Monday, January 26, 2009

Piano Results

It's only been two days, which might be a record for a new post. :)

Anyway, Rachel (a local homeschool friend, as well as an accomplished musician) dropped by wondering how the congregational accompanying went, and since the last time I commented, Matthew thought it was long enough for a post, so I figured I'd do as he suggested first off.

Sunday went very well. No major blunders, no major mistakes--what more could a pianist ask? :)

As to whether I've done this before, only the occasional Sunday night when our usual pianist wasn't around, and when the group was reduced to the group of regulars who can almost completely carry a tune piano-less.

I've been putting in some good hours with the tech support job, and plan to put in a few more before the end of the month. And, today is band, so it's definitely been and being a full day, after having my first appointment at 9:00 this morning.

But supper's ready, so I'm going to sign off.

"Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him--to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen." - Romans 16:25-27

May the Lord bless and keep,

Jonathan

Friday, January 23, 2009

Annoucing Weather Quotes

It's been a while. No, it's been quite a while. Actually, it's been 6 months, 4 days, and approximately 4 hours since my last post. Fortunately, Matthew has been keeping the blog somewhat sputtering with life, but most would admit that our writings have been few and far between. Like almost once a month.

I will begin by calling your attention to one of the new features of our sidebar: I installed a 'Cellar' which has some 'Buried, but tasty, morsels.' The first item of business in the cellar is the music player control, of which you can finally see the entire thing (a known problem with our previous setup). To get to the cellar, look for a picture of an underground canning storage center, otherwise known as a 'Cellar.' Some of you may have one of these at home. Anyway, click either on the picture or the text below. At the bottom, there's a link to get back. It's got some other interesting stuff down there too.

So, if you don't want the music to play, and have lost the controller, it's down in the Cellar.

Next order of business: On a contract basis, I've started doing tech support for the company mom tutors with (you remember that from back 3.5 eons ago, right? A homeschool supportive, though not exclusive, company that provides English speaking tutors to Koreans? She teaches them over the internet?). It's kind of challenging work, as the software they use is about 90% broken, as in it doesn't work. However, we're now working on transitioning over to another program, that's much nicer in terms of technical foundation.

And here's the third and final major announcement: I'm going to graduate this year. I've decided that I have spent enough time focusing primarily on academics, and that I'm ready to start focusing on other things, like starting various businesses that I've had ideas for for quite a while, and learning new skills, etc. One might also argue that I'm getting tired of Integrands and Anti-differentials. While I don't plan to go to college, there's still some more things I'd like to get wrapped up on the academic front--we're a little over a third of the way through the calculus book, which I'd like to finish, and we're a little further back in the Adv. Physics book. If I can still add 2 and 2 by the time I get all that done, I think Adv. Chemistry would be interesting, too. But my primary focus will be shifting from stuffing my head with new things that I probably won't use that much, and switching to useful things.

Here ends the first part of the post.

This, if ya'll 'll get my point, is what you'd call the second half. I'm done making those dull, boring, tedious, stuffy things called 'announcements'. Now, I'm (hopefully we're) gonna have some fun. and I just might stop writing in complete sentences. 'Cuz I said so. Now, wasn't that fun! Exciting! and enough to make an English teacher about bust? :)

Sunday, over to the church, I'll be playin' the piano. For congregation singin'.Ya see, our regular pianist has done gone and messed up her shoulder. The right one, I believe. But she went and tricked it by bein' a lefty. :) Anyhow, she can't play the piano, and is goin' to therapy 'n all to prove it, so I (being the next-in-line for the bench [Mom resigned her place in that line a while back{It's really a lot of stress}]) am gonna do if for her. As of now, I'm supposed to be in two places at once. At the piano and At the computer. I still do the projector presentation too (you remember that, right?). It aught to be interesting. :) And it's my week to play the offertory. So, It'll be a downright ball, I'm sure. Then, there's a Solo and Ensemble competition that I'm doing stuff for, that will be on the 21st. So I'm keeping busy with music. :)

I'm afraid I'm running out of apostrophized words, so it's going to be back to the kings English. Two points for my teacher, eh?

In the way of other interesting tidbits, the weather has warmed up some, not tons, but you can at least go out side without having to wear facial protection from the wind, which has really slowed down in the past couple of days. If you came here looking for a story of Michigan weather, since I haven't been outside enough to tell you about it (there have been some pretty pressing things inside), head over to Jonathan Bartlet's place for a harrowing story of heroism in heat-less North Dakota Winter, where a little forethought and some sleep did and could have, respectively, saved the day. I hope that satisfies your taste for snow. :)

Mom and I have also been doing some literary analysis: so far, we've done 'Great Expectations' by Dickens, and are working on 'To Kill a Mocking Bird', by Lee. Other things on the list include 'Paradise Lost' by Milton, 'Macbeth', by Shakespeare, along with some others.

Now, enough of me, and here's someone else:

"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." - Douglas Adams

"When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President -- I'm beginning to believe it." - Clarence Darrow

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them, will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered" - Thomas Jefferson

You know why there's a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to follow the first one. - Rush Limbaugh

"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel." - Deuteronomy 17:14-20

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts and established in love, through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." -Ephesians 3:16-20

Ever in his peace,

Jonathan

Saturday, January 17, 2009

A Quick Note

The weather here remains a touch on the chilly side: Highs around 5 degrees F for the last few days, although there hasn't been much wind which makes it quite tolerable (for me anyway). To day that's changing. The high is supposed to be 16, but the wind is roaring around at 20 mph (which makes for a slight wind chill...of about -15). It's been a struggle to keep the house even above 65, but our furnace just isn't big enough for this weather. There is also a lot of complaining from people (like at church, or the store) about how cold it is. But (except for the house heating issue) I kinda like it. I like Winter pretty well, about as well as Summer and Fall...Spring is nice too. Some day I'd like to go out west (say to North Dakota) in the winter to see what cold is really like. I look at it as sort of a challenge--to survive (or even thrive) even when the temps are really cold, plus I like the cold and snow; snow isn't nearly as wet as rain, and so is easier to work in, and in the winter there aren't any flies or misquotes!

Yesterday afternoon Dad had a job interview with the Board of Water and Light in Lansing. This is the first door that has seemed to open in six months. We're thanking the Lord for this opportunity and praying His will be done. It is a job that is still related to his field (electrical engineer) and isn't too far away, about 35 min. The interview was conducted by a panel of two engineer type guys and the head HR person, and Dad said that he thought the interview went pretty well. They told Dad that they'll contact him towards the end of next week to let him know whether or not they want to continue the interviewing process (which consists of at least two or three more interviews with different people). We'd definitely appreciate your prayers in this matter.

Well I'd better get out and feed my chickens so I'll sign off for now,

Matthew