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| Highs in the low 60s in central KY today. Marmee, Mom W, Ash, Fred, Chels, and I went to B.D.'s for Marmee's last birthday dinner of the year. When I get old, I will probably live in a studio apartment above an old five-and-dime in a small KY town like Stanford or Liberty--that, or in a government housing project. I will eat Campbell's™ Chicken Noodle Soup and saltine crackers and drink hot tea every day. I will listen to NPR and take lots of naps on the couch or in an easy chair. I will probably go to a Presbyterian Church, because I like all the Scripture reading. I will be the token poor frumpy-looking old guy who comes in and sits in the back just before the service starts and sneaks out the side door as soon as the service is over. I will be alone a lot, but not a hermit. I will go to the local old-goats' hang-out every day. I will find a few buddies, and once or twice a year (maybe more often) we will take up an offering for a family that really needs help. Guns. I hear my younger son is "in trouble" for talking and writing about guns. I love it. Long live John Wayne. Long live the Duke. I wonder: Who is the poster boy for the liberal wooses (sic)? So, We the People are in a recession, right? We were at the Fayette Mall today. Cars were Everywhere. You couldn't walk in the Mall. Now, many were middle-school and high-school and university students, just hanging out. But lots of folks were carrying BIG BAGS of Stuff. Girls were wearing $75-$200 high-heel, high-top hooker boots (don't ask how I know the price). There were brand-new monster SUVs all over the parking lot. What is the deal? Think I'll find something to snack on (don't really need it; I had 3 bowls at B.D.'s), do some reading (I bought Oh, the Places You'll Go for Fred today), and go to bed. I cooked French toast and ate breakfast before sunrise this morning, pulled down the remnants of the old shed and took off boards until 9:40, took a shower, and drove to Hamburg. I'm about ready to call it a day. Enjoy the Day with King Jesus and the sibs at the Table. ICXC NIKA. Coram Deo et populo. | | |
| Note to Emperor: Sarah made some great photos on the place. I'm sure she'll be posting some of them soon. From Imitation: "Send out thy light and thy truth" (Ps 43:3), that they may shine upon the earth; for I am earth without form and void until Thou enlighten me. I'm not sure that's what the Genesis poet had in mind; but, I must say, I appreciate the analogy. I, too, am earth. My life, my very being is formless and empty and darkness covers the depths of my inner man. Only when the Spirit of God moves over me and God says, "Let the light of Christ shine" (2 Corinthians 4:6) is there a breath of life or a spark of light in me. * * * * * Four great Saturdays in a row! Sarah was here last Saturday. We plan to go to Lexington to celebrate Marmee's birthday (again) this Saturday. We might have Grant friends down the next Saturday, and the next weekend is ThanksChristmas. Note to Number One & Pander and the Emperor & Colie: I nominate "ThanksChristmas" as the name for what I hope will become an annual tradition at Springview. Pander, the maple-roast veggies sound incredible. We'll have to do that. A thought for ThanksChristmas Yet to Come: Think about the possibility of all of us pooling our resources and giving something to a family or cause that really needs it. Some old Grant and Bailey boys used to do that; and I'd like for our family to consider doing this. * * * * * Work's in flux, even more than usual. People are being added, others are being laid off. Lots of whispers. All in the Hand of God. * * * * * ICXC NIKA. Coram Deo et populo. | | |
| Right at 60°F at 7:20 p.m. Some cloud cover; forecast was calling for rain. I really hope not; the boys need to get the corn out of the field. I suppose the Almighty can run the weather without my help or advice. Sarah was here for the weekend. Much awesomeness. She's incredible. I hope Springview was good for her. She was certainly good for us. We went to Bro. Miller's debut sermon at Boneyville Sunday afternoon. There were about 140 to 150 people in a little building that seats 100-110. Much awesomeness. I am coming to appreciate the AME brothers more and more for their gut honesty and openness and acceptance. Marmee, Mom W, and I went out for Marmee's b-day Monday night. Dinner at Sutton's in Danville (Number One and Emperor, this is a great place to take your ladies). Then we saw To Kill a Mockingbird, presented by the Montana Reportory Theatre, at the Norton Center on the Centre College campus. Great awesomeness. The Norton Center has some great stuff this season: Orquestra de Guitar de Barcelona (25 Spanish guitars), A Christmas Carol, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quartet, the Chamber Orchestra of the Kremlin, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (one I'd like to hear), the Temptations and the Four Tops, and Riverdance. World class. Nothing but world class. I hear we might have some Grant friends coming down next weekend. Great awesomeness. And the next weekend will be ThanksChristmas. Incredible awesomeness. Life is good. God is good. * * * * * On TRILLIONS: Ever watch a teller count money? Suppose a teller could count at the rate of ten bills per second. In 24 hours, the teller would count 864,000 bills. At that rate, counting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it would take the teller 3,171 years to count a TRILLION bills. I don't know the average "going price" for undeveloped land in Kentucky, but I'd guess it's about $1,000 per acre. At 640 acres per square mile, a square mile of land would be worth $640,000. To raise a TRILLION dollars, you would have to sell over 1,500,000 (that's one-and-a-half MILLION) square miles of land. To put that in perspective, that would be about HALF of the 48 contiguous United States. Let that last one soak in . . . * * * * * It's Tuesday night. It is the beginning of my five favorite days of the week. Tomorrow after work I get to visit my friends at Mt. Olive. Thursday is the short day at work, so maybe I can work on the old shed a little. Friday means the next day is Saturday, and I think we're going back to B.D.'s for Marmee's 2nd birthday dinner. The next day is Sunday. For now, it's time to play with Fredoo for a while . . . ICXC NIKA. Coram Deo et populo. | | |
| At 1% simple interest, the annual interest payment on a trillion dollars would be $10,000,000,000. The DAILY interest payment would be about $27,400,000. At 4% simple interest, the DAILY interest payment would be over 109 million dollars. Since the US economy is in the commode, where are we going to get these trillions of dollars? From an oil-rich Arabic nation, a number of whose citizens might hate the US? From India? From China? A string of dollar bills from the earth to the sun and beyond. A stack of dollar bills 63,131 miles high (that's two-and-a-half times around the equator). A carpet of dollar bills that would cover Casey, Lincoln, Pulaski, Russell, Adair, Taylor, Marion, and Boyle Counties. A train of 5,224 60-foot, 100-ton boxcars 50 miles long. Parked nose-to-tail, a convoy of 40' x 8' x 8.5' semi trailers with over 12.750 units, stretching from Louisville, KY, to Indianapolis, IN. At $20 an hour, 25 million years of wage. Giving away a million dollars every day, it would take 2,736 years to disperse a trillion dollars. Keep a few of these illustrations in mind in 2010 and 2012. | | |
| A one-inch stack of dollar bills occupies 15 cubic inches and consists of 250 bills. A cubic foot of "ones" would hold 115.2 such stacks and be worth $28,000. A TRILLION dollars would occupy 34 million, 722 thousand, 222 cubic feet, or 1.286 million yards. To put this in perspective, the largest freight carriers that most of us see are (1) railroad cars and (2) standard freight containers. A large 60' boxcar holds 6646 cubit feet. It would take 5,224-and-a-half boxcars to carry a TRILLION dollars. A standard dry cargo container is 40' x 8' x 8.5' or 2720 cubit feet. It would take 12,765-and-a-half of these to transport a TRILLION dollars. How can our political and governmental leaders just seemingly throw numbers like this around as if they're nothing? * * * Well, enough of that (for a while). Sound like Sarah is coming down this weekend, and Dave & Chris might not be too far behind. In fact, they all may be here together. Good times. ICXC NIKA. Coram Deo et populo. Invest the week in the service of the King and our fellow-citizens. Worship with your work. | | |
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