Here's a fun little exercise from yvonne's site. Type your name into Google, followed by the word 'needs' and see what comes up. Here's what I got.

1. Leila needs a role model.
2. Leila needs to play her wild card
3. Leila needs her risk-taking madness
4. Leila needs medication
5. Leila needs Pierre's help
6. Leila needs to learn to pay attention to the little details
7. Leila needs a scientist
8. Leila needs to be the princess
9. Leila needs more work


Through this exercise I learned that Leila is a popular name for dogs. There is one dog named Leila who is 15 years old, a black lab, and has been lost since December 15, 2004, in St. Charles Illinois. Leila is also an adorable Australian Shepherd in need of a new home.

LEILA is also a collaborative data driven system that spans multiple agencies and branches of government. Leila is an excellent example of how technology can help "break down the barriers between organizations by facilitating information exchange, while at the same time maintaining security and agency controls.

So. There you have it.

Well, Abu is feeling better, and we went back to the park for the first time in a week. Abu promptly ran to the far end where the fence almost meets the creek, and escaped while I was distracted by a human. Next thing you know, she's outside at the gate, begging to be let back in. Silly dog.

Oh my gosh, I'm watching "trading spouses" and I know I shouldn't be, because it always makes me upset. They always match hyperspiritual "christians" with new age-ish types. As usual, the christians are all acting like completely ignorant judgemental closeminded dweebs, with the exception of the eldest daughter of the christian family. My gosh, with shows like this it's no wonder people have a warped idea of what Christianity is all about.

I mean, how hard would be to at least pretend to be a loving, open, genuine, forgiving, intelligent human, just for a week? Would it kill you to be nice? The pagans can be nice. The buddhists, and the mormons, and the democrats can all be nice. Hindus and muslims and animal rights activists, hippies and vegetarians can all be nice. Why is it always the christians with the patronizing smiles looking down their noses saying "so you're not a christian then?"

Those smug little smiles, I wanna just slap them right off. Do they think that by catering to their pride they're somehow doing the will of God?? They are doing damage. They are hurting people in the name of God. They are making it so much harder for those of us who actually care to communicate anything positive as christians.

Does anyone else feel this way?? Does anyone know what i'm talking about?

In other news, I recently remembered that Jesus was a carpenter, and being a woodworker myself, I felt a bit of camaraderie. I often find as I'm working that some aspect of the wood teaches me something about life and growth. I wonder if the very things that I'm thinking while I chisel and sand went through Jesus' head when He was 24, working with his dad. Maybe at that time His destiny seemed really far away, maybe He wasn't sure exactly what it was. Maybe He felt discouraged sometimes, year after year of planing and sanding and sawing when in fact he was born to save mankind. For 33 years.

The bible doesn't say much about His early years. I wish it would. Year in and year out my destiny is hidden from me, but I learn a thing or two about people and life from the wood in my hands and just try not to be discouraged.

I don't know.

Uncle Edmar, I tried to email you but it wouldn't go through. Did you change it?? email me.