Erick Gates, the 47 year old guy from Myth Busters, died when he fell 30 feet through a sky light that he was working on. The article that I read showed a picture of the two famous guys from the show. Unfortunately, neither in the picture were Erick Gates.

I guess they didn’t have a picture of Erick Gates but they did have a really good picture of Adam and Jamie so they posted that instead. RIP Erick Gate who ever you are.

First it was a couple driving down the side of the mountain on a hiking trail. Then it was a woman driving into a river. Now, I read about a Nevada couple who got stranded for three days in the mountains of Oregon after driving down a logging road. What do all of these people have in common? GPS systems.

In all three of these events, the drivers made wrong turns. Why, because they were following the instructions from their GPSs.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that GPS systems are great. But, they are only as good as the person using them.

So, while technology can do wonderous things, it can’t replace common sense.

The other day, we received a very nice Christmas floral arrangement of roses and carnations. When the flowers faded, I decided that we could revive the arrangement by putting in new roses and carnations. So, I headed for a flower shop to buy some red carnations.

When I walked into the shop I was greeted by a young lady who asked if she could help me. She seemed way too happy, so I concluded that she must be seasonal help.

When I told her that I need 6 red carnations, she said that they were all out of red. But, she did say that they had some dark red carnations if I was interested. When I said that dark red would be fine, she smiled and headed for the cooler.

A few moments later, she emerged from the cooler with several bundles of carnations. She said that they were out of the dark red carnations and asked if red and white variegated would work. I told her that the variegated would be just fine. She smiled and said “K”!

She asked if I wanted them delivered. I told her “No”. Then she asked if I wanted them boxed. Again I told her “No”. Finally, she asked if I wanted them in a vase, to which I said “No, just wrap them up in some tissue paper.”

I could tell by the look on her face as she was wrapping them that she was confused. Since I didn’t want them boxed or in a vase, what was I going to do with them? So, finally she asked.

Knowing that I was not going to escape the questions until I provided an answer, I told her that I was going to eat them in a salad. Immediately, her face brightened and she seemed satisfied with my answer.

As I went out the door, she said “enjoy your flowers”!

Lowell really gets into the Christmas spirit. On one of the road side crosses marking the location of a recent traffic death, some one has hung a Santa’s hat.

To each their own I guess.

Journal 05/11/00

I saw something while praying. It was an African tribal shield off to the lower right of me. There was a voice behind the shield that called me a sinner. I told him that I was redeemed and it vanished. I never saw who was behind the shield.

Lowell is not known for being politically correct.  Prayer is allowed in the public school both by the students and the administration.  Because of this, it is no surprise that people around here say Merry Christmas rather than Happy Holidays.  So, in following the spirit of the community, Merry Christmas!

34 women in Texas were sent to the hospital after being overcome with their co-workers perfume. The women claimed that they couldn’t breath.

One time, I was in an elevator with a woman who smelled like bug spray. I had to wonder if it was her perfume or if she had bugs. I stayed far away just in case it was bugs.

The one Christmas song that I always wonder about is “I saw three ships”. I mean it is a nice little song but what does it have to do with Christmas? There were no ships carrying Mary and Joseph at the birth of Christ.

I suppose that if you were in a sailing community, the ships could have some metaphoric value but I still put it in the same category as Santa delivering the baby Jesus in his sleigh.

In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, one of our neighbors has wrapped the utility pole in front of their house with red lights. I don’t know if they are concerned that partiers might run into after having too much eggnog or if they plan to use it as a beacon on snowy nights.

I wonder if that constitutes a Yule Log?

For many years, the computer center at Calvin College was located in the main administration building. Since most of the computer center was used to house a very large computer, there were no windows in the computer center. And of course, the lack of windows made the computer center staff feel like they were in a dungeon.

But, as technology changed, so did the computer. What once required a large room, now fit into an area a tenth that size. So, the equipment area was turned into office space for the computer staff instead.

But alas, there were no windows for the staff so a great cry arose from the heart of the administration building. “Give us windows or we will surely die”!

The administration heard their pleas and after a few years, windows were installed in the computer center. The windows brought forth light and life to the computer center staff. Now they could see the beauty of God’s creation every moment of the day. And all was right in the world.

Ah, but what once was unwanted office space due to a lack of windows, suddenly became a prime location. Soon, other departments took notice of the area and started thinking of the possibilities. After all, the administration building should be “one stop shopping” for prospective students. So, the Admissions Department started encroaching into the area.

At first, it was just a room here and a room there. Then adjoining walls were removed. Then finally, the entire computer center was relocated into the basement of another building.

The basement was truly a space that nobody wanted. A space so far below ground that you had to go up two floors just to see daylight. A dungeon indeed.

But, while the computer center staff lost their windows, they could rest in the assurance that they would never have to move again.