Calc test

Well, today was the big day.  Okay, one of four big days.  It was the third calculus exam.  The last one will be given about three weeks after Thanks-Giving.  It will be the Final Exam.  (My, my, my, doesn’t that have a terminal ring to it?)  I honestly do not know how any one is expected to get though these classes.  It would be one thing if it were my only class.  They must expect us to have a lot of free time to study.  And they do!

 

They tell us to have between two and three hours of study time for every hour of class time.  I did the math, (I am in Calculus after all, you can trust my addition and multiplication skills,) if I did that...  I would be putting in a 60 hour work (study) week, every week!  You know that isn’t happen’ in!

 

So they must be exaggerating... because if it held true, then there is no way anyone could get through a four year degree in just four years!  I’m taking this stand because my degree (engineering) is laid out as a four year degree if you can maintain a 17 credit per semester class load.  I have a 13 or 14 credit load and by their numbers it is equal to a 60 hour work week.  How could anyone do even more?

 

The truth is, that heavy classes do require that level of study.  Other classes are much less demanding and some require almost no outside study at all.  I think right now I run between 25 and 30 hours a week on my studies.  The rest of life is taking up the other hours. 

 

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>                     Dan                     <

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Our Fences are built!

Winter is setting in.  The mountains to the south already have white caps.  The time for back-yard projects is almost finished until spring.  But because on Saturday morning we happened to notice that there are some of those little wooden stakes with the orange plastic flagging tied to the top standing here and there in the otherwise empty field behind our house, and because this must mean that someone is ready to develop that ground into another sub-division, we decided it was a great weekend to finish putting up our back fence.

 

We built the side fence, the one that separates our back yard from the next-door neighbors’ back yard about two months ago.  Then I moved the gate that they put in the front, to the back.  I built a wider (double) gate in the front so I can park my little trailer behind the fence at the side of the house. All we needed to do finish enclosing the back yard was to build the back section.  I had already bought the posts and cement.  We only needed the lumber.

 

Saturday turned out to be a good time for this.  We even had an unexpected check in the mail that more than covered the expense!  Isn’t God awesome?  So we put up our posts after lunch, it was warm enough to work outside after lunch... and then we headed down to Lowe’s.  The price on the dog-eared cedar fencing had come down since the last time I’d bought some, about 40 cents a board.  Not bad when you need 110 of them.  That saved me $44.oo off what I’d have had to pay had we done this earlier on.

 

Saturday night fell with only about half of those being put up.  Sunday morning I went back out before church and was able to finish it, and just in time.  It rained pretty good after that and turned the ground to mud.  But at last we have a fully fenced back yard.  It looks bigger somehow.  Might have something to do with not being able to see the huge field beyond and feeling like we only have a tiny piece of ground in comparison.   

 

It also feels like a metaphor.  In the old house we never did have a fully fenced back yard.  I had given considerable thought to how and where to put fences and gates, but we never did get to build them.  In that house we were taken advantage of.  Several times I lost items of some value to alley trolls (thieves) who would steal things from us right out of our (exposed) back yard.  That at least is not going to happen here.  It also reminds me that in this house, our money is our own.  We have built a new boundary in our financial lives. It has been a hard lesson, but this person is no longer accepting gifts with strings attached.  If it is a ‘gift’ it is given freely.  No strings.  If it is not a gift, then it must be payment for some service or other good.  And the terms of that negotiation had better be clearly stated, clearly understood and perfectly acceptable to both parties.  To often you don’t get what you thought were agreeing to when the condition are vague.

 

The trouble some people have is that like the little children on the play-ground, when a game is not going their way, they want to continuously change the rules so that they can turn it around to their favor...  you know the kind.  Some of those kids never grew up and they are still playing that same game.  They don’t want clear contracts, because they can’t modify them when things turn out differently than what they thought it would.

New room mates

In my office, I now have two new ‘room mates.’  They are alike in some ways, and quite opposite in all others.  The contrast between them I find most amusing.  One is a futon, the other is an elliptical.  Both were bought brand new.  Both came in a box with lots of packaging.  Both came with “some-assembly-required.”  Both are made mostly of metal.  Both take-up some considerable real-estate in my office.

 

That is about where the comparison ends.  To use the futon, one must either sit and relax or lay down and sleep.  It is one big sitting place that can be made into an even larger sleeping place.  It has cushions and pillows and a warm wrap.  In contrast, to use the elliptical you must stand up on the “pedals” as there is no place to sit at all.  It has no cushions or pillows, nor will it allow you to relax, let alone sleep.  In order to use it, you have to keep it moving.  It has an electronic display to show you how much exercise you have done. 

 

So one makes you tiered, the other gives you a place to rest.  

 

There are a lot of things in this crazy world that are like that.  Like yen and yang, opposites that fit neatly together and create a sort of whole.  Like light and dark.  If we only had one or the other, could we still have a rainbow?  Technicalities aside, I think you see my meaning.

 

That elliptical is just what the doctor ordered.  I don’t get enough exercise on any given day and my middle has exceeded it’s boundaries as consequence.  But the futon is just as important.  While it would not do to let my physical vessel deteriorate while I am improving my mind, neither can one contemplate deep thoughts while your calves are screaming and your heart is pounding in your ears.  Meditation, I’ve found, is better done with a more relaxed posture.

 

 

The mousetrap car

Hello everyone.

 

It has been a while since I have had time to write, at least, here in the journal.  I thought I’d give a sort of progress report on one class I’m taking.  It is called ENGR 120, A.K.A. Intro to Engineering.

 

This should be a great class, a load of fun.  And it would be, I think, if the adjunct professor weren’t a bit of a flake.  So far we have designed a process for making peanut-butter-and-cracker-sandwiches.  Our process fail miserably.  Then we made a composite for construction.  My group has attempted to use bamboo and glue… we won’t know the results until they are tested for strength, which is scheduled just before the holidays this month.

 

Currently we are attempting to build a mouse-trap-car.  You take a mouse trap, and use only the energy of the spring when the trap is set, to propel a car.  This can be done for speed or distance.  Our test is for distance.

 

 

So I built a car frame, one of the team built this drum attachment for the mouse trap.  I robbed the axels and wheels off a 1 dollar toy car.  Dollar stores are good.  That is also where I found the huge package of tongue depressor sized popsicle sticks to make the frame out of.  So here is the final product.

 

Current status:  My best run went just over 12 ft.

 

If you get a chance to build one of these, weight

seems to be an issue.  Go for light!  A popular choice

is CD’s for wheels.  I’d have done the same but could

not find anything to make a hub out of.  The axle’s are only

0.1” diam, and the center hole in a CD is 0.6” diam.  That is

a big difference.

 

 

 

New Orleans.

<<< Deep Thoughts >>> In the wake of Catrina, and now Rita, two huge hurricanes... what can be said? Well a lot if you haven't been listening to the news. I was. I was impressed that the entire debaucle about FEMA was easy to understand and easy to demonstraight. It is not about FEMA at all. For one thing, no one, not even FEMA -should- be prepaired for massive devistaion on the scale that we have seen in the wake of these two storms. The American tax payers do not need to be paying for warehouses full of MRE's, Tents, Generators and such when the prospect of needing it all is rather rare. My opinion. The difference between Lousiana and Texas... or Lousiana and Mississippi... is that the people in Lousiana have/had no respect for authority. They did not respect the call for evacuation. They did not respect the private property of others. They did not cooperate with FEMA, or the even the President of the USA! They caused their own troubles! Am I off my rocker? No. The proof of this is all over the net even now. It is appearent in all the Mardi-Gras pictures... think about it. The people had a culture of thumbing their noses at their own police and getting away with it. That break-down in authority cost them lives. It is perhapps the grace of God that 10,000's were not killed.... It is self-evident in the fact that looting after the storm was rampat only in Lousiana. Now even some of thier own police are being charged with having looted. Pathetic!

Five weeks Latter!

Why are some people so plastic? So fake? To what end do we continue to fight over petty issues? Why is money the thing that brings out the true (ugly) character in some people? Why did it have to my own parents? It has been five weeks since they were paid... I am still waiting for my cut. True they did give me $4,000. I nearly had to do some arm twisting to get that much. The trouble is, that they recieved 32,000 for a house that they only had 11,000 invested in. How can anyone (in thier right minds) think that 11,000 invested means they get 28,000 of the 32,000 when I had about 20,000 invest over ten years, and for that, they want me to settle for just 4,000. In my world, the person who invested more, takes the larger share, not the miniscule one. I think most people would agree with that. By avoiding this question, By putting it off, By refusing to talk about it, By stonewalling, They have put our family relations under great tension. I even had an argument about it with my sister, not that it matters much. She has always been a plastic bimbo and the more mom and dad have, the more she can borrow/beg/take from them. Other than that, she dosen't even have a hourse in this race so that is the only reason it could be important to her at all. Like I said, plastic. You would think that familey would come first. You know the old addage, blood is thicker than water? Not true, even blood is cut off by the thin edge of a dollar. At this point it isn't even about the money, not for me. I realized a long time ago that the knott in the pit of my stomace... was the knowledge that my own parents had been lying. They lied to me, my wife, thier grandchildren. Maybe even themselves. Nothing is sacred, there are dollars on the table for the taking... lie, cheat, steal even from your own flesh and blood, but take it if you can. That's been thier goal. That we would remodel was a joke. They bought new car year after year instead. I should have seen it, but I refused to believe it. My parents had the money to remodel and keep thier promices, but new cars and pickups were more important that thier word. Thier appearance as they drove about town was more important than their own son. Plastic. Lies. When we refinanced, I saw it coming. I knew then that I had just kissed my investment goodby. I had to sign away my leagel rights and control over the property, so that they could refinance and get their hands on some more money. The money is all they wanted. All they care about. Not thier son. He is an embarrasment to the them. He dosen't play thier plastic game. Drives old cars he can afford. Wears jeans and worn out t-shirts. So now they have the money. I have a boat load of broken promices, disapointments and lies. Just a bunch of lies. lies. all lies. What ever happened to, "I love you?"

The house is sold!

 

The House is Sold!

 

Almost three weeks ago, my parents received payment for the sell of a house we had both invested in.  Doing business with a partner is hard.  Doing business with family, now that can be impossible.  We got about 32 thousand out of the old place after all was said and done.  In all fairness, my cut should be about 16 thousand, less a few expenses such as some money we barrowed from them last summer.  Last night my own mother, rather reluctantly gave us a partial payment of $4,000.  We had an agreement signed between us three years ago about how we would disburse the funds when this house sold.  Worse case scenario, I should see about 10 thousand.  (Some parts of an agreement almost always become less clear and well defined after a few years have passed).  Tomorrow it will have been three weeks since they were paid.  Why can’t they just cut me a check and be done with it.  There isn’t any reason to quibble over infinite details…

 

It can be nearly impossible to do business with a family member.  If they treat you bad and rob you blind, they are still your family.  And as messed up as it sounds, they could be upset with you for not thanking them for all the great things they did out of nothing but the best intentions for you… inspite of the fact that they treated you badly and robbed you blind while doing them.  They may have broken every promise they ever made you, but, boy aren’t you the lucky one!  Just look at how many times they bent over backwards just to make things work for you.  If you are thinking about doing business with a family member, I’d advise you not too.

 

And just to prove that no silver lining comes without a grey cloud…

 

Our old neighbor wants to sue.  Okay this is a long story, but the jist of it is this:

The old place has a water well on it.  We shared the use of the well with our neighbor.  He and the former resident were great friends so they had it wired and plumbed in so either party could draw water as needed.  As soon as a For Sale sign was in the front and we had moved out, this fine old gentleman cut and plugged off our pipe, and removed our power wires so we no longer had use of the well.  One small problem here, the well is on our land!  Well, I had to go and restore our access.  It was either that or watch the yard die in the summers heat.  I re-wired it to power, but they refused to allow me access to their property and their power panel.  I had to cut them off electrically, but I did not touch their pipes.  No they want to sue… after the house has been sold to someone else.  Now they want US to pay to put it all back like it was.  –Go figure-

 

Is it also true that there is no fool like an old fool.  He started this mess and has resisted all our efforts to fix it until now, and now it is too late.  It is out of our hands.

 

  Between Family, Finance and foolish neighbors.. I still have Calculus I, Chemistry I, Mech. Engr. Graphics and Intro to Engr. Classes to keep up with.  (Speaking of which… there is more homework sitting in the IN box)

 

Gotta run.  Till next time..

-Dan.

 

 

 

Walking

Early fall days, when there is a bit of chill in the air, a slight breeze and leaves raining down from the bronze and golden trees.  When the sun is playing peek-a-boo with the clouds and V shaped formations flying overhead are headed south.  That is the best time for walking.  Squirrels  run about nervously seeking more winter provisions, never satisfied with what they have already hidden away.  The fly, the bee, the wasp, and the ant; all the pests of summer have found shelter against the approaching winter and do not bother me any more.  That is the best time for walking.  The flowers in their glorious colors have all faded but so too has their contribution to my allergies, so the air is clean and pure.  The sun’s light is neither so bright that it hurts the eyes, nor is it lost in a gloomy fog.  It casts weak thin shadows that play along my path.  That is the best time for walking.  

 

-Dan.

 

P.S.  Our old has is sold!  Payday coming soon!

 

Blog Spam

<<< Deep Thoughts >>> I've been spamed! Someone is posting spam in our blog sites! Who could be so uncooth? So rude? So thoughtless! I really really detest the constant invasive sales presure created by the advertisers. They have polluted radio, television, the internet, most sports, clutered up the landscapes and made city streets ugly. They waste thousands of trees through paper products to print thier pitches in news papers, magazines and mailers. They plug up my mailbox and even leave unwanted messages on my answering machine. Now they are pitching their junk in my blog too! This madness has got to stop. It is time for citizens everywhere to demand legal limitations be put on advertisers. advertisments need to be where you can find them if you want them, such as a phone book or internet web site. They should not be in your face and forcing their wears down your throught. No more phone calls. No more mailers. No more spam. And no more blog spam! Maybe what we all need is an e-gun. That way we could virtualy shoot the spamsters and kill thier computers operating system. Now there is a thought!

The wife and kids enjoying an afternoon swim. The back yard is coming togeather! Nuestro casa, de atras. Pilar y las nin'as esta escapando el calor!

Here is my office. Note the great color scheme!

Wow, I still have a lot of unpacking to do. Note all the books. Is it any wonder that I had to build book cases?

Granny's Family Bible

Upon the death of my Grandmother Davis, I inherited her family Bible.  While there is nothing remarkable about this particular copy (she did have more than one) in it there is a record of the generations.  So for all those who might have been curious about this stuff here is the data as it is recorded in her Bible.

 

"

 

This is to Certify that

 

Arthur A. Davis

Place of Birth: Blackgum, Oklahoma

Date of Birth: June 9, 1911

 

And

 

Edna Jewel Blevins

Place of Birth: Braggs, Oklahoma

Date of Birth: September 24, 1909

 

Were joined together in the bonds of

Holy Matrimony

At: Vian, Oklahoma on the 29 day of June

In the year of our Lord 1929

Rev. Butler Clergyman

Witnesses: Estel Davis, Marion Davis

 

'Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.

What therefore God hath joined together, let not

Man put asunder.'  Matthew 19:6

 

(Page 2)

 

Children

Billy Doyle Davis, Oklahoma, April 3, 1930

Married to Norma F. Davis at Reno, Nev. Dec., 1950

Names of Grandchildren

Arthur Brandon 1/17/52

Billy David 4/12/53

Evonda Lynn 7/16/54

Allen Lyslie 8/  /55

Stephen Lee 11/6/56

 

Hazel Jo Davis, Oklahoma, Oct. 6, 1932

Married to Richard O. Reneau at Marysville, Cal. June 20, 1949

Names of Grandchildren

Judy Diane 4/1/50

Debra Gail 5/12/51

Jimmy Dale 7/25/52

Laura Jane 9/2/53

Rickey Wayne 4/8/57

 

Patsy Lovan Davis, Oklahoma, Aug. 7, 1943

Married to Carl Edward Willey at Rio Del, Cal. Dec. 20, 1958

Names of Grandchildren

Dathenia Leavon Willey 2/4/61

Daniel Lee Willey 3/25/63

 

Dewey Lee Davis, Oklahoma, May 25, 1939

Married to Meta Miess, San Antonio, Texas 1/1/69

Names of Grandchildren

Jonathan Lee 9/15/70

Paul Anthony 12/29/72

 

(Page 3)

 

"

 

Family History
	HUSBAND	WIFE
Father	Charley Davis	William D. Blevins
Place of Birth	Tennessee	Arkansas
Date of Birth	Oct. 1885	April 12, 1886
Date of Death		Oct. 14, 1970
Place of Burial	Box, Ok.	Box, Ok.
Mother	Lulu Ann McForland	Mary Perry
Place of Birth	Arkansas	Arkansas
Date of Birth		Sept. 23, 1886
Date of Death	Oct. 10, 1943	Oct. 14, 1965
Place of Burial	Box, Ok.	Box, Ok.
Brothers & Sisters	Lowell, Marrion, Cecil,	Lester Blevins,
	Lester, Austin, Benson,	Earl Blevins,
	Wylie, Buster, Albert,	Ruby Blevins.
	Raymond, Jack.
	Madge, Melvin,
	Mary, Lois
	(2 names are missing?)
Grandparents
Father's Father	Thomas Davis	Edward Blevins
Father's Mother	Mary Ellen Cook	Nancy Jane Skinner
Mother's Father	Bill McForland	Pierce Perry
Mother's Mother	Easter Brigley	Ellen Blevins

 

* All underlined entries were handwritten.

 

I hope some of you find this as interesting as I do.

 

 

 

 

Dan Willey

 

The Lords Supper

 

The practice of taking the Lord's supper is one of few rituals found in the Christian church.  Although generally agreed upon by the many denominations, there are still two basic forms in which it can take.  In most protestant denominations the bread and wine are served separately.  The bread tends to be a salt free cracker about the size of a small green pee, and the 'wine' is actually just grape juice.  Some churches use red grape juice, others fear the stains that can leave in the carpets so they use white grape juice instead.  These two basic elements are served as Jesus did, separately.  The bread you can pick up with you fingers, and the juice is poured into thimble sized cups.

 

Other churches, such as the Catholics have found a more convenient method.  They eliminate the need for hundreds of tiny cups by having the saints dip the bread into a cup of 'wine' and eat the two together.  Personally I have reservations about performing or taking the communion this way.  Here is why.

 

Leviticus 17:10-14  "And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, I will cut him off from among his people.  For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the alter to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.  Therefore I said to the children of Israel, 'No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.'  Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; for it is the life of all flesh, its blood sustains its life.  Therefore I said to the children of Israel, 'You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood.  Whoever eats it shall be cut off.'

 

Also see Deut. 12:16, 15:23 and I Sam. 14:32-35.

 

I think we have forgotten this principle, about the blood representing the life of the creature.  Certainly, when our Lord represented his flesh and his blood separately, he was clearly illustrating that he must die. His blood had to be spilt to make atonement for us all, and by having a cup of juice, we are asked to reflect upon this fact.  Then we see the bread, which represents his body.  Jesus broke the bread to represent how his own body would be broken for us so that we might receive healing.

 

The Israelites were very clear on this point.  You did not eat meat that still had the blood in it.  God forbade that practice.  So why do some churches dip the bread into the wine?  Isn't that like putting the blood back into the flesh and then eating it?  Isn't that what these things symbolize? What would that mean?  If Jesus did not shed his blood, then he did not atone for our sins and can not save us from the penalty of sin.  Or are we making him alive again by putting his life force back into his body and eating the Christ like some sort of cannibal? Either way, isn't this something like blasphemy? Think about it!  Pray about it!

 

Perhaps dealing with a lot of tiny cups isn't such a bad thing.

 

-Dan.

 

 

 

This is all of us from last Christmas.

Part Two of the Church Today.

Hmm, no comments yet from my last entry.  So here is some help to get your thoughts going.

I'm not saying that I have the perfect answer.  However, which one of the afore mentioned organizations brings us Faith, Hope or Love?  Which one of them draws us to the Holy Spirit?  Which one of them is Salt and Light to the world?  What might that mean?

 

<Yes this is meant to make you think>

 

On a personal note:  Pilar bought me some lumber yesterday.  I'm building bookcases with it today and I'll be putting my office back together today.  Now that the walls are finished, and I have the wiring in the walls the way I want it, I can organize the rest of the room.  I already have my desk assembled.  I had to drill holes through it to pass cables through.  I built this desk back in 1987.  It has seen a lot of use and some abuse since then.  I built it modular so it could be moved easily and rearranged to fit different spaces.  I think this is its final resting place however because it is showing its age.

 

What remains to be done is to line one wall with bookcases and fill them with all our books.  I think I have too many books already.  It will look a bit like a library up here.  Then I have about a ton of junk and trash and important bits & pieces mixed in with important papers.  I will need to sort through all that mess and figure out what needs to be tossed out and what needs to be filed away.  I just keep telling myself this; if I get all this stuff organized, then I can keep it clean.  It will not get trashed again if I have a maintainable system in which to file away the important paperwork and a trashcan for all the rest.  Just working through a file drawer and sorting out things we no longer need to keep is a monumental chore for me.  I hate paperwork.  I'd much rather be building those bookcases and un-boxing all my books onto them.  At least it looks like you have done something when your finished!

 

 

 

 

 

 

   ^-^              The wise

  (*v*)              Ol' Owl

  ()   ()

--"---"----         Dan Willey

 

Today's Church

What is the role of the church in our modern society?  I have been asking my friend this question for a while now.  It is not such an easy question to answer, when you take in to count the various other groups and organizations that are out there.  What is it that makes the church unique, special or even vital? 

 

Is the church a huge social club?  If all a church provides is a sense of belonging or community, then it is just another social club and could be compared to joining the Moose Lodge, a bowling league or something like that.

 

Is the church an organization of higher learning?  We have 'Sunday School' and we teach people about the Bible, but then don't colleges and universities do so also?  In fact they offer degrees to their students and prepare them for various career fields.  However, the academic community and the scientific community both share a belief that the Bible is more myth than fact and more out of date than modern.  So if the church is to be in the business of teaching, it has become rather irrelevant in this capacity.

 

Is the church a place of guidance and counseling?  It is true that there are a lot of fundamental and practical teachings to be learned from scripture, however; if the church is to act in this capacity it must compete with clinical psychologists.  In some states, you must be licensed in order to provide counseling services.  This area too seems to be one in which the church has fallen behind.

 

Is the church a place of healing and restoration?  The scriptures talk about miraculous healings at the hands of the believers, and some still proclaim this ability.  However modern medicine has made inroads in this area, and almost everyone thinks of visiting the doctor when they become sick.  We don’t jump in an ambulance and get rushed to the church.  So this too has been taken away from us for the most part.

 

Is the church a place we go to sing?  While singing is part of worship, don't people do this in bars, clubs and concerts?  Some bands can drop in and play some music and make huge bucks for doing it live on stage.  The church has live bands on stage every Sunday but no one knows their name or pays to listen to them play.  With few exceptions, such as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

 

As for charity, the church has taken a back seat to government welfare, the Red Cross and Salvation Army. 

 

In politics, the church has minded it's own business for fear of losing their tax exempt status.

 

In law, the church has become a non-player because we don't legislate morality.

 

So I ask you… just what IS the role of the church in our modern day society?   I want to hear from you.  What do you think its role is?

 

 

Dan