We were standing on opposite sides of the beehive. He would start at one end, and I would start at the other. We searched for the queen. We looked for any signs of sickness in the colony. We made sure the queen was laying eggs, and that there weren’t a bunch of swarm cells. Some moments are etched into my mind. The bushes beside me brush up against my bee suit. The sound of cars thundering by on the main road behind our house. The sight of Dad looking intently at each frame of bees. I looked over at him through my bee veil as he lifted one of the frames. I noticed his slightly protruding stomach and a little knot of worry formed right in the middle of my gut. I debated with myself. Should I broach the subject? I finally stuck a toe into the murky water. “So, how are you feeling?” Continue reading Checking the Bees
Why I Am a Principled Non-Voter
I used to vote. I used to give money to politicians, plant signs in my yard, and hand out flyers at the polling places. A few years ago my intellectual journey took me to the point where I could no longer participate in electoral politics in good conscience. The most common argument I’ve seen against voting is the one laid out by Dubner and Levitt in Freakonomics. They made the rational, utilitarian argument against voting. Essentially, your single vote will not impact the election, so why waste the time and effort? That isn’t a good enough reason for me. Some things are worth doing despite the inconvenience. Voting is not one of them. Here is why. Continue reading Why I Am a Principled Non-Voter
The Death of Boredom
At work the other day I was struggling with a difficult programming problem. I worked on it for a couple of hours straight and then got up to use the restroom and grab some water. I don’t have a cell phone, so my 120 second break was the perfect opportunity for my brain to disengage and wander. On the way back to my desk the solution to the problem I was facing suddenly clicked. I wasn’t thinking about it, or concentrating on it, but my brain was still working in the background. The brief respite was all my mind needed in order to get a different perspective, and a creative solution. That programming epiphany was quickly followed by another … we don’t give ourselves enough time to meditate and simply do nothing. Our bodies and minds are over stimulated and starved for relaxation and meditation. We’re never bored, and we’re losing our creativity, our critical thinking, and our inspiration, as a result.
Love, In Person
My grandfather was determined to stand up for my parents’ wedding. You can see him in the photographs, standing there, leaning heavily on his cane. A few days later he was confined to a wheelchair and would never walk again. Multiple sclerosis took his ability to walk, but it never took his joy in living life. His grit, determination, and optimism was amazing, but I’ll save that story for another time. This tale is about his wife Joanna, my grandmother, and how she taught me one of the most important lessons that one person can teach another. Continue reading Love, In Person
Suburban Homesteading
I guess it’s official. Lianne and I are suburban homesteaders. What does that mean? It means we’re moving toward a simpler, more self sustaining lifestyle. We’re expanding our garden, planting fruit trees and bushes, composting, collecting rain water, and 
learning to harvest honey from my dad’s bee hives in our backyard. For some proof, here’s our garden photo album for 2010. We’ve made a decent amount of progress since our first 9′ square garden plot back in 2007, and we’ve got many more plans in store. I was thinking about some of our future plans recently and that great human question started rolling around in my mind. Why? Why are we so into this? Continue reading Suburban Homesteading
Lord of the Line Dance
We did a line dance at church on Sunday. Yes, a line dance for Jesus. That’s pretty ridiculous on a lot of levels, but I experienced something during that line dance that I’d like to share. It reminded me of my early 20s. I had decided to rediscover my faith for myself instead of simply believing what I had been told. One of the philosophers I read was laying out his arguments for the existence of God and one of his points was that he had experienced God. That seemed pretty arbitrary to me, and I rejected it as invalid because I was looking for hard evidence. What I’ve come to realize over the years since then is that God does reveal Himself to us sometimes, and that we need to be looking and ready for those times. Those experiences are a piece of the puzzle in our search for understanding and knowledge of the Divine. They’re threads of enlightenment that can be woven together little by little. My experience may not teach anyone else about God, but it teaches me something, even if it happens during a line dance. Continue reading Lord of the Line Dance
I Feel Like I’m Getting Older (In Memoria. Jack LaLanne)
Jack LaLanne died on Sunday at the age of 96. He defied the years well into his 70s, but even he recognized his aging body wasn’t as capable as he got older. After performing incredible swimming feats throughout his life, when asked what he had planned for his 90th birthday he responded with a bit of mirth, “Tow my wife across the bathtub.” I hear you Jack. For the 2nd time in my life I feel like I’m getting older. It’s not related to my recent 37th birthday, or my graying facial hair, or a rapidly increasing bald spot on the top of my scalp. No, that’s not it. Let me take it back to the first time I felt like I was getting older, and then bring it forward. Continue reading I Feel Like I’m Getting Older (In Memoria. Jack LaLanne)
Workout Time Again
Well, it’s that time of year again. It may not seem like it now but in a few short months Spring will be here and that puts me in the mood to get in shape. Two years ago I did a low carb CKD diet along with a heavy lifting routine that showed great results but I don’t think it’s a very healthy way to eat. Last year Lianne and I did about 6 weeks of P90x, both the workouts and the diet, before vacations interrupted us and we never got back on track. This year I’ve got a new plan and the whole family is tagging along for the ride. Continue reading Workout Time Again
I Got Stung Twice
You may have heard people say that getting stung hurts about as much as getting a shot. I’ve found that to be true assuming the shot has a barbed needle that was soaked in an incredibly painful and effective neurotoxin. I can attest to the fact that bee stings hurt … but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning of this story and explain how I ended up in my backyard, on a sunny Memorial Day in 2010, playing the part of the fearless, macho beekeeper. Continue reading I Got Stung Twice
Walt Disney World Florida
March 1 – 4, 2010
Disney Photo Gallery
Here’s a brief summary of our 4 day Disney World trip. My wife and I, her parents, and our 3 kids, ages 11, 7, and 6, all went to Disney World the first week of March, 2010. 
We left at 3:30am on Sunday, February 28th, drove straight through and made it in exactly 12 hours. It was a long trip, but at least the kids got to rest some. 
It worked out well. We got there just in time for check-in at the Caribbean Beach Resort and were able to spend some time that afternoon and evening checking the place out.
Tips and Lessons Learned:
– We made good use of the “Extra Magic Hours” that Disney Resort patrons get on specific days.
– Fast pass is nice. You can use it past the expiration time on the pass, but not before. One person can’t slip into the park early and get fast passes for everyone. Every person has to have entered the park that day in order to get a fast pass.
– Early March, during the week, was a great time to go. The weather was a little chilly but not bad. The crowds were extremely light. No waits.
– The Shades of Green is the place to buy grocery type items. If you have a contractor or military ID, head over there and get normal prices on milk, etc.
– Buffet lunches are the best deal for food. Each park has one buffet style restaurant which is around $20 for lunch. We reserved late lunches around 1:30 and didn’t eat the rest of the day at the park.
Continue reading Walt Disney World Florida