My covetous sin nature wants this t-shirt ... now!! 

Stay tuned here for t-shirt details.  (Hat Tip: JT)

I also bought this month's issue of CT magazine.  A quick scan of the Reformed article seemed fair.  It's mostly a survey of movers & shakers within the resurgence of Reformed thought & churches, and who are the main players, e.g., Mark Dever, CJ Mahaney, Joshua Harris (all good, thoughtful authors by the way).  For those who thought Reformed thought was dry & boring, think again!  How can a God-centered focus not be exciting?

When preparing to travel by plane, its good to check this list for allowable vs. prohibited items.  I was surprised to see this!

It's good to know I can bring Transformers on my flights!

Currently Reading:  Seeing With New Eyes by David Powlison.

Busy week:  I planned my first work Farewell Gathering for a coworker and close friend, Ian.  It's our young section's first fulltime departure.  Lots of details to keep track along with my normal tasks.  Last Xmas, my Chinese coworkers and I took Ian to Lucky 3 for a DimSum Buffett.  He thorough enjoyed the different (to him) tastes & smells of my Cantonese heritage.  So when I mentioned we were planning on taking him there again his eyes lit up like fireworks.  Today our more adventurous coworkers also enjoyed the food, while the less risk-taking ones were safe with the many staples they were familiar with.  (That was carefully planned for both audiences.)  Afterwards I was constantly thanked by Ian and our new & regular DimSum-loving coworkers.  Good Chinese food has that effect on people.  Well, I'm glad it worked out!  Whew.

Oh, the Lab is offering a 4 week latin dance class during the lunch hour as part of Hispanic Heritage month.  Tuesday was the first day where we covered Rueda.  It is a partnered group dance where you are with a partner but you at times all the leaders exchange partners like in movies with folk dances.  I really think my hips are busted ... I am so stiff when I move ... geez, I got no style with this dance.    Well, Salsa is officially next week.

Let's see, injured my wrist ... painful at times ... so no tennis for now.  I used an athletic tape wrap for support.  Stuff gots some kind of super-adhesive!  Pulled all the little hairs off my skin!  I tried a slow pull and a fast pull.  Anyways haven't put it back on since then.    And I ran out of Tazo Green Tea ... argh.    But someone a few weeks ago thought I was 27 (but another week a person up'ed it to 32)     Then today my coworkers said I need to work harder at being a nerd like the rest of them.  Apparently with my current glasses my nerd rating went down.   Hahaha-ah-hur-ah-hur ... okay, I still laugh like a nerd. 

This story at CNN about Clemson football player Ray Ray McElrathbey having custody of his little brother while their parents deal with their addictions to drugs/gambling is amazing.  Despite the conditions of their circumstances it still nice to hear stories of faith and strength like this one.

Pray the NCAA will do the right thing.

Hilarious video on http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5815128157728356334

(HT: Sir James)

Interesting cultural article found at the WashingonPost.Com: Single Japanese Women Search for Their Seoulmate

(Registration might be required at WaPo, full article hosted also at ContraTimes or the Chicago Tribune.)

The old Woodrow Wilson Bridge was blown up Monday night with a ceremonial detonation by an older fella who suffered injuries while crossing the bridge.  I thought about signing up for the chance to detonate, but figured someone must have had a worst experience than moi.  In my case, six years ago I was driving in my brother's ten year old Oldsmobile I had borrowed (since my ten year old Beretta was accidentally squashed by an undercover police officer -- long story) when this one fateful day the Olds got totalled.

I had just crossed into Virginia when the right lane came to a halt due to traffic for the exit into Old Towne Alexandria.  As I patiently sat there waiting for traffic to move, I suddenly heard this screeching braking sound and out of my left perpheral vision I saw this huge shadow.   BANG!  I was spun into the jersey wall blocking the cemetary from the Beltway.  I then looked up and I saw this huge eighteen wheeler sludge truck bouncing sideways into the right wall, which then bounced all the way back to the left median wall.

I gathered my wits and noticed the truck hit my front driver's side quarter-panel and part of my door.  I was amazed it had just missed most of my door!  After getting some help prying my door open, I got out to survey the situation.  Sludge had fallen out of the truck, leaving a not-so pleasant odor to deal with.  My right wheel was bent hitting the curb of the wall, the car would not be able to move.

Aside from a sprained neck, court time as a witness to the accident (apparently someone two cars behind me cut in front of the eighteen wheeler causing it to lose control), and quickened search for a new vehicle, I faired pretty well (Thanks, God!)  Amazingly no one, as far as I heard, was seriously hurt.  My memory is fuzzy now, but my vehicle and the van in front of me may have been the only two vehicles hit by the truck.

Bye, Bye Old Woodrow Wilson Bridge.  I will miss your potholes and your unscheduled drawspan openings ... NOT!  I will forever remember the jumper who held up traffic for hours, only to be shot by a beanbag bullet causing him to fall into the river.  Good bye old friend, you did your duty even beyond your original design specs.

Does anyone know of any good Cantonese-style restaurants in the Centreville-Chantilly-Fairfax area that we can go to after church?  A dim-sum place would be really nice ...

When I first got to know my buddy Grace years ago at ABC, she didn't have any interest in sports.  We tried to get her out for vball, football ... I think at most, she joined us for b-ball at a retreat.  Then a couple years later she picked up tennis from our friends Victor & Carol.  We crajie people would even play in the winter time!

She got pretty good fast.  She used to camp-out in one spot on the baseline.  These days she moves around the court risking life & limb getting hit by the ball!

Now she plays 4 times a week regularly with Judy and a mix of the rest of us.  Last week, from Sunday nite to Saturday nite, the two fast-learning demons on the court played 6 days (Friday off)!  Amazing, that's dedication.

Two Sundays ago:

Hmmm, a little obsessed with this sport, eh? 

Thanks to Grace, Judy and our first & former coordinator Carol for pulling us all together week after week!

---

Speaking of tennis, got a note from one of my friends after I made sure she was safe in her car.

Also been witnessing the ABC brothers doing the same!  Awesome.  Proud of ya guys!  And thanks ladies for letting the brothers do the right thing.  Cuz it's all about brothers & sisters lookin' out for each other.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:34-35 (ESV)

Why do things fall apart just before a Demo has to be given?!?!  Especially to high ranking VIPs.

Part of the problem is we're constantly working on R&D components; it's the nature of our business.

The other part is not having the resources (e.g., money & codemonkeys) to stand up platforms just for show-&-tells.

I blame Murphy and his Law: "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong" (or, alternately, "Anything that can go wrong, will"). (from Wikipedia)

It's every engineer's nightmare.  *sigh*.

Over Sunday dinner at Yechon:  I forgot the exact details, but someone was wondering & surmising some plausible scenarios regarding someone else who wasn't with us this evening.  From that SamC and I coined this new phrase:

SamC:  Don't speculate, ...
Me:  Interrogate!

Okay, cheesy, but quite practical, doncha think?

Awesome & full weekend.  Spent most of it at our church retreat.  Learned alot, studied a lot, discussed a lot, fellowshipped a lot, praised a lot, and was greatly convicted ... probably the only the I didn't get much of was sleep!

Somehow I managed to go on a snack run on the return trip (TenRen for bubble tea, Maria's Bakery for pastries with my caravan group), do two loads of laundry, go watch part of a softball league game (Go Ambassador's!) while playing with the kids, go eat at Yechon, go eat Pat Bing Soo at Shilla, and play tennis til 11pm!

Sweet weekend, hopefully yours was enjoyable, too!  Nite!