Grading on a curve

Well...it's all over. All of the fanfare. All of the secrets. All of the paper and tags and bows. They all lead up to this one magical day. The day when we find out the results of our homework assignement for the past year to "be good". Come christmas morning the results of our homework are directly reflected in what the our test giver (Santa) has left under our tree.

I myself did not do as good as I have in years gone by, as I'm sure Wendi will attest. I partially blame UDOT for the last half of the year. It turns out I don't react well to long-term road construction...who knew?

Wouldn't it be nice if all aspects of our lives were graded in such a way? Nobody would ask eachother how they performed but rather wait for the gift(s) under the three to let them know. Paychecks from our jobs would reflect a different amount depending on how well one did thier job. Spousal arguments would be replaced with gifts of coal or macaroni sculptures of them getting the silent treatment.

Yep, if only Santa could be in charge of the good/bad thing all year round. Then we would see some change around here.

How much did they really know?

I wonder how much Mary and Joseph really understood of the journey that lay ahead of their newborn son. When his birth was proclaimed by heavenly messengers to the inhabitants of the earth they must have had some inkling of his importance to the world. Or when 3 men traveled from parts unknown to worship the child that even as a child he roll was clear.

But did they understand the requirements that were laid at his feet from the day he was born? Did they know that they were preparing him for the perfect life he was to lead? Traveling from place to place, proclaiming his Father, healing the sick as he went and preaching repentance to the sinners? Did they know as they raised him the faith he would need to call people forth from their tomb and it be done according to his command?

Did they know that he would be despised by the wealthy and educated throughout his entire life? That he would live a life of selflessness and self control, the likes that this world has never and will never see again? That he would be hated by many, shunned by those that should have embraced him and loved only by the sinners, the poor and the humble?

Did they know as they held the infant baby Jesus in their arms that he would one day bear the weight of the world's sins on those tiny shoulders? That he would suffer at the hand of those he came to save and give everything he had to help them? And that he would one day willingly give he last thing he had left, his life, to save those he came to serve? That they would some day see this infant child lifted up by men to suffer a death meant reserved for the worst people?

I don't know if they knew all of this when they were raising the Son of God for his mortal ministry, but I do. I am grateful of the miracle of his life from the humble beginning down to his final act of selflessness. He has given us a better gift than we will find under any tree. The miracle of his birth, the example of his life and his sacrificial death have freed us from the bonds that we could not overcome ourselves. For this I am truly grateful.

God Bless Us Every One

Post Postman Post.

I remember a time when postmen actually walked from home to home delivering letter to the eagerly waiting masses. When I was a child I remember ours pulling a 2-wheeled cart behind him as he walked around the neighborhood. He would walk up to each house and place the letters in the mailbox that was next to the front door. He knew your name, at least your last one, and usually wore a smile and greeted any he passed.

Mailmen used to be so friendly that they were often accused to being too friendly. Next to the milkman the postman was most often accused of fathering illegitimate children with happily married women than any other public servant. And reliable, with a motto "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." how can you not be. How things have changed.

My current mail man is actually a woman. She drives around the neighborhood and places the letter in the mailboxes that have been placed that curb for their convenience. Our current mail-woman is so adverse to even taking a step outside her vehicle that she actually drives up on to the sidewalk so that she can reach the mailbox from the comfort of her postal deliver transportation machine.

Why do I bring this up? Well, this year we ordered several Christmas items in the mail. Since I am cheap, many of those items were delivered via United States Postal Service. Since the boxes are usually too large to fit in the mailbox I have enjoyed (not really) our mail-person's creativity in delivering the packages without having to dismount her valiant steed. One day I found the mailbox stuffed with a box that almost fit, but just required a little extra pushing to wedge it in there. It took a bit of effort to free the parcel from the box where I found all of the rest of my mail smashed into the back. Another time I found the package had been tossed on the ground at the base of the mailbox where somehow it had not been fully protected from the rain that followed.

My favorite happened just a couple days ago. I arrived from work to see a package balanced precariously on the door that was left open to support the box. I walked up to find the package was quite a bit larger than the box, and didn't even slightly fit into the mailbox. The mail-person did however secure the box by running a rubber band around the box and the door to hold the package in place. I was amazed by the amount of effort this obviously took for the post-lady to be able leave the package "in" my mailbox.

Sometimes I think this guy has the right idea...

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Tron Legacy

Yesterday I went to go see Tron Legacy. Before I start it should be noted that I did not pay to watch this movie so my views may be skewed as a results. After all, everything is better when it's free. That's why so many people beg for money rather than work for it.


Tron Legacy is the story of a computer program. The program works as hard as he can to do what he was programmed to do, but nobody can accept him for what he is. So the program decides to try to find a new place to get a fresh start where he live happily and rule with an iron fist. But his plans are cut short when he steals a disk and the cold bars of justice slammed shut on him. In the end there was a bunch of credits.


All in all a pretty good movie. The special effects were amazing. If you liked the original Tron back in 1982 you are going to love the sequel. I would be willing to bet money that next Halloween there are going to be a bunch of "Players" running around. My only regret is that I didn't get to see it in 3D. Anybody who knows me knows how I love the third dimension. It's where all the best tasting ice cream flavors come from. That's why pioneers only had one flavor of ice cream, butter flavor.

Free at last...free at last

Yep, today was the last day before my 2 week "winter break". Oh, I'm am going to make the most of it too! I already have it all planned out.

Saturday - Stay up late
Sunday - Wake up early
Monday - Sleep in
Tuesday - Stay up later
Wednesday - Shake presents
Thursday - Snowball fight
Friday - Wonder where the week went.
Etc...

I love the holidays, but around the office it is kinda depressing. I think I realized this year that you can tell how important you are at work by the number of people that bring you Christmas treats. All you need is a baseline. Find somebody who is a big kiss up and walk over to their desk. Count the number of treats they have and compare to yourself. For instance a guy at my work received 3.5 treats to every one that I received. I'm not sure, but I think this means that brown nosing gets you 75% further in life then hard work.

I guess I should really be asking for lessons.