tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61273231013357221382011-10-25T20:12:46.195-04:00The ramblings of a befuddled mind.Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.comBlogger761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-53274945008896501612011-10-25T20:12:00.001-04:002011-10-25T20:12:45.984-04:00

You may not even know, but you saved me.Thanks.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-74836336246243685852011-09-12T10:48:00.002-04:002011-09-12T10:48:37.174-04:00

Sad.There's really nothing more to say.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-66828466972639577332011-09-12T10:46:00.002-04:002011-09-12T10:47:54.244-04:00

Death Stinks.My prayers are with you.(alternatively)Death Stinks.My thoughts are with you.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-17627894607758320632011-01-05T12:58:00.004-05:002011-01-05T13:48:10.839-05:00

I recently "discovered" the show "Human Target." (I love Hulu!) I really like the show, and really like the fact that Luta likes the show as well, so we have one more show to watch together that we both love! The main character, Christopher Chance, is in the protection business: people who have someone trying to kill them come to him so that he can "protect" them. Actually, they come so he can

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-75739391500672497492011-01-04T13:28:00.002-05:002011-01-04T13:35:35.337-05:00

It seems very popular these days to post videos. In fact that seems to have been the trend for some time. Sometimes these videos are things that make sense to be in video. Things like activities, actions, demonstrations of software, or showing us an event, well, that makes sense to me to be in a video. Sometimes these videos are things that do not make sense, at least to me, to be in video.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-1213006744952275182010-12-20T15:48:00.002-05:002010-12-20T15:51:46.778-05:00

Flying has not really bothered me in the past. I'm not the biggest fans of take off's or landings, but they don't bother me much. And unless it's really bumpy, I tend to not mind flights at all. Other than being cramped and dry when I land. But it's not the flying, or fear of a plane crashing or anything like that. It's annoyance with the details that has always gotten to me.Getting to the plane

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-9093999446703417832010-12-17T09:42:00.004-05:002010-12-17T09:48:39.105-05:00

Working at a children's hospital, even for a short time, I have picked up some pieces of wisdom that I'm not sure I would have otherwise thought relevant. So, I share some of that wisdom with you.Here is some for free:If someone you know is capable of hurting a certain type/group of people (e.g. women, or more specifically, you), then it is NOT safe to assume that they will NOT hurt another type/

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-31300126456770342112010-12-15T10:59:00.002-05:002010-12-15T13:10:04.990-05:00

The other night I was paged to help a family in the NICU contact the dad of the baby, because Dad is overseas with the military. I was sitting with the baby's grandma when one of the doctors came out to talk. The doctor is a fellow here, is also a board certified pediatrician, and was talking about certain technology and how it had been used in her time here. She was talking as though she'd been

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-74105610149779698672010-12-08T13:46:00.004-05:002010-12-08T14:02:34.956-05:00

Chaplains at Norton Healthcare take turns writing devotions for the intranet portal website. I think Norton is thought of as a secular hospital system, but it came out of a variety of faith heritages, including Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian. When we provide pastoral care to staff, we need to be sensitive to a variety of cultures and religions. But in some instances we are able to share

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-60194362377244525802010-12-05T21:04:00.002-05:002010-12-05T21:22:00.226-05:00

I hope for restoration.I dream of a perfect world.For a place with no sadness.A World WhereParents do not share stories of their children's early deathsBoards are not filled with pictures of the deceasedCandles are not lit in memory of those no longer with usFamilies do not cry around hospital bedsAnd no one dies before they live.When we meet there, you will say"I'm glad you made it!"When Death

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-73205035780879364902010-12-03T09:28:00.003-05:002010-12-03T09:33:25.311-05:00

There is great irony in the fact that we never used oral contraceptives as birth control, until we started seeing infertility doctors. "Having problems getting pregnant? Here, have some birth control. That should help." I am still trying to figure out how this happened.I also see great irony in the USA governmental leaders not wanting to let tax breaks to the wealthy expire (because that would be

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-54369203928622770682010-11-21T15:59:00.002-05:002010-11-21T16:07:26.069-05:00

On Facebook a friend just posted a picture of "brownies." His caption suggested that we come up with a new name for them, perhaps "A pretension chew." Why? Because these brownies had a sign advertising the following: "Gluten Free * Vegan * Cholesterol Free" then in smaller print "Wheat Free * Egg Free * Dairy Free * Nut Free" And this was called a "Chocolate Chunk Brownie." Not sure how, since

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-37335473367989373062010-11-19T22:11:00.003-05:002010-11-21T16:07:37.703-05:00

Today Luta and I were out doing doctors appointments, so we took the day off to handle the stress. In between appointments we went to lunch at a restaurant we had not tried before: Wild Eggs. Mostly breakfast food, but also with sandwiches and alcoholic drinks! Kind of interesting to walk into a place that give the impression of being a diner, mostly serves breakfast/brunch/lunch food, and have a

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-86129335861396574932010-11-12T10:11:00.001-05:002010-11-21T16:08:01.479-05:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-56348902710592540972010-11-02T21:30:00.002-04:002010-11-02T21:51:13.736-04:00

This discussion is not intended to be a detailed review of the movie, but it is a discussion of themes and events in the movie. So I expect it to be a spoiler for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie. If this is a concern for you, I suggest you stop reading here.I finally saw Inception! It was one of the few movies I really wanted to see this summer, but we never made it. A cheap second-run theater

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-37477689252573748542010-11-02T21:28:00.001-04:002010-11-02T21:30:09.223-04:00

We went and voted today! When we lived in Wilmore, we voted in the fire station, so we were in a big open garage and voted on nice, modern, electronic machines. Here we were in the fellowship hall of a church, and had to bubble in the sheets like we were doing Scantron tests. And like with Scantron’s, there was the risk of error! At least the ballot reader machine caught one, so it could be

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-25789140804298851832010-10-26T09:19:00.000-04:002010-10-26T09:20:50.750-04:00

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-62402629499624617512010-09-15T14:33:00.002-04:002010-09-15T14:43:27.660-04:00

In CPE meetings today, I was paged. At 8:45, my personal pager went off. Since my personal pager almost never goes off, this was at first very surprising. I didn't recognize the number, but assumed it was probably another chaplain, because who else would know of me, and know to page me? And if it was a floor trying to get me, hopefully they would know to not wait long, and page the main chaplain

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-77022276650424031652010-09-03T09:49:00.002-04:002010-09-03T09:52:13.219-04:00

Third week of the new residency, and I made a discovery: I have an office! I found this out by accident. Sitting in one of the tiny shared offices, another resident said "I'm going to my office for a bit." I said, with my laptop perched on my lap, "You get your own office?!?" "Yes," she replied, "Don't you? I thought the resident before you had one. No wonder you've been in here..."Next day: I

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-39794361569060645682010-09-01T15:20:00.002-04:002010-09-01T15:38:43.088-04:00

In CPE today, during our group time, there were various sharings of feeling lost in life right now from various people. While listening, my eyes wandered onto the bookshelf across the room, looking at titles (bookshelves are often distractions). And in that wandering, I saw again a book title "The Road Less Traveled." And my mind played with that, and turned it into "Roadless Travel." That

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-31732095709361554812010-05-04T09:27:00.003-04:002010-05-04T09:39:26.372-04:00

Kentucky seems to have quite a few traffic controllers. And they all cruise around in normal looking vehicles, making sure that none of us have fun on the interstate. I saw someone doing this behind me today as I was merging onto I-64. If it was done in front of me, I might have gone around him just to show that he was daft. Fortunately, I wasn't tempted. But I have in the past (note to self:

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-29215784378224303502010-04-28T20:21:00.003-04:002010-04-28T20:27:19.139-04:00

Synthetics carefully wrap my feet,To protect them,To help them,To let me move with comfort and sureness.I set forth, trusting my cozy shoes to keep my feet safeAs I pound the pavement in search of fitness.Lungs are on fire.Shins are screaming.Muscles would be stiff if they could be.Walking at lastThe Synthetic is removedAnd bare feet touch hard ground.Unyielding concrete scratches,Pebbles wound,

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-2984857910221820172010-04-23T18:14:00.002-04:002010-04-23T18:15:17.893-04:00

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-35662426610278587782010-04-12T15:01:00.004-04:002010-04-12T15:18:17.212-04:00

Today in CPE we watched and discussed the movie "The Bucket List." Pretty decent movie about facing death, and some of the hospital experience. In discussing it, our supervisor asked if we had a bucket list. I didn't really think I did, but realize there are some things I would like to do before I kick the bucket.1) Visit six of the seven continents (the ones that are really populated) for at

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-68936593922671081932010-04-01T22:45:00.000-04:002010-04-01T22:46:47.097-04:00

I'm reading a book on infertility (When Empty Arms Become A Heavy Burden, Glahn and Cutrer, 1997), and one of the chapters is about what to do when people say the wrong thing. To break the ice, it lists some of the "favorite" comments that the authors and others have heard, often along with either an interpretation of why the comment hurts, or what they wish they could say back. I haven't heard

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-56564294497695230552010-03-27T01:27:00.003-04:002010-04-28T23:17:47.044-04:00

EMS brought another dead body to the hospital tonight. That's two in a week that I know of.Someone finds a loved one in the house. They call 911: good idea! 911 sends an ambulance: good idea! The ambulance arrives to find that the person is without pulse, has been so for 10 or more minutes, and is gray, so they begin CPR, plug them full of meds, and zap them. Then EMS loads the person into the

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-17801026134868341792010-03-27T01:23:00.002-04:002010-03-27T01:27:54.242-04:00

I wondered tonight how many of the questions I ask people are pointless. As a chaplain, I have found that many of my questions seem to be pointless. The reasons may vary, but tonight I concluded that many questions I ask, to give myself some idea of what the situation may be, are pointless because people give me answers that are not true.I'm not saying people lie to me, though of course that

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-91082900473082581222010-03-16T19:58:00.003-04:002010-03-16T20:16:22.763-04:00

This morning I had a hard time waking up. I kept snoozing my alarm clock, and would struggle to wake up only to feel my eyes shut and I would fall back asleep. I sat up and picked up my Bible, to try and start my morning reading and start getting up that way. My eyes kept drooping, and I couldn't stay awake. It was just so hard to wake up!Then I woke up. My Bible was where I had put it the night

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-5094150772075983982010-02-26T08:55:00.002-05:002010-02-26T08:58:11.022-05:00

I wanted you to know how much you are loved and cared for, and that I will do everything I can to support you. But I didn't know how to tell you, so I looked for a card that would say it for me.This was the best I could find.My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-22456322242197625392010-02-25T13:55:00.006-05:002010-02-25T20:07:47.367-05:00

Fear creeps in like shadows,    threatening to engulf with darkness     everything        you love        you care about        that matters     you.I'll bring a candle and stand with you     against the darkness.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-37724792138126975692010-02-23T21:33:00.003-05:002010-02-23T21:34:19.355-05:00

It is not the painful experiences themselves that scar us, but rather it is going through those experiences alone. I want you to know, I have no intentions of leaving you to go through this alone.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-23924547371807024952010-02-23T20:26:00.004-05:002010-02-23T20:29:12.929-05:00

Words cannot express how I want to share your hurt and pain, your grief and sorrow, your anger and loss. So I'm going to be here in every other way I can, in silent companionship.And if the day ever comes that you want to talk, to try and put into words what you're going through, I'll be here then, too.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-9414726745107134452010-02-23T16:55:00.005-05:002010-02-23T17:10:58.024-05:00

Life Isn't Fair (And That Sucks)I heard that Life doesn't seem to be working out the way you had hoped, that you just found out that the dreams you had for yourself (for your family) won't come true. No one ever said life was fair, but I guess we always hope it will be. I wanted you to know that I'll be there with you in this, even just to sit with you in the ashes of your broken dreams.Job 2:13

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-84412998005515919622010-02-23T10:03:00.005-05:002010-02-23T16:51:16.549-05:00

Trouble at HomeMarriages are sacred, and so are the homes and families that they build. If only that meant they were easy, but as the trite saying goes "Nothing worth doing is easy." My heart breaks to hear that yours are in trouble. Know that I hope and pray in every way I can that you and yours are able to sort this out. Know that you aren't the first to go through this, and unfortunately not

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-17571574770173875922010-02-23T09:54:00.003-05:002010-02-23T09:59:12.515-05:00

See The Pattern? (To a Woman)You've said it before: "Why do all the guys I like end up treating me like this?" You'll probably say it again. And I wonder how long it will be before you wonder why you keeping choosing those guys. Sometimes the best thing to do to break a pattern, is to try something different.So try this: Dump this guy before you get hurt.See The Pattern? (To a Man)You've said it

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-80252071901138113162010-02-23T09:41:00.002-05:002010-02-23T09:44:03.685-05:00

Secrets Can Be DeadlyLike an undiagnosed cancer, secrets can slowly kill you and your relationships without anyone knowing what's going on. Airing them out is sometimes the only cure. I can't promise an easy solution, but I can promise to be your friend, to listen, and to do whatever I can to help.I also promise to help you find a good counselor. And that if I screw this up, I'll let you kick me

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-81356601979253178562010-02-22T21:14:00.002-05:002010-02-22T21:16:26.275-05:00

Life Handed Me LemonsSorry that Life has thrown me some serious lemons lately. I had hoped you would support me and help me make lemonade out of them, but I guess they were too tart for you. Here's a glass, so we can drink to the end of our friendship.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-31588286727237371472010-02-22T21:10:00.000-05:002010-02-22T21:14:32.305-05:00

Empty ArmsWe anticipated sharing your joy, holding your baby, delighting in new life.Instead we share your grief, and your empty arms, as we mourn unexpected death.Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-64746560391628095992010-02-22T21:08:00.003-05:002010-02-22T21:14:42.175-05:00

Today one of the chaplains said something close to this: We don't have rituals and hallmark cards for when someone finds out that life is not going to go the way that she or he had planned, hoped, or imagined. She said it in talking about chronic illness, how it changes our future, forces us to create a "new normal," and in general takes away our dreams of the future. We have rituals for many

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-26755081364966400682010-02-21T15:44:00.008-05:002010-02-21T16:09:57.574-05:00

Luta and I watched a webinar earlier in the week on "Loving someone who is infertile." It was a talk from two ladies, one who struggled with infertility and her friend who helped her through it. One was a psychologist, and they've written a book on the subject. Mostly it was about what to say and not to say, what to do and not to do, and some of the special needs and struggles that women fighting

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-52562330115966230452010-02-17T19:20:00.003-05:002010-02-17T19:24:34.210-05:00

I read this in The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling, and loved it. I have felt this way with some patients.help yourself, lady (and forgive me for saying so)by W. H. Shirkshe can't stop smokingshe can't lose weighther lungs are rottenher heart is rottenshe is too sick to operate onand too sick to go homeher children have contempt for herher husband is prone to strokesher first husband beat

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-12877696630136378362010-01-14T22:24:00.002-05:002010-01-14T22:33:35.119-05:00

This week I was chatting with a retired priest after we had visited a couple patients together. He commented on the state of the Catholic church, and said it seemed like it was going backwards at times. I asked what he meant, and he said in regards to social issues it just wasn't as vocal as it used to be. Sure, it used to speak out a lot about social injustice and poverty, but lately it was

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-89853010416467408792010-01-14T22:19:00.002-05:002010-01-14T22:24:23.439-05:00

Three times this week I called a church in order to get in touch with a minister. Each time, it was after hours. Three times this week, I was answered by machines. Three times, I was given an emergency number for just the situations I was in. Three times I called those emergency numbers, only to reach more answering machines. One time, I was called back the next day (nice, but a bit late given

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-3392674674901351982009-12-31T09:27:00.008-05:002009-12-31T09:51:48.107-05:00

Naturally, spoilers ahead. If you don't want to know about the movie, or the plot, don't read this.We saw Avatar the other night. It was quite an awesome movie to watch! Long, yes, to be sure, but I think it was worth it. An incredibly beautiful movie to watch, there were both times where it was obvious I was watching something that wasn't real, and other times where I was sure I was watching

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-5793976987770217172009-12-31T09:13:00.002-05:002009-12-31T09:20:58.358-05:00

I don't read much news, as far as news goes. I do read headline feeds from a number of sources, including a local paper, CNet and Slashdot (tech stuff), NY Times, BBC, USA Today, and some general sources like Yahoo and Google. Keeps me up on what's generally happening that people think I should know about. It gets repetitive, but sometimes one source will be highlighting something that the others

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-87016619676208396792009-12-11T20:58:00.003-05:002009-12-11T21:05:39.483-05:00

I finally did it. I got rid of my old computers. Three computer cases, basically fully tower systems, have been haunting me for years. The first was the first computer that was fully mine, and was upgraded a couple times. Then I upgraded to the second tower, which also saw a number of different upgrades. Finally I bought the third tower. That was last upgraded in 2003. And these towers have stuck

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-16556981570081062342009-12-04T13:43:00.003-05:002009-12-08T08:43:49.375-05:00

I'm not a computer guy, technically. Yes, I like them, and still play with them, and may be smarter than your average bear when it comes to making them do tricks. But I am not really a computer guy: my field is not in computers, I don't get paid to get annoyed by them anymore, and when it comes to actual tech support knowledge I am well behind in the field. To sum up: I do not use my bachelor's

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-21996622879258901642009-12-03T08:37:00.004-05:002009-12-08T08:47:50.901-05:00

CPE is more than just doing chaplain visits in a hospital. In fact CPE can be done in settings other than hospitals, though medical settings still seem to be the most common. But the main goals involve developing the person of the pastor, and helping the pastor become better suited to give care to other people. And one of the key ways this is done is by helping the pastor explore his-/her-self,

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-24855841361649018842009-11-16T22:23:00.002-05:002009-11-16T22:35:20.320-05:00

Tonight at the hospital there was a memorial service for all of the people who died on the palliative care unit in the past year. It was a nice service: ecumenical, short, but meditative and meaningful. As I was listening to all of the names listed off, I thought it was nice to remember people and how they were loved.But then I looked around, and realized how many people were in the audience

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-44980294624183194672009-11-12T15:05:00.006-05:002009-11-12T15:21:07.557-05:00

I think the hardest part of being a chaplain, so far, is that it has become very difficult for me to deny the fact that I am going to die someday. So will my family, and friends. So will everyone. Very obvious, I know, we all know that everyone dies. It's part of life: you are born, you live, you die. That's just how it goes, and there are all kinds of cute sayings to remind us of the

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-17602770905302467982009-11-12T14:46:00.004-05:002009-11-12T15:05:26.540-05:00

So far, in my few months as a hospital chaplain, a number of people have told me some variation of "I could never do what you do." Which is fine with me, because if everyone could do what I do then there wouldn't be much of a job market for me. But more importantly, there's plenty of things they do that I couldn't, or won't, do, so I think it's good we can't all do everything. I can't imagine

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-49980882225893729902009-10-30T15:17:00.004-04:002009-11-06T08:57:20.770-05:00

One of the books I am reading for CPE is My Grandfather's Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. (Riverhead Books, New York, 2000). I encountered this on p. 38, and found it to be a wonderful and freeing word on grief, and I have nothing to add to it.Every great loss demands that we choose life again. We need to grieve in order to do this. The pain we have not grieved over will always stand

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-69896359029452572332009-05-13T11:13:00.002-04:002009-05-13T11:25:39.634-04:00

If the next time you see me I look like I was looking for a cat in a bramble bush, face first, it is because I recently switched to a safety razor for shaving purposes. I hate having to switch cartridges in my razors all the time. And even though we have Preserve razors which are pretty good and relatively inexpensive (and recyclable! Always a plus), I still found it very annoying when on the

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-47806097627131107922009-04-23T15:37:00.006-04:002009-05-02T20:43:50.468-04:00

Apparently the UN is having talks on racism, and had to kick some people out. That didn't surprise me at first, since the people were kicked out while Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was speaking, and the people exhibited unacceptable disruptive behavior. One article mentioned them wearing clown wigs and throwing red noses at him... Yeah, sounds disruptive. And mature to boot!But that was

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-39395357291680924552009-04-20T18:57:00.001-04:002009-04-20T18:59:17.192-04:00

I'm sitting in class, not paying a whole lot of attention, just enough to know that the prof is still going through the chapters we read two weeks ago. It has been raining most of the day, though the sun has finally come out strong. I glanced out the window, and saw a huge, gorgeous rainbow. And realized, that it has been a while since I saw such a gorgeous thing, not some small thing in the rain

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-55426451924985112452009-04-20T18:25:00.003-04:002009-04-20T18:27:45.695-04:00

If I had written out my story thoughts, I would have almost been prophetic. I have sci-fi plots in my head that included weather altering satellites, though in my case they will end up going horribly wrong. There's just not as much plot in things that go right. And now, the solar feed satellite thing, which will solve all our energy concerns (or at least I'm betting someone thinks so), can

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-28031097865802094792009-03-03T13:59:00.006-05:002009-03-03T14:54:19.687-05:00

I decided to add "movie" to titles so you don't have to accidentally read a spoiler in order to find out that I'm talking about movies. But remember, if I'm talking about a movie, there will probably be spoilers! Hard to discuss the philosophy of a film without discussing the plot, or more particularly key plot points like, say, the ending.I love Stranger Than Fiction. We saw it in theaters, and

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-50163625864449685112009-02-26T19:34:00.002-05:002009-02-26T20:17:27.172-05:00

A friend had this linked in his google chat status message. I think it's awesome! Reminds me of the visualizations of the Hitchhiker's Guide in the movie.The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-40148590278293174692009-02-25T07:58:00.002-05:002009-02-25T10:40:53.348-05:00

I'm fiddling with the colors and layout of the blog. Please excuse the mess.Also, feel free to let me know what you think. I'm especially wanting to make sure it stays readable.

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-6855908266759594822009-02-24T14:23:00.004-05:002009-02-24T14:40:00.150-05:00

Today in chapel it was announced that "Lament and Repent" groups will be forming. Not a whole lot of information was given, just enough to encourage people to contact them for more, but the idea is that these groups will form around a particular subject to help people cope with that topic. Sounds like healing and/or accountability groups. I was frustrated, however, by what could be inferred from

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-50620612369885915682009-02-22T15:23:00.004-05:002009-02-24T14:44:09.741-05:00

Or at least that's what most of the characters in the film suggest. A recurring theme is that slumdogs stay slumdogs, and are only allowed to do certain things. Seems to be a focus upon karma: if you are a slumdog, there must be a reason for it, and you don't really get to try to be something else until the next life. Know your position! But this comes into conflict with another thought: what is

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-37532434761705491692009-02-20T10:02:00.004-05:002009-02-22T15:45:06.768-05:00

I believe that there are very few policies or structures or even just plain normal things that go on in the USA (or the rest of the world, for that matter) that are not primarily motivated by economics and economic security. Luta has been advocating against rising cesarean rates for a while now, and sent me an article on repeat cesareans and the problem with them. There's a few things in there

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-11052467074485386032009-02-17T21:19:00.007-05:002009-02-19T22:27:53.148-05:00

Or "Why I like more than ."Monday night I was talking to a friend and fellow student about TV shows that we like (apparently we like many of the same ones), and I started wondering what it is about some shows that annoy me while others don't. I assumed "Lost" drove me crazy because the story doesn't actually go anywhere, and there's certainly some truth to that (I gave up after season 2. If it

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-66243986076725319332009-02-17T20:25:00.008-05:002009-02-18T12:26:42.313-05:00

God, at least from the perspective of the world's major monotheistic religions, is considered to be perfect. Actually others would agree with this it seems, since Aristotle is the one who came up with the idea of God being the Unmoved Mover. This Unmoved Mover is conceived as "being perfectly beautiful, indivisible, and contemplating only the perfect contemplation: itself contemplating." (Check

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-33805741170635181192009-02-17T20:07:00.003-05:002009-02-17T20:22:00.595-05:00

I know they are unavoidable, but it still strikes me when I detect stereotypes being blatantly used. Perhaps they aren't blatantly used, perhaps the user is not fully aware of the fact that it is a stereotype being employed, but lately I ran into two being used to communicate a broader message and it made me pause.First is in The Shack (yes, that again). This one is definitely a spoiler, so if

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-56763730238797553542009-02-17T16:50:00.002-05:002009-02-17T17:00:31.891-05:00

I don't have anything against Lexington, KY, but I don't live there. I live in Wilmore. This seems straightforward to me, but apparently some people have a hard time with this concept, and it bugs me. There have been a number of times where people on campus have encouraged us to get involved in Lexington, because that's our city. Well, it might be the closest thing to what most consider a city,

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-29428051935347275922009-02-14T13:25:00.004-05:002009-02-14T13:33:18.429-05:00

For all you earth-lovin'/creation saving/treehugger/eco-defender types who are also addicted to your portable technology, you may now rejoice: Samsung has released a solar powered phone! Guess they're tired of "green" because they've called it "Blue Earth." There are some skeptics out there, and they do make some good points, but apparently we have to wait a while to get this phone anyways so

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-6184472652819113682009-02-14T13:08:00.003-05:002009-02-14T13:24:22.781-05:00

Violence in video games is a hot topic. Some try to get it banned, some say it has no impact. Many studies suggest that violence in video games and movies and media in general does in fact have an impact on the people consuming it, and that this impact is negative. However, a new study put a bit of a new angle on the problem. This one, instead of proving that violence makes people violent,

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-61116089671574358402009-02-14T13:01:00.004-05:002009-02-14T13:12:03.140-05:00

Slashdot.com always has some interesting news on it. A recent tidbit linked to an article on bullet-dodging body-armor. No joke. IBM filed for a patent on it. Seems that it will work primarily on long range fire, so its usefulness would be for high profile people, like presidents. The common foot soldier probably won't be benefiting from this. Next I predict we'll be seeing bullets that suppress

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-777494783763313092009-02-10T15:55:00.006-05:002009-02-11T09:55:26.115-05:00

Merriam-Webster has this to say about the word "know":know Pronunciation: \ˈnō\ Function: verb Inflected Form(s): knew \ˈnü also ˈnyü\ ; known \ˈnōn\ ; know·ingEtymology: Middle English, from Old English cnāwan; akin to Old High German bichnāan to recognize, Latin gnoscere, noscere to come to know, Greek gignōskeinDate: before 12th centurytransitive verb1 a (1): to perceive directly : have direct

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-61396618730551760172009-02-10T14:43:00.005-05:002009-02-14T13:12:18.339-05:00

Cnet posted news that MIT undergrads developed a shock absorber that generates electricity. Whenever a car equipped with these absorbers hits a bump, it would generate electricity. This reminded me of an article I read a few years ago, I think in either Times or Newsweek, that mentioned someone working on a backpack for the military that would do something similar. Apparently the modern army can

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-49656013128588775292009-02-09T11:47:00.000-05:002009-02-09T11:49:00.382-05:00

I love movies. And I love reading. And I love discussing movies and books with other people. I hope you will engage in that here with me. However I think I must warn you, that if I put up a post about a movie or a book, there very well may be plot spoiler information in the post. I'm not going to warn you each time, because I'm going to assume that you're smart enough not to read things you don't

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-26392470674617560082009-02-09T11:33:00.004-05:002009-02-11T09:03:56.852-05:00

I recently watched Wall-E. I love Pixar films, being disappointed only by Cars. And I totally loved Wall-E. I was cracking up, and though it was not only cute but somewhat profound. Sure, it might have beaten the "save the earth" message to death, but since I think we should preserve the earth, reduce our trash and footprint, and not be so lazy and depending on automated technology I don't really

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-24920585662518936302009-02-09T11:09:00.002-05:002009-02-10T15:53:28.987-05:00

I just finished reading The Shack by William P. Young. WilmoreUMC, the church we attend, is doing a book club as part of the Wednesday night programs, and this is the first book being discussed. I'd heard about the book before a few times. The first time was at the Community Life Interns retreat when students who were taking classes that had the book as a required text were talking about it (the

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-24485919349368111142009-02-09T10:47:00.000-05:002009-02-09T10:58:16.946-05:00

No, not really. Only in a virtual sense. Online, I am usually Aquajag. My oldest email address has that, and nearly every game I've played my name has been Aquajag. If you've blown off Aquajag's head, that was me; if you got chopped to pieces by Aquajag, that was me; if you're currently embroiled in an intergalactic war for universal military dominance with Aquajag, that's me. Only when trying to

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127323101335722138.post-71903444502070193852009-02-08T23:06:00.000-05:002009-02-08T23:08:43.889-05:00

From time to time (meaning anytime my mind is idle) I find myself pondering things. Arguing in my head, more like. Philosophical, theological, sometimes just plain ornery. I get frustrated not having anyone to bounce back thoughts at me. Maybe this will help? Of course, one problem is that I often find I can't actually put the thoughts down in print. But I'll try. Enjoy, and pull apart my

Aquajaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997153690098920772noreply@blogger.com0