Work

Just now on Christmas break from pursuing my Reactor Operator Certification. I started on November 30, 2010. It ends in June 2012, so I'm 2/3 of the way through. We have two sections left – Abnormal Operating Procedures (AOPs) and Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs). The AOPs are how to respond to failed instruments or stuck valve or broken pump. There are a lot of backup systems, but we still have actions to take to keep things from getting worse. It's kind of like “What do you do if your tire goes flat while you're driving?”

We're just over half-way through that section. I was absolutely thrilled to finish the year with a 91% on the written exam. Most of my scores have flirted with the 80% minimum passing. God was gracious to me.

The EOPs will start around February. They deal with the really bad stuff – think Three Mile Island and Fukushima. Needless to say, the course doesn't get any easier.

Work De Ja Vu

Meanwhile, the Plateau software upgrade is still on schedule for February of next year, and so far as I know, no one has been assigned the task of rolling it out on our site. I was the one who did it last time, and my coworkers have been avoiding it like the plague. I'll be curious to see how it all falls out when it the crisis occurs. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see me caught between the Licensing course and the software upgrade. We'll see.

Ministry

Our nursing home/shut - in ministry continues to go well. We had to move our silent worship meetings from Buffalo Bookstore to Lakeside Church, a small congregation in Lakeside Michigan. The bookstore looked like it was going under when the owner disappeared for a couple of weeks. We took that and an electric company shut-off notice on the door as “a sign from God” (and common sense) to move out our chairs and coffee service. Turns out the owner showed up later, but I think we made the smart move.

A couple of our dear elderly friends look to be down to but a few days. We lost a woman our age to MS a month or two ago. Terri Cramton was a sobering reminder that nursing homes are not solely the abode of the old. We've seen various diseases that bring the young and middle-aged to these residences. One verse that I've come to understand well is this:

The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure. Ecclesiastes 7:4

I used to think of it as a grim verse. I know understand it very differently.

Terri Lyn Cramton

February 11, 1958 - November 5, 2011

Laptop

My poor Compaq is trying to survive, but is really struggling. I think it's only about 3-4 years old, but I suppose that's a lifetime for computers. My old one in the basement is closer to 7 years old and humming along on Windows XP. So, who knows. The laptop has been seizing up constantly. I did all I could with the software to no avail. I finally had it up long enough to copy files of value and wiped the hard drive, hoping reloading the Windows software would solve the problem. Let me tell you catching up on 3-4 years of Windows Updates to Vista is quite a chore by itself. The thing doesn't seem to be seizing up as much, but still has a lot of software conflicts and isn't recognizing the CD-DVD drive.

I'm thinking about getting a Galaxy Tablet 10.1 next year. It's a bit pricey, so for now I'll keep the life support systems on what I do have. 

Old Friend

I have a LinkedIn site I keep up to date with my professional profile. It also provides a way of connecting to others on the site using various search options. Last week, I found a dear friend of mine from the Navy days. There are very few I would really care to catch up with. Steve was always at the top of my list.

I spoke with him on the phone for about an hour and a half last week. We are also doing some preliminary collaboration on how to use gaming technology for online training. He's very into computer programming, but may or may not be interested in my use of it. We'll see. Doesn't really matter – I'm thrilled to have found him again!

Holidays

The three of us enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving at our home. The day after, Krysten and I did some Black Friday shopping in Kalamazoo. We don't do the insane early morning hours and try to avoid Wal-Mart pepper-spray crowds. We didn't buy much, but we had a good time out. That Sunday was the first Sunday in Advent. Our tradition is to go to the Messiah Sing at First Congregational Church in Kalamazoo. If there are two strong reasons why I would NOT want to leave Michigan – one is Nye's Auto shop and the other is the Messiah Sing. Every single year, it is a rich spiritual experience for me. This year was no exception. For me, the words and music transcend what is on the paper.

The congregation is invited to sing the choral portions of the score. I usually sit with the tenors – the smallest, and usually weakest section of the group. Still, there is something amazing when a number of weak voices join together in song. In its own way – there is a spiritual strength greater than that of a practiced choir. I'm reminded of a section from an Henri Nowen devotional I read last week:

Keep your eyes on the prince of peace, the one who doesn't cling to his divine power; the one who refuses to turn stones into bread, jump from great heights and rule with great power; the one who says, "Blessed are the poor, the gentle, those who mourn, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; blessed are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness" (see Matt. 5:3-11); the one who touches the lame, the crippled, and the blind; the one who speaks words of forgiveness and encouragement; the one who dies alone, rejected and despised. Keep your eyes on him who becomes poor with the poor, weak with the weak, and who is rejected with the rejected. He is the source of all peace. 

Where is this peace to be found? The answer is clear. In weakness. First of all, in our own weakness, in those places of our hearts where we feel most broken, most insecure, most in agony, most afraid. Why there? Because there our familiar ways of controlling our world are being stripped away; there we are called to let go from doing much, thinking much, and relying on our self-sufficiency. Right there where we are weakest the peace which is not of this world is hidden. 

Christmas is coming soon. I'm not of a harried heart, though I do have a few more gifts I'd like to take care of tomorrow. I'm also looking forward to the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services.

I've seen and heard from many this year whose lives have had devastating turns. My life has been remarkably protected and blessed. It will change, as things must. But I am thankful for peace in a peaceful time. I know it as the same peace I find in times of trial.

I could write more, but I think this will do for now! Time to turn the page ...

After a pepper-spray, bullet ridden, consumer insanity Black Friday ... here's a moment of Zen:

Here's Herman Cain's response to Obama's handling of Libya:

"OK, Libya. President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Qadhafi. Just want to make sure we’re talking about the same thing before I say, ‘yes I agree,’ or ‘no I didn’t agree.’ I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason – nope, that’s a different one. I gotta go back to, see … Got all this stuff twirling around in my head. Specifically, what are you asking me, did I agree or not disagree with Obama on?”

After the questioner rephrased the question, Cain said: “Here’s what I would have – I would have done a better job of determining who the opposition is and I’m sure that our intelligence people have some of that information. Based upon who made up that opposition, OK, based upon who made up that opposition, might have caused me to make some different decisions about how we participated. “Secondly, no, I did not agree with Qadhafi killing his citizens. Absolutely not. So something would have had to been – I would have supported many of the things they did in order to help stop that. It’s not a simple yes-no, because there are different pieces and I would have gone about assessing the situation differently, which might have caused us to end up in the same place. But where I think more could have been done was, what’s the nature of the opposition?”

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Kind of reminds me of this Adam Sandler clip:

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[Adam Sandler]:And now the excited Southerner gets pulled over by a cop.

[Cop]:Do you realize how fast you were going sir?

{Excited Southerner]:Yes..yes I do...and uh there is an explanation for that...first of all..let mestart off by saying...I...I...I...I...I...you...you...you... you...work veryhard...and I do respect what you do...protectin and uhservin...I...I...I...speedometer...got the...lead foot...you got the radar gun...not reliable...I...I...got the diarrhea...got to...get home..for the...whoo...it...uh...it pregnant wife...she's at the hospital right now...giving birth to twins...I gotta get there...got...the guy next to me was...going faster than me....just keeping up...with the traffic...mycousin's....also a state trooper...in New Jersey...maybe you could talk to...a tree branch was...covering the speed limit sign...with a...and a truck wastailgating me...I just hope...whoooooo

[Cop]:Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. Here's your ticket. Save it for the judge.

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I'm glad I'm not running for president.

But maybe Adam Sandler should throw his hat in the ring!

Don't usually do this - but seems like the Xanga train has been slow, lately. My infrequent blogs and comments have certainly been a part of that.

@windupherskirt tagged me for seven things about myself.  Kind of hard to think of things that aren't tedious, tawdry, TMI, won't inspire hate-comments, and that haven't been covered in our family blogs ... but here are a few.

1) Most of the time, I wear cartoon socks. In the creatively repressive industry that is nuclear power, I have to have some outlet. Knowing that I have candy canes, Da Vinci drawings, dog prints, tropical fish and the like gives me some solace in the midst of dreary conversations about the setpoints of such-and-such a controller.   When I am on a business trip, my peers often notice the socks (usu women. I guess women are more interested in a guy's feet than I thought.) If I'm on a multi-day trip, they make a point to see what new ones I'm wearing - so I'm careful to never bring duplicates lest they think I don't change my socks.

2) I saw the Doobie Brothers live in concert, oh about 1978 or so. A friend and I sat high in the arena. And "yes," you can take high in various contexts. The smoke at that atmospheric level was incredible. I doubt there was a potato chip to be found within a 10 mile radius of that concert. 

3) Spoke briefly with Jeff Corwin from Animal Planet last week in San Diego. He was a keynote speaker at the conference I attended in San Diego. He tells interesting and funny stories. He's passionate about caring for our planet and all its inhabitants. He's a bit dull one-on-one, but hey - he has to deal with crowds of people all the time.  Interesting aside - when he started referring to the earth's fossil history and evolution of animal life (really a small part of his presentation), I saw a half dozen people walk out. My money is they had strong Creationist views. Too bad for them, they missed some really funny elephant, cheetah, frog and leech stories.

4) I like taking summer naps in my hammock in the sun. Who doesn't really?  I love my lawn - its free of rocks and stickers. I love the feel of soft grass and earth under my feet. I love the color of flowers in my lawn. I love when Michigan is WARM!

5) Most of my underwear are silk boxers. I recall a radio announcer saying he once scorned them until one day he tried on a pair. He said, "I'm never goin' back." I know what he means.

6) I free climbed a ladder up a 80 - 100 foot water tower with two of my friends. We draped a flag with our senior year emblazoned upon the rail at the top. Make no mistake - teenagers have moments of extreme stupidity. Except for the grace of God, our species would end within 20 years.

7) I've made money acting, writing, cartooning, and leading memorial services. Also - when I'm teaching or in other public speaking situations, many people think I should be a stand-up comedian. Not so much as to quit my day job, but the creative outlets help keep me balanced.

Interesting night at the Hotel del Coronado.

Supposedly it's haunted by the ghost of Kate Morgan. Her story is HERE.

You'll note that in the story, Kate's ghost has been experienced in room 3502.  Interestingly, I'm just down the hall, in room 3510. 

Last night, the speaker phone came on unexpectedly. I punched it off and let it alone. Interestingly, as I'm looking at it - it's still on, albeit no dial tone.  Okay ... now it's REALLY off.

This second weirdness is probably a result of a much less subtle late night experience - the hotel power went out. Now, not so odd really other than the weather is lovely. But the alarm ... YIKES!  Every minute, the pulsing alarm, much like an electronic alarm clock on steriods, went off. After every alarm, some tongue-tied fellow kept saying over the PA : "Hotel Security is investigating the loss of power."  This went on for about 20 minutes.  No idea what THAT was all about, although I'd imagine it was more to do with electrical wiring in a 130 year old hotel than ethereal residents. 

Another thing ... breakfast doesn't serve until 7 AM.  (It's 6:45 right now.) Not so bad, unless like me, you're on EDT ... 10 AM.

"I'm ha-rugy"

Other stories include geocaching before sunrise - don't do it without a flashlight.

Geocaching at noon on a busy street. Doesn't matter whether or not you have a flashlight. Plus lot's of people stare.

LOTS of San Diegans jog. Lots of them jog with dogs. Fortunately, they are mellow Californian surfer dogs.

Obligatory welcome banquet tonight - more geek-speak, I'm sure, but hey - there's an open bar.

Tell me if your palms start to sweat at about the 2 and 7 minute marks!

It's been a while since I posted anything about myself, so that means it's time for Another Page.

Work

On the whole - relatively quiet for me. The Reactor Operator Certification that I'm pursuing is on hold while the site refuels the Unit 2 reactor. That takes about 35 days. Instead of being roped into bizarre hours to support the refueling outage, I've been kept in the training building with a few of my peers to get additional time working with the control room simulator. We aren't as familiar with it as some of our peers, so it has been a helpful process.

Mostly, the instructors run simulations of failed instruments and equipment that challenge us to identify the problem and respond to it. This is where one really sees how many back-up systems are in place to protect the public from really bad failures. It's also where one sees how important it is for the operator to know what in the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is going on! For instance, if a particular pressure gets too low, then the plant will self-operate certain systems to bring it back up. But what if the pressure really is NOT low, but the instrument has failed low?  MMmmm.... one may not want those back up systems to do their thing, because then it may cause the not-bad pressure to go too high!  Stuff like that. 

Work De Ja Vu

Those who've followed my blog for a while may recall that I got roped into being the site leader for the installation of Plateau - the Learning Management Software (LMS) used by our company to track training courses. It required quite a few trips to Columbus, OH and a lot of time and problem-solving, and listening to snarky commentary about change. No supervisor or manager on our site wants to deal with it because it's not intuitively easy to understand, it requires dealing with the aforementioned snarky comments, and with our corporate headquarters who actually owns/runs the product. 

Anyway ... Plateau was bought out by Success Factors and change is in the wind. I've been gently prodding my leadership to pay attention to this, even though I should not really be involved since I'm in the Licensing training. But - I know how these things work. I'm the one who coordinated it the last time, so it's very likely I'll have some role (if not the whole banana) for the upgrade. I'll spare you the office hot-potato-I-don't-want-to-commit politics surrounding this issue. Suffice it to say that I'll be headed for San Diego California in about a week.  The last time I was in San Diego, I arrived and left by submarine. This time, it will be by airplane. A week long conference will explain the changes to the software. A lot of my nuclear peers will also be in attendance. So, we should all be able to see what the new stuff will/won't do for us.

Work - Don't do that!

Yesterday, we had a worker sever his thumb from his hand. Not sure yet if it was ALL the way, or that creepy dangling-by-a-bit-of-flesh way. He was sweeping around a 170 lb. piece of piping that was not well secured. He either bumped it or tried to move it in order to sweep up some filings on the floor. The pipe shifted and he tried to catch it. (Note to others - trying to catch your keys before they fall in the storm drain is an okay reflex. Trying to catch a 170 lb. piece of steel is not an okay reflex - you need to jump out of the way.) The end of the pipe had been machine cut, so it was razor sharp. Now you know why his thumb is mostly or all the way gone. They took him to Chicago for specialty care, so hopefully it works out for him.

Ministry

On the whole - our nursing home/shut - in ministry is going pretty well. Our friend Chuck recently recorded one of our services. He was once part of a pretty good local band some years ago, so he's keen on our equipment and sound mixing. Donna and I lean much more heavily on the ministry aspects. Still, when Chuck made a CD and let us listen to it, we were pleasantly surprised. Certainly, we're not American Idol or X-Factor candidates, but it's apparent our many years of working together have given the three of us a nice sound. 

For the past few months, Donna and I have been leading an hour of silent worship on Sunday mornings at a local bookstore. We've had some interest, but not much. At the same time, I was approached by a Sunday School teacher at the Congregational-UCC church Melinda, Krysten, and I regularly attend. He'd like me to sub for him a little later this year. So - we will probably shift from leading the silent worship every Sunday morning to one Sunday evening a month. On Sunday mornings, I'll start attending the church SS class and possibly sub as needed. Donna may attend the first half hour of the class or so - but she leads a Sunday service at a local nursing home, so would need to leave early to do that. 

Health

Fifty and fine!  However, my physician had some concern about a spot on my leg. He thought it might be cancerous. That, of course, troubled our household. Long story short - I saw a dermatologist and she said it was nothing at all. Amen to that! 

Odds and Ends

- My garden is finishing the season with fall flowers. Huge purple asters and a big, red mum keep the honey bees happy. (I'm glad to see the bees, given so many have suffered in our country in recent years.) @SaintVi has been keeping you posted on the progress of our not-so-giant pumpkin. Impatiens and marigolds continue along heartily. A couple of tomato plants are filled with green fruit. They are in a race to either ripen or be done in by frost before the season ends.

- The Wall Street protests are interesting to me. I've predicted such a thing for a few years. Not the specific protest - but in general, a protest against corporations. My reasoning is fairly simple. When too much wealth moves to too few people (entities), the have-nots and the headed-for-have-nots will begin to protest. Think of it like a monopoly game. When everyone has enough money to play, people indulge in wheeling and dealing to gain an advantage. But in the end, only one person gets all the cash. Fun game - but not good economics. 

Using rough numbers - the total private wealth of the United States is roughly $55 trillion. Population is roughly 310 million. That works out to about $178,000 per person. That includes house, 401K, car, etc. That means in perfect equity, a family of four should be worth $712,000.  Not too bad!  

What is reality is much different. White families - the wealthiest overall - average $171,000. (Non-white average is about $27,000.)   The top 1% richest people own about 1/4 to 1/3 of all the wealth and the trend continues to move in that direction.

Okay - so I'm not saying what should or should not happen, nor if Bush or Obama or Bank of America or the ACLU is to blame. I'm simply saying that any resource (in this case money) that concentrates with a few will eventually get pressured by the rest of the population. Rats and grain, people and money - it's all the same and there is a lot of historic precedent. 

- Just about done with a book titled "The Puritan Experiment." Really interesting book on how the Puritans really thought they could "get it right" in a new land. Many of their thoughts and philosophies of creating a Christian society persist today. As with most things - if you were in line with the people in power, things were good. If you were not, well ... sometimes banished, sometimes hung for heretical beliefs that today are taken for granted within a diversity of denominations in the same city. Trust me - it's better that we keep church and state separate. Socially - it's best that we do #2 of the Big Two: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Okay, enough rambling on ... time to turn the page.

Is learning new things hard for you? Maybe it's not you, so much as how you're being taught.

I'm a training instructor/designer by profession.  More so than colleges who get paid regardless if the student passes or fails, the business world loses money when their students fail. So, effective training design and presentation is a big deal.

One way to improve student success rates is to implement various learning techniques based on how different people learn. The website linked below has a cool quiz that helps determine what kind of learner you are.

It's good for Xangans because it's simple, short and narcissistic. 

Enjoy!

Click the brain and download your quiz! 

Me?  About 67% Left Brain and 65% Visual.

ON TURNING 50

The best description I have on turning 50 is that I feel like I can finally sit at "the adult table."  

I've always looked young for my age and always tended toward more introspective answers than most people have patience to hear. The result is that my thoughts have been generally dismissed because of perceived youth or 'rambling on.'  Now that *I* am 50, most of the people looking for answers are younger than me. So, my experience and explanations count. My younger-than-50 look now also works to dampen the "old codger is talking about the used-to-be days."  While this transformation from young adult to middle-aged adult has been gradual, I feel like 50 was the threshold. 

It's hard to pick just one word of general advice to those between 18 and 40, but I think I'd say this: discover what TYPE of person you want to be, or as the ancient Greek aphorism states: "Know thyself."  Once you have a real face-to-face-in-the-mirror acceptance of who you are now, and then have a meaningful idea of who you want to be by the time you finish this life, all other life decisions are easier.

PHILLY

Wow. What can I say but I LOVED going to Philadelphia for my 50th. I had to make it a really short trip, but every minute there was rich for me. (@SaintVi has  some photos on her blogsite.) You have to understand that I have a deep interest in colonial American history - with an emphasis on our early religious history. So much of what people presume about our nation's founding and the people who shaped it is very distorted. The reality contains so much division, compromise, expulsion from congregations and communities, occasional hangings, women being the vastly prominent gender in church and greatly squelched voices within it, and rooting/praying for overseas religious wars as to make many of our denominational fussiness trivial.

Suffice it to say, there is no issue in today's American Christian community that goes higher in divisiveness and spitefulness than was experienced in colonial America. That said - it's all the more amazing and wonderful that our constitution was able to separate church and state in a manner that would greatly dampen the social impact of those divisions. For all of you who are glad we do NOT have a "Christian" government, but rather, the freedom to practice YOUR Christian faith in the way YOU want to practice it ... thank the founders of Rhode Island, many of whom fled the other colonies because of Christian state-run persecution.

But back to Philly. I think @SaintVi put it well when she said: "It's one thing to see a memorial to some great event. It's another thing altogether to be in the place where history was made."  Well said! I wasn't long in Independence Hall, but it was awe inspiring to be IN the building and room that our Declaration of Independence and Constitution were bitterly bickered over, compromised upon, and finally drafted.

You really should read what Ben Franklin said about the Constitution. It's only a few paragraphs, but it's a masterpiece. You can find it here: Ben's Speech.

Here is just the opening:

I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them: For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others. Most men indeed as well as most sects in Religion, think themselves in possession of all truth, and that wherever others differ from them it is so far error.

George Washington was also of the opinion that the Constitution was imperfect and entrusted US ... later generations ... to perfect that document! What a far cry from "go back to the intent of the original document."

"The warmest friends and the best supports the constitution has, do not contend that it is free from imperfections; but they found them unavoidable, and are sensible, if evil is likely to arise therefrom, the remedy must come hereafter; for in the present moment it is not to be obtained; and, as there is a constitutional door open for it, I think the people (for it is with them to judge), can, as they will have the advantage of experience on their side, decide with as much propriety on the alterations and amendments which are necessary, as ourselves. I do not think we are more inspired, have more wisdom, or possess more virtue, than those who will come after us." - Letter to Bushrod Washington, November 10, 1787

My religious links to Philly were a couple of hours in Christ Church and at the Quaker Arch Street Meeting House.

Christ Church has a lot of links to our nation's history. Here's a blurb from their website:

  “No other church has played a more significant role in our nation’s birth”, according to historian David McCullough.  Christ Church was founded in 1695 as a condition of William Penn’s Charter.  The current building dates to 1744, and has been cited as “our finest Early American church.”  Its steeple (1754) is the work of Robert Smith, one of America’s earliest architects; Thomas U. Walter, later architect of the U.S. Capitol, redesigned the interior of the sanctuary (1832-36).  At Christ Church, 25%of Philadelphia’s free and enslaved Africans were baptized, a school was created to educate slaves, and the first black priest, Absalom Jones, was ordained. During the Revolutionary Era, Christ Churchwelcomed the Continental Congresses. Benjamin and Deborah Franklin and Betsy Ross were parishioners. Later, George Washington and John Adams attended services while they were the nation’s Chief Executives. Here, the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States was created from the ashes of the Church of England."

I was pleased to spend an hour or so of my actual birthday within those walls. I offered a prayer of thanksgiving for all that my life has been and all it will be. The church itself is beautiful, but it seemed there was a label or name on every single thing within it. I've seen the practice in many churches, but it was rampant in this historic building. I shouldn't have been surprised. It's an amazing phenomena how people like to associate their names with some place special. Whether it's a tree, or a school desk, or a church, it's going to happen. Sites with historic and/or religious significance - all the more so. Just take a look at any "holy place" in the Holy Land, for an example.  As for me - I was content to PRAY in the place where so many influential people in our history worshiped God.

Arch Street Meeting House was an example of contrast. It, too, has a long and colorful history, but it's sanctuary is barren of just about any decoration and certainly any names. The Quakers are a people of simple faith. They tend to look prayerfully forward and do not memorialize the past. Few even erect headstones for their graves. They sum up their faith in this way:

Quakers, also known as the Society of Friends, have no written creed or fixed tenets of belief and no defined program of prayer. Music and sermonizing are absent during Worship Meetings. Further, Worship Meetings do not have a person in charge. Rather, Friends believe that God resides in each individual. Congregants enter the Meeting Room and settle down in silent waiting. Any Friend who feels the "light" may share a message or prayer with others. In this room one is reminded of the words of the poet Marianne Moore, "The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence."

Here are just a snippet of their history:

 This Quaker meeting house is the oldest in Philadelphia and the largest in the world.
 The Meeting House's land was donated by William Penn.
 Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810), the first American novelist is buried here.
 The noted abolitionist Lucretia Mott was a member of this meeting for a time.
 Edward Hicks, painter of The Peaceable Kingdom, attended the Yearly Meeting here. His cousin, Elias Hicks, lent his name to the Hicksites during the Quaker "Great Separation" of 1827.

My time there was rich. It's not as popular a stop in the midst of this historic district, so the two Friends there were able to spend a lot of time sharing the building history and history of Quakers in Philadelphia. I would've LOVED to have spent an hour or so in "silent worship," but our time in Philly was just too short. I contented myself with knowing I prayed briefly in the same building that many people who advocated and helped found in our nation -pacifism, social justice and human equality.

I think that's enough for now. It's only a bit of my joy from that trip, but as I mentioned in the beginning ... I tend to 'ramble on' in this age of PowerPoint bullet-length questions and Twitter-length answers.

I had a friend tell me that he used to rob his dad's underwear drawer when his were all dirty. 

(Teens ... what are you going to do with them?)

That got me to wondering how common it is to share underwear.

Have you ever worn someone else's underwear?