-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

So I was waiting for a password reset email to arrive in my inbox, so i checked my spam folder to see if it was in there. I was shocked to discover that I was getting emails from the future.... from January 18, 2036 in fact..

Since I hold the keys to what the future holds. Here are a few of the things that i have learned:

1. Shoulder and knee surgery will still occur...so much for those magic Star Trek medical machines... We will also be still dealing with hernia patches.

2. Tooth whitening is still a concern for us.

3. Brazillian oceanfront property is cheap. Perhaps Global Warming and sea rise has cause an increase in property available in formally landlocked areas.

4. Dish Network is still a ripoff...

5. I will still be getting sent free cash from strangers or long lost family members in Nigeria.

6. Obama is still in leadership of some form and in 2036 will be starting in new leadership position... Supreme Galactic Emperor perhaps?

and now presenting!!!...

2008-10-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Of my many life goals, i have always had at least 2 odd ones. The first being to open a nice little pub featuring the gourmet bar food of my lovely wife and showing Turkish Soccer on plasma screens 24/7.

The other is to be in a sweet bar band. Chico is a great place for that. So we have finally moved forward and launched. Check out Greg Cootsona on drums, Luke Reid as a background singer... and Eric Tillmanns with a bad dye job.. Here is our first video. Catch us at LaSalles in Chico every Weds Morning.

Tech fun

2008-07-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

This blog was sent from my Ipod while in a campground bathroom in the
majestic Sierra Nevada mountains. Just because I can...

-B

Week 1

2008-07-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

I just finished up my first week of working as a pastor at Bidwell Presbyterian church. What a great week of getting settled in and meeting people. The staff at BPC is simply an awesome group of people and it will be fun and amazing to serve the church alongside them all.

Most of my time this week was spent on things like unloading my crates and crates of books, transfering files to my new computer and meeting with various people. It is a great thing in life to look forward to going to work each day, especially when I get to ride my bike to work each day through the beauty of Bidwell Park. I have been loading up a good sermon or the new Coldplay album on my IPOD and just cruising away down the trails to the church... What could be better?

I am waiting for these to comeback:

2008-07-09T12:47:00.001-07:00

Here is a great list of actual sports that were in the Olympics at one point in time: This is one of the more amusing things i have discovered in quite some time...

Motor boating, duelling pistol among discontinued sports from past Olympics

Tue Jul 8, 2:13 PM

By The Associated Press

Not every Olympic event has been a success. Some, like live pigeon shooting and equestrian high jump, lasted just one year. Here's a look at some other sports no longer in the Olympic program:

Rope climb (1896, 1904, 1924, 1932): Using only their hands, competitors try to see how fast they can get to the top of the rope.

One-hand weightlifting (1896): Similar to the modern snatch event, but athletes were only allowed to use one hand.

Tug-of-war (1900-1920): Two teams of eight try to pull a rope six feet; if neither team reaches the mark after five minutes, the team that pulls the farthest wins.

Standing high jump (1900-1912): Same as the traditional high jump, only without a run-up.

Standing broad jump (1900-1912): The long jump without a run-up.

Standing triple jump (1900-1904): Also known as the hop, step and jump; started from a stationary position.

Underwater swimming (1900): Swimmers were awarded points for how far they went and how long they stayed under water.

Swimming obstacle race (1900): Racers had to swim through the River Seine, climb up and down a pole, then go over and under several boats.

Live pigeon shooting (1900): The birds were released and shooters tried to kill as many as possible.

Equestrian high jump (1900): Riders see who can jump the highest on horseback.

Equestrian long jump (1900): Long jumping on horseback.

Basque pelota (1900): A form of handball played mostly on the border of Spain and France.

Rugby union (1900, 1908-24): One of the most popular team sports in the world still waiting to get back into the Olympics.

56-pound weight throw (1904, 1920): A 56-pound weight affixed with a handle that's thrown over a pole vault bar.

All-around dumbbell contest (1904): Competitors performed 10 different lifts with dumbbells over two days.

Club swinging (1904): Similar to rhythmic gymnastics, only the competitors swing clubs around their bodies.

Plunge diving (1904): From a standing position, divers see how far they can go without taking a stroke.

Duelling pistol (1906): Shooters fired at mannequins wearing frock coats and bull's-eyes on their chests.

Motor boating (1908): Three categories of races in boats; IOC later decided against allowing anything with a motor.

Jeu de paume (1908): Similar to squash, only competitors use their hands instead of a racket to strike the ball.

Plain high diving (1912-24): Divers were not allowed to do any acrobatic moves; they just dove straight into the water.

Tumbling (1932): Athletes do flips and twists along a two-foot-wide strip; now part of the modern gymnastics floor exercise.

Solo synchronized swimming (1984-92): Swimmers were awarded points based on routines synchronized to music.

thats how we roll...

2008-07-05T22:41:00.001-07:00

So one of the things that i am looking forward to about starting my new job down at Bidwell Presbyterian is that the church is located in downtown Chico. I live right on Bidwell Park and can thus ride my bike to work each day just over a mile through some of the most amazingly beautiful terrain known to mankind... So we have been looking around for a cruiser bike that would be better for cruising to work and locking up around town than my mountain bike...

Today we hit the Craigslist jackpot!! Check out this beast you will spot Angie and I riding around town... We think the bike needs a good name... Something like "the busy bee" or the "slamm'n banana"... Any suggestions in the comment section would be appreciated..

PS: One of the great other pastors i will be working with also rides his cruiser to work and wrote about the joy it brings him on his blog. Check it out

"Insert wheezing smokey cough sound here"

2008-06-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

For those of you with lovely clean air at the moment, i pause to take off my gas mask and show you this:

Picture 1: Very pleasant photo from nearby our house from a week ago:

Picture 2: Today from the same location, same view:
I shall now return to my labored, cancer inducing breathing...

UPDATE: Check out this satellite pic from NASA showing all the fires and smoke:

UPDATE 2: Chico made the national news tonight.... here is the clip:

On vacation!

2008-06-07T10:59:00.001-07:00

See you on the flip side... Angie and I are off to Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary... We might return in 8 days.. Until then I leave you with the following images to make you jealous...

come on already...

2008-05-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

So some people wonder why most of the population feels like Republicans are out of touch. As much as i dislike the Patriots, i just have to think that one of the most "powerful" officials in the government has far more important duties to fulfill then to keep investigating a football team. They deserve to lose another 30-40 seats in the coming election.

Specter questions Patriots success

Posted: Thursday May 15, 2008 06:25AM ET

After meeting with a former Patriots employee who helped the team spy on opponents, Senator Arlen Specter on Wednesday described the team's illicit videotaping tactics as more systematic and deliberate than what the NFL has acknowledged publicly. said the former employee, Matt Walsh, described elaborate measures by the Patriots to conceal their filming of opponents' signals. Walsh also explained how the Patriots' coaching staff gleaned strategic information from members of the team's video crew who had watched the Rams' walk-through practice before the 2002 Super Bowl. He also identified more games and opponents that were filmed by the Patriots and detailed the advantages the team gained in later games. Specter, a longtime Eagles fan, has battled with the NFL on several issues over the years. This time, with his continued criticism of the league's investigation into the Patriots, he is raising questions about the legitimacy of the Patriots' accomplishments -- which include three Super Bowl titles this decade, one against the Eagles, and an 18-0 record last season before a loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl.

I AM COMING TO SAVE YOU!

2008-05-14T14:27:00.001-07:00

My friend Justin has a blog that is usually quite enjoyable and intriguing... More recently his posts have gotten more obscure and short. Today when i was looking at his RSS feed i discovered what I think is a secret code. Being that he is an actual rocket scientist the probability is rather high that he has been captured and is sending us secret message. Here are his last 9 headlines...

Duh!
Rain
Why...
Break
God's Creation
People
Blood
Despite the shortage
A terrifying beer development

I used my vintage Enigma machine to decode his message. Now i just need to figure out what it means...

Duh! Why...Rain Blood on People and Break God's Creation? Despite the shortage, It's a terrifying beer development.

Don't worry Justin we are coming for you!....

UPDATE: I got an email from Justin, I have had to censor it for security reasons...

Subject: Justin needs you..

Xxx man…

X'x xxxxxxx xx xx x xxxx x Yolo xxxxxx (http://xxx.yoloxxxx.xxx/). If all goes well, I'll be xx xxxxxxx xx xxx court. Weird, eh?

I need some xxxxxxxxxx (boss-type people). Xxx X use you xx xxx? If so, they need youx xxxxxxxx X xxxxx xxxxxx...

How xxx xxxxxx? Any xxx xxxxx xxxx at the mothership? How xxxx xxxx xxxxxxx break?

Justin

The pot and the end of the rainbow...er..bed?

2008-05-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

Since i am always ~~the entrepreneur~~ looking for the next scam. I recently discovered a noble job opportunity. NASA is willing to pay me to lay in bed for 90 days. Now i know what I am doing with my summer vacation... And I will be ~~$17,000 richer~~ a shell of a human being after the torture listed in the following description:

In order to study a person as if they were in space without gravity, NASA scientists use head down tilt bed rest. The 115-119 day study will follow the Bed Rest Project standard model and be conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Participants will live in a special research unit for the entire study and be fed a carefully controlled diet.

During the first 11-15 days of the study participants will be free to move around inside the bed rest facility and do normal things. They will also take part in a number of tests to find out the normal state of their bone, muscle, heart and circulatory system, brain and nervous system, and vestibular (inner ear balance) system as well as their nutritional condition and their ability to fight off infections.

After the first 11-15-day period, participants will spend 90 days lying in bed, (except for limited times for specific tests) with their body slightly tilted downward (head down, feet up). Every day, they will be awake for 16 hours and lights out (asleep) for 8 hours. During the bed rest time they will also take part in a number of tests to find out changes in the state of their bone, muscle, heart and circulatory system, and nervous system, as well as their nutritional condition and their ability to fight off infections.

I think there is a about an 80% chance that the ~~victims~~ study participants will be absolutely insane by this point. Could you imagine being confined to a bed for 90 days! I am a ~~wrangler~~ parent of 3 kids who would give anything for some extra rest, but i don't think this is even allowable at Guantanamo.

During the final 14 days of the study (called the recovery period), participants will again be free to move about within the facility. Because of deconditioning that takes place during bed rest, they will slowly begin normal everyday activity. During the recovery period, they will again take part in tests of their bone, muscle, heart and circulatory systems, and nervous systems, as well as their nutritional condition and their ability to fight off infections.

Participants must be nonsmokers who are in good health with no history of cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, or musculoskeletal problems.

Individuals selected for screening will receive a physical examination at no cost. Once medically qualified, subjects will be compensated for their time spent for the required psychological assessment and any additional screening.

It's good to be challenged...

2008-04-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

Recently i have been reading a great Blog by professor and Athiest Matt McCormick. He raises a ton of great questions that everyone who believes in God should consider and think through. I appreciate his thoughts and views and I am sure we could engage in a thought provoking discussion, but he would certainly make me feel like the idiot that i find myself to usually be.

Simply put, I appreciate him, often think his arguments are accurate and yet disagree with him on some of his points. I think he is probably stereotypically right on the following quote, yet I felt the need to answer him to show that at least one ordained, Christian pastor might not fit the following stereotype.

"Myth: Even if it isn't true, there's no harm in my believing in God anyway.

"People's religious views inform their voting, how they raise their children, what they think is moral and immoral, what laws and legislation they pass, who they are friends and enemies with, what companies they invest in, where they donate to charities, who they approve and disapprove of, who they are willing to kill or tolerate, what crimes they are willing to commit, and which wars they are willing to fight. How could any reasonable person think that religious beliefs are insignificant."

The stated myth was whether or not belief in God (real or imagined) caused harm. I agree that far too many Theists throughout history and the present have caused harm because of their belief. Using faith and God to hurt or harm our world or people is deeply troubling to me. Granted using any belief system to harm others is rather offensive to me.

Matt closes with "How could any reasonable person think that religious beliefs are insignificant." I agree that religious beliefs make a significant impact on our lives, yet do not think that equates to causing "harm" as the myth stated.

Here is who i am:

People's religious views inform their voting & what laws and legislation they pass: I am tired of the view that Jesus was a right wing Republican. I vote for candidates and laws based on my view of them and the issues. As a result I find myself voting for candidates who are Democrats, Republicans, Independants, Libertarians, and Green party members. Some of them are Christians, some of them are Athiests, some of them are worshippers of Krusty the klown. Being a Christian does not make you a "good" politician and thus does not earn my vote. Sometimes i find myself voting for a candidate who is pro-life and sometimes they are pro-choice, other times i dont know, sometimes i simply do not care. Their view on one issue does not inform their ability to represent the people on other issues. So yes perhaps my voting is informed by my Christian worldview, that we are all messed up people in someway and we can all accomplish good or evil whether or not we affiliate ourselves with any particular belief system. I can show you just as many corrupt and unethical Christian politicians as any other politician with an associated belief system. Just like I can show you a number of great honest and ethical Atheistic politicians.

how they raise their children: I raise my three children to love everyone they encounter regardless of their race, social status, income level or faith background. I teach them to care for their world and environment by being environmentally aware and sensitive. (see the biosolid mixer blog) They spend time with me at our local homeless shelter sitting at the table with those less fortunate than them to try and show them that every person has intrinsic value. I teach them to be honest and loving to all people, which I think are probably the best two things i could do. All of that is definitely 'informed' by my faith, but again I do not believe that is causing 'harm'.

who they are friends and enemies with: I like to imagine I have many friends. And i will admit most of them are at least on the same general spectrum of faith as myself. But i also have many, including some of my closest friends who are far from believing in any sort of higher power. This has more to do with the way social networks function than anything to do with faith. When i meet someone in the park or in a restaurant, their basic faith system is not a consideration as to whether or not we connect and become friends. I have family and friends who are deeply religious in other faiths and others who are atheists. Our ability to care and love for one another is not determined by our belief. I totally agree with your statement that my faith informs who are my enemies. My enemies should be nobody. I believe in a God who commands us to Love all people, including our enemies. Too be honest I sometimes find it harder to love those who fall into my "faith camp" because we can sometimes be so obnoxious.

what companies they invest in, where they donate to charities: I know that I have for sure avoided companies based on their environmental record or their business or production practices, (I try and shop local!) but can not think of a time where any sort of religious/Christian "reason' influenced my involvement in a business. I donate to charities that are doing good things in our community and world. Sometimes they have a Christian foundation, sometimes another faith, sometimes they are purely secular. The common thread is a desire to impact our world for good, to better the world for someone who is oppressed or suffering...

who they approve and disapprove of: See the friends and enemies section! Jesus hung out with all the wrong people. I think I have learned something from Him in that...

who they are willing to kill or tolerate, what crimes they are willing to commit, and which wars they are willing to fight: At this point in my life i am not willing to kill anyone. I don't like the word "tolerate". I try to care and understand everyone i encounter, even when i disagree with them or they just simply annoy me for some random reason. To tolerate implies to me that i just suffer through being around them because i have to or whatever... I would rather know them deeply and understand their perspective while potentially still not coming to a consensus on an issue. I think you got me on the crimes one... I definitely try to avoid committing crimes. Which unfortunately for me seems to be a little bit harder as a Christian...(thus why I have never cut my hair or beard and never plow my field with an ox and donkey yoked together...) I am a peace guy, not a war guy.. I know there is a place in our world for "just war". But it seems like so often when i think the military should get involved they dont, and when they do they shouldnt... (can anyone say Darfur? Rwanda?)

Well, that ended up a lot longer than I expected. All I meant to say is that yes religious belief does have a significant impact on my daily life. But i think it is possible to have faith and if we found out it was all for not, to have lived a life where we caused no more "harm" than the next guy. Can you live your life as an Atheist and cause no harm? Of course. Can we live in community and disagree on essentials components of how we view the universe? I sure think so. If you were my neighbor would we be friends? I would look forward to discussions over a beer at the pub... (tho if you were a creepy neighbor... we might not be friends...but that would be a secondary issue...)

Thanks for spurring on some personal reflection... Your views are appreciated.

B

Very Important Revelation

2008-02-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

Good thing i saw this... I was just about to put on my cape and jump off the roof in an attempt to prove that i have the gift of flight....

Instead i will do something safer as an experiment... like attempt to stop a speeding train by placing my foot on the track as a break...

True to life....

2008-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

I actually got a funny email forward today. Since i don't believe in forwarding emails, i figured i could just get away with posting on my blog for my 3 regular readers....

B

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what, with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning... uphill BOTH ways yada,yada, yada!

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a @#$@# Utopia!

And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it! I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the @#$@# library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email! We had to actually write somebody a letter...with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it! And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids' and the graphics sucked! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed!

Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your butt and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove or go build a
frigging fire.... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled!!!!!!!!!
You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980! Oh yea, and a seatbelt was Mom throwing her arm across your chest every time she hit the brakes.

Regards,
The over 30 Crowd

Brilliant....

2008-02-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

This is something i look forward to... should be quite amusing.

Election 2008

2008-02-04T13:15:00.000-08:00

I was pretending that my vote actually matters and I was trying to nail down who i should vote for in tomorrow's primary.... I did the presidential candidate calculator at www.selectsmart.com

Here were my results with the rankings for each candidate. I left out the candidates who are insignificant in reality, thus why my numbers jump around... (% is the percentage of matching political ideologies with mine)

1. Theoretical Candidate (100% matched to my political stances - YES! I agree with myself!)
3. Wayne Root (69% - who in the heck??)
4. John McCain (68%) (shows how weird my political views are that McCain and Obama are tied)
5. Barack Obama (68%) (see above)
8. Ron Paul (58%)
9. Mitt Romney (52%)
13. Stephen Colbert (43%)
19. Hilary Clinton (40%)
29. Mike Huckabee (29%)
30. Mike Gravel (24%)

So at this point it really comes down to Obama and Paul for me. I just can't bring myself to vote for a republican at this point. They just seem to have no connection to reality. I really like Obama personally and I think he really inspires people. I think that is probably more important in a president at this juncture in our government. So even though i may disagree with some issues he supports, i think he is the best for getting this country going in a better direction.

Plus: I had a dream last night that i was shuffling Obama and his wife around from campaign stop to campaign stop. I was driving a beat-up old toyota corolla. There must be some deep psychological meaning to that. (I need your input my cuz, Dr. Piccone) I think that confirms I will vote for him.

But the following photo confirms it for me. How can I not vote for this guy?

REPOST: Dentist or Death?

2008-02-01T08:39:00.001-08:00

In honor of my trip to the dentist yesterday I have chosen to repost a blog i wrote in 2005. I must tell you though that my trip to the dentist was really not that bad. But that could just be a result of the valium and deep breathing exercises...

From 2005:

Well today I enjoyed some quality time with my dentist. Now I know that for many of you that seems like a insignificant event, yet for those of us with severe cases of "dentophobia" it is like meeting the grim reaper himself. I find it very ironic that that the tool of death used by dentists of all over the world is remarkably similar to the tool wielded by death himself.

I thought you might better understand my suffering if I answered the dental phobia questions for you.

Do you feel slight uneasiness and tension the evening prior to your dental visit, which makes you cancel your dental appointment?
Yes, I stay awake all night staring at the ceiling, last night Ella kept me up late so i had plenty of time to think thoroughly about my appointment. I cancelled my last appointment. Angie said, "If you really don't want to go, cancel it!" So i did, then i learned that she was not serious...

While waiting in the reception area of the dental office, do you feel nervous about the visit?
Today, I sat in the waiting room reading the first paragraph of Tiger Wood's recommendations for hitting out of a sandtrap in Golf Digest Magazine. I read it about 45 times. I have no idea what was after the 3rd word...

Have you had a prior dental experience that was unpleasant? While in the dental chair, do you feel uneasy and anxious?
Is there such thing as a dental experience that was 'pleasant'? While in the dental chair I contemplated what i could throw through the window and escape with. I also examined the cabinets to see if they were large enough for me to hide in. Or perhaps i could climb into the air conditioning vent...

Does the thought of having a dental exam make you feel physically ill and tense?
If you asked me to lay in the parking lot and let you run my legs over with the car, i would be less tense.

Does seeing the dentist or dental hygienist's instruments make you anxious?
This was the productive part of today's saga. I came to the realization that i am not phobic of the dentist, but the scraper tool of death. I survived the x-rays in a suprisingly calm manner. When the tool was unsheathed i think my blood pressure went from already high to 423/298...

Do you feel embarrassed that the dentist will say you have the worst mouth they have ever seen?
I don't like the dentist, why would i care what he thinks...plus dentists aren't real people anyway, they are robots created specifically for torturing people.

Do objects placed in your mouth during the dental visit make you panic and feel like you cannot breath correctly?
Pretty much when you place any object in my mouth for an extended time, i have difficulty breathing. I think that is normal. It does seem especially difficult when your mouth is filled with latex and metal tools.

Do you feel that your dentist is unsympathetic only with you?
No i feel like he is unsympathetic with all humans. This goes back to the robot hypothesis.

Play taps now....

2008-01-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

Mountain lion from park couldn't be saved

By JENN KLEIN - Staff Writer

Article Launched: 01/23/2008 01:11:48 AM PST

A sick 5-month-old mountain lion taken out of lower Bidwell Park on Thursday met with a sad ending.

Dr. Pamela Swift, the state Department of Fish and Game veterinarian who was in charge of the animal, said attempts to save the ill mountain lion kitten were unsuccessful. The kitten died early Saturday morning, she said.

"She was in poor condition, but anytime they've been out there by themselves and they haven't been able to eat or drink, it's always touch-and-go whether you will be able to pull them through," Swift said Tuesday.

Swift suspects the 20-pound kitten may have been struggling with more than starvation. Since a number of humans handled the animal, she ordered tests to see if the young cat had any diseases.

She said normally wild animals who have been starving will eat anything. But she said the kitten, who a Fish and Game biologist had described as "a skeleton with skin and hair," was not interested in food.

"She seemed like something more was going on; it wasn't just she was hungry," the veterinarian said.

The body of the cat is in Davis, where it will undergo a necropsy — the animal version of an autopsy. A test for rabies is due back this week and tests for a variety of other diseases will take up to two weeks, she said.

Fish and Game biologist Henry Lomeli said kidney failure might have been a possible cause of death.

"We're looking for all the answers," Lomeli said. "Everybody is kind of sad we lost her. ... I wish we had a happy on this one. There was something going on in there we couldn't stop."

Swift estimated the cougar was 5 months old, younger than the 10 months biologists had originally thought. She said mountain lion kittens typically stay with their mother, who teaches them to hunt, until they are a year and a half old.

"Without their mother, they can't survive," she said. "They will die."

She said it's still unknown if the mountain lion mother abandoned the kitten or if she was killed, only that they were separated from each other. No sign of the mother was found in Bidwell Park during a search last week, Park Ranger Bob Donahue said earlier.

Residents first spotted the kitten in lower Bidwell Park Jan. 12. A foot patrol search of a cordoned-off area turned up empty that day, but on Thursday state wildlife officials were able to tranquilize the animal at Cedar Grove.

The kitten was starving, suffering from hypothermia, and on the verge of death with no body fat and very little muscle tissue, Lomeli earlier told the Enterprise-Record.

Swift said mountain lions are not used to being around humans so it's stressful for them to receive medical attention.

"It's really not easy to treat a sick mountain lion because you have to keep sedating them or giving them drugs for them to handle it," Swift said.

The cat was kept in a heated crate with easily digestible food. When her caretaker arrived Saturday morning, she was already dead, Swift said.

"When animals, especially wild animals, are in that state, they're already sort of out of it. In other words, not feeling lots of pain, just kind of a weak feeling," the vet said.

Staff writer Jenn Klein can be reached at 896-7767 or jklein@chicoer.com.

Kitty Update

2008-01-19T08:56:00.001-08:00

Here is the kitty that was certainly looking for something weak to eat... I am kind of a wuss, so I am pretty sure it was waiting for me....

It is amazing how quickly the populous can shift from "AHHHH A wild beast is trying to eat our children!!!!" to "poor little kitty, go go go!"

The little guy needs St.Francis to meddle in this one...

-B

Prognosis poor for sick mountain lion kitten

By JENN KLEIN - Staff Writer

Article Launched: 01/19/2008 12:14:49 AM PST

A happy ending remains uncertain for a sick mountain lion kitten removed from lower Bidwell Park.

Henry Lomeli, a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game, said the 20-pound kitten taken out of the park Thursday was starving, suffering from hypothermia, and on the verge of death. The 10-month-old feline likely would not have survived the weekend if wildlife officials had not interceded, he said.

The cat is now in the care of veterinarians in fish and game's Rancho Cordova center.

"That little kitten right now is fighting for its life and we're doing everything we can to try and save it," Lomeli said.

Dr. Pamela Swift, the fish and game veterinarian now in charge of the animal, gave the young mountain lion a poor prognosis Friday afternoon and said the next day or two will be critical. She said the animal could still make it but was still not interested in eating Friday afternoon, which she said was not a good sign.

Lomeli said at 10 months old, the kitten should have weighed between 50 to 60 pounds and would normally still have been with her mother. He said it's unknown what happened to the mother, only that she was not in the life of the kitten, who was trying to survive on her own.

"She was doing her best to make a living and was failing miserably," he said.

Park Ranger Bob Donahue said a search for the mountain lion mother in Bidwell Park turned up empty.

"We have no sign of mom in the park and we've done some looking because we didn't

want to have another one loose in the park," Donahue said.

He stressed the park was not dangerous and said park rangers closely monitor it for mountain lion and other wildlife activity. It's been 15 to 20 years since there has been sightings of mountain lions in lower Bidwell Park, he said.

Donahue said the cat is the same one residents first spotted on Jan. 12. A foot patrol search of a cordoned-off area turned up empty that day, but on Thursday state wildlife officials were able to tranquilize the animal.

Lomeli said he suspects the poor condition of the cat Thursday was why officials were able to spot her, because he said starving animals are often stumbling, and don't have interest in running.

The kitten had no body fat, very little muscle tissue, and was "essentially a skeleton with skin and hair," Lomeli said. The biologist said because of that she was unable to keep her body temperature up and probably would have frozen to death Friday or Saturday night.

After officials tranquilized the cat, Lomeli was concerned the stress of both a capture and a move might be too much for the invalid creature. Instead of going straight to Rancho Cordova, the kitten went to Evers Veterinary Clinic off of Highway 32, where Dr. Anne Ripke and her staff helped stabilize the animal with antibiotics and intravenous fluids and treated her for shock.

"If it wasn't for them and their quick actions the cub probably would not have survived the night," Lomeli said.

Friday she was transferred to Rancho Cordova around 11 a.m.

Swift said as well as starvation, it's possible the animal could have some sort of disease.

She said fish and game is keeping her in a heated den with easily digestible food and trying to keep her away from stress, as she was pretty agitated when she first came in.

Lomeli said before fish and game can even think about re-releasing the cat into the wild, it has its work cut out in making sure she even survives.

"We're all rooting for her," Lomeli said. "We hopes she makes it."

Staff writer Jenn Klein can be reached at 896-7767 or jklein@chicoer.com.

meow....here kitty, kitty.....

2008-01-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

This occurred about 200 yards from our house.... I think he was looking for our chickens... Unfortunately he didn't eat our cat, Otis... B

Mountain lion removed from Bidwell Park

By E-R-Staff

Article Launched: 01/18/2008 12:00:00 AM PST

State wildlife officials tranquilized a young mountain lion Thursday in lower Bidwell Park, and hauled it away to Fish and Game Department headquaters in Rancho Cordova.

The cougar cub was knocked out just before 2 p.m. at Cedar Grove, which is adjacent to Parkview School and the Chico Creek Nature Center.

The cat had been seen by a number of citizens, who called the city. The city called in state officials to deal with it.

Park Ranger Bob Donahue said the cat weighed about 35 pounds, and was on the ground when hit with a dart.

The park was closed for a time Saturday due to then-unconfirmed mountain lion sightings. Authorities reopened the park after finding no sign of the animal.

There's no word whether the cat tranquilized Thursday was the one seen Saturday.

bring it on...!

2008-01-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

You know you are getting a big storm when the weather forecast has the following image...

I am not afraid... but first i need to locate my ark...

B

Polar Bear 2008

2008-01-01T21:47:00.001-08:00

Polar Bear Swimmers: A couple hundred
Air Temperature: 52 Degrees
Water Temperature: 38 Degrees

Shoving Eric in before he is ready......

Totally priceless....
and yes Eric and I both swam across and then back again as opposed to the other pansies who only went to the other side...

Here is a youtube video: I am the one in the blue shorts in the middle of the pack..

ALSO CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO STREAM OF THE CHICO POLAR BEAR SWIM 2008

I'm Lost...

2007-12-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but i am an avid fan of the show LOST. I think it is one of the most creative and interesting shows in TV land... It returns with new episodes on February 8th. Here is the new trailer... It has given me chills each time i have watched it.

will they ruin Christmas?

2007-12-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

Accuweather.com is now officially predicting it will be a white Christmas here in Chico:

I am going to tell my kids when i get home from work. That way we can really put Accuweather under some pressure. They certainly don't want to disappoint poor innocent children.

Just so you can laugh at me....

2007-12-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

A bunch of good old friends and I have reconnected lately via the great technology of Facebook. We have been laughing a lot while we scan in old pictures from our wild and crazy youth and college days...

So for your snickering pleasure and because i realize that not all of you have facebook, you too can enjoy the fun...

Click Here for the Photo Album

-B

My evil twin...

2007-12-10T23:31:00.000-08:00

Nate and I have a nice morning routine. Pretty much every morning he wakes up while i am in the shower and comes into our room and snuggles into bed with his comatosed mother. Once i am out of the shower and ready to go, we head down to the kitchen. Nate runs out front and gets me the paper, we both make breakfast and we sit down at the table to eat, chat and read the paper.

The other day i was reading the paper and he looked over and said, "Hey, look dad you are in the paper..." I thought perhaps the paper had gotten wind of my heroic daily activities, but instead i looked to where he was pointing and discovered this pic.

I guess he views me as some sort of dictator like father figure or perhaps i have a long lost twin who is the supreme dictator of Iran...

That got me to thinking about other people who I am told i resemble. Here is a little collection of Brian's look-a-likes...according to those who comment on such things...

Ben Stiller

Steve Carrell

David Duchovney

If you can think of others, please comment...

Here are some suggestions from others:

Mr. Ed - From Kev

just because i care....

2007-11-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

The King of the Uber Dorks

2007-10-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Being a police chaplain is a pretty darn cool gig... and in our element we look pretty stinkin' sharp... But i don't think i would wear my class A dress uniform to the movies on a friday night.

Look out above!!!

2007-10-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

We have been totally amazed by the amount of acorns that have been raining down on our house and yard for the last 2 months.

It has finally pretty much come to an end, but for a while i would guess literally 10 acorns a minute were falling from our majestic valley oak shading our yard and house. 24 hours a day we would hear them land and roll down the roof, the kids were actually scared to play in the yard on some days as these things dropped like missiles from the sky.

The lawn was covered solid with them and we would go out and fill up a 5 gallon buckets to the top over and over and barely make a dent in the acorns. I had no recollection of this occur last year, and i guarantee i would have remembered this rain of death missiles from the sky...

I finally discovered this year is a "Mast" year for our valley oaks, when they drop acorns like there is no tomorrow... It only happens up to once per decade and during the acorn season the tree drops acorns at a exponentally large rate... So i will not have more piles of acorns next fall, and the kids will be able to remove their safety helmets...

Of course it is only now i discover the plethora of acorn recipes available on the net... We could have saved a ton on groceries this fall by only eating acorn based meals...

B

Click here to read a newspaper about this year's acorn crop.

My newfound hero:

2007-10-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

I really do wish that i lived next door to this guy...

Mystery of the cat-napper who takes neighbours' pets... and dumps them 25 miles away
By JAMES MILLS and NICK McDERMOTT

When their cats started to disappear mysteriously, the residents of Bramley Crescent were understandably puzzled and distressed.

Desperate for their return, they handed out hundreds of leaflets and put up posters with photographs appealing for information about the seven missing pets.

But this week the search took a disturbing and sinister twist. Each family received an anonymous letter from the 'person responsible for the disappearance of your cats'.

The printed note, littered with grammatical errors, explained that the cats had been caught and driven at least 25 miles away and let loose.

This malicious act was a form of revenge for the animals apparently vandalising the catnapper's garden - on the very same street.

The pets had pounced on birds, leaving feathers scattered all over the lawn, and destroyed plants and shrubs by using flowerbeds to relieve themselves.

And although the anonymous culprit assures the residents that their none of the cats have been harmed, the letter chillingly warns that if any are returned to their owners and subsequently caught for a second time, 'they will be destroyed'.

So far seven cats have vanished from the street in Southampton, although the letter-writer only admits to taking six.

Ellie Catto, 30, said her three children were extremely distressed at the loss of their two cats Tooty and Dusty.

She added: 'It makes me so angry that someone feels that they have the right to take our cats like this.

'In the letter it talks about the cats intruding on "my family" and "my garden" but what about my kids?

'My five-year-old daughter Holly and seven-year-old daughter Abigail are distraught about losing their cats.

'And my ten-year-old son Amos is also missing them terribly. If somebody has taken them and dumped them, as far as I'm concerned that's theft and cruelty to animals.'

A number of clues to the letterwriter's identity are contained in the note which also admits that others were involved in the catnapping. The letter says: 'I have lived in the Bramley Crescent area for many years with my family.

'But just lately, my neighbour and I have become totally fed up with the number of cats invading our gardens.'

The letter complains that cats are responsible for killing birds, damaging 'expensive shrubs' and leaving their mess around for children to step in.

The letter goes on: 'Your cats were caught and removed to an area a minimum of 25 miles away by a lorry driver friend of mine.

'If you were lucky enough to get your cat back ... the second time they get caught in my garden, THEY WILL BE DESTROYED.'

Kelly Went, 29, lost her two cats, Spoon and Fletcher, within the space of four days.

She said: 'I have prepared myself for the fact that they might be dead. Even if I got my cats back now I would be too scared to let them out of the house.

'Those cats were all I had and now they have gone missing - this person is sick. He doesn't know how much our cats mean to us.'

Marian Parkin, who lost her cat Puss Puss, added: 'It is very sad and very distressing. Whoever is doing this is very cruel.'

The other two missing cats are called Spot and Blackie.

Another elderly resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, fears that her cat has already perished because it needs to be given tablets for a kidney condition.

She said: 'It's disgraceful. I'm absolutely appalled. It's cruel and sick. This letter is very threatening and frightening.'

Inspector Andrew Timms, of Hampshire police, said: 'If the letter writer has taken these cats, then he or she is guilty of theft. Anyone who helped has aided and abetted an offender in committing the crime.'

No Words Necessary...

2007-10-15T08:53:00.001-07:00

a beautiful thing...

2007-09-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Those who know me well, know that i despise the "sport" of baseball. It seems asinine to pay money to watch people stand in a field and move around every once in a while. During many games an outfielder may never actually move during a play. Makes me wonder why they have a steroid problem... Frail old women would be able to play.

I have been campaigning to allow offensive players onto the field during play. Imagine the entertainment of a centerfielder getting a nice form tackle right as he is trying to catch the ball. If that plan doesnt work, i propose that baseball be abolished.

I had not thought about baseball in a year or two but was pleasantly suprised by the following enjoyable picture. 400 fans showed up for what i think most baseball followers would call an enjoyable and exciting game.

MIAMI, Sept. 12 -- After 4 hours 9 minutes of laboring in the tropical midday heat in a cavernous and virtually empty stadium Wednesday afternoon, the Washington Nationals got stuck with this: a 5-4 loss to the Florida Marlins in 12 innings that was sealed when a .226 reserve player chopped a single through the infield to drive home the winning run.

On the other hand, the real sport that should replace baseball all over our fine country sold out all three decks of RFK stadium for a DC United vs Galaxy game... granted it was because many wanted to see Beckham play his 2 minutes, but it certainly made me happy to see the futbol players watched by a sold out stadium in the good old USA.
Though i am still waiting for a USA soccer environment like that of my favorite Turkish team Fenerbahce.

How can i go on....

2007-08-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

I find myself so less irritated these days that i have not found much to rant about on my blog.... hmm... I need something.

I was recently irritated with a sprinkler that just would not adjust in the manner in which i desired. Instead it kept spraying me when I believed it had been repaired. And then, like a demon with a mind of it's own it would spray me in the arse as I ran to turn it off. On a good note, Nate thought that me running around in the sprinklers was very amusing.

-B

It is finished

2007-07-23T09:49:00.002-07:00

Last month I journeyed with family and friends to the annual meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church where I was ordained as a minister. It has been a nearly decade long process and was an amazing experience. Here is a lovely photo:

Since then i have been enjoying the summer vacation and getting involved in a number of cool ministries. I am on a team of people organizing a new sunday morning fellowship breakfast and worship service at our local homeless assistance center as well as nearing the end of my training as a Police Chaplain for the city of Chico. Fun stuff!

Denver Pics

2007-02-05T22:27:00.000-08:00

I wandered around a bit today and took a few pics around downtown Denver. Here are some for your viewing pleasure...

A Major Life Decision

2006-11-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

On our drive to and fro during thanksgiving i had many hours in the car contemplating life, the universe and everything.... U2 has always been at the top of my list of bands to listen to. Not getting tickets to last years concert was my biggest disappointment of 2006. Their music, their message, the impact Bono is having on poverty in our world, what more is there to be inspired by.

As we drove through the mountains, i was listening to my IPOD while the family slept, all 426 U2 songs on shuffle. After listening to "Where the Streets have no Name" a number of times through a number of versions I came to a conclusion.

The song is without a doubt, my favorite song of all time. I have always loved music, and this is a major decision, i have never found a song worthy of such a declaration until now. So there you have it. I suggest you continue to read about the song and then listen to a fantastic live version below...

B

The song is a dual metaphor: it speaks of Africa, and it speaks of the Kingdom of God.

First, the song is about Africa. A few years before the recording of the Joshua Tree, during the Ethiopian famine for which Live Aid was a benefit, Bono and his wife Alison Hewson worked for a month in Ethiopia in a refugee camp run by the Christian relief and development organization World Vision. Africa has had a special place in Bono's heart ever since, as can be seen by his constant campaigning on issues of concern to Africa. There is clearly imagery from this African trip in "Where the Streets Have No Name". This is evidenced by the fact that they were "beaten and blown by the wind, and trampled in dust". In this meaning, "when I go there, I go there with you, it's all I can do" is perhaps addressed to Ali.

The second central meaning is of the Kingdom of God. Spirituality comes through in many of U2's songs, and "Streets" is no different. In the first verse of the song Bono states "I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside." He longs to leave his earthly body. When he states "when I go there, I go there with you, it's all I can do," he is talking to God or Jesus, as well as to his wife. In longing for heaven he states, "I want to feel sunlight on my face, I see the dust clouds disappear without a trace. I want to take shelter from the poison rain where the streets have no name." On the Live in Boston DVD, Bono introduces the song from the more spiritual perspective, intoning to the audience, "What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me? I'll lift high the cup of salvation - a toast to God!", referencing Psalm 116:12-14 in The Message (Bible) translation

Now, sit back and enjoy the beauty that is my favorite song of all time....:

And follow the lead of U2 and Bono and start changing the world!

This nearly brought a tear to my eye...

2006-11-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

For those who wonder what that shirt is that i am always wearing these days...

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!

2006-11-06T22:39:00.000-08:00

Boy Howdy, this made me laugh out loud...

and so it begins....

2006-10-02T23:48:00.000-07:00

Last week I busted out the rake, dusted it off and got to work on my first leaf pile of the year. Or more accurately, it was actually a needle pile. We had a windstorm that shook out all the dead needles out of our redwood trees. It was amazing the amount of needles that i collected. I actually filled our 90 gallon yard waste can with it all...

Thankfully my rake is accesorized with a fine high powered leaf blower. I am really not sure what to expect this fall. I mean just in our backyard we have a giant 70 ft Oak tree that towers over probably half the yard, 5 fifty foot redwoods, 6 japanese maples, 2 dogwood trees, plus a ton of bushes. I really enjoy the hour or so it takes each week to mow the lawn. But the question of the hour is how will the leaf invasion go this first Fall in our new home... I guess nother option is that i can just lay in the hammock and pretend they are not there....

What do you think?

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Sunset on the mountain

2006-09-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I joined up with the college group from Bidwel Pres and traveled an hour east to Mt Lassen National Park. It is an amazing place and we were there to hike to the summit. I had done it before in the snow and boarded down, but it was a first to actualy see the trail.

We hiked to the top as the sun was setting, froze as we watched it set, and waited for the full moon to rise, before starting the hike down.

Jason Green standing on the summit block of the mountain at 10,500 feet.

My self portrait: This picture was taken at about 10:30 at night. There is no artificial lighting. It is a 2 minute exposure at f3.3/28mm. I thought it turned out pretty cool.

Click here to see the rest of the pics:

It's a good thing....

2006-08-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

So as I approach the end of my first week of teaching and pastoring at Champion, i must say that i enjoy it more than i can express.

It is an amazing opportunity to be with students, and to study immense amounts. I am creating the entire curriculum for 4 bible courses and a leadership development course and as a result i spend a number of hours each day, just reading the bible and putting things together.

I have had a great time getting to know the students and I feel like i connect with many of them already. That is certainly a good thing. I couldnt handle being called, "Mr. Solecki" and the school has officially switched over to "Pastor Brian". I feel much more comfortable with that, and I suppose that is much better than "Butthead"...

I feel a bit overwhelmed with the amount of work required in researching, reading, and writing the classs curriculum for 5 classes. But it is immensly enjoyable work and i feel like i have learned more about the biblical texts in the last week, than i have in the last 5 years. It is amazing what can happen when you have no choice but to read the bible for 3 hours+ a day....

Till another time....

-B

Living in a campground

2006-08-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

We realized the other day that we feel like we now live in a campground. We were walking through the park the other night, watching people of all ages, walk, ride, skate, hike and swim in the amazing beauty that is Bidwell Park. Here is a quick photo tour of living on the park. (Click on the picture for a bigger version...)

Somedays we walk to the river, somedays we ride the tricycle and the skateboard. Other days, the kids ride in the stroller. Once i get my tire fixed, we will mount the old bicycles and journey further into the park. (Nice crack, Nate!)

Here is the trail/road that gets you to and fro in the park. There is one on each side of the river. In addition to the paved trail, there are over 50 miles of dirt trails and single track to explore... As you come into the park from our house, you can turn right on the road and be in downtown chico in just over a mile. If you turn left, and head about two miles you are up in the canyons of "Upper Park".

Here is a panorama photo i put together of the upper park...

One of our favorite spots so far is a large area called the world of trees. Bidwell planted trees from all over the world there a long time ago and now we get to enjoy them. There is a great nature trail for the kids to hike and explore.

Nate Likes to jump in the river and get rocks from the bottom...Of course, one of our favorite places so far has been the swimming hole right by our house. We have spent a good amount of time there relaxing and beating the heat. It is a great little hole, probably 50 feet wide, and 60 feet long. The main part is probably 8 feet deep or so, and then it has plenty of shallows for wading and enjoying....

Then we walk back home and enjoy our parklike backyard, perhaps a bit of time on the hammock to end the day.... sounds good to me. I think i just might head out there....

-b

Welcome to Paradise....

2006-07-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well Paradise, the actual city, is actually up the rode a bit from our new home...

First off, we have some amazing friends and family. We moved up to Chico last sunday and had an incredible crew of people helping in Davis and in Chico. There were probably 25 students, friends, family and parents helping load all of our junk into the U-hauls in Davis and 15 or so who helped unload in Chico. Now that is pretty incredible, but even more so when you consider that the day we moved was the hottest day every recorded in most places in the area. Chico had a high of 113 degrees... ouch! But people worked unbelievably hard and we were un-expressiably grateful.

Since moving in we have been spending time re-connecting with good friends and meeting some new ones as well. It has been fun to catch up on each other's lives as well as experience new people and new families.

Overall, our first week in Chico has been unbelievable. I will put up some pictures of our house all filled and settled with our stuff soon. We truly live in paradise. We have essentially a park in our own backyard and we have been waking up early and laying out on the hammock under the redwoods while trying to spot squirrels wandering from tree to tree. I asked Nate on our first night as we readied for bed, "What was the best thing about your day?" His response was, "well.....i loved swimming, and I loved playing with nana and B, but i loved most that i have my own squirrel in the yard..." A couple of times Nate has just sat in a chair in the backyard for up to an hour just gazing into the trees, looking for his pet squirrel, "Buddy".

Bidwell Park is 3 houses away and we have spent a ton of time exploring the trails and lounging in the swimming hole by our house. Here is the bridge just down the street from our house: Nate enjoyed riding his tricyle over a mile through the park the other day. And we all have loved soaking in the swimming hole and cooling off on hot summer days. It is amazing how much having a natural body of water to dive into relieves those formerly unbearably hot days... Here is Salmon Hole: one of the great swimming holes just up the trail from our house in the park:
We have not been in the new house for even a week yet, but i am amazed with how much of a sense of home we have and how much we truly love being back in Chico. I feel like i have already rediscovered a part of myself that was lost or repressed while in Davis. I loved living there but i had forgotten how much I love nature and how much that being in nature among the trees, cliffs, flowing waters and canyons just simply brings me joy. The sense of calm and serenity that i remembered in Chico has returned quickly and we look very much forward to this new season of life in the North Valley.

-therev

Casa de Solecki

2006-06-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we spent the day in Chico last week looking for a new home. After seeing about 15 places of a variety of prices and qualities we were wondering if we would ever find a place that felt like home.

It took literally 10 seconds to discover the perfect home for us. It was the home of a friend of our realtor and was just going on the market that day. We walked in the door and the three of us looked at each other and new it was 'right'! It is truly a dream house, just a few houses away from the river and Bidwell Park.

Now that we have found it, it seems even more stressful, cause there is always the fear of it falling out of escrow for some reason. But it appears our house is sold as well, so be praying for it all to work out! At this point we are scheduled to move into our new home on Sunday, July 23rd...

Finished at last! (well sort of...)

2006-06-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

THE GOOD NEWS:
Yes it it true. After 8 years of working on it, last Saturday I graduated from Fuller Seminary along with my friends Alex and Susan...
THE BAD NEWS:
1.Yes, I do look green in the photo due to my bout with food poisoning. My inlaws hosted a fine bbq and party afterward, which i missed completely since i thought i was about to die. The only good news is I made it through the ceremony without hurling infront of hundreds of people. Though that would have made for quite a story later on...

2. I still have to finish my New Testament class... ugh 1 more paper to go... and then that last, final, ending class next month... Then i will actually be done. Forever.

A new adventure ahead...

2006-05-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true, we are moving from Davis after almost 10 years of living here and raising our family. I will fill you in more soon, but here is a copy of the letter i gave to our students...

Over the last 10 years we have passed through a number of seasons of life while ministering alongside the people of this church community. We have walked together though exciting times of ministry as a church as well as following God’s plan for us as individuals. It is with a deep sense of reflection, sadness and fear, as well as joy and excitement that we step forward in faith for a new ministry opportunity. This summer we will be leaving Davis to accept a position as a Spiritual Director and teacher at a Christian High School in Chico.

The last decade has been an amazing personal journey of always seeking to follow God, serve Him, and live life to the fullest. It was here at UCC that we started our family and shared our lives and hearts with many of the people here at UCC. It is, in many ways, immeasurably painful to imagine moving on to a new ministry in a new community. So many people in this community are far more than fellow congregants at a church. So many people here are truly our family and our friends. It would be so simple to remain here and continue to serve as a pastor, yet we feel that God is clearly opening a door into a new season of life and ministry.

This youth group has been an incredible place. The amount of fun I have had with so many of you is second only to the joy I have had to see God work in so many of our lives over the years. Our memories of laughter, fun and spiritual discussions at places such as Mexico and Lake Shasta will stay with me for a lifetime. I know this is not the end for our relationships, just a new beginning. I look forward to many years of knowing you and seeing God’s plan worked out in your lives.

We read in Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6 (Message) which says that “there's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth…a time to embrace and a time to let go.” I only wish that this passage would assure us that letting go and transition would be easy. In fact it I believe that it will be difficult, sad, and in many ways, scary for us as a family. We trust that God has a plan and purpose for our ministry and our lives and we have reached a point where we will be fully trusting that God will be walking before us and with us into this new season.

Our years here at UCC have been in many ways varied, yet they have all been “right” as the Ecclesiastes passage reads. We have grown and have been blessed to hear that so many others have been touched, encouraged and supported by the various ministries of UCC. I will be ever grateful that God allowed our paths to cross and we have been able to share our lives and ministries together.

We will be moving up the road to that “other college” town known as Chico. We will not be far away in miles and we will always be close by in Spirit. I will continue to serve in our denomination as a pastor and I am sure our ministries will continue to cross paths in the future. We look forward to our future new season of ministry and for many years of continued relationships with our family here at UCC. You are all greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

His Followers and your friends,

Brian, Angie, Nate and Ella Solecki

Where did the forest go?

2006-04-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

So i was enjoying a leisurely drive through the mountains on a snow and mud-covered off road trail when the forest suddenly disappeared... I looked to the sky to see if I had stumbled upon the remote landing pad for an alien mothership, or perhaps some top-secret government military project. In fact I found the problem to be far more simplistic.

I had come across one of the many clear-cut portions of land in the Lassen National Forest. I could have sworn that clearcutting was a thing of the past. But there was no mistaking the clean cuts, and fresh sawdust being something which removed the forest recently. I would guess the area was a nice rectangular area of about 10-15 acres. In the matter of a few feet, i went from pristine forest to a wasteland littered with unwanted stumps, branches and nothingness...

I am not much of an environmentalist activist (as you can tell by the fact I was out 4-wheeling in my gas guzzling SUV), but this can't be a good thing. At other points in the same day I traveled through areas which had been "thinned" by logging, there was significantly less trees, yet the forest still seemed healthy and in many ways more healthy than the surrounding untouched lands. Anyway, i suggest clear cutting has to go, Sign this petition to get our government to stop allowing the logging industry to clearcut our forests.

Oh yea, I must confess that the leftovers did make for one nice fire that night to read by, keep warm and roast an entire bag of marshmallows by.

Here is my fine self portrait:

UPDATE: I found a good satellite photo of the area... Look real hard to find the clearcut areas... I know it is hard they blend in well...

Brian 1, Dentist 0

2006-02-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

I had to go to the dentist this morning again... Supposedly the last visit for a while. He spent an hour pumping me full with about a gallon of novocaine. But it would not kick in... No numbness to be found, especially when he tested it with the drill...

Of course the numbness just kicked in 2 hours later and now i am drooling all over my desk...

I am not sure why anyone would find this interesting, but here is the molecular structure of novocaine. Click on it and you can rotate it and see it from different perspectives... I bet Jeff deRopp would like it...

Me and my Buddy

2006-01-31T21:22:00.000-08:00

A boring night around the hotel took a fun turn when a group of friends happened upon my corner of the hotel lobby where i was busy playing online scrabble. They were on their way downtown and invited me along, I didnt even have time to grab a jacket as we ran out the door to meet up with some of our other Covenant pastor and church planter friends.

Our destination was the world famous Chicago Blue's bar, Buddy Guy's Legends. On a discreet corner in the shadow of the Sears tower many of the world's greatest music names have performed for decades. As we walked into the place of Blue's history we encounter ol' Buddy himself, greeting those coming for refreshment and music on a cold Monday night.

Buddy was recently inducted into the hall of fame by his good friends BB King and Eric Clapton. You can read more about Buddy here.
He welcomed us in and we spoke for a few minutes and settled in by some pool tables with a few pitchers of beer for the show. I could now check off "meeting a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Blues guitarist" off of my list of things to do in life.

It is impossible to convey the music we experienced in that dark and smoky room. Band after band arrived, old wrinkly men looking as if they just arrived from the bayou made their guitars sing the blues in a manner that words can not express.

Eventually a band of four white guys took the stage who looked highly out of place. Even more out of place when they opened their mouths and we realized that were Aussies. Talk about starting out on the wrong foot, a few white guys from Austrailia gracing the stage of a famous rock legend... Well I am happy to say that I think everyone in the place was shocked with the music that came from these guys who looked like either someone in a punk band or a computer software engineer.

After the show and friend and I spent some time talking to the guys because we were truly amazed by their ability. Turns out they had recently won the Austrailia Blues championship of some sort and now were touring the USA courtesy of the Aussie government. They gave me a cd, i bought them a pitcher of beer and we talked music, travel and life for a bit. Check them out here.

Another band took the stage and the blues continued to warm the cold night as snow gently fell outside the window. It was nearly 2am when we left and the place was still going strong. I can't imagine what the place is like on a friday or saturday...

All in all it was a great night, not what i expected when Alex was sleeping in the hotel room and I was looking for something to do, which i thought only was going to consist of a rousing game of internet scrabble. I certainly feel like i experienced the true Chicago, a great night with some old and new friends, some fine ales, and of course some soul moving blues....

Oh yea and class was great..... er maybe not.. i can't really remember.

Chi-town shenanigans...

2006-01-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

So I got off a plane yesterday and found myself standing in the midwest. I returned to Chicago again, this time for a week of classes and the Covenant Midwinter Conference. I have been here a few times and have never actually seen anything other than the Hyatt hotel and conference center at the O'hare airport.

Times are a changing. My good cousin Andrew (see pic) and his close friend Suree picked me up and took me for a tour of the city. Chicago seems like a pretty cool place. I understand now why Capone would set up shop and want to take over the place. We headed downtown and saw some of the sights and jumped in an elevator to the top of the Hancock building, the 2nd tallest building in Chicago and the 3rd tallest building in the United States.

It was a great view with some great beers catching up with Andrew and getting to know Suree. It is amazing that we grew up in a family that allowed a bunch of rascally cousins to become so close. I truly see Andrew, Jason and John far more as brothers than i do as cousins. We spent hours catching up, reminiscing and talking about the future and life in general. We laughed that we would be soon arrested by the NSA or CIA after an Iranian and two Turks sat at the top of a landmark discussing politics and life.. But alas the men in black never arrived and I finally made it to the hotel at well after midnight.

We need to make more time to get together. Andrew is close by in San Francisco most of the time, yet it took coming across the country to spend a night together.... There is my February resolution. To spend more time with Andrew when he is living up north, cause he is a pretty good bro.

Me, Tony and 17,000 of our pals..

2006-01-20T10:14:00.000-08:00

Click on the pic for more of our Arco Arena adventures!

My bud Tony is a good man. For many reasons in fact, but last night he took me to the Kings vs. Lakers game in some serious style.

Not only did we watch the game from behind the Lakers bench, but we lived it up in the VIP room next to the Laker locker room and got to be on the court and run through the player tunnel. Good stuff. Not too mention that it was one of the best games i had seen in a long time. Kobe scores 50+ points, Miller with the 3 to tie the game with 4 seconds left and a rousing overtime victory for the Kings. What a crowd! My ears are still ringing...

The only thing that would have completed the night would have been to have the ultimate Laker fan, Jake alongside. But alas, he got sucked away to a job interview in Santa Barbara... Hope it went well for him...

B

This just made me laugh....

2005-12-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

I have no commentary this fine winter day. This comic just made me laugh out loud. And that does not occur all that often...

Another Dentristy Update

2005-10-17T15:22:00.000-07:00

So i spent a wonderful 2 hours in the torture chair this morning. Something they call a "Deep Root Cleaning". I think that they are making things up to do to me at this point.

I must wonder though if my irrational terror of the dentist office has passed. I entered the office today on my own will, without any sort of restraints, smiled at the hygenist and sat in the chair. I think they then injected about a half gallon of novocaine into my mouth which numbed most of my head...I proceeded to pop on some Jack Johnson tunes on my Ipod and sat back for two hours of 'servicing'. And then i strolled home, new toothbrush and bottle of mouthwash in hand. (they must now I am a softee for gifts. Which reminds me, you can click on the gift above for gift ideas.)

Perhaps this is a new step... or perhaps it is just the result of all those valium pills i took this morning before my appointment. Yea, that's probably it...

It is finished

2005-10-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

The time has come for rejoicing. I am officially retiring the "sweat index" for the season.

I am sure it shall return in all it's glory next spring. But until then i am pretty sure that we won't be hitting the century mark anytime in the near future.

That is of course not taking into consideration any possible naturally occuring events like a supernova involving our sun. That would definitely cause it to be hotter than 100 degrees.

Seattle

2005-09-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

So i have been up here in Seattle for the last 3 days. Taking a class on the History of the Covenant Church. It started out horrifically boring, but has become rather fascinating and actually has increased my level of excitement for being a part of the Covenant Church. I will write more about that later.

I thought you might enjoy a picture of where I am staying. It was going to be $79 to share a room at a hotel, so i got online and found a house to rent. Yes, it is right on the water. Granted it is seattle so it has been raining and we can really go outside... But it is nice to go home to.

I will post an update tonight perhaps... Tell you about my fascinating class.

Christmas Gifts

2005-09-13T22:27:00.000-07:00

So as earlier this week as I tried to not think about my upcoming oral surgery appointment, I kept my mind busy thinking about good gifts for people to get me. Here is the start of my personal gift registry.

Feel free to purchase from it at any time. No need to wait for Christmas or my birthday.

-B

I have survived...

2005-09-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

I am alive. I thought you might care to know. I battled with Dr. Death and have come out victorious.

the sky seems a bit more blue today, the grass greener...

but i need to go spit some blood out of the oozing wound in my mouth so i got to go.

B

Dentistry Update

2005-08-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

I survived my journey to the inner circle of Dante's inferno last week. I went and visited the local oral surgeon to discuss my six molars that 'need' to be removed.

I got the cool x-ray machine which made me feel like i was in some sort of star trek medical bay with this machine spinning around my head.

I enjoyed a nice 15 minute video entitled, "Complications of Oral Surgery". In this video filled with fine acting, i learned that despite what you think oral surgery is apparently about as dangerous as anything i can currently think of.

I entered "Oral Surgery Complications" into Google image search and came up with this photo. Not quite sure what it has to do with my molars. But it made me feel nice.
Here are the complications which i got the priveledge to learn about.

1. Collapse of the Nasal Cavities. I have no idea what nasal cavities are for, but i am pretty sure they are important and probably are better off not collapsing.

2. Removal of the molars can cause the jaw to crack and fall off... NO JOKE!, I saw the computer simulation. I need to remember to put on my jaw leash after the surgery.

3. Loss of feeling in your face. If this occurs, i might become a boxer, i think i would have a distinct advantage in the ring.

4. Death. They made this sound like it is quite commonplace. Hmm made me feel a bit sweaty.

The good news is I am reducing my odds of complications by only having one tooth pulled. So i think i will survive.... September 12 at 8am is the big day. It sure will be fun!

Dentist or Death?

2005-08-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

Well today I enjoyed some quality time with my dentist. Now I know that for many of you that seems like a insignificant event, yet for those of us with severe cases of "dentophobia" it is like meeting the grim reaper himself. I find it very ironic that that the tool of death used by dentists of all over the world is remarkably similar to the tool wielded by death himself.

I thought you might better understand my suffering if I answered the dental phobia questions for you.

Do you feel slight uneasiness and tension the evening prior to your dental visit, which makes you cancel your dental appointment?
Yes, I stay awake all night staring at the ceiling, last night Ella kept me up late so i had plenty of time to think thoroughly about my appointment. I cancelled my last appointment. Angie said, "If you really don't want to go, cancel it!" So i did, then i learned that she was not serious...

While waiting in the reception area of the dental office, do you feel nervous about the visit?
Today, I sat in the waiting room reading the first paragraph of Tiger Wood's recommendations for hitting out of a sandtrap in Golf Digest Magazine. I read it about 45 times. I have no idea what was after the 3rd word...

Have you had a prior dental experience that was unpleasant? While in the dental chair, do you feel uneasy and anxious?
Is there such thing as a dental experience that was 'pleasant'? While in the dental chair I contemplated what i could throw through the window and escape with. I also examined the cabinets to see if they were large enough for me to hide in. Or perhaps i could climb into the air conditioning vent...

Does the thought of having a dental exam make you feel physically ill and tense?
If you asked me to lay in the parking lot and let you run my legs over with the car, i would be less tense.

Does seeing the dentist or dental hygienist's instruments make you anxious?
This was the productive part of today's saga. I came to the realization that i am not phobic of the dentist, but the scraper tool of death. I survived the x-rays in a suprisingly calm manner. When the tool was unsheathed i think my blood pressure went from already high to 423/298...

Do you feel embarrassed that the dentist will say you have the worst mouth they have ever seen?
I don't like the dentist, why would i care what he thinks...plus dentists aren't real people anyway, they are robots created specifically for torturing people.

Do objects placed in your mouth during the dental visit make you panic and feel like you cannot breath correctly?
Pretty much when you place any object in my mouth for an extended time, i have difficulty breathing. I think that is normal. It does seem especially difficult when your mouth is filled with latex and metal tools.

Do you feel that your dentist is unsympathetic only with you?
No i feel like he is unsympathetic with all humans. This goes back to the robot hypothesis.

So the good news is that I only have one small cavity. The dentist reaper was merciful in this way. The bad news is that i am supposed to have 4 wisdom teeth and 2 molars pulled. I get to go see the advanced torturer tomorrow to find out more about that. Perhaps I will get hit by a bus while crossing the street to visit the oral surgeon. That sounds more pleasant.

If after tomorrow i am never heard from again, it is because the dentist really is the grim reaper in disguise. hehe

More School Board

2005-08-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled upon this fine picture:

Mace Ranch Elementary School Ground was Broken in a ceremony at 4pm on December 18th, 2003. Presenting were the Board of Education (Joan Sallee, Marty West, Keltie Jones, BJ Kline and Jim Provenza) as well as the Superintendent David J. Murphy
Note the cute kids, great photo-op eh? Too bad that since this photo the board members pictured have figuratively beaten these kids with their own shovels.

Oh yea, we live in those houses in the background...

I love the school board

2005-08-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

So you can read about my love of the school board in previous rants like here:

The short story is this. We were promised an elementary school right next to our house, it was finally built years late, now just sits there because the school board claims there are not enough students to fill it. Which is a total farce, overall enrollment in the district is dropping, but on our side of town it is increasing and all of our schools are way overcrowded and far, far away from our neighborhood.

So now our school is essenitally finished and it sits there empty. The school board has committed to opening it in 2006 as a kindergarten only, and then will add 1 grade each year. That is great for those of us who have young kids. But it sucks for people like my little friend Tanner. He starts kindergarten this year and he lives across the street from the school he will never go to, since he is one year behind. So for his entire elementary school career he will drive by a school full of kids in front of his house that he can't go to. Thanks a lot BJ Kline...(board prez)

We still have hope that when we get rid of this school board and elect a new one in november that we will be able to open the school fully in 2006. But now they are trying to pull another fast one on us.

At tomorrow's School Board meeting they are trying to sign a 3 year lease with a local community college to use the school. The deceptive part of this is that they are trying to push this through unnoticed in the 'consent calendar' portion of the agenda. This is basicly the approve without discussion section. It even says on the agenda, "Items on the Consent Calendar are routine items expected to require no discussion and expected to have unanimous Board support."

The problem with this lease is that it is a 3 year lease that is binding and can not be retracted. The lease is for one building of classrooms as well as the MPR. Now if you do the math, a 3 year lease will end in 2008. At that point the school will be at a minimum a K-1 school. The MPR is the cafeteria for the school. That means no assemblies for the students, no lunch etc.

It seems like another opportunity for this school board to prevent this school from opening. They have made it clear that they do not want to open it. I can see it now, a year from now we will be talking about opening the school and they will say we can't because they have this lease that they committed to...

So here is my letter I just wrote to the board. Can you tell i don't like them?

It is the understanding of our community that at tomorrow night's meeting you are attempting to slip in a 3 year lease agreement with LRCCD in the consent calendar. It states in the agenda:

"Approval of Lease Agreement with Los Rios Community College District for the Use of a Classroom Building and Multipurpose Room at the Elementary School in Mace Ranch"

I understand your desire to use the facility, but i would like to remind you of your commitment to make MRE a school for our children. A three year lease of the MPR means there will be no or limited use of the MPR for our children. Even if that is only for a K-1 school starting in 2006.

That does not take into consideration that our community is still working toward having the school opened fully in 2006. We were promised an elementary school and we intend to get it as soon as possible.

Your past deceptions, lack of integrity, and lack of commitment to your word has greatly discouraged our community and has taught our children that commitment and honesty is not required to be a leader in a community. Here is a chance to redeem yourselves and stick to your word.

We understand the need to use the space, but urge you to only commit to a 1 year lease. Or make a 3 year lease, with the condition that it must be renewed at the beginning of each year. If you make a decision tomorrow to enter into a binding contract with any organization, you are once again slapping our children in the face.

Mace Ranch Parent

Brian Solecki

Sweat Index Update

2005-07-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

I have updated the sweat index in the midst of our record heat. We have now had seven days in a row of reaching the sweat index. The weather gods are forecasting another 5 days of 100+. If we get 3 more days, it will be a new record of days in a row above the century mark.

The good news is that i was out of town for last week and missed the heat in Davis. The bad news was that I was in Redding. Which was about 6-7 degrees hotter all week.

But i was on a lake, which made it rather enjoyable.

I just discovered this for your factual enjoyement...I like the fact that the National Weather Service published it in all CAPS. Makes me feel like they are yelling and angry. I know, I know i am becoming obsessive about this...

...HISTORY OF 100 DEGREE READING OR HIGHER IN SACRAMENTO...

HERE ARE THE SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS OF 100 DEGREE OR HIGHER TEMPERATURES IN SACRAMENTO.

1. THE AVERAGE 100 DEGREE READINGS OR HIGHER IN A CALENDAR YEAR IS 22 TIMES.

2. THE HOTTEST DAY IN RECENT MEMORY WAS SIZZLING 112 DEGREES ON JULY 10TH 2002. 1.6 DEGREES FROM THE ALL-TIME RECORD.

3. THE RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE 100 DEGREE READINGS OR HIGHER IS 9 SET 4 TIMES. THE LAST OCCURRENCE WAS AUGUST 8TH TO 16TH IN 1996.

4. THE MOST 100 DEGREE READINGS OR HIGHER IN A CALENDAR YEAR IS 41 TIMES SET IN 1988.

5. THE LEAST NUMBER OF 100 DEGREE READINGS OR HIGHER IN A CALENDAR YEAR IS NONE SET 3 TIMES. THE LAST OCCURRENCE WAS IN 1907.

6. THE LEAST NUMBER OF 100 DEGREE READINGS OR HIGHER IN THE LAST 25 YEARS DURING A CALENDAR YEAR IS 5 TIMES SET IN 1982.

7. THE EARLIEST IT HAS REACHED 100 DEGREES OR HIGHER IN A CALENDAR YEAR IS MAY 4, 1990.

8. THE LATEST IT HAS REACHED 100 DEGREES OR HIGHER IN A CALENDAR YEAR IS OCTOBER 10, 1991.

9. THE MOST 100 DEGREE READINGS OR HIGHER IN A MONTH IS 17 TIMES SET TWICE, LAST YEAR JULY 2003 AND IN JULY 1988.

10. THE HOTTEST DAY IN SACRAMENTO HISTORY WAS 114 DEGREES SET ON JULY 17, 1925, WHICH ACTUALLY ONLY REACHED 113.6 DEGREES ON THAT DAY, WHICH WAS ROUNDED UP TO 114 DEGREES.

11. IT HAS REACHED 113 DEGREES JUST ONE TIME IN SACRAMENTO HISTORY ON JULY 14, 1972.

Feels like???

2005-07-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

Click on the graphics for a closer view

Guess what??? Yesterday it was over 100 degrees again.... That's 2 days of at least 100 degrees... only ~33 or so left!

I find it amusing that the weather service has their 'feels like' temperature. How do they determine such a thing? Isn't that relative to the person? I mean there is a one person who i work with that is always freezing, and if you would have asked her yesterday, she probably would have said it felt like 63 degrees..

Anyway, yesterday the good news was that according to the wise and all knowing weather people, it only felt like it was 99... I personally think it felt more like this:

I have also put up the first ever Solecki "Sweat Index". I will now keep track of how many times we break the century mark and you can sympathize with me in my pain... Just understand that everytime i add a number, unlike the weather service, it does not feel to me like it is only 99 degrees, it feels to me like i am dying..

One down, ??? to go....

2005-06-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

I think everyone around here is crazy... I keep hearing people say, "i just wish it would warm up!" We have a glorious begining to the summer. Most days barely reaching 82 degrees. Yet people still beg for the torture... It is like being on death row, knowing your execution date is approaching quickly and inevitably. Yet every day complaining, "why can't it happen today? This perfectly nice day could be so easily become the ultimate torture..."

Do you not get it? The last two years we have had 32-36 days with the temperature reaching over the century mark. It will come! Why must you people wish it comes more quickly?

If there is one type of weather that makes me crazy, i would undoubtedly choose heat. I am a cold weather person. Nothing is better than a crisp winter morning in Tahoe, your cheeks with the slight burn of the cold air. Or I would like a nice pleasant day like the one which occured on July 21, 1983 in Vostok, Antarctica. On that day it was a nice balmy 121 below zero... I mean there has to be some sort of down parka i could wear that would make me feel just right.

But alas, it is June 30th, and i am melting away here in Davis. The good news is that it has been below normal this summer so far and normally, every summer we get 82 days above 90 degrees, 19 days above 100, and four days above 105. Perhaps we will not have any more days above 100 this summer! I mean that actually did occur in 1907. Even in 1982 there was a summer of only 4 days of hell. But i am sure if that were to occur, all those people will once again complain that it is too cold...

So Here i sit.. Sweating. No matter how many layers i take off, i still sweat. In fact I have recently been rather impressed by the amount my shins can sweat. That is the theme of my summer. Instead of being the summer of Ella, or the summer of fun, it shall be the summer of sweat.

You know today it was a nice 81 degrees in Sandpoint, Idaho... I should just load the truck and move there... That's it! No more talking! I am doing it, we are loading up the family and moving to Idaho! Where i will sit on my dock over the lake, enjoying the 81 degree high!

But unfortunately, my butt is entirely glued to this chair by the pool of sweat which has doomed me to another summer of hellish heat here in the central valley.

Oh well, maybe this year will be cooler than last and there are only 35 days of 100+ remaining.

I haven't been good and fired up in a while...

2005-06-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

Perhaps now that i am a old fart with two kids i have payed less attention to the highly annoying world of local and world politics... The most amusing and telling thing i have read in a long time was published by good old Tom McClintock... I shall share it with you all.

A Modest Proposal for Saving Our Schools

by Senator Tom McClintock

Posted on May 15, 2005

The multi-million dollar campaign paid by starving teachers’ unions has finally placed our sadly neglected schools at the center of the budget debate.

Across California, children are bringing home notes warning of dire consequences if Gov. Schwarzenegger’s scorched earth budget is approved – a budget that slashes Proposition 98 public school spending from $42.2 billion this year all the way down to $44.7 billion next year. That should be proof enough that our math programs are suffering.

As a public school parent, I have given this crisis a great deal of thought and have a modest suggestion to help weather these dark days.

Maybe – as a temporary measure only – we should spend our school dollars on our schools. I realize that this is a radical departure from current practice, but desperate times require desperate measures.

The Governor proposed spending $10,084 per student from all sources. Devoting all of this money to the classroom would require turning tens of thousands of school bureaucrats, consultants, advisors and specialists onto the streets with no means of support or marketable job skills, something that no enlightened social democracy should allow.

So I will begin by excluding from this discussion the entire budget of the State Department of Education, as well as the pension system, debt service, special education, child care, nutrition programs and adult education. I also propose setting aside $3 billion to pay an additional 30,000 school bureaucrats $100,000-per-year (roughly the population of Monterey) with the proviso that they stay away from the classroom and pay their own hotel bills at conferences.

This leaves a mere $6,937 per student, which, for the duration of the funding crisis, I propose devoting to the classroom.

To illustrate how we might scrape by at this subsistence level, let’s use a hypothetical school of 180 students with only $1.2 million to get through the year.

We have all seen the pictures of filthy bathrooms, leaky roofs, peeling paint and crumbling plaster to which our children have been condemned. I propose that we rescue them from this squalor by leasing out luxury commercial office space. Our school will need 4,800 square feet for five classrooms (the sixth class is gym). At $33 per foot, an annual lease will cost $158,400.

This will provide executive washrooms, around-the-clock janitorial service, wall-to-wall carpeting, utilities and music in the elevators. We’ll also need new desks to preserve the professional ambiance.

Next, we’ll need to hire five teachers – but not just any teachers. I propose hiring only associate professors from the California State University at their level of pay. Since university professors generally assign more reading, we’ll need 12 of the latest edition, hardcover books for each student at an average $75 per book, plus an extra $5 to have the student’s name engraved in gold leaf on the cover.

Since our conventional gym classes haven’t stemmed the childhood obesity epidemic, I propose replacing them with an annual membership at a private health club for $39.95 per month. This would provide our children with a trained and courteous staff of nutrition and fitness counselors, aerobics classes and the latest in cardiovascular training technology.

Finally, we’ll hire an $80,000 administrator with a $40,000 secretary because – well, I don’t know exactly why, but we always have.

Our bare-bones budget comes to this:

5 classrooms		$158,400
150 Desks @ $130		$19,500
180 annual health club memberships @ $480		$86,400
2,160 textbooks @ $80		$172,800
5 C.S.U. Associate Professors @ $67,093		$335,465
1 Administrator		$80,000
1 Secretary		$40,000
24% faculty and staff benefits		$109,312
Offices, expenses and insurance		$30,000
TOTAL		$1,031,877

This budget leaves a razor-thin reserve of just $216,703 or $1,204 per pupil, which can pay for necessities like paper, pencils, personal computers and extra-curricular travel. After all, what’s the point of taking four years of French if you can’t see Paris in the spring?

The school I have just described is the school we’re paying for. Maybe it’s time to ask why it’s not the school we’re getting.

Other, wiser, governors have made the prudent decision not to ask such embarrassing questions of the education-industrial complex because it makes them very angry. Apparently the unions believe that with enough of a beating, Gov. Schwarzenegger will see things the same way.

Perhaps. But there’s an old saying that you can’t fill a broken bucket by pouring more water into it. Maybe it’s time to fix the bucket.

Senator McClintock represents the 19 th district in the California Legislature. His website address is www.sen.ca.gov/mcclintock.

Brian's Gift Ideas - Updated 11/29/2010

2005-03-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

NOTE: Before purchasing any gift for me, please read this

The purpose of this list is to limit the purchase of things that I would never want or use. I really dont need anything, and there are plenty of people who need far more than I do, but if you insist:

Please email Angie if you buy anything to let her know so we can prevent duplicates!

- Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS Reciever - $99

- Mine got lost... :( Star Wars Episode II DVD - $16

- Gift Cards are always great!

My Latest Rant

2005-01-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Davis School Board Members,

I have lived in a home adjacent to the Mace Ranch Park and Elementary school site for nearly six years. We moved to Mace Ranch because we knew what we were getting. Mace Ranch was a master planned community, we could see what the community would look like in the future and felt that the excessive taxes was worth the benefits of living in such a well designed area. I currently am paying 2.2% of my purchase price in property taxes, of which a significant amount goes to the school district. This is the highest property tax rate that I personally have ever heard of.

In the last six years Mace Ranch residents have been forced to continually battle for what we have been promised.

· The city initially changed our community park, gathering place for our families, to an owl preserve which consisted of nearly 20 acres of promised park land that was to be permanently wall off to recreation. After 2.5 years of debate and fighting, about 60% of the park was returned to our children, and 40% was left to owls, which the park EIR report says will not remain on the site. Years of fight and delays later, our park is nearing completion.

· East Mace Park remains unfinished and is currently slowly working towards the city and community thinking about what to do with the site.

· Last year a proposal was put forth to change the zoning of our community retail site to residential. Most Mace residents were not opposed to the concept of a zoning change until they say the ‘Wisteria Lane’ housing project which consisted of the highest density single family home development in Northern California. (~20 single family homes per acre). Our community was forced to again fight to stop this process which is currently back to the developer’s drawing board.

· The long promised elementary school site has sat vacant year after year as we watched the opening date on the sign continually change. We celebrated with the Holmes Jr High band at the “groundbreaking” ceremony. We cheered when the construction equipment arrived. We had confidence when the September 18th, 2003 School board agenda stated, “The new construction schedule will set the opening date for the school in August 2005.” We were shocked when word leaked out that the school board was thinking of delaying the school opening, devastated when the word was potentially that the school would never open.

Mace Ranch has been used by the city over and over again as an income source and has not fulfilled their obligations to us.

· We pay excessive taxes for our parks which still have not opened.

· Home owners in my housing development pay the same amount as the rest of the city for Davis Waste Removal. Yet we only get partial services. DWR will not pick up our ‘green’ yard clippings. When questioned as to why we pay for services not rendered, DWR informed me that we are subsidizing the rest of the city.

· When the “Wisteria Lane” proposal did not meet the open space requirements for development, mitigation was to be through a financial settlement to the city. When questioned as to whether this money could be used to complete East Davis Park or used in our community, the response was “No, it will most likely be used wherever we would like in the city.” We lose open space and the mitigation would go out of our community.

Nobody in our community denies that opening the Mace Ranch school is financially difficult. But in all honesty we are tired of being the scapegoats for the financial shortfalls of our city. The Davis School Board has in its mission statement the following: - “As trustees of the Davis Joint Unified School District, we recognize that parents, students, the community, and the public school system all share in the responsibility of public education.”

We believe that failing to open our elementary school is a failure to live up to your promises and goals. It is putting a difficult financial situation squarely on the back of one Davis community. Yes opening the school requires difficult decisions and most likely cuts in education in various areas of Davis. We believe that is the only fair way of living up to your promise of having us “ALL Share” in the responsibility of education. How is it fair for Mace Ranch to face the drastic and devastating cut of not opening a long planned school while other schools and areas of Davis face cutting important but less impactful things like reduced janitorial, librarian and secretarial hours? Yes, it is difficult for schools to cut those areas, but the impact of not opening a school seems far greater. It is unfair to expect Mace Ranch residents to face the effects of state funding issues alone. Education funding is a community-wide issue, and we need to all pay fairly and equally.

We understand the need to phase in our school. That is a reasonable way of doing it. But please do not consider moving offices or other educationally “compatible” programs into the school. We all are greatly aware of how government works and once they take hold of a property we know there will be no moving out. Temporary use more often than not becomes permanent.

All we want is our children to have a local elementary school like the majority of the city, where it is safe to walk and/or ride bikes to school. This is not possible with the current distance of 2-2.5 mile distance from our homes to Valley Oak Elementary, a route that is largely surface streets and requires the crossing of roads like Pole Line that have high traffic counts.

The board’s goals for 2004-2005 states in section II-E: “that Facilities Construction and modernization will continue to be a high priority.” Please live up to that promise, and open Mace Ranch school in 2005 however possible. If it opens in a limited manner, pledge to move it to a full K-6 in a reasonable amount of time. Not doing so is placing an unfair amount of burden upon our Mace Ranch Community and is not sharing the responsibility of education in our community.

Brian R. Solecki

Hmmm

2004-12-30T15:03:00.000-08:00

So I really want an IPOD... I still need another referral to get my free one. So click on my link and sign up for one! Share the love with the Rev....

http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=11100265

:)

-B

A Tuesday in November

2004-10-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

So we find ourselves a mere 5 days away from the 'biggest' and most 'important' election of modern times. Yesterday I heard a news story about the current high levels of pre-election stress syndrome because so many people are convinced that this election will lead to a a complete change of our life and country.

What a load of crap. as i can see it there are two scenarios that will play out.

1. Bush is re-elected and we continue to have a president whom we can laugh at leading to a continued rise in ratings for Saturday Night Live and Late night Talk shows. We find ourselves continuing to be in a war with Iraq, our economy continues to sputter along, the government continues to become more inefficient and the environmental protections continue downward at a moderate rate.

2. Kerry wins and we end up with Lurch from the Adam's family as president. He is way to boring to make fun of on Saturday night live, so it's quality and ratings will decline. We will find ourselves continuing to be in a war with Iraq, our economy continues to sputter along, the government continues to become more inefficient, the environmental protections inch back upward, and our taxes begin to inch upward again to pay for Kerry's socialist programs.

Really does it make any difference at this point? I grow weary of always having to choose between which candidate I like more than the other when normally both candidates are clowns. I don't really think they president is capable of much change in our country at this point, so it make me laugh when i hear the news talking about the biggest election of our era.

So i am not looking forward to the next two months. We have the election and then a million lawsuits that will further degrade the election process and consume all of our media endlessly. I am tired of the election already, and I fear that we are just begining to hear about it. I do find it humerous that they came up with the whole electoral college system to prevent the candidates from spending all of their time in a couple of states campaigning. hmmm Seems like something is not going according to plan eh? When was the last time the candidates left those 11 states...

How about some real reform? I have no idea what to do with the system, but there must be a better way of electing our leaders. It seems like both candidates always claim to be hunters, so how about a skeet shooting contest, or perhaps a good old fashioned duel?

Anyway, i am mailing my absentee ballot today. Perhaps they will disenfranchise me because they know I am Turkish and they know my vote for president in our great state of California matters so much. Or perhaps it will get lost in the mail and as a result my vote won't be counted in the most important election of my lifetime and it will be the end of the USA as I know it. And it will be all my fault...

-B

Here are the important people in my life

2004-10-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

So what is the foundation of my life? Well of course God, but my amazing wife and son are who i live out this adventure of life and faith with. So I thought you should be introduced to them.

In August we took our first family vacation with all three of us to visit our good friends, Ian and Jenna, in Hawaii. Many great and wonderful times were had by all! But here is Angie and Nate looking amazing on the beach!

I sometimes wonder if I am a dad worth growing up to be like. Apparently Nate thinks so, cause he already just wants to do what I do, whether kicking a soccer ball or just staring out at the ocean.

The biggest question in the universe

2004-10-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

So, will I ever post here again? Or was this just a spontaneous thing to do so i could be cool like everyone else...?

to be determined.

-B