Postcards From Myself

My father is being persecuted, and I am so proud of him for it! My dad, in an effort to increase civility in society, has started a movement called “Say Something Nice.” That doesn’t mean to lie, whitewash or ignore the bad, it basically just means to approach everything with a positive attitude and try to build people up instead of tear them down. This started after constantly hearing from his school teacher wife how ugly the tone of all interactions between her students in high school was. He then really started listing to all social interactions around him and decided that things had taken an ugly turn. So, we need to be more positive, enabling, and enouraging. Basic good stuff right? Well not according to some. Read this article in the Florida Baptist Witness and you will see what I mean.

I think some people are missing an awful lot here. Everything from “love thy neighbor as they self” right on down to the reasons why so many churches are losing members. It is amazing to me that anyone would want to hear about how damned they are constantly. And they wonder why no one wants to hear their message….

There is a very interesting post over at The Sunflower Chalice on “locavorism” and “food deserts”. I was not familiar with either of these terms, but after reading the article some things really hit home. By the way, a “food desert” is defined by Tony as “an urban district with little or no access to foods needed maintain a healthy diet, but often served by plenty of fast food restaurants.” As he says, “Ouch!”

So, take a few minutes and read the article. Let me know what you think. I really have to admit that not only am I not a vegetarian, but I am really a serious carnivore. And I love fast and junk food. But due to both health and social concerns, I can see the benefit of changing my ways.

I don’t know how many of you use Twitter, but I am doing so more and more these days. It takes a while to get the hang of, and it can be as distracting or more so than instant messaging. (No, I don’t use IM very much at all – I love email.) But once you start to use it, you really start to depend on it.

Twitter is great for just seeing where friends and colleagues are and what they are up to. It is also good for posting that same information about yourself so that others can just check in on what is going with you. Follow me on Twitter if you want to see how often I get confounded by people’s computer problems, where I am going for lunch, or when I am working on a new post for this blog. For a good intro to Twitter and its uses, check out The Big Juicy Twitter Guide by Caroline Middleton.

I have also added a little Twitter section in the sidebar of this blog that will display the last five updates I have made to Twitter. So while I may not post an article every day, you can always get a taste for what is going on by looking over there to the right. Feel free to comment on those actions too!

If you are using Twitter, or you have any questions about it, please let me know. Also, please leave your Twitter ID in the comments so that I can follow you and stay in touch. Oh! And tell me what Twitter tool you are using. Are you just using Twitter’s webpage? I am doing that some, but using twhirl more and more as a stand alone Twitter client.

First of all, no matter which side of all the different debates you are on, you should take a moment to thank those who have given their all for our country and your community. Soldiers, sailors, pilots, marines, firefighters, rescue workers, navigators, crew, staff and everyone else – my hat is off to you. We may not always agree on the politics behind the actions, but I always agree on support of our men and women who serve. Thank you for all that you do.

And second, I hope you all have a great weekend and a great memorial day. Get out in the sun, enjoy the time with friends and family, and kick off the un-official start of summer in a great way.

Moleskines these days often seem to be more of a fashion statement, like the Apple sticker on the back of the car, or status symbol than anything else. But I love mine none-the-less. If you are a fellow addict, check out this article on ranking your addiction. It is not the popularity or the fashion that I have a problem with. What bugs me to death is that I have no easy way of carrying a pen or pencil with it.

I have a small pen that I am using that came with some other notepad, but it is bulky. It is shorter than a normal pen and has a nice chrome finish, but is is about the same diameter of a standard ballpoint. That means that it either has to sit on the outside of my Moleskine and therefor gets caught up in everything else in my pocket, or if it is on the inside of the notebook it bulges and warps the cover. What I really need is a flat pen or pencil. Either that or there needs to be a slot on the spine of the Moleskine for a writing instrument to slip into.

Oh the trials and tribulations of life! If you have a recommendation for pen, pencil, or other scribing tool please let me know. And by the way, I peeled the Apple sticker off my car.