Katie really likes to listen to music when she drives, especially when she’s alone in the car. Last summer, we got her a new(er) van, but it doesn’t have a CD player like our old one. Katie has been asking ever since if we could get a CD player installed. I told her that it’s obsolete technology: she should just get an iPod that she can use in the car and elsewhere.
But, because she didn’t really understand why an iPod was better, we haven’t done anything about music in the car for her. Well, about three weeks ago, my brother-in-law bought me an iPod Nano, and this morning, Katie took it with her to work for the first time. As soon as she got to her office, Katie called me and said: “I want to marry your iPod!” I asked her if she now understood what I’d been telling her for months, and she agreed that she did indeed. I’d better start figuring out how to get her an iPod; she was threatening to kill me so she could inherit mine.

They say that the weather in Texas changes quickly. (Of course, I’ve heard the same declaration about other places I’ve lived). That’s certainly not true in the summer, which is predictably hot and sticky. But this time of year, we do live up to that claim. Yesterday, it was in the mid 80s and very humid. We got a cold front through during the night, so it’s in the 40s with a brisk north wind this morning. Today’s high will in the low 50s. Fun.

A couple of years ago, we bought four Christmas stocking hooks that sit on the mantel. Each has a big brass letter on it, and they’re intended to spell NOEL. But we decided that’s too boring. We now have a new Christmas tradition: each year, a different member of the family spells something else. Last year we celebrated the first LEON. This year, Hannah spelled LONE.

My wife Katie is a former United Methodist minister. She served a parish for 2.5 years in the late 90s before deciding parish ministry was not for her. It’s a long story, but this post isn’t about her experience in ministry; it’s about mine.
Even now, almost ten years later, I’m still coming to grips with how totally unprepared I was to be the preacher’s wife. The biggest problem was that I had no idea that many parishoners hold the minister (and her family) to a different (higher?) standard from other people.

This is Samuel’s early Christmas gift. Her name is Penny, she’s half-chihuahua, half-terrorist, and about six weeks old.

I dreamt last night that I was explaining different types of taxation (flat tax, progressive taxation) to a group of ten-year-olds. I was able to explain it clearly, the kids understood, and they engaged in intelligent discussion about it. When I recounted my dream to Katie this morning, she replied that it was an odd coincidence: taxation is this week’s subject in the freshman studies course she’s teaching. Though, she added, sometimes it feels like she’s trying to teach this stuff to ten-year-olds.

The latest trend to sweep blogdom, it seems, is to tell how you got ‘into computers’. So, I thought I would add my story.

This morning, Alpha, our betta fish who has been with us for several years, went to that great aquarium in the sky. Katie gets the unenviable task of burying him at sea. You’ll be missed, Alpha…at least until we replace you.

Last week, I submitted this photo to KVUE news’ daily weather photo contest. Yesterday I was notified that my photo will be the photo of the day for November 1. So, if you live in Austin, watch KVUE news that evening, or check their web site afterwards to see my photo. I hope this isn’t my allotted 15 minutes of fame. I envisioned something greater.

Batman just doesn’t look so tough with his front teeth missing