Movin' On Up

Just downloaded two programs yesterday that have ended Adobe Reader's tryannical reign over me, i.e. slow load times both off and online, giant size, and slowing down of the computer, all especial issues for those stylish enough to own an HP mini.

First we have FoxIt Reader for all your pdf reading needs. At 7.63 MB, it's less than a 10th the size of Adobe Acrobat.

To expand my pdf capabilities, I also downloaded PDF Fill's trial version, which comes with the tools to split and join pdfs, something I've been wanting to have for a long time. The program's primary purpose is to allow the user to type onto any pdf, useful for forms I guess, but I don't plan on using it thusly, espcially since it leaves its watermark on those documents. No watermark for the splitting and the joining. The whole program's 33.8 MB.

So we have increased capability, faster load times, and the two programs combined are half the size of Adobe Reader. Did I mention that they're both free? Yea, progress.

What Happens When a Stoppable Force Meets a Moveable Object?

A question posed by my little brother deserves a wider audience. Who would win a fight, this guy:

or this guy:

?

As my sister said, we can't be sure, but there would be a lot of hugs.

This Post Is Brought to You by the Letters K and P

Whilst reading the Gospel of Matthew in Greek this afternoon, I wrote down nine words to memorize.

pēchus - cubit
krinon - lily
kribanos - earthen vessel, pot, pan
karphos - a dry particle, dry stalk
klauthmos - a weeping, wailing
peran - on the other side of, across
potapos - from what country?
embrimaomai - snort with rage, be indignant
ktaomai - possess
pēra - wallet, scrip, knapsack

(For those that are unaware, I make a check mark in my dictionary by each word that I look up. Three check marks mean a flashcard.)

The significance of this clustering I read to our readers.

Bonus points for those who can identify the chapters. Hint: karphos. Negative points for those who were going to correct me and suggest I write kappa and pi.

Snake bites Man? Boring.

On the other hand:

Man Bites Snake in Epic Struggle

. . . Mr Nyaumbe bit the snake on the tip of the tail during the exhausting battle in the village of Sabaki.

Police rescued Mr Nyaumbe and captured the 13ft (4m) reptile, before taking it to a sanctuary, but it later escaped.

The victim told police he managed to reach his mobile phone from his pocket to raise the alarm when the python momentarily eased its grip after hauling him up a tree on Saturday evening.

Mr Nyaumbe used his shirt to smother the snake's head and prevent it from swallowing him.

And that's why I always carry a cell phone. Yeesh.

Late Is Better than Never

This past Thursday's Gospel, John 8:51-59 (Douay-Rheims):

⁵¹ Amen, amen I say to you: If any man keep my word, he shall not see death for ever. ⁵² The Jews therefore said: Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest: If any man keep my word, he shall not taste death for ever. ⁵³ Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? and the prophets are dead. Whom dost thou make thyself? ⁵⁴ Jesus answered: If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father that glorifieth me, of whom you say that he is your God. ⁵⁵ And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I shall say that I know him not, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know him, and do keep his word. ⁵⁶ Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see my day: he saw it, and was glad. ⁵⁷ The Jews therefore said to him: Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am. ⁵⁹ They took up stones therefore to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

Chesterton's take from The Everlasting Man:

Above all, would not such a new reader of the New Testament stumble over something that would startle him much more than it startles us? I have here more than once attempted the rather impossible task of reversing time and the method; and in fancy looking forward to the facts instead of backward through the memories. So I have imagined the monster that man might have seemed at first to the mere nature around him. We should have a worse shock if we really imagined the nature of Christ named for the first time. What should we feel at the first whisper of a certain suggestion about a certain man? Certainly it is not for us to blame anybody who should find that first wild whisper merely impious and insane. On the contrary, stumbling on that rock of scandal is the first step. Stark staring incredulity is a far more loyal tribute to that truth than a modernist metaphysic would make it out merely a matter of degree. It were better to rend our robes with a great cry against blasphemy, like Caiaphas in the judgment, or to lay hold of the man as a maniac possessed of devils like the kinsmen and the crowd, than to stand stupidly debating fine shades of pantheism in the presence of so catastrophic a claim. There is more of the wisdom that is one with surprise in any simple person full of the sensitiveness of simplicity, who should expect the grass to wither and the birds to drop dead out of the air when a strolling carpenter's apprentice said calmly and almost carelessly like one looking over his shoulder: 'Before Abraham was, I am.'

Happy Holy Week, y'all.

Genius

Not the whole thing. Most of it is just mildly amusing. Kindly fast forward to 3:30 and prepare for socks-knocking-off-ness.

Who Shot Who in the What Now?

Since I'm currently writing a paper about Spartacus, I thought I'd trot out this old chestnut.

Single tears rock!

It's a boy!

Thwarted

Catchy tune, good lyrics, even an engaging video (though I'm not really a music video guy), but they can't make up for a truly excrable refrain:

For some better Stereophonics songs, there's A Thousand Trees, More Life in Tramp's Vest, Mr. Writer, or Caravan Holiday (live and acoustic unfortunately).  Kelly Jones has a fabulously unique voice, and I love the effect of the way he can just pile on words in "A Thousand Trees" or "More Life in a Tramp's Vest."  Maybe he should have a poetry album?

This post is dedicated to Rico, who I think rightly diagnosed the thoroughly inadequate response level from our massive readership.

A Lenten suggestion

Perhaps Big Jim could give up "not blogging" for Lent.

And the rest of you chuckleheads could give up "not commenting."

A turning point

There are moments in a man's life when he comes to great realizations about his existence. Moments when a great self-truth crystallizes in his mind.

Last week I got into a car accident. (Short story: I was at fault. I slid on ice. It was the old car.) I took my car in for an estimate today, and they needed to keep it overnight before they could give me the full estimate. In the meantime, they offered to give me a rental car for the day.

As it turns out, Hertz was very low on vehicles and had just two available when I got there. My choice was stark: Would I go with the sleek and stylish Ford Mustang or the functional yet boxy Toyota Sienna? The rental guy picked me up to take me back to the agency in the Mustang. It was all I could do to stuff the car seat in the back seat, let alone get it installed.

Needless to say, tonight I am the proud driver of a minivan.

Blue-Gold game?

April 18, 2009. Sunny (or not) South Bend, Indiana. 2009 Notre Dame Blue-Gold game. Tailgating with a beautiful Deepwater Blue Hyundai Santa Fe. Will YOU be there?

New car!

2008 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS!

I was going to apply for a job in the Obama administration . . .

but then I went and filed my taxes. What was I thinking?

Best. Super Bowl. Ever.

What a game! This game had it all: Back and forth action, amazing turning points, hairpulling drama, Kurt Warner's suddenly attractive wife!

What She Said

Amy Welborn wrote a magnificent post yesterday. Also, I'm glad to see that Juan Williams is still talking sense.

Reihan Salam Is Everying I Aspire to Be

(in a blogging sense).

Check out his latest post on The American Scene (which you should be reading anyway). Wit. Good music. Ghenghis Khan. Even some rap references for my poor deluded partner.

I'm going to have to check out The Dirty Projectors. That song is amazing.

That is all. Carry on.

New Life Plan

I've decided to make a lot of money in order to take up parachuting.  You see, one needs to log at least 200 jumps before attempting this:

I'm actually fairly serious.  The wingsuit may be the most amazing thing I've ever seen.

Haver

According to our good friend, dictionary.com:

to equivocate; vacillate.

So now we all know what the hell the Proclaimers were singing about in the second verse:

One further note. The Proclaimers are Scottish. The accent makes sense working backwords, but I'd always figured they were from the Carribean.

Well, it looks like my learning is done for the day.

I can update the sidebar too!

Even better, my sidebar changes include deceptively quoted rap songs!