Calgarian Winter Fast Approaching

So I have been up here in Calgary for about three weeks. The temperature has been hovering around the freezing level, but it always seems to jump up to around 50 by the afternoon. However, I think that period of grace is about to end soon. I have been told that the temperature can get down to -40 (which, by the way, is where the Celcius and Farenheit scales meet. At -40, they are both the same... just a bit of trivia for those who care).

So this morning I had a nice brisk walk from my apartment to the office. I live just under one mile from work. Now that is the same distance between work and home in Houston as well, with one minor difference. Humidity. I walk to work up here, but would never dream of doing so in Houston. But back to this morning....

There is a system of sky walks called the "+15." It is named that because it is 15 feet from ground level. During the harsh winter mornings, this is where I will be between 7:30am and 7:45 am. But until then, I tend to walk outside and enjoy the nice cool weather.

As I was walking today, I noticed something that some of you will find enjoyable... and others will find annoying. The streets were littered with people carrying Red Cups of coffee.

Now those little cups are not only a sign to me that Christmas is fast approaching... but also that the coldest winter I have ever experienced is right around the corner.

Canada is a foreign country, right?

The Calgary Chronicles have not begun well. I spent all day in IAH terminal A waiting for a flight to Calgary. I was supposed to be on the 7:45 am flight with my boss and two other colleagues. Yep, I missed the flight. This has never happened to me in my life. In fact, I am the guy who usually arrives 1.5 or 2 hours before the scheduled departure time. I am ridiculous when it comes to airport punctuality. I guess I should say I was ridiculous when it came to airport punctuality.

I was up pretty late last night packing and getting everything ready to leave. Granted, it is only a three-day trip, but I still had to make sure that I had everything I needed. One of the items I packed was my alarm clock. Not to worry, though, because I have a travel alarm clock. I decided to pack my iHome clock so I would be able to listen to my iPod in the hotel and just rely on the travel alarm clock for this morning. That was my first mistake.

I set my alarm for 5:00 am. I was certain that would give me plenty of time to wake up, shave, get dressed, and still make it to the airport by 6:00 am. My plan was fool proof. Furthermore, I am not one who normally sleeps through an alarm. I have done it, and I am very prone to snoozing. But usually when I have make a flight, I wake up on time (if not early) and get up right away. You can clearly see where this is headed.

I woke up and thought to myself, “it is probably 4:30, so I have a few minutes.” But then another, more insistent, voice told me that I better check the clock. To my utter surprise and dismay, it read 6:25. What!?!?!? "You’ve got to be f---ing kidding me" were the next thoughts in my head. I apologize if that offends anyone, but it is just true. I need to begin praying for better thoughts in the midst of stressful situations. But back to the story...

I jumped out of bed (actually made the bed… not sure why), shaved, got dressed, and jumped into my car by 6:40. Fortunately, I had everything ready to go, so I didn’t need much prep time. I began praying that God would see fit for me to make this flight. Did I mention that my boss and two other colleagues were scheduled to be on this flight? Yeah. They were. Missing the flight would not go unnoticed.

So I was making good time, actually. I was sure God was answering my humble prayer. Then, as I was almost passing the George R. Brown convention center, I realized that I left my passport at home. Fool proof? Nice. Guess I am a bigger fool than my plan was prepared to handle. Holy flight emergency, Batman… what will I do?

Call my roommate. It was my only option. By God’s grace, he answered his phone and responded to my urgent need like a pro. I owe him big time. This call was made at 6:50 am.

I made it to Terminal A at 7:10, but Justin was a solid 20 minutes behind me. I asked the kind lady at the Air Canada desk if she thought I would be able to get on the 7:45. She was very kind, but responded with a negative. Great! Thanks for playing. But she did switch me to the 1:25 pm flight at no extra charge. Marathon is surely grateful for that small favor.

Justin arrived at 7:30. By this time, I had already called one of my colleagues (couldn’t get my boss’s number) and explained what happened. My prayer then changed from “Lord, please make it possible for me to get on that plane” to “Lord, please give me favor with my boss.”

At the end of the day (which it is as I post this) this episode is not a big deal. But I hope it makes for a funny blog post.

For the record, I knew that I needed a passport to go to Canada. But as I was packing my small bag, I was not thinking in terms of international travel. So that is why the passport was not with my wallet (where it normally should have been).

Which One Are You?

You may need to click on the picture to be able to read it...

Classic?

At what point does something become "classic?" According to Apple, it only takes 6 years .

The original iPod style is now being referred to as the "iPod Classic." Actually, the 80 GB and 160 GB models carry that name. According to Wikipedia, these versions (which just arrived this year) introduced the classic name. The 20 GB 4th Generation (which is what I have) is not even mentioned on Apple's web site - much less its parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent. These have all become the Macaulay Culkin of the MP3 player world - they are simply overlooked.

Apple is, in a word, amazing. Their products may not offer more functionality than their competitors, but Apple has created a brand that is the industry standard. I mean seriously... how in the world can an iPod be considered classic? Blows my mind.

Take a good look at the current iPod line-up... it will likely be totally different this time next year. From left to right: iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, and iPod Touch.

As Requested...

In my last post, someone asked if I could just post a picture of a 6 month old baby instead of pictures of my minor head wound. This blogger is happy to give the readers what they want... so I give you the following:



I googled "6 month old babies," and this is one of the many pictures that came up. There were quite a few pictures of some human babies as well... but the reader was not specific enough. :-)

It's Merely A Head Wound...

Last night, I had dinner with a couple guys (Chad and Travis) at Texadelphia. We were going to be discussing some things that are pretty personal to me, so I got a table in the far corner from the front door. Well, we stayed there for a couple hours… talked about all the stuff we needed to talk about… and then it was time to go. I just stood up as any normal person would, but the fact that I am probably a little taller than most other people caused a bit of a problem. I full-on crashed my head into the TV stand right above my head. You don’t think about how fast you move when you are standing up until a stationary object is there to prove Newton's Frist Law of Motion. I immediately sat down and touched my head… there was blood. Very nice. So Chad got the waitress to get some ice and a towel while I just sat there feeling pretty stupid. One of the waiters said, "I'm sorry." I replied, "It's not your fault… I'm just 6'2"." Then I asked if I could take the towel home with me (since it had my blood on it, I wasn't so sure they would legally be able to take it back), and the waitress said I could keep it. Apparently, they only cost about 5 cents. I told her I would pay for it on my next visit… and she replied that they probably owe me.

When I got home, I wanted some sort of proof of the indicent, so I stood at the mirror trying to snap some good shots of my head wound with my phone camera. Here is what I was able to come up with. They are not great, but you can just see the cut in the lower right corner.

Coffee Addiction

It is no secret that I am addicted to coffee. To some, it is bitter brown water. To others, it is a necessary morning elixir. I fall into the latter category.

I believe there are three kinds of coffee in this world. Really Good, Tolerable, and Not Fit For Human Consumption.

Because I have been sick the past few days, I have avoided my regular morning cup in favor of water. Since I feel much better today, I decided to go for it and partake of this delicious beverage. Unfortunately, I opted for the free stuff in our breakroom - which falls into the third category noted above.

But this is what separates a coffee addict from all other coffee drinkers... I am drinking it. I don't really like it, but I am drinking it. How messed up is that?

Things are not as they should be...

This morning saw a first for me. I overslept. I never oversleep.

Now the full story is that I woke up at about 3:45. I then went back to sleep, and my alarm woke me up at about 5:00. I snoozed... and snoozed... and snoozed... and I think my alarm clock finally just gave up. (the weird thing is that the alarm started to become a part of my dreams... but what was happening is that the people in the dreams were emitting this annoying beeping sound everywhere they went). When I woke up again (not to the alarm... but simply by God's grace), it was 7:45. I am supposed to be at work at 7:30. D'oh!!!

Now for the best part of the story. Remember the pestering nail guns from Saturday morning? Well, they were in full effect yesterday - the Lord's Day of all days. But not this morning. I guess the construction company has decided to only disturb sleep on days when people actually can sleep in.

To make matters worse, I am fighting some sort of sinus issue that is causing me to sneeze and my head to ache... so things just really are not as they should be.

Two Suburbs and a Local Island

Today was quite a busy day for old Toddatello.

My day started at 8:00am to the loud popping of nail guns. There are some loft style homes being build less than 20 yards away from my bedroom window... not a great way to kick off a weekend.

I had scheduled coffee with my buddy D-Lux, who lives in Pearland, (suburb visit #1) at 9:30am. So around 9:00am, I set out to meet him at his new coffee shop of choice. He graciously bought my coffee since I had used so much gas to get there.

Since D-Lux and I had not seen each other in a few weeks, it took us three hours to adequately catch up. So by the time I left it was 12:30pm, and I had to be at a birthday party for Cooper (son of my friends Chad and Teresa) in Katy (suburb visit #2) at 2:00pm.

In that 90 minute window, I had to purchase a gift for the lad (he turned one today), get some lunch, stop by my house to pick up a key that I had to return to some friends who would be at the birthday party, and treck across the greater Houston area. (for the non-Houston peeps... Pearland is on the south side, and Katy is on the far west side)

So I set out on my journey, and arrived at the party at 2:10pm with a full stomach (Whataburger chicken fingers) and gift in hand.

I left the birthday party at 4:30pm, and had another party to attend in Galveston (island in the Gulf south of Houston) that was to start at 5:00pm. Needless to say, I did not make it to that party on time, but I did make it. (Yes, Chad, I did send him a text telling him that I would be late...) This event was being hosted by a former roommate of mine (Clint) and his wife Gina. They recently moved to Galveston, and just wanted to have people over to see their new place. On the way, I picked up another buddy (Preston) to accompany me on the journey south (roughly an hour).

I returned home around 10:00pm after having taken a detour to avoid the closure of I-45 at NASA road and dropping Preston off at his house.

Each portion of my day was enjoyable and well worth the effort... I just need some sleep. I really hope the nail gun guys have tomorrow morning off.

Why coffee and I are still friends...

... but I have developed a love/hate relationship with the Rubik's Cube.

I was up a lot later that I intended to be last night, but coffee was not to blame. Rather, the multi-colored cube puzzle that is an icon of the 1980's is at fault.

I grew up in the 80's, but was never into the Rubik's Cube. I guess I always figured I was not quite smart enough for it, and that it was better to have never tried than to have tried and failed.

Well, as the Colts slaughtered the Saints last night, I sat on the couch twisting and turning the various sides of this infamous game... and still, I can only get to the last step. I can't seem to complete the last side. D'oh!!!

I will confess that I was using a step by step guide to help me... but it still isn't a cake walk. In any event, I am tired again this morning... and Rubik is to blame.

Why I like coffee...

...well, at least why I like it at the moment.

It is pretty helpful in the jet-lag battle. I started to feel the effects around 2:00; but rather than take a nap under my desk (cuz who actually does that, right?), I got a double shot latte. It has done wonders. I am pretty wired at the moment... I just hope it wears off by the time I want to go to sleep tonight. Otherwise, tomorrow's post may be "Why I hate coffee..."

Divine Moments

This morning, as I was leaving my house, I saw a sunrise that was simply beautiful. Shades of pink, orange, yellow, and blue filled the sky. My "commute" to work only lasts about 7 minutes; and by the time I arrived at my building, the colorful explosion was gone. But I couldn't get enough of it in those seven short minutes.

As is true for us all, there are things in my life that I just have to trust Christ for... things that can easily take me over if I let them. Well, I happened to be praying about one of those very things this morning as I was leaving for work... and then I saw this amazing site filling the sky. God graciously reminded me that just as He is faithful to make the sun rise everyday, He will be faithful in the difficult areas of my life. So it really was a divine moment that I am truly thankful for.

Seoul, Korea...

I am passing the time here in the airport in Seoul, Korea... and I figured it was a good time to post an update "from the field." Some of you may not know that I have been in Mongolia the past two weeks visiting a friend of mine who is working for a Christian ministry over there. I had a great time experiencing the Mongolian culture (and I experienced a good bit of it in two weeks, actually). I hope to have lots of posts with pictures and the like, so bear with me on that.

For now, let me share something that happened just a few hours ago. Since my layover is so long (12 hours), I decided to take a tour of the city. Part of the tour involved riding a ferry; and while on said ferry, a random Korean guy approached me and commenced to tell me that his daughter was studying English in Canada. He then asked me what my job is and how old I am. So awkward. The girl was very pretty (I have a picture of the whole family). But I am big on communication... and even if she started learning English 5 years ago, she is a bit behind for me. Sorry.

So there you have it... I basically get proposed to by a Korean girl's father. Nice.

Good Times at Starbucks...

The other night, my friend LB and I were returning from dinner and she wanted to stop at Starbucks to pick up a deliciously overpriced beverage. Well, when LB and I are together – the laughter just doesn’t seem to stop. So as we were driving up to the drive-thru window we were laughing and talking about something… and I overshot the ordering speaker box.

The voice asked if we were ready, and I told her that we needed a couple minutes. LB then told me that she wanted a Grande Orange Mocha Latte. I turned to order and realized that I was past the ordering speaker box… so I said, “Oh, I missed the thing…” The voice in the box said, “you want a Venti Mocha?” What?!?! How did she get that from what I said? Well, LB and I commenced to laughing pretty hard… and I finally got out that she would like a Grande Orange Mocha Latte.

The next thing we heard was a guy on the speaker asking if we would like an Orange Mocha McFlurry. This was followed by much laughter on both sides of the speaker… and as I drove away from the speaker, I said, “They totally think we are drunk.” Apparently, I was still in ear shot, because that brought on more laughter from the friendly baristas… which only caused me and LB to laugh more as well.

I am sure this story does not translate well in that is probably was one of those “you had to be there” moments. But suffice it to say that LB and I found it extremely hilarious… as did the baristas.

OPP - I Finally Know What It Means...

OK... I always knew what it meant in the song, but this is not that kinda of blog.

My company uses OPP as an acronym for something related to overseas travel. I have asked and asked what it means, but no one could ever tell me. The people I asked who are around my age would always snicker and reply saying they didn't know (and we would trade that knowing glance that says "we can't make a joke about that because we have to be professional"). The older folks would just flat out say they didn't know - but I would secretly laugh.

Well, when I was in Cuba a couple years ago, one person suggested "Other People's Per Diem" as a possible meaning. Ever since, that is what I have thought it to be (even though I knew it really wasn't).

Today, the mystery was solved. I now know what it officially stands for... but I think I will keep it to myself and continue to let Other People's Per Diem linger in the minds of those who care...

Mystery Bruises

I think it is Brian Regan who does a bit about mystery bruises. Basically, he talks about how as you get older… you just start to develop inexplicable bruises.

Well… I have a bruises on each are just below the inside of each elbow. I have NO idea what caused them. The one on the left arm is larger than the one on the right arm, but that doesn't help solve the mystery.

Details are everything...

I love this commercial... makes me laugh out loud everytime I watch it.

Last weekend, the comment was made by a friend of mine that it would be very difficult to be a Christian on a reality show (Amazing Race, Real World, etc). Another friend then said that it shouldn't be that difficult (making the point that it is possible for a Christian to live life in such a way that is honoring to God). This comment was met with some disagreement based on the way so many shows edit things to portray whatever the producers/directors/writers want to portray. This argument is valid, for sure. I think reality TV is reality in name only... especially with as many as there are now.

But the comment made about Christians living life in a consistent way even on camera has really struck me. I wonder what the tv world would think of my life if there was a camera on me every day (without editing). Would my life reflect a sincere love for Jesus... or would it reflect a sincere love for something else? Sadly, I fear it is the latter.

So my question for those who wish to respond is this: what does it look like to live a life that is "worthy" to be filmed and broadcast to the world for the purpose of reflecting Jesus?

I think authenticity is a large part of it, but I think we almost glorfiy our sinful authenticity at the expense of being obedient to what Christ has called us to (and empowered us for). I am not advocating legalistic sinlessness... rather, I am advocating walking in the Spirit as Paul tells us to do in Galatians 5:16 - "But I say walk in the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

Food for thought. Comments welcome and requested...

Napping at work...

Sometimes (on casual Fridays) I will close my office door and take a short nap under my desk during lunch. I have told a number of people about this (and I thought I blogged about it, but I can't seem to find it in my archives). Regardless, I have not done this in quite some time. But I just walked by the office of one of my co-workers, and the door was shut. Not a big deal at 11:15... but her light is off. Normally, I would think she was gone for the day... but I saw her close the door while staying in the office. She is full on taking a nap in her office. I, of course, have been advocating a throw back to kindergarten days of mid-day napping for most of my professional career (albeit a short 7 year career). I guess she is taking it upon herself to start the practice in hopes that other follow her lead. We'll see...

Friday things...

It is 10:00 on a Friday, and I am bored. I am caught up on my work, and all that remains for me to do is the stuff that you always put off for days when you have spare time. But the problem is that we never want to do those things... that is why we put them off. But alas, I have no choice. I will actually accomplish some of those elusive tasks because I have been too efficient in my other tasks.

In other news, if you were not there for METRO Live last night, Afshin gave a fantastic talk about God's will. Granted, I have been thinking about a number of things that God directly addressed through the talk, but I think it was just good regardless. Check it out here.

That's all for now... but seeing as how I am bored, I may pull a double entry today. But then again, I may not. Last week, my boss walked by my office and asked what I was doing. The funny thing is that he was asking the question because I was in a different office than normal... but I responded saying, "I'm working on my blog." He then said explained that he was not asking about that... but that I had just busted myself. So I need to be a little more careful, I guess. Fortunately, he is an understanding boss and didn't give me too much grief for it.

OK... that is really all. Can you tell how much I don't want to do those other tasks? Seriously.