Dude, "I got a Dell!"

Yesterday, it arrived - my new Dell Inspiron 1525. Now, some of you might be asking, "Jon, why do you need a laptop? You already have a computer!" And my answer is, well, for several reasons. First, I have discovered that I spend way too much time in my office. Jesus said, "Go make disciples of all nations" not "Get your Master of Divinity degree and sit in your ivory tower." So, the laptop will be a tool for me to get out of the tower. So my plan is to spend at least a half to one day out of the office in the community. I can get out there and at the same time, continue my work on sermons, blogs, newsletter articles, confirmation, and the like. The Biblical image here is Paul out talking and discussing in the marketplace or the forum. Second, a laptop allows me to continue work from home without the mess of transferring or emailing files. Third, it will be great for travel. Fourth, I got a really, really, REALLY great price. I paid less for this computer than for our desktop at home.

For you tech types, here are my stats:

Intel Pentium Dual Core T2370 (1.73 Ghz, 1M L2 cache), 3GB RAM, 250G Hard drive, 8x DVD +/- RW dual layer Optical Drive, Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini Card, Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Module, Integrated 10/100 Network card, Microsoft Vista Premium SP1.

And, I wrote this post from the laptop via wireless internet at home (our DSL box projects WIFI) In a nutshell, "It's so cool!"

The Beach

One of the benefits of living in Friendswood is that we are about 40 minutes away from the the Gulf. We can go to the beach on a whim if we so desire. Today is day two of our four-day "staycation" (a vacation where you stay at home). And this morning, we decided to go to the beach. We usually go to a place in Galveston called Stewart Beach - a family-friendly place with good facilities.

On this trip, Abby felt a bit-more brave. She headed out with me into the deeper water. The waves today were very unpredictable. And after a few minutes a rather large wave hit us - pretty much going over the top of her head. She was never in any danger. I had her hand the whole time. She did okay, but she decided she had had enough.

Philosophical thought of the day: Why does the place where land and sea meet hold so much appeal for us humans? Is this phenomenon limited to just Western Culture, or do they feel the same way in the East? Maybe it has something to do with the explorer in each one of us. The beach is the place where we can adventure into the unknown of the sea, where we are not naturally welcome (we are not designed to live in water), and still be close to where we belong: on land. It's kind of like a child adventuring out on his own, but Mom and Dad are still close enough to hear and see him.

Yet, humanity, with our intelligence and creativity, has taken steps to subdue the seas by venturing out in watercraft of our design - exploring and journeying beyond the safety of land to lands and adventure on the other side of the sea. Any other thoughts?

Speed Racer - The Movie

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the movie "Speed Racer." (Yea, I'm slow getting my blogging done.) Sheri had no interest in seeing the movie. But I did - because Speed Racer was a big memory from my childhood. When I was a kid, every weekday morning (during the summer) I would watch Speed Racer. Then right after it was over, I would go outside and join my other friends who had also watched. We would get together and then ride our bikes around and re-create the episode on our neighborhood streets and in our backyards. Great times.

Back to the movie: The movie did a good job of keeping your attention - some by the very loud color pallet, but the story was well written; kind of like an TV episode in three or four parts. The CGI was over the top. And the cars were way cool. But one thing I wish they would have done during the race sequences is obey the laws of Newtonian physics at least some of the time. For a good part of each race, cars were spinning, moving sideways, etc - almost like they operated in zero gravity with a perfectly lubricated track. Memo to the directors: it's okay for cars to behave normally, even cars in Speed Racer world. I will still enjoy it. Too much is sometimes too much.

Spoiler: the best shot in the whole movie was at the end of the second race. The Mach 5 crosses the finish line for the win. Speed turns the car sideways to slide to a stop and then immediately jumps out of the car and strikes the Speed Racer pose - a total homage to the end of the title sequence in the orginal cartoon series. When I saw that shot, I grinned like a little boy again from ear to ear.