Pop Quiz

I took this series of pictures recently. I really like how they turned out. Can you guess what they are?

[mccracken]

Three Very Different Cafes

Windows Cafe

The Windows Cafe is in a bland store front. The furniture consists of straight wooden chairs with tables with sharp angles. Unfortunately, every so often when you sit in a chair it crashes the to the floor, but you get used to this and figure it's just part of the experience of going to the Windows Cafe. (To be fair they have been testing chairs from a new manufacturer and they are reportedly less prone to breaking in this fashion.) Pictures of a smiling Bill Gates and Windows logos adorn the walls. The coffee tastes fine most of the time, but a surprising number of patrons get sick there, so that it's become standard practice to use hand sanitizer before you go in to protect yourself. The coffee is expensive, and refills are definitely not free, but it's a known quantity, and many people are comfortable going there.

Linux Cafe

The Linux Cafe is a funky place in an artsy neighborhood with eclectic furniture donated by the patrons. It doesn't match, but it's comfortable and the walls are covered with donated pictures and paintings by local artists. The coffee is free, served in black cups (or you can just bring your own), but you need to make it yourself. If you can't do it yourself, the cafe has consultants available to help you for a fee. It's great for people who know about coffee brewing, but many people are intimidated by the idea of making their own coffee and stay away, even though very few people ever get sick who go there.

Apple Cafe

The Apple Cafe is a modern, state-of-the-art facility. The tables are stainless steel and the chairs are ultra-contemporary. Shrines to Apple CEO Steve Jobs are dotted around the wide space. The cups are cool and come in a variety of bright colors. The coffee is well made by a highly trained staff, and even though it costs a lot more, people line up around the block for a chance to drink it. Just don't ask the staff about their coffee-making techniques because they are extremely tight lipped about this. People occasionally get sick there, but it's rare enough for the cafe to brag about its safety record.

{Daniweb}

Love it.

And yes, I realize that these are very crude metaphors, at best.

[mccracken]

How I Was Nearly Scammed

At about 17:30 today my phone rang. All it said was "Blocked." A man identifying himself as "Potter County Sheriff's Deputy Jim Porter" told me that one of my employees was being held on a DUI charge and had chosen to use her one phone call to ask me to post bond for her. (For reasons I can't detail, he said things that made this sound especially legitimate.) He knew my name and occupation, her name, her description, and that she'd been sick with the flu recently; he knew my whereabouts, even claiming to be "tracking my iPhone via GPS" and telling me which streets I was turning down/parking lots I was pulling into.

I don't know anything about being arrested or posting bond. It's been awhile since I watched Law And Order. "Deputy Porter" was a very authoritative and compassionate sounding man. He sounded like pretty much every cop I've ever known. He quoted laws, statutes, and regulations. He was never pushy in the slightest. It was intense but laissez-faire at the same time. He put me on hold several times to "push paperwork through" and "see if he could get her into the final court for the day."

As I was about to send the money to "the bail bondsman" my trusty paranoia finally kicked in to combat my adrenaline. I realized I had no way of really knowing who it was I'd been speaking with for more than thirty minutes. I hung up the phone and used Google Maps to get the Potter County Sheriff's phone number. I called and asked to speak to "Deputy Porter." Yeah. No such person.

I almost sent $700 via MoneyGram to a "bail bondsman." It was surreal. I'm still in utter disbelief, even hours later. I ended up giving a sworn affidavit to an Amarillo Police Department officer. It is being forwarded to their Fraud/Forgeries Division.

Always be certain of who you're talking to on the phone. Tell them you'll hang up and call them back. I know I'll never again smirk at the thought of someone falling for a scam. These guys really are pros.

[mccracken]

Witty Title Here

Had quite an experience this evening. Attended an Evensong service in which three local church choirs performed John Rutter's Gloria together. My parents were singing in the choir so I went to support them and experience the performance. There was an organ, trumpets, trombones, and percussion instruments accompanying the choir--all of which were phenomenal.

For someone who was born into and has spent all of his life in the church, the whole experience was very alien. At least 95% of the audience had been AARP members for many years and were dressed in very formal attire. There were objects I hadn't seen in a church meeting place in a long time--pews, a pipe organ, offering plates (passed to help cover "the expenses of the evening"), hymnals, programs, fresh flowers, a large wooden pulpit, and the flag of the United States Of America. We stood and sat, stood and sat, and stood and sat. I felt very badly for many of the elderly folks who I saw struggling and cringing each time this took place.

The music was spectacular but the whole experience was a bit strange to me. It felt awkward and very sterile; too clean for my tastes. I need to be able to get down and dirty at church. Does that make any sense? I don't like things too polished.

I'm watching Bruce Springsteen We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions right now and feeling closer to God than in that austere building with Latin beautifully sung over me. I'm not entirely sure what that says about me. And I'm okay with that.

K, love you, bye.

[mccracken]

Condescending Jerk Merit Badge

I'm sure I've earned mine many times over. I can be a cynical, condescending, judgmental fool all too often. And I hate that.

“In judging others one labors in vain, often errs, and easily falls into sin, but in judging and examining self one always labors to good purpose.” -- Thomas a Kempis

It can be something as simple as one's taste in music or choice of attire. It can be their political or religious affiliation. It can things they don't even have control over. Why do we look down on others? It really all boils down to pride (as I believe most everything does).

The reasons we look down on others are inconsequential. We are called to love. No matter how big or how small the subject at hand is, the answer is unconditional love.

I'm making it a real priority in my life to daily give serious thought to how I treat the socially awkward, the marginalized, and those who disagree with me. I'm trying to expunge the "Us Versus The World" mindset that I have (the "Us" being the church). I want to look past points of contention.

I'm not arguing for a pluralistic or relativistic idealism. I believe there is Truth. I'm just saying that, first and foremost, loving people is what we are called to do.

"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults--unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor." -- Matthew 7.1-5 (The Message)

Amen, Maranatha, Amen.

[mccracken]

Which TV Shows Are Right For You?

Seriously? This is what we've come to? Which show is right for me? This is a Newsweek headline that came in via my RSS feed to Google Reader.

"Matchmaker, matchmaker, what should I watch? We're so glad you asked, because we've figured out which fall TV show is your new soulmate."

That's a direct quote!? I find it almost unbearably sad. I love a good bit of entertainment as much as the next person, but my soulmate won't be found on TV or the radio, or Netflix, or Nintendo, etc. How much time does the average person spend watching TV each week? I won't bemoan the statistics.

"I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book." -- Groucho Marx

[mccracken]

This Is How You Fix A Dent

xAWESOMEx

[mccracken]