Category: Longform
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OfficeMax Replacement Watch, Day 24
Today I missed my first event due to not having a PDA to beep at me… I was supposed to meet a friend for breakfast at 6:30 and I totally spaced it. Sitting at work about 8:15 it finally dawned on me that I was supposed to meet him… Arrrgh.
OfficeMax Replacement Watch, Day 23
Still nothin'.
On another warranty replacement topic, I remembered this morning that the Countryman E6 microphone that broke on me has been in for warranty repair for nearly two months now, with no response from Countryman. Guess I’d better get back on their case about it.
The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers
On my last visit to the local library, I found a slim volume on the “new books” shelf: The Simple Faith Of Mister Rogers, by Amy Hollingsworth. I was a moderate watcher of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood when I was young, and I’ve read just enough about Fred Rogers to know that I was intrigued when I saw the book on the shelf. Yesterday provided me with some blessed free time to read, and so I made this little book my Sunday-afternoon diversion.
Ms. Hollingsworth is a pastor’s wife, a journalist, and writer. She met Fred Rogers when she had the opportunity to interview him some years ago. They then carried on a correspondance that lasted until he passed away in February 2003. From her experiences with Mr. Rogers she is able to share both observations about and philosophies learned from the man who was a daily TV visitor in so many families’ homes. The result is a book that is part devotional, part biography, and part personal memoir. Regardless of the composition, though, the result is a wonderful little book.
Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister, but took great stock in that charge oft-attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “preach the gospel… when necessary, use words.” As such, his gracious, encouraging manner spoke love, peace, and comfort to his watchers even without verbal gospel presentation. What is comforting to know is that the sincerity and earnestness seen on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood permeated Mr. Rogers in real life, too. Ms. Hollingsworth notes that more than one person who has met Mr. Rogers has later remarked that “he’s more ‘Mister Rogers’ than Mister Rogers!” He was the real thing.
The devotional points of the book were simple, and yet good reminders for those of us who live hectic lives: go slow. Take time for silence. Don’t neglect prayer. Encourage others. I was impressed by the consistency and simplicity of Mr. Rogers’ daily routine: Up at 5:30 for devotions and prayer. Early morning swim (including singing a bit of praise to God as he entered the pool!), breakfast, then to the studio. In bed no later than 9:30 PM. The same routine, every day. I was challenged.
I’d recommend The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers to anyone who wants to gain a bit more appreciation for the value of living a genuine, simple, whole-hearted life. It will also be interesting to those who have enjoyed Mister Rogers Neighborhood but are unfamiliar with the man and the faith behind that program.
OfficeMax Replacement Watch, Day 22
Date I started the process: August 6. Days since I called to start the process: 22. Days since I sent the dead PDA in: 11.
Assuming a 4-day USPS trip from Cedar Rapids to Dallas.
Projected days until they send the gift card: 3 to 8.
Assuming a 3-day USPS trip for the gift card.
Projected days until I get the gift card: 6 to 11.
Projected total cycle time: 28 to 33 days. (For an “immediate” replacement!)
Projected date I get the new PDA: Sept 6 - 10.
OfficeMax Replacement Watch, Day 19
Almost three weeks now and still nothin’. Geof suggests I should skip the Tungsten and go for a Treo. I suppose that’s an option, although if the Treo ever breaks then that means not only have I lost my PDA but I’ve lost my cellphone, too…
The other thing that irks me about Palm (not OfficeMax) is that none of the PDAs come with cradles any more. They all have a mini-USB port for syncing and a separate power cord. Dang it, I like the cradle. It gives me a place to keep my PDA charged and visible while I’m at my desk. They sell one, but it’s an extra $40. They used to include it with the PDA. Arrrgh.
As an addition: I just found this fun clause in the OfficeMax MaxAssurance fine print:
Meaningful service will be initiated within 48 hours of Your request and will be completed as soon as reasonably possible. If no meaningful service is initiated within such time limits and You have reasonably been available within such time limits, You may engage Your own servicer at Our expense.
Such great nebulous terms. “meaningful service”. What if I don’t think it’s meaningful? “As soon as reasonably possible.” I’ve got to think that three weeks (and counting) is waaaaaay longer than “reasonably possible.” I think it’s time to write a nasty letter to the store and regional managers…
Worship Team changes...
We had our first worship team practice using individual microphones last night.
Currently, we just have one condenser mic on each side of the stage and 3 or 4 people gather around it. The sound quality is terrible. Thanks to Nate Hines who graciously loaned us 4 SM-58’s, we now can practice using individual mics. We’re going to split into two worship teams, each with 3 vocalists and some instrumentalists. The start date is Sept 11, so we’ve got some work to do pretty quickly. I think it’ll turn out OK, though.
Practice last night went about as well as it possibly could have; the singers really noticed how much better things were with handheld mics - better sound, you can hear everybody… good stuff. It was kinda funny - I told Janice “sing louder, we can’t hear you”… and her reply: “I thought if I can hear myself then I’m singing too loud…” Welcome to real sound with monitors! :-) It’ll take some ironing out, but in the end it will be a huge improvement over our current configuration.
Odds and Ends
Just miscellaneous stuff from my life today. I got my DSL modem hooked up last night so the Casa de Cakeboy is now surfing the web at high speed and wirelessly! I’m sure it’ll take me a while to fully comprehend the different things this will allow me to do online… fun fun!
Tomorrow I’m getting a new car stereo installed in the Saturn. The old one is the factory-installed basic model, and the two big problems are that a) one of the knobs is broken, and b) there’s no good way to get iPod music through the stereo. (Waiting for somebody to suggest an FM modulator… decided against it.) The new deck was one of the less-expensive ones at Best Buy, but it has the magic feature: an AUX input to run a line in from the iPod. I can’t wait. Especially if I’m doing road trips to Oklahoma and Door County, Wisconsin in the next few months… gotta have the music. I’ve had an iTrip FM transmitter for the past several months and have come to the conclusion that it just doesn’t have the power to give me decent sound quality, and in addition it’s really annoying having to switch frequencies every hour or so. So, the deck gets installed tomorrow. I got free installation on it too.
OfficeMax Replacement Watch, Day 16
Nothing to report. I have meetings all morning this morning and would love to have the PDA for note-taking and boredom-reduction. Oh well…
On the other hand, I did get a new car stereo last night which is getting installed on Friday. And tomorrow they should be turning on the DSL at the house… woohoo for broadband internet! Now if I could only get my home network functioning…
not all that amusing: a review of Chris Rice's new CD
I pre-ordered Chris Rice’s new album, amusing, back a couple of months ago when it was advertised by eb+flo. This is Chris’s first album with his new record label, INO, so I was looking forward to hearing what the effort would sound like. The album doesn’t hit the stores until tomorrow (Tuesday August 23rd), but I received my copy in the mail last Friday. Having now had the chance to listen to it a couple times, I’ll hazard an opinion or two.
The Music Musically, Chris makes the most of being on a new record label that has, apparently, given him much more musical freedom. The styles are varied; from the Steven Curtis Chapman-esque bluesy-country-rock of Love Like Crazy, to the made-for-adult-contemporary-radio sound of When Did You Fall, to the quiet piano-driven tones of Sleepyhead Sun, he explores many sounds that will a suprise to those familiar with his discography. I could complain that it isn’t very cohesive in sound, but that’s the case with most of Chris’s albums, so I won’t suddenly hold it against him now.
The Content The subject matter of the songs is perhaps also typically varied; he includes a couple songs that deal with romantic love which lead me to wonder if he (the long-time bachelor) has a new relationship that is driving these thoughts. But the interviews I’ve read don’t mention a thing about it, nor do the liner notes. Bummer.
The Lyrics Here’s where I am more disappointed with amusing. It seems to be missing a song or two with the depth that his previous albums have included. Think back on Deep Enough to Dream (from the album Deep Enough to Dream), The Power of a Moment (from Past the Edges), Home Tonight (from Smell the Color 9), Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus), or Wonder (both from Run the Earth, Watch the Sky). They are songs full of picturesque, thoughtful lyrics, laden with symbolism and imagery. They are the depth that keeps me coming back to those albums again and again. Sadly, amusing doesn’t seem to include much of anything in that vein.
What it does contain in great measure is the more overt, and, to my mind, less-insightful lyrics that eventually drove me away from the music of Steven Curtis Chapman. For instance, the chorus of Love Like Crazy:
Love like crazy We gotta love like crazy We gotta love like crazy The way he loves you and me ‘Cause if the world’s ever gonna change We gotta love like crazy
This may be insightful and motivating for the high-school camp crowd, but it leaves me wanting more. Or this one:
Life gave me lemonade and I can’t imagine why Born on a sunny day, beneath a tangerine sky I live life without pretending I’m a sucker for happy endings Thanks for the lemonade Thanks for the lemonade!
Sure, it’s OK…. but color me a bit disappointed.
This album will not really change my overall opinion of Chris Rice; he’s still one of my favorite songwriters, he’s still provided some of the most thoughtful and worshipful stuff that I’ve ever heard. I’m hoping that amusing is just one slightly low spot in the road that will quickly be forgotten when the next album comes around. It may, though, prompt me to skip the pre-ordering next time and wait to get a listen before making my purchase.