Cute cousins

Text Messaging: Parents vs. Reality

Lauren will be 15 in a couple of months. We gave her a cell phone when she turned 13 and she’s been good about managing it. That first month was a shocker when she had to pay $100 for exceeding the minutes on our plan; she thought we only paid for outgoing calls and that all incoming stuff was free.  No overage charges since.

Call me a fuddy duddy (OK, that’s enough), but I thought that a cell phone would do the trick for keeping in touch with family and friends. That is to say, why would we need text messaging, too?

Guatemala or Bust, chapter 6: Lessons Learned

I’ll probably spend the rest of my life in Guatemala. It’s all so good – the work, the friends, the community, the growth, the adventure, the beauty, the way it all came together so unexpectedly and easily. Surely this is God’s doing. Surely God brought me here. Surely he must want me to stay here indefinitely.

That’s what I was thinking.  Hey, I was 24.

Guatemala or Bust, chapter 5: The Play

All work and no play make Jack and Jill a dull boy and girl, so on a Friday evening we came up with a plan – more of an idea, really – to go for a hike. On Saturday morning four of us drove into the mountains west of Guatemala City to find a hiking trail that looked interesting. No need to worry about or plan for ice, snow, or any of that stuff – this is the tropics, man. Tennis shoes, check. Water, check. Sunglasses, check. Hat, check. We’re good to go.

Cell phone adapter kits

Don’t forget about the proposed new law that would go into effect July 1, 2008 making it illegal to use a cell phone while driving unless you have a hands free adapter. I went to Circuit City and they wanted $50 for a headset with a microphone for my cell phone. We talked with friends who have some great connections and got a very good deal through Office Depot.

These kits are compatible with any mobile phone, and one size fits all. Because of the large quantity purchased, the kits are selling for less than $5.  They worked perfectly on Motorola, Sprint, Verizon, and Nokia phones.

Check this out and let me know how many you would like.

Guatemala or Bust, chapter 4: The Work

Roads into some villages were so rutted and full of chuckholes – more like craters – that we could barely coax our trucks into the sites. But even in remote little hamlets, a Coca Cola truck often arrived before we did. It was astounding to see Coca Cola’s commitment and determination to bring their products to people with so few of the necessities. On those days when I didn’t feel like building houses, realizing that the Coca Cola truck would be there helped to get me going.

Guatemala or Bust, chapter 3: Arrival

Someone handed me a pillow and showed me where to sleep shortly after we arrived at a home in Guatemala City. It was late in the evening, but the house was still a beehive of activity. Look forward to meeting … must sleep … lots of questions … eyelids so heavy … in the morning … zzzzz.

Blowin’ in the wind

Family and friends of our dear friend Scott gathered in Yosemite last week to scatter his ashes. The cremated remains had been placed in three bags for various members of the party to distribute as they wished. Scott’s lovely widow and a friend sat together at the top of a waterfall. Just as she emptied the contents of her bag over the edge of the falls, a breeze came up and blew the ashes back into their faces, eyes, noses, mouths, and hair.

I can’t help but think of how much Scott would have enjoyed this. In fact, he very well may have helped to engineer the moment. That the two women burst out laughing shows how well they loved and understood him. What a friend – even cracking ‘in your face’ jokes from beyond the grave.

Intolerable government

What can people do when their government’s top officials:

• Are inexcusably slow to respond to a natural catastrophe?
• Trust only a small circle of insiders and suspect everyone else of plotting against them?
• Launch propaganda campaigns urging people to support the government’s ill-advised or failed policies?
• Sanction torture, spy on citizens, arrest people without charges, and keep them in prison without a trial?
• Divert vast sums of money into military adventures at the expense of other critical needs?
• Ignore the results of national elections?

Oh yeah – and there’s Myanmar, too.

Economic Stimulus Payments 2008

Confused about the Economic Stimulus Payments coming our way? Join the club. Dave Barry offers these helpful thoughts:

What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?

It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Where will the government get this money?

From taxpayers.

So the government is giving me back my own money?

Only a smidgen.

What is the purpose of this payment?

You should use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set and stimulate the economy.

But isn’t that stimulating the economy of China?

Shut up.