...and we're off!

So, my family has left me again...they've been packed into the van and sent over to repose for the weekend at my parent's winter home in Maine (which, for the sake of convenience, also doubles as their summer stomping grounds).

In a few hours, I'll be packing myself into a different van to send myself to repose in Georgia for Ye Olde Men's Retreate. That should be a great time, and I'm looking forward to it. And we really can't go wrong with Danpass in charge of the food...I should come back at least 10 pounds heavier.

Happy New Year!

"Yes, I am coming quickly."

Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace;
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, let all within us praise His holy name;
Christ is the Lord, O praise His name forever! His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim!
- trans. by J. S. Dwight, 1855


See! The eastern dawn is breaking; earthly night will soon be o'er.
There are signs now of His coming, He is almost at the door -
Not a humble Jewish infant to be spurned and thrust aside,
But the King, the Crown Prince glorious, to receive a glorious bride.
He is coming, surely coming; those who for His presence yearn,
Robed and ready to receive Him, thus shall hasten His return.
- F. H. Harriman, 1936

The week is o'er

So, this has been a busy week. The students have left on their Christmas break, but this is when things pick up for me accounting-wise, and stay busy until probably about mid-February.

(Important Notice Code Red Alarm Message: the next paragraph is a bit weighty on the accountant-speak. Artists, underpaid English teachers, and others of right-brained inclinations should stop reading and continue after the Sabbath is over.)

My main project this week has been the creation of a complete Balance Sheet. When I became the Treasurer of my organization about five years ago, a proper balance sheet had not been maintained for about five years, and furthermore, the balance sheet maintained for the almost 30 years prior to that was not kept according to generally accepted accounting principles. So, I have been doing a lot of research, digging for clues about certain transactions, hints about the costs of other items, and making educated inferences where details have been lost to history. The main objective has been to discover the details pertaining to the acquisition and cost of fixed assets, like land, buildings, and equipment.

This is a satisfying project to work on, professionally speaking (or, at least, it will be when I'm done!), and something that most accountants never have an opportunity to work on. Unfortunately, though, those of my alert readers that are members of my organization probably won't see the fruits of my labors until maybe almost 9 or 12 months from now, since my target date for implementation is in 2007. But, hey, now you have something to look forward to. Ha, ha!

You don't say

As I previously disclosed on this page, Jeff's birthday was Friday. But as has not yet been disclosed on these pages, the local Pizza Hut establishment runs a promotion whereby children may eat pizza (or salad!) and drink for free on their birthdays. Hence, the reason why Jeff and I were dining at Pizza Hut for lunch on Friday and the background for what might be considered A Humorous Anecdote.

(For the record, I will freely admit that Jeff falls within the age classification whereby he would, technically, receive a meal and drink at no charge anyway, thus making the birthday promotion an otherwise so-called 'moot' point. Personally, I think that if a child shows up who is both under age 3 and celebrating his natal day, he should not just eat for free, but be paid to consume those pizza-like victuals.)

So, Jeff and I were seated at a table, and I, having pulled my chair over next to his, was facing two booths which were directly opposite our table. In Booth Number One was a couple who appeared to be nearing the older regions of middle age, and a younger man who might have been their offspring. In Booth Number Two were two college age young men who were dressed like hoodlums. (Editor's Note: If you are reading this aloud, be sure to pronounce that correctly; its 'hōōd' ə -ləm'.)

After Jeff and I had eaten for a few minutes, the lady from Booth Number one initiated a conversation, which went something like this:

LADY [in a loud voice]: Is that your son?

ME: Yes, yes he is.

LADY [in a loud voice again]: He’s very cute. You must be proud of him.

JEFF: Gives the lady two thumbs up.

ME: Thank you very much. He is turning three today.

LADY [without hesitation and, yes, in a loud voice]: My son is a tattoo artist.

HOODLUMS: Unsuccessfully obstruct loud laughter from mouths with hands, break into veritable guffaws.

LADY: [still in a loud voice] His name is ________. Have you heard of him?

ME: [What!!?!] No Ma’am, I can’t say that I have.

At this point, the ‘conversation’ was over. The hoodlums left after a few minutes of stifled laughter. The lady, who had finished her meal, played cards with her son. And I hoped that when I am old and senile, I'll still retain enough good sense to inject such whimsicality into those serendipitous moments, and enjoy it. In other words - here's to randomness!

et cetera

In an effort to make sure this Blog is well rounded in its publications, I would like to point out that the Sydney Theatre Company has posted their schedule for 2007. You can review it right here.

And while I'm on the subject of Sydney, I would just like to tuck in a little note to say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEFF!!

Although he does not frequent this page often, he is near and dear to my heart nonetheless, and he turns three today.

The Dessert Banquet

Well, now that we've got the 'ye olde' theme flying around recklessly, I suppose now would be a good time to share my contribution to the ?th Annual Christmas Dessert Banquet Naming Scheme.


Seriously, though, the Banquet (our church's premier annual outreach event) was, I thought, a great success, if I may say so myself. Roughly 165 people shuffled in from as far away as New York and as near as my apartment; there were quite a number from the town, including all three Selectmen.

The students put on a choral reading which was skillfully written and tirelessly prepared by Aunt S. Their execution of the reading was their preeminent "performance" to date and was very moving. There was also a quartet, some handsome violin work by two S cousins, and a guest singer from down the road. And then, of course, there were desserts. Millions of them. My own bride made many of them - because she is ambitious, and crazy. (I mean that in the best way possible.) Anyway, all the desserts I sampled were delicious, and there were many I didn't sample.

And Praise the Lord for His Spirit, which is what really makes the Banquet a success. He does this every year, in spite of our efforts and planning.

The weather forecast

Last Friday was a chilly day - ye olde thermometer topped out at a whopping 18°F. That afternoon, I was seated on the couch, by a window, and had one of the trademark experiences of living in an old house in New England during winter. To wit, I felt two breezes, one of which came straight from the depths of Sheol for it was colder than cold and made me feel like an ice cube; the second, which must have come from The Other Place, was warm and made me feel all cozy and such.

The juxtaposition of these two contrasting air masses made me wonder if, with a little ingenuity (and an insane amount of luck), I could create some "weather" right from the comfort of my own living room.

You know what I mean. I'd set up a fan beside the window to create a little atmospheric instability. Then I'd start a vaporizer down by the radiator to increase the relative humidity of the warm air mass. Then, as the warm air rose, I'd watch these little huge cumulonimbus clouds form and thunderstorms develop. If I was feeling adventuresome, I'd set up another fan just opposite the other and create a vortex (i.e. tornado).

Can you imagine! Wouldn't life be more interesting if you had to keep an eye out for that squall line of thunderstorms racing across your living room? But our house usually looks (mostly due to its younger inhabitants) like a tornado went through it anyway, so its probably just as well the "weather" stays outside.

In the news...

Here are some news items that caught my eye recently...

• Just read this headline right here and tell me there isn't brilliant innovation in the Arab world.
• Aren't you glad you weren't on this flight?
• "Hey you, with the bogus check...what are you thinking, man?"
• I wouldn't pay extra for this GPS option.
• And, for the benefit of my readers from south of the Mason-Dixon:

07 Dec 1941

"In the annals of American history, only a few events are so well-known and so deeply rooted in national remembrance that the mere mention of their date suffices to describe them. Of these occurrences, none could have had more significance for our Nation than December 7, 1941. On that Sunday morning... the Imperial Japanese Navy launched an unprovoked, surprise attack upon units of the Armed Forces of the United States stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This attack claimed the lives of 2,403 Americans, wounded 1,178 more, and damaged our naval capabilities in the Pacific. Such destruction seared the memory of a generation and galvanized the will of the American people in a fight to maintain our right to freedom without fear. Every honor is appropriate for the courageous Americans who made the supreme sacrifice for our Nation at Pearl Harbor and in the many battles that followed in World War II. Their sacrifice was for a cause, not for conquest; for a world that would be safe for future generations. Their devotion must never be forgotten."

Thus the immortal words of Ronald Reagan, honoring those curageous Americans who paid the ultimate sacrifice and whose efforts benefit us, even today.

Perhpas the most obvious benefit, even though it has been 65 years, is that we don't speak Japanese...or German...or Italian. One could survey the past 1,000 years of history and easily conclude that the present day would be vastly different but for a few key events. If only that hurricane hadn't struck. If only that secret message hadn't been intercepted. If only that stronger army had prevailed. If only...then perhaps we would be speaking Japanese, or Arabic, or Spanish, ...or even French. But at many of these key moments, God has moved through the agency of courageous men and women, acting in devotion to their God and in service to their country.

It is to our own misfortune that as our generation explores the implications of its own date-driven event, we do so largely absent the contributions and leadership of "The Greatest Generation". But in memory of their devotion, let us galvanize our own wills and act, fully devoted to God and country, and His design that we live in freedom without fear.

Wake up, Bob!

James fell asleep on the couch:

And he is still asleep, even though Jonathon and CWS are 'rough-housing' (loudly), Jeff is playing with the light, and Rachel has poked him in the face.