Dr. Charles Stanley - Charles Frazier Stanley (born September 25, 1932) is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church, a megachurch in northern Atlanta, Georgia. He is the founder and president of In Touch Ministries. Stanley also served two one-year terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1984 to 1986. Stanley has an evangelical, fundamentalist, dispensationalist theology. Just the Fax - Yesterday, as I relaxed and luxuriated in the tranquility that enveloped mine office—following a grueling day of IT, Web design, and photography—my reverie was unduly shattered by the entrance of a group of four females. They slithered into mine office sans appointment, and the apparent leader of the pack (as it were) stridently pronounced, "I need you to Fax this stuff right away." She held several sheets of paper in her right hand and fanned the air with them. Enjoy - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!
Last evening, Laura and her friend, Donna, attended a book signing for Stanley's new book, Emotions: Confront the Lies. Conquer with Truth at the Family Christian Store in Sacramento, CA.
Here are some of the photographs Laura took at this event:
Visit Dr. Charles Stanley's Web site: In Touch Ministries
I grasped the remote control for my Roku unit and paused the episode of "I (Almost) Got Away with It" I had been watching on Netflix and replied, "I recall when faxing was done routinely, but that was many years ago." I created the similitude of a clock hand with my right arm and—while rotating it counter-clockwise—said, "Turning back the hands of time: Back, back, back. Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopying or telefax, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device."
The creature who had addressed me said nothing. I continued, "I have not personally been an active participant in the sending or receiving of a fax in many years. I have neither the capability nor the desire to engage in such an antiquated methodology of communication."
She stared at me, her jaw became set, her eyes became glazed and unblinking, and drool began to fall from her lower lip and puddle on her shoes.
"Well, you gotta send this 'cause it was s'posed to be done like yesterday or whatever."
I replied, "If you will excuse me, I must return to my viewing pleasure. Please exit the building now, and have a nice day." Her voice reached a feverish pitch—approximating the sound of a wounded ewe—and she said, "Just send the [expletive redacted] fax."
I said, "Go now." I pressed the Roku pause button, "I (Almost) Got Away with It" began, I grasped the remote control for my Onkyo home theatre receiver, and increased the volume sufficiently to make it impossible for her to speak and imagine that I would hear what she said.
The group departed, I lowered the volume, and enjoyed the balance of the episode.
Friday, October 04, 2013
Dr. Charles Stanley, Just the Fax, and Enjoy
Monday, August 05, 2013
International Assistance Dog Week, Laura's Birthday Week, and Enjoy!
International Assistance Dog Week - International Assistance Dog Week (IADW) was created to recognize of all the devoted, hardworking assistance dogs helping individuals mitigate their disability-related limitations. Laura's Birthday Week - Although Laura's birthday was Wednesday, we waited until the weekend to celebrate it. We enjoyed a very festive sushi dinner—followed in the morning with home-made Potatoes O'Brien and scrambled eggs with sausage. Enjoy! - Relax and enjoy these images and videos.
Assistance dogs transform the lives of their human partners with debilitating physical and mental disabilities by serving as their companion, helper, aide, best friend, and close member of their family.
During International Assistance Dog Week, we recognize and honor the hardworking assistance dogs; raise awareness and educate the public about how these specially trained animals are aiding so many people in our communities; honor the puppy raisers and trainers of assistance dogs; and recognize heroic deeds performed by assistance dogs in our communities. The celebration takes place each year, starting on the first Sunday of August. In 2013, International Assistance Dog Week will be August 4 – 10.
International Assistance Dog Week was established due to the efforts of Marcie Davis, a paraplegic for over 35 years and CEO of Davis Innovations, a consulting firm based in Santa Fe, NM.
Davis is the author of Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guidebook, a resource book that captures personal stories, checklists and practical tips to provide the reader with an A-Z guide about service dogs and she is the host of the Internet radio program, Working Like Dogs, at
The Potatoes O'Brien featured several hot peppers—including a plump habanero. It was a very spicy dish!
Now, I am watching for the Big Brown Truck. It will bring Laura's Nexus 7 2013—her birthday present from me!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Microsoft Office Mobile for Android, Laura's Birthday, and Enjoy!
Microsoft Office Mobile for Android - Microsoft just launched Office Mobile for Android. Laura's Birthday - Today is Laura's birthday! Her BFF festooned her work space with festive party decorations and strung Mardi Gras beads about her! Enjoy! - Relax and enjoy these videos!
That sounds great as a headline. Once one reads the conditions, however, one quickly determines the app works only on smartphones—not on tablets! Additionally, the app works only if the user is a subscriber of Microsoft Office 365! Microsoft is not offering a free version of the app. Also, it is not opening things up internationally: The app is for U.S. Office 365 subscribers only!
Does Microsoft have its corporate head in the sand, or is Microsoft simply greedy? There are several Android-based alternatives to Microsoft Office. All open and edit Microsoft Office documents. Many are free. Although I have used Microsoft apps since migrating from Wordstar for DOS to Word for Windows in 1989.
On my three Android devices, I prefer (and use) Google Docs. Google Drive makes my Google Docs available to me (and to anyone to whom I grant access) from anywhere and on any platform. Google Drive and Google Docs are free!
While I am certainly not by nature averse to paying for tools that I use, but I would undoubtedly consider myself an utter imbecile were I to choose to pay $9.95 per month for something when an alternative is available at no cost—particularly when that alternative is better!
Happy Birthday, Laura! I love you and pray your day is very, very blessed and filled with joy!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Winter Food & Beer Pairing Dinner
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Winter Food & Beer Pairing Dinner - Saturday evening, I accompanied Laura to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Winter Food & Beer Pairing Dinner. It was a truly amazing event! CRAB COCONUT BISQUE - Dungeness crab, coconut broth,julienne vegetables, crispy banana, ginger, cilantro, and pepper oils. Executive Chef Micheal Iles talked with dinner guests, graciously accepted their praise, and answered their questions. Executive Chef Micheal Iles LLANO SECO PORK RILLETTES - Ruthless gelée, pickled onions, fennelpollenbutter crackers. This was paired with Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye. Steve Grossman (brother of SNBC founder/owner Ken Grossman and Brewery Ambassador) - Speaking to dinner guests and Executive Chef Micheal Iles waiting to introduce the next course. BITTER GREENS SALAD - Crispy duck confit, Quad soaked figs, and plum vinaigrette. SIERRA NEVADA SHORT RIBS - Chorizo hash, butternut squash, Bigfoot demi-glace. This was paired with Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale Executive Chef Micheal Iles - working the room. MIDWINTER DESSERT - Bigfoot Baba, whiskey soaked wild cherry chocolate truffle, and espresso panna cotta. This was paired with Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Bigfoot Ale
For complete information on all the wonderful Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. offerings and information regarding future food and beer pairing dinners, the Pub, the Gift Shop, concerts, and other events, visit Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
I bemoaned that I had neglected to bring my camera. Laura eschewed my petulance, however, and reminded me that "The best camera is the one you have with you!" She then took these photographs with her Motorola(r) Droid X smartphone!
This opening course was paired with a wonderful Sierra Nevada Kellerweis.
The tables were beautifully set and adorned with impressive floral displays.
This third course was paired with exotically fruity Sierra Nevada Ovlia Belgian style Abbey Quad with Plums
Monday, November 19, 2012
Birria - (Please see Sunday's post for imagery and ingredients for this wonderful dish!) Last evening, we enjoyed burritos made from the birria Laura produced earlier that day. It was absolutely amazing! We ate with great relish, and still there remains a great quantity for future meals! Laura enjoys tending to the pot while creating such wonderful food, so I am petitioning her to make birria often—beef, pork, and chicken—and maintain a goodly supply in the freezer for easy access whenever we wish to enjoy one of the many uses to which this wonderful food can be put!
"My Name Is Earl" - A few days ago, I (reluctantly...nervously... anticipatorily) shared with Laura that I had become a devotée of "My Name Is Earl." She was incredulous—very nearly as incredulous as I had been when I admitted this to myself!
I cannot recall how I came to first view an episode, but I am relatively certain it was by accident. For some reason, I had always imagined it to be a reality show—such as are rife on television these days. With the exception of "Cops," I eschew all such shows with a vigor not generally associated with choosing television programming.
Once I had seen a few minutes of the pilot, however, I quickly determined that this was a show that I would thoroughly enjoy!
"My Name Is Earl" is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States. It was produced by 20th Century Fox Television and starred Jason Lee as the title character.
Most episodes from the first season, then only a few from the rest, begin with Earl presenting the premise of the series:
"You know the kind of guy who does nothing but bad things and then wonders why his life sucks? Well, that was me. Every time something good happened to me, something bad was always waiting round the corner: karma. That's when I realized that I had to change, so I made a list of everything bad I've ever done and one by one I'm gonna make up for all my mistakes. I'm just trying to be a better person. My name is Earl."
The series stars Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, Eddie Steeples and Nadine Velazquez (Lee and Suplee had also worked together on the film Mallrats more than ten years prior).
Earl J. Hickey (Lee) is a petty criminal and ne'er-do-well, living in the fictional rural county of Camden, whose winning $100,000 lottery ticket is lost when he is hit by a car while he celebrates his good fortune. Lying in a hospital bed, under the influence of morphine, he develops a belief in the concept of karmic retribution when he hears about karma during an episode of Last Call with Carson Daly. Convinced he has to turn his life around to survive, Earl gives himself over to the power of karma. As his first step of a makeshift twelve-step program to fix his misdeeds, Earl makes a list of every bad thing and every person he has wronged and commences efforts to fix them all. After doing a first good deed, he finds the $100,000 lottery ticket that was previously lost. Seeing this as a sign of karma rewarding him for his commitment, Earl uses his newfound wealth to do more good deeds according to his list.
As he continues to perform good deeds, Earl's motives initially come across as shallow and selfish—that he is only doing good to improve his karma and by extension his own life. However, Earl begins to develop a genuine sense of morality and ethics, refusing to participate in illegal or immoral activities—though sometimes finding himself in very awkward situations.
In many cases, Earl discovers that his crimes and misdemeanors had far more repercussions than he could have imagined, and that complete fixes in those cases would require far more trial and effort than could have been imagined. Yet he would also find that repairs would also have deeper and more layered results as well, bringing the realm of the show into the religious and spiritual as well as comedic.
The series generally ended its episodes with Earl and Randy talking about things that have nothing to do with the rest of the show before saying good night and turning in for a night's sleep. In many cases, these conversations take place in their shared motel room bed.
I asked Laura to watch just one episode before declaring that I had gone fully mad, and—sweet woman that she is, she agreed!
We watched an episode named "The Bounty Hunter," in which Juliette Lewis plays the girl Earl dumped for Joy years earlier. Jessie has become a bounty hunter and tries to track Joy down. Earl feels responsible for the mess, until Joy tells him how they really hooked up.
Laura immediately fell under the thrall of "My Name is Earl," and we make viewing a few episodes a nightly ritual!
Trace Adkins David Arquette Sean Astin Dave Attell Roseanne Barr Barbara Billingsley Ewen Bremner Brett Butler Larry Joe Campbell Duane Chapman Gil Christner Carson Daly Charles S. Dutton Jenna Elfman Erik Estrada Morgan Fairchild Jon Favreau Faith Ford Leo Fitzpatrick Ben Foster Courtney Gains Johnny Galecki Danny Glover Adam Goldberg Seth Green Kadeem Hardison Jon Heder Paris Hilton Clint Howard Eric Allan Kramer John Leguizamo Juliette Lewis Faizon Love Jane Lynch Jenny McCarthy Norm Macdonald Howie Mandel Marlee Matlin Alyssa Milano Katy Mixon Chloë Grace Moretz Niecy Nash Timothy Olyphant Andrea Parker Jason Priestley Michael Rapaport Burt Reynolds Geraldo Rivera Chelcie Ross Amy Sedaris Jane Seymour Dax Shepard Jimmi Simpson Christian Slater Kevin Sussman Christine Taylor Michael Teutul Paul Teutul, Jr. Paul Teutul, Sr. Melody Thomas Scott Joan Van Ark Jerry Van Dyke Miguel Varoni Michael Waltrip John Waters Betty White Matthew Willig
