back to the getty

baby shower the first

The first of two.



























Full set

32 miles

weekend project

I spent the weekend at my parents' house to avoid the much anticipated Carmageddon closure of the 405.  Turned out to be a beautiful weekend to spend on the freeways.  Good job Los Angeles.

 On the upside, I got to work on a couple car projects I'd been thinking about for a few weeks.  First, replaced the weak "meep meep" stock horn with one I had kept off the BMW.  Look how much better made the BMW horn on the right looks.  I'm not sure how much louder it is, but the tone is noticeably more refined.  I have been looking for more opportunities to honk.

The other project I decided to tackle last minute was a paint job for my wheels.  They are now flat black.  Painted with barbeque grill paint from Walmart.  Pretty quick and dirty job, only used about $3 worth of paint.  Looks pretty good and does a great job of hiding all the curb rash and chipped paint.  I think I like the look enough that if it starts coming off, I might visit a powdercoater.

then and now

"Were the continent crowded with inhabitants, her sufferings under the present circumstances would be intolerable. The more sea port towns we had, the more should we have both to defend and to loose. Our present numbers are so happily proportioned to our wants, that no man need be idle. The diminution of trade affords an army, and the necessities of an army create a new trade.

Debts we have none; and whatever we may contract on this account will serve as a glorious memento of our virtue. Can we but leave posterity with a settled form of government, an independent constitution of it's own, the purchase at any price will be cheap. But to expend millions for the sake of getting a few vile acts repealed, and routing the present ministry only, is unworthy the charge, and is using posterity with the utmost cruelty; because it is leaving them the great work to do, and a debt upon their backs, from which, they derive no advantage. Such a thought is unworthy a man of honor, and is the true characteristic of a narrow heart and a pedling politician.

The debt we may contract doth not deserve our regard if the work be but accomplished. No nation ought to be without a debt. A national debt is a national bond; and when it bears no interest, is in no case a grievance."

-Thomas Paine, "Common Sense," 1776

july 4th retreat

Spent July 4th weekend baking in the Riverside sun on a retreat with my other church. (The website seems to currently be under attack from spam bots.) We stayed at California Baptist University, which was hosting several Chinese churches that weekend for some reason. One of which had a major role at the wedding I attended the week before. The Asian Christian community in Los Angeles feels pretty small sometimes.

A little basketball, a little swimming, a whole bunch of mafia, and some of these Sunday afternoon friendships have begun to deepen. Also, please don't watch Transformers 3 unless you are able to shut off your logical mind for two and a half hours. Another little piece of my childhood has been crushed. Ken Jeong is hilarious though.





















Full set on Flickr.

sacramento

Made my first business trip at my new company. Currently sitting at Sacramento Internation Airport, waiting for a 5:30 plane back to Los Angeles.

After hearing about how stressful business travel can be, this was a breeze. Just met with a customer at their office, discussed a project I'm working on and saw the product in action in their test lab. Then we all went out for lunch at Chili's. Pretty nice. My boss is quite personable. He asked me if I would be willing to work at our San Jose office for a few weeks sometime in the future. Sounds fun.

the latest nuptials

Stephen and Charming, Altadena Country Club. Took a few more photos than usual. The more you take, the more you have to edit. So I'm kinda sick of these now. Full set on Flickr, link at end of post. Enjoy!

























Plenty more where these came from.

it's complicated

Father's Day this year was pretty pleasant.  I drove home on Saturday for dinner but my mom had a wedding reception to attend, so it was just me and my dad.  Out of all the places we could have eaten, he wanted KFC.  Original recipe.  From one specific KFC, because the other one wasn't as good.  We were the only ones that evening celebrating Father's Day with fried chicken.  Then he wanted to use a couple Baskin Robbins coupons that he had been holding onto for years so we did that.  It was still pretty early and the sun was out when we got home, so we spent an hour or so washing and waxing my car.  My job is still pretty new, so we had more than usual to talk about.  Altogether unusually pleasant.  Which is strange because a matter of months ago I had all but given up on the relationship and thought him the worst person in the world.  Odd thing how family dynamics ebb and flow.

I am writing this, however, at 4:30 AM after having woken up in a sweat.  I dreamed that my father was acting like the worst person in the world again.  Like teeth clenchingly, screaming cuss fest bad.  So bad that I woke up angry and out of breath.  I remember specifically recalling in the dream that Father's Day was only two days ago and had gone well.  I walked out to the living room for some water and felt I should write this out, perhaps against my better judgement.  The 5:00 AM world is still half-enveloped in a cloud of haze, both outside my window and in my mind.  Anyway, I know that one of the keys to this complicated relationship is the dropping of all expectations and a love that is blind to flaws.  It is difficult because of so much past disappointment and circumstance and I hope I have at least a few more Father's Days to figure it out.  I guess this would be a good time to pray a little before I drift back to sleep and maybe to more pleasant dreams.

book project

I have been meeting a friend for lunch every Thursday for the last three and a half years. He worked down the street from me in El Segundo so it was a short drive and a long lunch once a week. It was a great time, something consistent that I needed through the ups and downs of the last few years. Now that I work fifty some miles from El Segundo, those lunches are no longer possible. They will be missed.

I have offered to help him with a stalled book project that he has been working on for a handful of years. Its working title is "When God is Not Enough" and it is written for Christians who have experienced God in a visceral way, but have for whatever reason lost a part of that intimate connection. For those who have trouble reconciling what they see in the church with what they experience in the world. For those who are disillusioned, dissapointed, and frustrated with God, but not enough to forget Him. In other words, right up my alley.

Hopefully, this will keep the friendship alive and help me work through some of my lingering issues. I enjoy writing, but I have trouble writing more than a blog entry at a time, so this will be a challenge.  Also trying to figure out how dual authorship works, specifically when the authors are approaching the subject from different angles. A dialog perhaps, or is that off-putting? I hope our styles compliment each other.

Suggestions and stories welcome, readers.