Moving CCM Beyond the 'Male Nurse' Syndrome

Meanwhile, we're off to a herp show . . .
cogent thought at 08:18 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


saturday, april 27

my five-year-old son decided to make french toast batter from memory this morning. he remembered pretty well ... we'll use the leftover batter tomorrow. mowing, freelance web stuff, and visiting a friend's new addition to the family preclude any notable links today. it was 62F and a day for praying naked out of doors.
cogent thought at 21:25 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


friday, april 26

yeah. what she said. will you pray too?
cogent thought at 16:21 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

so you say you're not a sports fan? say it's a waste of time? maybe the kids these days get paid an exorbitant sum for entertainment (hello britney??), but here's a true-to-life-story of how baseball saved a man's life.
cogent thought at 12:51 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

welcome blogger folks! please note the essays, which are being summarily ignored.

how the heck are you being refererred? I can't find my site anywhere in the directory. will someone kindly explain it to me?
cogent thought at 11:01 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

first there was enya. then there was eminem. then there was eminenya. will the real slim shady tree please stand up.

I went on a business trip to san francisco last year. dave didn't return my call, though chris did, and betelnut rocks. what a cool town.

upon my return home, I promptly let my amex account lapse. not being one for paperwork (a mild understatement), I finally got the account squared away in time for it to be cancelled. so now I need it, because my corporate calling card can no longer be billed to the home address. the calling card expires midnight wednesday; the amex reinstatement process takes up to two weeks.

moral of the story: I still suck. but I suck not at foosball. want I should take some of your money to prove it?
cogent thought at 10:19 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


thursday, april 25

I've never been a huge fan of poetry. I've always wanted to be one, mind you. but the best I can come up with as engaging is this. still, I once inquired of kerouac. marya was good enough to dig some up for me.

I'm still not a fan. and I've a hunch I won't be picking up any kerouac soon. color me anti-beatnik.

remember four square? ah, the good old days. I dared to suck, and succeeded mightily.
cogent thought at 20:57 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


wednesday, april 24

thanks to all for keeping my face time with you at an average of above 3 minutes per visit. now if you only checked out the essays, maybe we could bump it up to 5 ... more to say in the morning.
cogent thought at 22:40 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

one thing is certain ... since posting my latest essays, people have flocked to the most controversial. did no one notice the rest of the bunch? not a single bite on the other one.
cogent thought at 09:49 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


tuesday, april 23

I still have yet to figure out a) how to get my blogger archives working, and b) and oh so much more important, how to get listed in the blogger directory. anyone? bueller?
cogent thought at 19:04 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

I've always loved these. beat him out of recognizable shape!
cogent thought at 10:31 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


monday, april 22

will wonders never cease: two new essays added today; one just written! if you didn't get the memo, consider yourself caught up. I half expect to get some really vicious responses to this one (almost titled it "kobiyashi maru" for the trekkies among us); should you feel some serious flames brewing, send them here, won't you?

oh, and while we're on the subject of subjects ... what's the proper tipping for a grocery store clerk? the no-more-than 16-year-old gentleman who waited on me today had such a refreshingly good attitude and postiive demeanor, I couldn't help but drop a buck on him. was that enough? too much? not enough? I'm all ears.
cogent thought at 20:45 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

happy earth day to all my tree-hugging, spotted-owl-tongue-kissing friends. if you know my politics (perhaps you got the memo?) you'll know I don't make a huge issue of environmental issues. it's not that I don't care, honest. just that there are others saying it better (and others who sound downright loony, but I digress). but when we're a two-income family again I could really see myself in one of these.
cogent thought at 15:17 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

now that the experience is back online, I think I have enough angst in me to crank out at least one new essay per week, for starters. as I am heavily influenced by some of the web elite, I have begun a weekly memorandum to the pray-naked discussion listees. ya gots ta be innit ta winnit.

meanwhile, here's a little angst-ridden note I scribbled a couple nights ago. it fits just about any current circumstance in my life.

this is greater than me, God. You've given me gifts and talents. You've shown me a better way.
is it my agenda, or Yours? who am I following? why do we disagree? why don't we see the same?
if I have a glimpse of what we could be, where we can go, what am I to do with it?
how am I to influence positive, Godly, biblical change?
I can't do it on my own, Lord. help me know your will. help me to do your will.
this is SO much bigger than me.
cogent thought at 10:18 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


sunday, april 21

one wonders, will they outlaw spear guns next?
cogent thought at 18:54 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


saturday, april 20

my good friend brett just produced his own cd. lyrics to follow, pending his permission, but here's a sample: "with a wound as deep as the ocean / who can heal you?" heavy stuff.
cogent thought at 21:47 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

so we woke up this morning to several delicate items on the shelves rattling. windows open, but no breeze. the missus assumed it was an earthquake. no way, says I, the "expert". after all, I say, I lived in alaska. as if that qualifies me to know anything.

care to wager who was right?
cogent thought at 17:11 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


friday, april 19

overheard in the office today: "what in the heck does 'God willing and the creek don't rise' mean?" proving that sometimes there's value in the least-expected places, I seem to have discovered the answer. other useless trivia found there: 'Stewardesses' is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. Cat urine fluoresces under ultraviolet light. stick with us -- we'll take you places, alright.

God willing and the Creek don't rise ...
cogent thought at 23:27 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

I must admit, since I do not have mtv: what's the big deal?

oh my, the missus is just gonna loooove this. so much for a weekend trip to socal in november for my cousin's wedding.
cogent thought at 10:10 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


thursday, april 18

far too many blogs to reckon with. so why not just link to kottke.org? some disagree, but it's a heck of a lot easier than explaining how I linked at least three sites deep to find this goofy translator tool. one might also find me guilty of rehashing other people's stuff; I figure, if there's a value-add . . . herewith, my findings with multibabel:

Original English Text:
we can only possess what we experience

Translated to French:
nous pouvons seulement posséder ce que nous éprouvons

Translated back to English:
we can only have what we test

Translated to German:
wir können nur haben, was wir prüfen

Translated back to English:
we can only have, which we check

Translated to Italian:
possiamo soltanto avere, che controlliamo

Translated back to English:
we can only have, that we control

Translated to Portuguese:
nós podemos somente ter, isso que nós controlamos

Translated back to English:
we can only have, this that we control

Translated to Spanish:
podemos solamente tener, el que controlemos

Translated back to English:
we can only have, the one that we control
cogent thought at 17:24 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

once upon a time, there was "contents may settle in transit". then there was "backwoods and forwards", a particular favorite, because I was close to the main characters at the time. most recent was "laying foundations". all these wonderful sites have been laid to rest, as it were, for a variety of reasons. if you were one of the fortunate who witnessed his life laid bare to the bone, raw yet beautiful in the telling and the witnessing of beauty as he chanced upon it, you understand why I am so pleased to see nigel's return to the ether. don't miss him this time, for he is a true artist: a finder of rare and beautiful things. I am honored to be his friend.
cogent thought at 16:34 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


wednesday, april 17

currently 92F here. forecast for tomorrow: equally hot. ugh. I'm already wishing it were december.
cogent thought at 17:37 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


tuesday, april 16

I love these things ... and since it's still national poetry month, here's what I came up with in about 12 seconds flat:

ode to magnetic ephemera
I burn by
fast lust
mean death
then cry

essential light
cogent thought at 17:13 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

"the sound of God working is silence." one to ponder...

from the "whatever were they thinking??" dept.: peace in our time. Jesus said two very important things in response to attitudes such as this: by your fruit you shall know them; and turn the other cheek. all I know is, seeing this picture does not make me want to give him the clothes off my back.
cogent thought at 11:19 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


monday, april 15

for those of you from the pray naked discussion list who came as a result of my note, welcome (back)! the dream is alive and well; all it needs is you to help fulfill it. for those returning to the site since its year-long (was it really a full year? oy.) hiatus, some of the material is not yet restored. some is new. some is waiting for you to submit it. some more original angst on the way to help inspire you. stay tuned; I may yet start contributing regularly to my own site.

p.s. happy tax day! render unto caesar, yadda yadda yadda.
cogent thought at 17:44 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


sunday, april 14

not saying I have this disorder, but if one were to pick one's afflictions, it would probably be the one for me. my current affliction of choice is nacho consumption disorder. with the fred imus salsa. accept no substitutes.
cogent thought at 21:42 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

I'm sure I can come up with something more lucid in the afternoon, but for now, for those left wondering, here's the meaning, as it were, of praying naked. what it means to pray naked must be hacked to fit the new template before being unveiled. hopefully soon. these late hours are killing me. go read some kierkegaard quotes.

or some poetry. did you know april is national poetry month? how does emdot know this? just exactly who comes up with national poetry month, anyway (shah, like dubya has a staff of crack researchers coming up with a list of national floral month)? and why am I only finding this out when april is halfway over and done?

herewith, then, in honor of national poetry month and my little friend emmy:

martian haiku
red sand between
my toes from a vacation
in outer space

close enough. apologies to robin williams.

OK, here's one I did in the 4th grade:

fishy fishy
fishy fishy, in the sea
won't you please
come to me?

I have something ready for you ...
DINNER

wow, blast from the past. one more.

inspired by the late hour
it is tiresome outside
the world reeks of sleep
cogent thought at 01:47 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


saturday, april 13

it works, it works! the essays are now template-independent. technology can be soooo cool.

meanwhile, check out caption machine. funny stuff. this one is my current favorite.
cogent thought at 11:44 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


friday, april 12

well, it looks as though the new template worked just fine. thanks to Andrew Hoshkiw for a way cool design. now to update all the essay pages. stay tuned for more changes...

we'll start with the existential angst. it's not updated to fit the way cool template, but I tinkered with the style sheet enough to hold to the color scheme. it won't be pretty to hack these essays into standalone text files to be sucked into the template, but it's been a long time coming. time to suck it up and get it done right. meanwhile, scroll down to find some friends of mine worth reading.
cogent thought at 15:41 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

ever wonder where God is? try talking to your dog.
cogent thought at 10:08 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]


thursday, april 11

it's time for another facelift. this blogging thing could be really cool if I had something to share, so I'm checking out blogskins. currently debating between something bold, something a little less in your face but distinct, and maybe something more elegant. (click preview to see skin.)
cogent thought at 10:47 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]

in keeping with the eyebrow-raising nature of the site, I'm thinking of using this template. we welcome your thoughts. meanwhile, what self-absorbed site would be without a requisite amazon.com wish list?
cogent thought at 00:04 courtesy of Michael Ackerbauer [ ]