Learning Faith -Part 3

This is part three in a 3 part series on how we educate the next generation in matters of faith.

Sun Chips Green Bag -Week 3

This is the end of week 2 (the start of week 3) of my little experiment with the compostable Sun Chips bag. As the video shows, there doesn’t appear to be any significant signs of composting at all, up to this point. However, when I reviewed the time-lapse video that Sun Chips put on the web, there aren’t any significant signs of composting until the end of week 3. So for our little green bag, this is an important week. We are praying for you to have a serious breakdown this week, little bag. Here’s the video from this week.

Learning Faith -Part 2

This is part two in a 3 part series on how we educate the next generation in matters of faith. Read part one, and stay tuned for part three.

Learning Faith -Part 1

This is part one in a 3 part series on how we educate the next generation in matters of faith. Faith as Meme I am currently reading a book about memes.  Everyone I mention this to asks me the same immediate question.  “What in the heck is a meme?”   Then I begin the inordinately long [...]

Sun Chips Green Bag -Week 2

This is the start of week 2 of my Sun Chips compostable green bag experiment.  On the back of the bag it advertises that the bag will fully compost in 12 weeks.  I am going to test that out.

At the end of week 1, after 7 full days, I noticed no deterioration whatsoever.  This does not mean that it won’t happen.  It just means that there are no visible signs so far.

For those of you who are skeptically minded, I have placed an active compost mix both above and below the bag.  This compost mix is a mix of full composted material, uncomposted organic material, and everything in between.  The compost is in various states of breakdown and some of it has been composting for 6 months.  The box is placed outside in the elements where it is affected by both rain and sun.

Here is the video of what I found after 7 days.

Google in Charge

Sun Chips Green Bag

Have you seen the new Sun Chips eco-bag?  It’s the one that makes a ton of sound whenever you touch it.  I had a hard time eating the chips, because every time I tried to eat my neighbors would stop by and tell me to “knock it off!”

In all seriousness, I love the idea of eco-friendly bags.  There is no reason that everything known to man needs to be wrapped in plastic.  If you really think about it, half of our landfills are filled not with things that are broken and don’t work anymore, but the packaging for all of our new stuff.  So, I enthusiastically support Sun Chips in their effort.

In case you aren’t aware of exactly what I’m talking about, here is a crash course from the Sun Chips people, themselves.

So, being the really scientific guy I am, I decided to conduct my own experiment.

I have my own compost bin at home.  So, gathered up some of the compost, and put it in a plastic tub.  I’ll be checking back with the bag each week, and showing updates.  We’ll see if the bag is really gone in 12-14 weeks, as they claim.  Here are pictures of the bag, and a short video showing the start of week 1.

Here is the video of me setting up the experiment.

Happy Mother’s Day

As I have prepared for Mother’s Day this year, my thoughts have turned to flowery gifts and cheesy cards.  But in a way, the whole Mother’s Day card idea seems to be both a little impersonal, and overly discrete.  We buy a card with a flowery picture where some guy in an office has written something that appeals to the broadest audience possible, but we are supposed to pretend it is the sentiment of our innermost selves.  Often times we say something like, “I read this, and it captured my exact feelings for you.”  These are great for those who don’t have much of an ability to express themselves.

At the same time, we share these “deep feelings” with only the mother we are so proud of.  So the card that says, “I want the whole world to know how special you are,” is sealed tightly in an envelope and addressed only to that one Mom that you want the whole world to know about.

So, this Mother’s Day I want to do something a little different: instead of buying a card and sending it off for only my Mom to read, I’m going to do my best to capture my thoughts for my Mom in my own words and leave it out in the open for the whole world to see.  From this point on, I’ll be addressing my Mom directly in first-person, but everyone is invited along because I believe that my Mom is truly worth celebrating.

—–

Mom,

When I think back to all of the formative moments of my life, you are always there, front and center.  Every award, every performance, every skinned knee, you were there.  When I fell down, it was you who picked me up.  When I lost my course and aim, you helped me turn.

I remember you at every band performance, musical, and sports game.
I remember your strength in moments where it seemed like you and I against the whole world.

You taught me that if you lie about something, you might not get to go to the Halloween party.
You taught me that there is nothing much better than sitting on the counter on a Saturday morning and making breakfast together, and that
Bugs Bunny is always funny no matter how many times you’ve seen it.
You taught me that there is nothing more healing than the song “You are My Sunshine.”

You helped me see that amazing wonders of nature like Giant Sequoias are more than just trees.  They are the very fingerprints of God.

Through the good times and the bad, you’ve always been there and always persevered.  You’ve taught me everything I know, and I am proud to be your son.  Everything I have and everything I am is because of you.  I’ll always love you. Thank you Mom.

Just as a fun little bit from history, I was able to get an old picture of my mom from some of her professional dancing days.  She has always been really light on her feet.