ink cartrige scam

So, I'm just wondering if this has happened to anyone else: your printer stops working suddenly because the ink cartridges have expired. Wait, though...they still have plenty of ink in them! But because there's an expired date on the cartridge that the computer found out about (proof that Dwight Schrute was right and computers are smarter than people), it can no longer print. Ridiculous. I think that HP is running an subtle scam to force scrupulous people who don't use a lot of ink to spend more money on ink supplies.

Seasonal Confusion Disorder

The grass is green, the trees are blooming yellow and white and red...but I can't see them because everything is covered in snow. And I'm concerned that the earth might be suffering from a serious disease: Seasonal Confusional Disorder (SCD for abbrev. lovers out there). How can Spring do this to me, to us? Does it know that it probably killed the cherries that I absolutely look forward to every June? Oh, Spring...you'll have to work hard to redeem yourself from this one...

3 cheers for Spring!

It's warm and sunny in West Virginia - so here's some cheers on Spring's behalf:
-to an incredible 80 degree day today
-to feeling motivated to clean my house (like washing my coal-dusty living room curtains)
-to Ultimate Frisbee with some friends on top of a mountain
-to listening to songs on my mp3 player in A-Z order (i never know what's next)...right now I'm on the 'c's
-to 7-up and freshly squeezed lime
-to Resurrection Sunday next weekend!

ah nuts

so i was on the appalachian trail this past weekend, and did a fair bit of walking....over the hills and through the woods, but not to grandma's house. :)

i stayed at a shelter in the middle of nowhere and a nice wind/rain storm came up during the night. but i awoke to a peaceful morning. nice. when i put on my shoes to start hiking again, i found a little surprise: 4-5 nuts stored away in my left shoe. apparently, some little squirrel or furry rodent decided to dry their stash of food in my smelly shoes. not where i would store food....but i'm glad my shoes can be some creature's food pantry...as long as they don't become their bathroom as well.

looking back

i don't know why i haven't blogged in a month...sorry 'bout that...

this week, i'm attending a conference on entrepreneurship. i'm getting some new curriculum, meeting some fellow entrepreneurship-oreinted people, and enjoying the break from the ordinary work week. it's been good.

at several moments this week, i've had this thought - i love what i do in west virginia. you know when you've been doing something long enough that the questions and fears and worries and struggles and frustrations you had when you started just aren't there any more? and you're not as concerned about getting it perfect, cuz you know that 90% is just showing up (thanks to randy wallace for that jewel of a quote). and you're confident in the One who has been with you all along. that's kinda where i am.

it's nice to have roots somewhere. 5 years isn't that long to live somewhere, but it sure does make me realize that you live 5 years of life one day at a time.

Highlights

Favorite moments from the day:

1. Realizing my dog is as big as I am when he stood next to me on his hind legs, put his paws on the fence, and tried licking my face.
2. A great conversation with a student I've known for years. He lives in my neighborhood and called me to talk about Jesus. Does it get any better than that?
3. Washing dishes + fun, loud music = a good time
4. Facebook conversation with an old friend (and I mean old...junior high crush old...)
5. Laughing with (and at) teens I work with who eat wheat thins with icecream and string cheese. Obviously, they have no tastebuds. :)

It's been a good day, in my opinion.

Appalachia on primetime

Last weekend, ABC network aired a 20/20 special entitled: "Children of the mountains." Filmed in rural Kentucky, the show chronicled families and their struggles in modern day Appalachian towns. It told the stories of several children growing up in dysfunctional families, and who are trying to make a future for themselves. Set amidst the background of poverty and despair, their stories are true and gritty. They're the kind of stories that are echoed all around me in McDowell County, W.V.

In some instances, films or books or documentaries on Appalachian border on extremism (i.e. "let's find the dirtiest, grubbiest, bare-footed kids or the crazy man on the road or the snake handling church and then we'll take their pictures and talk about how poor and dysfunctional people there are" etc.). But I kinda feel like this show differed from that. Taking the vantage point of a child or teen, they show the effects of poverty, as well as its causes. It emphasis the beauty and hurt that engulfs the region of our nation. It's worth checking out if you've ever wondered about what it might look or feel like to live in the heart of rural Appalachia. Here's the link to the written story, and there's a full length video of the entire 1 hour program accessible on this site as well.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=6865077&page=1