(picture added 10/8/05 and donated by the Rieman family)

We just learned that Christine’s cousin, Joel Rieman, had suddenly passed away recently. He was 29, with a birthday on Sepember 4th, so almost a year older than her. We are shocked by this, and our hearts and prayers go out to Suly and Doug Rieman and the rest of the clan.

I remember meeting him a few times, most notably at our wedding a few years ago. For me, he was a good-natured, funny, witty personality and he was an instantly memorable guy. He created quite an impression on me right off the bat. Christine says he was entertaining, caring, a good listener and fun to be around.

To Joel: We will miss you terribly!

Please click here… and here. Read the articles…

Normally in my postings, if I ever talk about work, it’s in the most general terms and I don’t let on as to where and who I work for. It’s just a safe thing to do, considering that most companies are just barely putting together policies about their employees and “blogging”. Nevertheless, I have a few things to say about the recent shootings in the Glendale, AZ Wal-Mart.

If you looked at my profile, you may have noticed that I live in Glendale. I will say that I work nearby where the shootings occured. I heard about it around the same time the national media was notified. It hit really close to home for me, as it did for the others I work with. Even though I was very absorbed in my work that day, I couldn’t help but feel sadness and regret for the senseless loss of life in an otherwise beautiful day. I also felt anger at the person who would think to solve his problems with a loaded gun. It seemed so strange that something like this could happen in a well-to-do area. The regrettable fact is that these things can happen anywhere.

How a fifty-plus year old man, with a history of mental illness, could acquire a gun legally in this day and age is beyond comprehension. They say there is still no clear motive in the slayings of two cart attendants by this guy and, given that he may not be playing with a full deck, I guess we’ll never find out. There’s a family now without a son, who had a heart and mind full of ambition and promise. There’s another family now without a father, his heart and mind full of hopes and dreams for his kids. I prayed for their families that night, that they would be comforted in their loss.

It fills me with joy, however, to know that even in this day and age, two people can have the courage to track down a man who has acted with such violence. They had the good sense to get the information the police needed to apprehend this guy before he would harm or kill another living being. I honor and respect their decision to be nameless, as that is the spirit of the Good Samaritan. I salute them.

For anyone who reads this posting, my whole point is this: With anything you do in life, don’t be afraid to do the right thing. When you see something wrong, try to fix it. When you see someone wronged, do what you can to help and get them on their feet again. And when you witness a crime, don’t be afraid to get the information and report it. In doing so, you may inadvertently help save others from that same fate.

The quotable Pat Robertson…

“N.O.W. is saying that in order to be a woman, you’ve got to be a lesbian.”

“The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practise witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”

“You say you’re supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing. Nonsense. I don’t have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist. I can love the people who hold false opinions but I don’t have to be nice to them.”

(this one’s from Jan. 11, 1985…)
“Individual Christians are the only ones really — and Jewish people, those who trust God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — are the only ones that are qualified to have the reign, because hopefully, they will be governed by God and submit to Him.”
(… and later on…)
“I never said that in my life … I never said only Christians and Jews. I never said that.”

“There is no such thing as separation of church and state in the Constitution. It is a lie of the Left and we are not going to take it anymore.”

“The Antichrist is probably a Jew alive in Israel today.”

(… and just recently, Aug. 22nd, ‘05…)
“We have the ability to take him [Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200-billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.” (… The U.S. Gov. had been trying to smooth relations with Venezuela before Mr. Pat Robertson said this. Way to go, dude!)

Hey, the Venezuelan leader may, or may not, be a evil dictator labeled as “president” (I’m no expert in world government affairs, by any means!), but that doesn’t give a professed christian free reign to call for an assassination! Especially when assassinations of world leaders have been forbidden since President Ford signed an executive order in 1976 banning the U.S. from just that action. As for his other comments… [sighs, shakes head...]

Mr. Pat Robertson, please… for the sake of this country… shut up, already!!

(This post is the closest I may get to being political… you’ve been warned!)

Today is an unscheduled day off from work. After the last month of sheer hectic barely controlled madness at my workplace, my team and I are winding down and we’ll see a return to normality after this next week. However, the stress from all this has finally taken its toll on me and I’ve barely kept a hold of my humanity, almost caring more about the job than the people. Very scary for me to say the least. I cherish the people I work with and I’ve had to do some serious soul-searching to find where I can improve my mindframe and attitudes so that I don’t alienate and turn away others due to words and actions. At anyone’s profession, even when the worst is over, you can still feel a “residual backlash” of previously endured stress and it can make you very jumpy and snappish. The point of all this: take a break for a day, relax, and re-assess your priorities and feelings towards others. Come back to the job with a clearer perspective. You’ll be the better for it!

Here’s a very different view of a shuttle launch. Evidently, this is on Ms. Damaris Sarria’s blog and she is an aspiring astronaut. I dont know if she took this pic herself or if someone else did it for her, but it’s amazing. Click Here to see the entry!