Of Sunsets and Kidney Stones

Well...it's been a wild weekend. My wife Krista (pictured above with my daughter) has had a kidney stone, so she's been in the kind of pain that she and other women have described as "worse than labor." Finally, my prayers have been answered, and I think it's through her system, so we can breathe a sigh of relief. She's sleeping off some demerol right now, so I'm hoping when she wakes up, she'll be a little better.

Took some experimental pictures on Friday from the car on the way to and from work...here's the results:



The sun coming up on the way to work in the morning (through the windshield).


Sunset over the Decatur skyline (through the windshield).


Sunset (through the driver side window).


Sunset (through the driver side window).

Quote of the Day
I'll never sleep after all that cheese.
-Wallace, Cracking Contraptions: The Snoozatron

Cappuccino Heath Blizzard Corn Dogs

Mmmmm...What more is there to say?

[Photo taken today in Town Creek, AL, during my commute to work.]

The Death of Customer Service

Ugh. WalMart.

Am I the only one that cannot stand going to the single most popular place in Florence, AL? (And don't try to hit it on a Friday or Saturday night!) I don't know if our economy is glutted and Americans have too much money, or if apathy has infused our entire generation, but why do companies with horrible customer service stay in business? I may as well ask, why do I still frequent them? From the time the greeter greets you with that plastic smile (probably thinking, I wouldn't have to be here if I could live off my Social Security check), to the time the checkout person sends you off with a grunt and a grimace, the Trip to WalMart has to be the low of my day.

One of these days I'm going to be a conscientious consumer. I'll only frequent those businesses that I want to prosper, regardless of price, regardless of convenience. One day, when I have more money, when I have more time. One day...

But, if I'm honest, I know that if I don't start practicing what I preach now, that day will never come.

Would Bugs Bunny eat hasenpfeffer*?

Is anyone else disturbed by cartoons with anthropomorphic animals (so I looked it up to make sure I was using it right, ok)? My daughter just got done watching Oswald - a cartoon about an octopus whose friends include a penguin, a daisy, eggs, and a snowman. I started thinking about this a while back when a turtle (Franklin) on one of my daughter's other cartoons wanted a dog for pet. The whole thing just seems wrong. And then I wondered - do they eat meat? Does Oswald eat calimari, or would that be wrong? Would it be wrong for his daisy friend to eat vegetables but ok for her to eat meat? The whole thing makes my mind swim...

And how's this all different from what I grew up on? Maybe nothing - but I guess back then animation was more fanciful. Bugs Bunny spent less time teaching lessons about obeying your parents and being nice to other kids so he didn't have all the trappings of real life - house, family, pets...

Where am I going with this? I have no idea...

*BTW, hasenpfeffer is a type of rabbit stew. I had to look that up to even know what it was...

Day 1

Went to see Constantine last night. Premiering the same night as another comic-inspired movie (Son of the Mask), I have a feeling it will be around quite a bit longer. It was pretty good as comic movies go, but pretty awful, theology-wise. I guess I can't expect much better speculation on God from comics and Hollywood, but I can always hope. I often find it fascinating to see people's views of spiritual warfare, but I get tired of the depiction of God as a "hands-off" deity who only uses us as pawns in His games. The film, otherwise, was well done, and Keanu Reeves turns a good performance in the title roll. Constantine was based on a DC Comics character from their "Mature Readers" line. Maybe things bode well for other upcoming DC Comics movies (you know: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman...)