The Crossing -- Ecstasy

First snake of the season

We were on the way to the movies yesterday (boy's night out), when we saw the first snake of spring crossing the road.  Since this was close to the house and the snake was heading into a yard where I know kids often play, I had to do something I hate doing.  I ran over his head.  It was a rattlesnake, about two feet long probably.  You could hear the rattles after I ran over it's back.  It was buzzing like crazy, then I changed direction and ran over the head.  Sorry little Crotalus adamanteus.  You were just in the wrong place buddy.

Crotalus adamanteus

Latin for "Rattle" and "Diamondlike" respectively

Incidentally, the movie we were going to see was about people and reptiles at odds with each other.  "How to train your dragon".  It ended a lot better than our story did.

Scouts!

Last weekend we were in Swainsboro for Cameron's eagle ceremony.  It was a real pleasure to be there and see him attain the highest rank of Scouting.  Cameron is my wife's first cousin, only seventeen, and we got to spend a little time with him before the ceremony.  He's doing the whole getting ready for college thing.  I think his High School Prom is this weekend.  Four young men became eagles that night and the ceremony started with a slideshow that showed their progression from Tiger Cubs all the way through Scouting.  It got me thinking about my boys and how quickly they'll grow up.  In ten short years Caleb will be the same age as Cameron is now.  Scares me a little, in that I don't want to mess this parenting thing up.  Anyway, Cameron's parents obviously did a whole lot of things right.  He's a fine young man, he's worked hard, and they should all be proud.  Here's a wonderful photo we were able to get at the reception:

Congratulations Cameron!

After the loooong silence...

I feel you out there, my legions of readers, as you wonder; "What has become of Crotalus?"  "Why isn't he blogging more?"  "Oh when will this dearth of awe-inspiring prose ever end???"

Well, the answer to that last question is: Right now!

As I write this, the boys are in bed and the good wife is curled up with a book.  There are no immediate vacation plans or transitions to muddle through, so, even though we've been busy, I see a settling on the horizon. 

To update the goings on we've just got back from Disney World.  Oh yes, it was glorious!  And there will be a post forthcoming.  I have also been writing a little, though not here.  I've got a short story sitting in the slush pile over at Apex and Abyss (speculative fiction webzine), and an article sent to a local magazine editor.  (A first person plug for the local Scouting program.)  The first submission I'm not going to bet on, but I feel pretty good about the second. 

Some randomness to follow:

My four year old described God recently as being 'sneaky', since you can't see Him.  He also has been getting pretty deep with the theological questions:  "Why did God make mokitos?" (after one had bit him on the leg), and "Are there little dogs in heaven?"  (Yes, but no cats.)

Caleb has some more artwork in the upcoming Autism Art show at Elements Bistro.  By the way, if you are ever near Lyons, Georgia (right next door to Vidalia) and want some fine dining, then Elements will completely blow you away.  I can honestly say I have never eaten better food.  You will pay a little more than mid-scale restaurant (I'm talking Ruby Tuesday's or some such), but man is it worth it.  The seared Ahi Tuna is unbelievable, and the Cowboy cut ribeye is 16 ounces of perfection. 

You know, I think we are fated to see semi-celebrities every time we go to Disney.  The first time we went, I saw a dude that bore an uncanny resemblance to Shooter Jennings.  Then a few weeks later I look at his tour dates and yep, he was in Orlando the same time as us.  This time my wife saw Dog, the Bounty Hunter.  His son and entourage were with him, so there was no doubt on this one. 

Awright, I'm going to bed now.  Peace out.

Autism Awareness Month

A post written by my wife:

My child was diagnosed with autism in August of 2007, but I knew before then that he had autism. I knew when he did not answer when I called his name. I knew when he couldn’t ask me for a cup of milk to drink. I knew when he had intense tantrums every day. I knew when he couldn’t understand what I was saying. I knew when he wouldn’t look at me.

I knew my child was going to be OK when he was receiving speech therapy and started talking in sentences. I knew he was going to be OK when he received early intervention and started pretending to be a superhero. I knew he was going to be OK when he went to school and was learning to read. I knew he was going to be OK when he made a friend.

I knew I was going to be OK when I accepted that he is different and that just because his brain works differently doesn’t mean he can’t live a full life.

What's new?

So we finally made it through the last grueling six weeks of night shift.  I also have some other great news:

I rarely talk about work here at AKT, but I'm making the rare exception today.  A few weeks ago a position opened up in our department and I looked it over.  It seemed like something well suited to my strengths and prior experience, so I threw my hat in the ring and what do you know, I got a promotion.

This means moving out of the hourly ranks and back into a salaried position.  It's also a great opportunity to build my career, in that it could lead to other promotions later on.  In fact, most people who move into this position move over into others after a few years.  We'll see how that goes, for now I'm just excited about learning some new things and working more closely with the other specialists in our department. I will also  be interfacing with people I've never met, so that's something else to look forward to.

I'm also thrilled that I finally feel like I have my feet back under me.  God has indeed blessed our family and this, for me at least, was a huge one, in that it gives me a big boost of confidence and a new sense of achievement.  Come Monday I'll have my own personal space again (something I haven't had since I left Merck). 

So rejoice with me!

Peace,
Crotalus

ONE MORE WEEK!

Of outage that is. 

You can do it Charlie Brown. 

Now let me go get a few hours' sleep before nightshift.


Peace.

Mid-Outage drawing

We are a little over halfway through the outage, and boy are we getting tire of it at our house.  I've been on nights all outage long, so while the family is asleep I'm up.  It makes little sense to switch my sleep around on my off days (Thurs and Fri), so I just stay up all night while they sleep.  Soon I'll wake the boys, get them off to school, and finally go to bed.  I'll get up when they come home.  Tonight I'll get to be with them while we go to Statesboro to get some frames for our family portraits.  Lord, please help me to be alert and 'on' while I'm with them.  And give us a good time of enjoying each other.  Amen.


I read a bit last night, folded a little bit of laundry, watched 'That Metal Show', and drew a few drawings.  Here's one I did, that is very Buscema-ish.  I call it 'Reclaimed'.  It depicts Jesus coming back for His church, and also mimics a crucifixion pose.  For some reason He looks angry.  Maybe just the warrior side of Him coming out.  Anyway, here it is:

There is something about my art that is always kind of 'in your face'.  I'm about as subtle as a brick. Oh well.  My art will probably never hang on many living room walls, for obvious reasons, but I like it.

When God talks

I was on the way to work yesterday and really needed a word from God. Now, while I don't recommend the FM radio over the Bible, sometimes I do believe God speaks to us through the radio.  After all, He put talent into musicians for the purpose of speaking His truth and praising Him, even though many of them don't acknowledge that or use their talents for Him.  Still, sometimes they write songs for Him in spite of themselves.  And this time He sent one of those my way:

And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality
Closer to the heart, closer to the heart

The blacksmith and the artist
Reflect it in their art
They forge their creativity
Closer to the heart, yes closer to the heart

Philosophers and plowmmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the heart, well closer to the heart

You can be the Captain
And I will draw the chart
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the heart, yes closer to the heart
I said closer to the heart, yeah closer to the heart
Closer to Your heart, I said closer to Your heart.

(Thanks to Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Peter Talbot, and Neil Peart for writing that, and to God for inspiring them.  Sometimes I dig me some Rush.)

Anywho, this seemed to be a recurring theme for the night.  I spent the next 12 hours at work and listened to two podcasts I'd downloaded.  They were by my good friends Wunderkraut and his brother-in-law Jon.  WK was preaching on stepping into your destiny, while Jon was talking about love.  It all tied together in my spirit and really ministered to me.  Add to the mix a new book I've been reading called "Tally Ho the Fox", given to me by my good friend Phil J, and I was more than ministered to, I was also inspired.  There has to be more to our lives than just making a living.  We have to love people, achieve our destinies, and make a difference.

God let that be true for my life.

The big snow.

Snow

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

All this global warming must be stopped I tell you!  Something must be done.  Seriously, it's hot outside.  It's scorching, I say!  Come on, let's all buy Priuses and turn off our incandescent light bulbs!  We can save the world and the polar bears, but only if we act now!

Ka-blam

At the behest of the good wife, I looked into getting 'The Adventures of Sparky & Mr. Hopper' professionally printed.  I found a POD (print on demand) service called Ka-blam.  They work out of Orlando FL, and did an excellent job.  The finished product exceeded our expectations and was quite affordable.  I spent about $2.70 an issue, which isn't bad for POD, especially since I only ordered ten copies.  Now we have enough for each of the boys to have one and to give a few away to family and friends.  Seriously, if you ever need a comic published these guys do quality work at very, very reasonable prices.

Here's Levi, checking out the interior.  The covers are printed on 70# glossy paper, while the interiors are on 50# high bright.  You get a good idea here of the nice sheen and vibrant colors.

Caleb showing the cover. I changed it a bit before sending it off.  But not too much.  What you guys saw here at my blog and over at comic fury is pretty much how the final product turned out.

I've never posted this, so here's the dedication page/back cover:

A wonderful service by the folks over at Ka-blam.  I'm putting a link over to the right, so you (my millions of loyal fans) can check them out for your own comic publishing needs.  As they say on their website, they are able to do small orders much cheaper than a commercial offset printer, but if you need orders exceeding a thousand copies, then you might want to go a different route.  Basically, they found a need, met it, and in my opinion are doing a terrific job--affordable, fast, and with a finished product that exceeds your expectations.

Thanks Kablam!

Jesus Culture Heaven is here

I'm about to shift over to nights and blogging will definitely take a back seat. Here is what I've been listening to lately. Good stuff.

Pine Box Derby Faith

The Scouts have this annual event of carving out and decorating a pine box car to race in a Derby.  The local Cub Scouts had theirs this Saturday.  We registered his car on Friday night and weighed it, even gave it a few trials runs.  I could tell it was running better than I expected, but there were lots of fast cars so I wasn't getting my hopes up.

Then came Saturday morning and the big races.  Of course I tried to reassure Caleb beforehand that it was okay if he didn't win a trophy.  But in his mind he was convinced that he would.  I kept trying to get it through that he might not win and that would be alright, he would still get a patch or a ribbon or something.  He just kept on talking about a trophy.  Finally I gave up, and consoled myself with the fact that if Caleb didn't win, maybe he would learn how to lose graciously. 

Way to have faith, Dad.

Then we started racing and Caleb's car came in second on it's first run.  Not bad, I thought.  Then they ran the same four cars, but switched lanes.  He came in second again.  Then on the next two races, his car actually came in first.  I was beginning to believe that he just might walk away with a trophy after all.

But instead he walked away with two.  He took second place in his age group (Tigers).  Then somehow, the favor of God is all I can ascribe it to, we also were awarded the 'Most Original' car.  Here are some pictures of the big event.

The cars all ready.  Caleb's is the red and blue one in the second lane from this side.

A shot during the races.  Caleb's is in the lead.

Caleb, learning how to win graciously.  That's the second place trophy in his hand.

The track.

Caleb, pushing the button that will start the race.

Caleb and his number one fan, affectionally known as Grammy.

In the winner's circle, surrounded by family.

All the cars that raced.

Caleb, right before the big race, awaiting his destiny.

Caleb and his trophies.  That's the second place trophy, the blue ribbon, a pin for his shirt, and the 'Most Original' trophy.  We are running out of space on his dresser!

There you have it.  A day of fun and lessons in faith for Dad.  Thanks to all the leaders and Scouts that made this possible.  Y'all are the best!