This and that
Saturday, July 14 2007
We had dinner with Jeremy and Amanda at Boatwerks in Holland last night. It was good to have dinner with friends and catch up on what’s new in each other’s lives. I was hoping that we’d pack a picnic for dinner and walk around downtown taking pictures and experimenting with the new camera, but it’s been raining since I got up, and only 62°F to boot (July?).
I should mention in passing that I [technically] have a new job, but not really. Last month, our organization (A) merged with another organization (B). That organization (B) provided IT support to a third company (C). Due to state regulations in the long-term care industry, only employees of B can provide support to C, and since the primary IT guy left B, they needed somebody in IT to support C. So the only difference in my new job is that my paycheck comes from B instead of A (even though, post-merger, we’re the same legal entity) and I got a decent raise. It’s the same job I’ve been doing, I have the same desk, do the same work, report to the same boss, and do everything else the same. The only difference is that I occasionally have to support C. Seem confusing? It is to us too. But the extra money was too good to turn down.
I was going to post longer about this, but were you aware that the Tour de France is going on? I really wasn’t either. My interest in it, and that of many other Americans, has basically evaporated. Every time an American rider wins (11 of the past 21 tour winners have been American) the allegations of doping and cheating come fast and furious. Between the absurd way that the UCI is handling the Floyd Landis affair and the disgusting nationalism of Europeans, particularly the French, there’s no way that I can see where the Tour is going anywhere but down a long spiral.
In a sentence, Europeans (especially the French) can’t bear to see Americans consistently beating them at “their” sport, and so rather than admit defeat, they go and fabricate elaborate conspiracy theories about how American riders are using secret, unknown doping techniques to gain a competitive. Or maybe we just train better. Oh, and Europeans? Free clue about the whole doping problem: Your riders are the ones who keep getting caught.
Speaking of doping, I have to wonder why major league pitchers don’t all agree to a) try to hit Barry Bonds as hard as they can with a fastball, thereby disabling him, or b) only ever walk him from here to eternity. What a cheat. At least there’s still minor league baseball. We bought a 10-game ticket package for the Whitecaps this year; on Thursday, despite rain and cold temperatures, the Whitecaps eeked out a 12th-inning win after opening with back-to-back homers in the first.
Synod 2007
Saturday, July 7 2007
I finally got around to reading the July 2007 issue of The Banner about all the changes from Synod 2007. Three thoughts:
- The fuss over women being full leaders in the church will seem as anachronistic in a decade or three as prohibitions against car washing on Sundays seems today. Thank goodness it’s [mostly] settled now.
- The hit-miss ratio of synod was pretty even. The decisions on women, minorities, SMCC, and ESV acceptance were all wins. Trashing the minority report on Third Wave Pentecostalism, as well as listening to any report with the venomous title ‘Migrant Workers and the Nature of Sin,’ were awful blunders. Revising the hymnal and revising the church order are likely to become albatrosses to future synods.
- The conservative/historical denominations are becoming deeply marginalized, both at the synodical level and in The Banner’s coverage of the same. It’s not at all clear that anybody under the age of 40 is truly listening to and empathizing with anybody over the age of 70. A lack of historical awareness is a serious, threatening problem.
Somebody is bound to point out that items one and three contradict each other. So goes the CRC in 2007.
*crickets chirping*
Thursday, July 5 2007
It’s been awfully quiet around here, except for that noisy ‘Imminent redesign coming!’ banner on the front page. What’s up with that, anyway? I want to gut the site and rework it. I’ve wanted to for, oh, I don’t know, two years or so. But who wants to do that when it’s sunny and beautiful outside?
So here’s some of not-much-important-at-all. We had some money from my graduation, odd jobs worked, etc. We put most into savings, but picked up two treats that I/we wouldn’t have otherwise put money towards. We bought a digital SLR camera; a Nikon D40. This camera, and the accompanying Nikon 18-200mm zoom lens, take beautiful pictures. Some are making their way to our Flickr site. I’d forgotten how much fun SLRs are.
We also bought a Nintendo Wii. I hadn’t played any video games aside from Mario Kart 64 in probably several years, but man oh man, the Wii sure is fun. It’s especially fun with groups of people. We had a Wii Sports tournament at our house with a group of friends who came over for my birthday; great fun for a whole group. The Wii is fun in a way most video games never are: it’s social. No wonder Nintendo is outselling the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 combined.
Mostly, we’ve been enjoying summer. It’s been surprisingly busy, but busy in the good way that we’re doing lots of fun stuff. Who can argue when “busy” means “barbecues, games, vacations, and baseball games”?
Anticipating June 29th
Monday, June 4 2007
Apple annouced today (via television commercial on CBS) that the iPhone is coming out on Friday, June 29th. They have new TV ads that show off some of its compelling features. John Gruber at Daring Fireball sums the ads up well:
These are great ads — music, photos, video, flick-to-scroll, Google Maps integration, and, of course, answering and initiating phone calls. It all looks simple, obvious, and very fun. No other cell phone is advertised by showing off the user interface.
These ads are low on hype and high on showing how the iPhone actually works, and they clearly focus on reasons why you might want one. They make me think the iPhone is going to be the next Wii — they’re going to sell them as fast as they can make them for months to come.
See also the story in today’s New York Times. It’s not as if Apple isn’t already awash in cash, but the iPhone is destined to be yet another printing press for cash in Cupertino. Suddenly Morgan Stanley’s target price of $150 for AAPL doesn’t seem so crazy. I’m really wishing I’d bought in when it was still around $95 a few months back.
My wife loves me
Monday, May 28 2007
Beth was in Chicago this weekend for a friend’s bachelorette party. Upon returning home last night, she handed me a bag from Chipotle, which we don’t have here in Grand Rapids, containing a foil-wrapped steak fajita burrito with chile corn salsa, sour cream, and cheese — my favorite food, exactly the way I like it. She loves me! (And I love her!)
About us
Six27 is the website of Beth and Christian Bell. We live in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan with our cat Athena.
The name of this website comes from our anniversary date.
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Contact us
E-mail us both: bells@six27.com
If you only want to e-mail one of us, see our respective pages for our personal e-mail addresses.