2008

Doesn't Quite Hit The SPOT

bob — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:12:22 -0400

Whilst on my ride yesterday, I was testing out a SPOT tracking device along with the SPOT integration into the new Yahoo! Fire Eagle geo-social service.

I’ll do a longer post when our house is not in so much chaos (birthday part deux is going on), but here is what this cutting-edge, super-cool (HTML 6 needs a <sarcasm> tag) device/service managed to pick up yesterday:

I had it in tracking mode (phones home every 10 mins) most of the time and actually deliberately sent a few “OK” check-in messages (that Fire Eagle picked up but does not show in the messages history of the SPOT site). It missed the whole island trek and the trees on the Burke-Gilman seemed to cause it major angst. Those check-in messages were also supposed to make it to my phone & e-mail but never did.

Again, I’ll go into more detail about how it all is supposed to work, but I wanted to toss up a quick post on cautioning folks to perhaps wait a bit for the device and/or service to mature a bit before investing in either.

Finally Got A Half Century In

bob — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:03:24 -0400

Mary was gracious enough to let me burn a day off work to get in a long ride. I knew Friday was going to be gorgeous and we needed to do other stuff for Tori’s bday anyway, so it worked out pretty well all ‘round.

This is one of my favorite long rides in the greater Seattle area, partly because it involves crossing the Sound. I modified the route from the Seattle Bike Tours folks as this one is easier to follow, was over fresh asphalt that was very conducive to cranking on the road bike and also kicked it to a full 50 miles.

Ascent says I did 53.3 miles with a total climb of 2483 feet and an average speed of 14.4 mph. Here’s the summary data and the elevation chart for the ride:

The full Flickr set of snaps I took along the way is available for viewing, but be warned they are iPhone camera phone pix, so the quality is “meh”.

I’ve posted the GPX and KML files for anyone’s use (despite my pathetic pace & cadence stats). KML is really cool since Google Maps and Google Earth both import it well (though Ascent has a feature to do the import and put Google Earth into “fly-by” mode automagically). Google Maps even lets you share:

View Larger Map

(multiple segments because I must have hit the start button multiple times on the burke-gilman part)

Despite the fact that it is not such a good idea to be listening to music while cycling (hey, I kept the volume low and my sports earphones - not earbuds - are designed to be raised enough to let in ambient noise), I went through multiple cycles of In The Company of Angels - A Call to Worship, In The Company of Angels II - The World Will Sing and a Death Cab for Cutie mix as I passed through Downtown Seattle, Fremont & The U District (it just seems appropriate to play Death Cab in Seattle-proper for some reason). I like being reminded I am in the company of angels as I ride in far-out places and the extended time of mobile worship was awesome.

Now, off to play chauffeur for Jarrod, pick up “pizza” (they do not really have pizza out here) for Tori’s bday sleepover and prep for visiting @janewygle

Get Friends' Facebook Status Updates In Your Twitter Feed

bob — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:55:33 -0400

I was musing on Twitter about the need for the ability to get the status updates from friends who only use Facebook incorporated into my Twitter feed (so I do not have to view Facebook as often). While writing a bot would have been cool, I dislike re-inventing the wheel and came up with a way to do it by pairing some web “services” together (not actually using web services per se).

To do this, you’ll need to setup a new Twitter account (I suggest using your “TwitterUsername_fb”), unless you want all your followers seeing all your friends’ updates. You can secure the updates to this account if you wish. You’ll need to use a secondary e-mail account (Twitter does not allow dups). I also really don’t like giving my main Twitter credentials to external services.

I also suggest getting an OpenID as one of the sites you’ll be using is twitterfeed and it prefers OpenID logins (I have a free OpenID through Verisign, but you already have one if you are an AOL, Blogger, Flickr/Yahoo, or WordPress users [and others]…full details on the OpenID link I provided).

With those credentials in hand, fire up your browser and head to Facebook and then choose to use the old Facebook (it’s just temporary, but one step will fail if you’re not in “old Facebook mode”). Highlight “Friends” and select “Status Updates”:

On the status update screen, look on the right under “Subscribe” for a “Friends’ Status Feed” link. Right click on it and copy it (however you do that with your browser/system). Save and protect this URL!!! It has direct access to the status updates of your friends (and, hence, part of your account) so you should not disclose it without consideration.

The next step is to go to twitterfeed and login:

Once you login, create a new feed and populate it with your alternate Twitter credentials and Facebook Friends’ Status RSS feed URL. I highly recommend testing both your login and feed (via the provided links). You can tweak the other settings to match your preferences. The only downside is that if your friends have any more than five (5) updates since the last check, you will miss them. You can choose an alternate feed-post-to-Twitter provider (or roll your own) if this becomes an issue).

The last step is to follow your alternate Twitter user id and you will begin receiving updates every 30 minutes (or longer, depending on how often your friends post status updates).

This setup is only as robust as Twitter, Facebook RSS and twitterfeed, so you have no guarantees from me on how stable it will be, but it has been working well since I configured it.

If you have an alternate solution, definitely drop a note in the comments!

The Journey Ahead

bob — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:27:25 -0400

Today was our last official session with our counselor, Bent Meyer (Grace Groups NW). While we’ll be checking in again in about a month, we are heading out into our new, uncharted waters together.

God has been doing some amazing things in both of us. More on that in another post, tho. I just wanted to drop a quick note to let folks know the good news and progress update.

New Baby

bob — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:04:52 -0400

One Week Later...

bob — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:59:02 -0400

It’s been seven days since the last post. God has not been idle.

A situation that was all but sealed in stone from a human perspective has been given an opportunity. What I and we do in response to this gift holds the key to where this journey leads.

I started counseling Monday and Mary came with me. I won’t go into details, but, just re-read that sentence. We *both* went. There is now “try” where there was “over”.

Yesterday was the date of our 18th wedding anniversary. Mary & I spent much of the day together (work has been more gracious that words can convey). She is truly a wondrous creation in Christ. Make no mistake, this is a journey we have ahead. (When I prayerfully consider what to blog on this, I receive the distinct impression that this is about as “open source” as I should be on this subject for a while). Just know that God is abundantly good and is most certainly working.

As far as the rest of the family goes, you’ve missed a birthday for Jarrod, a dance performance for Tori and a grooming for Pippin (and something from yesterday which I need to get pictures of before disclosing). I promise to get some things posted this weekend. Time has not been an ally this week and my finger therapy and skitzoid MacBook Pro (it has an electrical short somewhere) have also not contributed positively to the situation.

Please continue to keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers and that God would continue to use His Holy Spirit to heal all of us.

Signs And Wonders

bob — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:51:41 -0400

I had planned on actually, you know, not focusing on current events tonight. My feet hurt from an ill-conceived walk. My tiny bits of personal finger therapy throughout the day take their emotional toll. And, hey, let’s face it…I’m tired. God’s answer to that was a resounding “rely on Me” tonight.

Jarrod is sick with a throat/stomach thing (and I believe I feel the stomach part coming on…joy) so we took it easy with “our time” tonight and just focused on the things we’ve been looking at the past couple of days (no details…it’s a father-child thing).

Tori helped get Ian ready for bed (*again*…her help is appreciated given our continued physical afflictions) and she, Jarrod & I hung out in Jarrod & Ian’s room until bedtime.

Tori was/is tired. This situation is not easy for her. Going back to the first paragraph, remember that I was going to take it easy on her as well tonight but God would have none of it and gave us the most amazing “our time” together (at least from my perspective). I am grateful beyond conveyance. Again, no details, but real and vitally necessary things were discussed. God really spoke to me through it as well. He truly makes all things happen for a reason. Know that His Will truly is working in ways I could not imagine through this situation. He gave me signs and wonders tonight. I thank Him and praise His Holy Name as I lift my children and Mary up to Him in prayer.

"Kinda"

bob — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:30:22 -0400

If any readers (there are a few at least) have noticed a musical inclination towards Caedmon’s Call you are not wrong. Mary got me hooked on them and - even in my dark, dark times - I never stopped accumulating their wonderful, inspired works. Their music is a great comfort to me these days, especially since they have a sound basis in reformed theology and base a great number of songs on scripture. (Yeah, the heady words are coming back, too. Just wait, I’ve been hankering for a chance to use the word eschatological in the near future:-)

I was with Ian tonight doing an errand and getting - of course - Jamba Juice. We were playing random music from my iPhone (which is almost exclusively Caedmon’s Call & Bebo Norman at the moment, but there are others).

“Oh Lord Your Love” kicked in:

Oh Lord, I give you all I have,
but it seems so little
when You have given me so much.
I come to you with empty hands
and a heart that’s fragile.
You come to me with a wealth of love

Oh Lord, Your love
is new with every morning.
Your faithfulness:
it gets me through the night.
You bid me come,
You know that I am weary.
Your yoke is easy.
Your burden is light.

And, now, I sing You songs of praise,
but Your Greatness is beyond me.
I know I can not comprehend
how You, Ancient of Days
stoop Yourself to call me
to be Your son,
to be Your friend

Oh Lord, Your love
is new with every morning.
Your faithfulness:
it gets me through the night.
You bid me come,
You know that I am weary.
Your yoke is easy.
Your burden is ligh.t

Despite the fact-checked assurance of truth in Matthew 11:30, my heart & voice were singing (while crying):

Your yoke is easy. (kinda)
Your burden is light. (kinda)

My heart still cannot conceive living without her, and if that truly is the outcome, the fact is God will have some even harder lessons to teach me in order to get me to a place where I can remove the “kinda”.

Cognitively, I know the God-breathed words are true. Feelings, however, are another matter altogether. As I am increasingly becoming a non-fan of such character-building exercises (they hurt! :-), I’m praying about it.

Arterial Upheaval

bob — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:33:02 -0400

My heart is heavy. Even after an uplifting quiet time and a good, first Men’s Prayer meeting at MHC (I thank God again for leading me there) this morning and a 1:1 with my boss that communicated both understanding of the situation, assurance of assistance but knowledge that life goes on, my heart sank to new depths.

Mary & I were connected. You cannot know what that means if you haven’t experienced it. My heart is now heavy either because it is feeling that loss and needs it or it senses that the walls have closed even further. It could just be an emotional reaction to the situation. Whatever it is, my heart is heavy laden and it will take some time with my Maker today to relieve. I did not expect this journey to be easy. The work that needs to be done in me (and in “us”) could not be accomplished if so.

We are being counseled by one of the kids’ counselors to begin doing things separately with them. This hurts beyond measure (compounding other hurts that are beyond measure). However, it is also nigh unbearable for me when doing “family” things all together, as it is far too easy for me to slip into a false impression that Mary is still my wife. In her mind and fearful heart I am not. There is no “good” situation/option here, only the best of “bad”. The agency is not a Christian one, but the counselor is right. The children must not be confused or given false, human hope.

If there truly is a humanly insurmountable impasse, then this is the right thing to do.

My mind races at times. It frets over not being able to be in her presence to show her how God has changed me and now more opportunities will be removed! How conceited of me that I, the black monster of her nightmares could do anything! The truth is that God doesn’t need me assist Him in whatever way He plans on working in His wonderful creation (Mary).

It hasn’t been that long (though 10 years is a while) that the Word of the Lord does not come back to me when needed. I may require a refresher on references, but I have 10 years of technological advancements to help me with that. Proverbs 3:5-7a says:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes;”

Rather than let my heart pine for she whom I love so dearly, I will let the Lord fill me up with His joy, peace, happiness and contentment and trust in Him for the outcome, no matter what that is. I will demonstrate His love and kindness at every opportunity given. I will wait on the Lord and for her to return, but my heart need not be troubled. He will provide either way. (I will still ache)

I do love her, but I am a child of God and He will sustain me. He loves me and I love Him again. My compass is re-centered (GPS is re-calibrated?) on Him.

Blatant Copyright Infringement

bob — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:32:18 -0400

Tried to do some Objective-C coding in Xcode. Can’t get my mind of the music I’ve got crankin’ in iTunes.

Thy Mercy by Caedmon’s Call

Thy mercy my God is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue.
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affection and bound my soul fast.

Without Thy sweet mercy, I could not live here.
Sin would reduce me to utter despair,
But through Thy free goodness, my spirit’s revived
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart.
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground
And weep for the praise of the mercy I’ve found.

(Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah)
Hallelujah
(Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah)

Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own
In the covenant love of Thy crucified Son.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine.

Well, Hallelujah
Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
Well, Hallelujah