You Win Some, You Lose Some

In the game of life, there are some rounds you win, and some you lose.

Here are a few rounds of both this week:

Since everyone wants to hear the bad news first, my mother and I tried to make Living Without's Elegant Chocolate Cake with Coconut Cream filling. I was sort of against the whole cake to begin with, I'm not always a fan of coconut custard and it sounded a little too much like coconut custard filling. However as we proceeded that coconut cream filling was horrible to create. It was almost a total fail as a filling. Despite this, the cake itself looked joyful ;)

And after I didn't like as a cake, she layered it up with some coconut vanilla yogurt and cherry pie filling for a lovely chocolate cherry trifle. 

On the winning side,

we must congratulate a dear reader and friend 

who gave me what everybody's got already

a water buffalo.

(If you do not understand this reference, I pass you on to

  VeggieTales' Silly Song with Larry and you will  understand.)

((Please send complaints about your water buffalo or lack thereof to:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

or Yoda's address if you know where she is.))

Last, but not least the Jedi Master and I won against Make Magazine's MintyBoost USB Charger today.

I learned how to solder! 

(Okay, question: why don't we say the l in solder?)

I am just so amazed and happy with being able to make this thing.

I also learned a lot about resistors and capacitors.

It is supposed to fit in an Altoids Gum tin, but I could not find them anywhere, so we just used old Altoids mint tins. Now we have extra room for the cord.

Its so cool! 

(My new iPhone 4S takes such better pictures than my last phone did. All of this post's pictures are from my phone. Gotta give credit where credit is due, Sonic.)

:)

The Humble Amble of Love

Since returning to my family's seat, I have had some rest and time to relax.
Thus,
"I'm afraid I've been thinking."

"A dangerous pastime." "I know."
(name that song and movie... go!)

One thing of which I have been thinking is
Love.
Seems pertinent to the season.

Now, just stay with me here.
You know that lovely R&B hit by Martin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Ain't No Mountain High Enough? Well, the lyrics definitely say:
          Just call my name
          I'll be there in a hurry
         You don't have to worry
         'Cause baby,
         There ain't no mountain high enough
         Ain't no valley low enough
         Ain't no river wide enough
         To keep me from getting to you

 which definitely seems to suggest some sort of hyperlink between those in love. All that has to happen is a calling of the name, and whaboom! presto! the other is present to help.

And while obviously, I don't necessarily believe such a thing can happen, the idea remains in the air so it seems, in a general way. I never had a problem with it until I was listening to Chris Isaak's Somebody's Crying. (on the good Latro's suggestion) His song says,
         I know somebody and they called your name. 
         A million times and still you never came. 
         They go on loving you just the same I know that somebody's trying. 
and that seems so much more true of love. There isn't any mind reading, or hyperlinks, or space portals that connect a person so that they feel less alone in those moments they call out for the one they love. Yet, just saying the loved one's name does help and they keep loving the person anyway. It seems much more humbling and human.

I was thinking about it further and I guess part of the reason we have hope in ideas about people even when they seem so ordinarily human is all that dirty stuff right alongside the good stuff. That is the way human life goes these days. The uproar about Mother Theresa and Jesus being what we like to think of as ideals of greatness in Christian virtue, yet feeling forsaken in their missions at times. Even those who are not Christian, there are those humans beings who stand for the goodness of humanity and take that stand in the dark. They remind and testify to us that we can be good in the dark even though it is so terribly dark. We don't need light to know that we aren't alone.

For theists (those who believe in God), like Henry Vaughan,
         There is in God (some say)/A deep, but dazzling darkness;
and Dionysius,
        "unchangeable mysteries of heavenly Truth lie hidden in the dazzling darkness of the secret Silence, outshining all brilliance with the intensity of their darkness."


We don't need light to know God.
We don't even need light to know love.
But they both take a little humility.

The December Road Trip, Esq.

I survived my first semester at seminary.
And I am going to miss it here.
Seriously.

...

After three days of traveling and many hours sitting around talking with friends and family, all we have to report is that South Carolina was warm, we received some good loot, we don't remember North Carolina, but the wine and food was good, and happy birthday to both our aunts!