When God shuts a door…

You know, I was discussing my recent not-getting-hired by a certain school with my wife this evening.  She brought up the point that “if we hadn’t heard about the job opening, we wouldn’t have felt let down when you didn’t get it–so what good did it do you to apply?”

I thought about this, and told her that it was the most concrete sign from God that I have been given so far that my discontentment with my job last year was NOT an immediate sign that I need to leave.  “He’s not done with me at L****** just yet,” I said.

So, be it for one more year, or the rest of my life, I’m back at LHS.  The difference will be up to me to make: do I take up the challenge that God has laid at my feet, and excel for his sake?

Time will tell.

Buchanan sounds off on Obama/Dobson conflict

Love him or hate him, Patrick J. Buchanan pulls no punches, and tells things like they are.

Click HERE to read his analysis of the Barack Obama / James Dobson clash.

Texas residents: Got Radon? Want to find out for FREE?

Thanks to fellow ASSIST-er Staci Hutto for the heads-up on this.  (I owe you a Coke.)

A company in Carrollton, Texas is offering a FREE radon test kit (one per household) to Texas residents.  It’s a little unclear who’s paying for all this, but I believe it’s partially funded by an EPA grant.

Click HERE to order your free radon test kit.

Class Links - Wednesday AND Thursday, 6/11 - 6/12

Paper Production:

• Paper Online
• Hydromulch Products & Additives

General Recycling:

• Ecologic Designs
• Made in Cotton (pdf file)
• Recycling symbols
• Solar water disinfection - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Degradable Plastic Bags
• Green Plastics: the home page for environment-friendly technology in the new millenium

Composting:

• Compost - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Compost tea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Compost in 14 -21 days & How to make a Tumbler Bin Composter - YouTube

Toxic Waste:

• Hazardous Waste | Wastes | US EPA
• Toxic Waste
• Love Canal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Sludge Lagoons Proposed for Toxic Waste Disposal

Class Links - Monday, 6/9/2008

Refuse Problems in the Philippines:

• Children Living in the Garbage, Payatas, Manila, Philippines
• The Quest for Zero Garbage in the Philippines (May 2003)

Reducing Packaging:

• Wal-Mart Launches 5-Year Plan to Reduce Packaging | GreenBiz.com
• Reduce Packaging

Refuse and Recycling:

• EPA Waste Report (pdf file)
• Plastic Container Codes - The Green Guide
• Tommy Lewis Industries, Plainview, TX on MacRAE’s Blue Book Industrial Directory of Manufacturers

Computer Waste in China:

• E-waste dump of the world - The Seattle Times
• Where computers go to die — and kill | Salon News

Landfills:

• The Anatomy of a Landfill
• Environmental Protection Agency: landfill anatomy
• “How Landfills Work” - howstuffworks.com

Random Silliness (I’m a SILK, by the way…):

• DINK, DINKY, SITCOM… the urban acronyms

Emo or Robo? YOU Decide ‘08…

The worst part about the future is that it usually fails to deliver on its promises.

Flying cars? No.

Five-hour work week? Not for me. (Or you, probably.)

*Alien invasion? Still watching the sky… although John Edwards comes pretty close to what I’d expect to see.

Once in a while though, the future really pays off. Big and awesome-sauce:

Yep, strength-enhancing, robotic exoskeletons are here. Here’s the story (click it or ticket.)

And HERE’S a link to some streaming video of the suit in action.

While not quite to the coolness-level of this…

… or this…

… it IS nice to know that we’re on our way to the future of 1986 that both Daniel and Ripley know and love.

Can you imagine? Taking out the garbage would be FUN again. (Lift the dumpster over your head, walk to the city dump, shooting lasers at hapless passers-by, and BANG, no more sanitation collection fees. And more lasers, or possibly a cheeseburger, on your way home.)

*******************************************************************************

In sadder news (no sick humor intended, honest,) a report on EMO culture came out in today’s UK paper Daily Mail. It tells the story of a 13-year old named Hannah who took her own life a few months after wrapping herself in Emo. Here’s the link (click).

It’s a sad story, and an eye-opening look for those of us who have little to no inroads into this massive (and arguably unhealthy) cultural phenomenon. I’m not going to go so far as to say that “emo made Hannah kill herself,” (I’ll leave that to the blog pundits), but I have personally known several high-school kids (especially girls) who are into the hairstyles, music, fashion, and self-mutiliation associated with emo.

It’s gotten to the point where I really want to slap the next person who makes a joke about slitting one’s wrists.

PARENTS: Talk to your kids. Now. About lots of things. Often.

* Obviously, I’m not talking about ILLEGAL ALIENS invading. We have plenty of those. Oh look, there goes one now…

It’s all over…

My youth. My free spirit. My wild oats. All of it, irreparably gone:  I’m within spitting distance of making a man a cash offer for a used minivan.

Read more about the 2005 Kia Sedona LX HERE (click).  Pray for me, folks. I’m not sure exactly what for… but PRAY, by all means.

EDIT: We bought the %!# thing. More info, including road test and review, coming soon.

Sadie Elizabeth turns one-week old

She’s beautiful, fussy, and dressed in pink — everything a modern woman SHOULD be.

In related news, caffeine consumption at the Seeking household is at an all-time high.

Your genetic profile = $1,000.00

It’s easy. Spit in a cup (about 2.5 mililiters should do it.) Mail the plastic test tube to 23andMe, a relatively new California company, specializing in personalized genomics. Wait 6-8 weeks.

Then VOILA, view online information taken from “nearly 600,000 data points on your genome.” Want to know your ancestry? Your genetic predispositions to diseases? “Which grandparent to thank for your athletic talent, or blame for your lactose intolerance?” You got it. All for $1000 USD.

Their website is HERE (click).

The company has financial backing from Google, Genentech, and others, so it’s quite likely that they’re in business for the long-haul.

This excites me beyond belief. One grand seems like a VERY small price to pay to get information which could benefit my children (and grandchildren) when it comes to future plans and health concerns.

What an amazing world we live in.

OH YEAH, in addition to the gene profiling service, their website has some great (accessible) information on the science involved. CLICK HERE to go to Genetics 101.

Wow… painless tax filing.

I just spent $14.95 and about one hour (maybe less… it’s all a blur) doing my taxes. And I’m DONE.

Head over to TaxCut Online (click) to find out more.

I opted for the basic (ahem: “cheap”) version, as my tax situation is somewhat uncomplicated (ahem: “I’m poor,”) but they offer several versions to meet your needs. I also live in the great state of Texas, which has no state income tax.

Now I wait to see if the IRS accepted my e-file, print and send them a signature slip, and wait a couple of weeks for my refund (ahem: “Huh? When did I actually PAY them anything?”) to be direct-deposited into my checking account. Very nice. At this rate, it should be here about five weeks before my daughter is born.

Baby needs a new pair of shoes?