Yesterday I was driving to my girlfriend’s nephew’s birthday party. On Lebanon Road heading east at a curvy, double lined, two lane portion I heard the sound of a motorcycle engine. This couldn’t be as I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a car. Out of my peripheral vision I saw a motorcyclist passing me on the right in the bicycle lane. This bicycle lane is on a very narrow shoudler with a steep drop off in places. Basically I laid on my horn, but I doubt that he heard me or cared since I saw he was doing the same thing…that is passing cars in the bicycle lane. Plus he probably couldn’t hear my horn over the sound of the wind and motorcycle engine while wearing his helmet.

As I watched him weave in and out of traffic, passing cars in the bicycle lane, I wondered if it would do any good to call the police on the non emergency number. I didn’t have the non emergency number and would probably have to give up my personal information in order to file a report. Plus he would probably be long gone before the police could mobilize and catch up with him.

As I pulled up the light to turn onto state route 109 north to Gallatin, I saw him waiting at the light. This surprised me a bit because I figured since he was disregarding the rules about passing in bicycle lanes, he would run the red light. He turned left toward Gallatin which is where I was going. I figured I’d probably see him in an accident in a few minutes if he continued to drive like he was driving on Lebanon Road, as 109 is narrow in places and has no bicycle lane.

Yet I saw him pulled off to the side of the road facing the road. With adrenaline pumping I approached him. I rolled down my window and yelled “YOU’RE GONNA KILL SOMEONE!” “What?” was his response as he fiddled with his helmet. I repeated myself “YOU’RE GONNA KILL SOMEONE!” After I had made my point, there was nothing else to say so I continued on my journey. I noticed in my rearview mirror that he turned around and went the other direction. Maybe he figured he had caused a stir with motorists and needed to go a different direction so as not to get apprehended by the police.

I realized there is a mentality among teenagers and 20 somethings to try to go fast in order to impress themselves or those around them. I was there and had a tendency to drive fast during my younger years. Now I find myself pretty much going the speed limit. But I draw an exception to this guy. He was driving very recklessly in the bicycle lane. Bicycle lanes were not meant for overtaking motorists. Rather it is vice versa…for cars overtaking bicyclists.

There seems to be a disregard among motorcyclists in general for those around them. I am reminded of this every time someone rides a motorbike with engine whirling through my residential neighborhood. I saw this on a trip out west to Colorado when we would have a huge group of motorcyclists overtake us.

I realize there are more mature motorcyclist who are courteous toward other drivers. But seemingly I remember these negative experiences with other motorcyclists which causes my disdain for motorcyclists in general.

Let’s hope this particular motorcyclists toned it down so that he doesn’t injury himself or others around him.

After attending a Gospel Meeting near Carthage, TN, I saw a woman with a backpack walking on the side of a rural highway at 10:30PM at night.  I know this because I almost hit her had she not be on the shoulder of the road.  It was a rural stretch of road and there was no commercial areas near this area.  There was a house a few hundred yards away.

I see two scenarios.  One is that it was planned.  Someone who had no car was walking home from a party or other engagement.

The other is that it was unplanned.  A car broke down or some other accident and this person was forced to walk to her next destination.  Hence the unusual nature and timing of the event.

I could have stopped, but I make it a rule never to stop for hitchhikers.  She could have pulled out a gun from that backpack.  She wasn’t exactly thumbing a ride….or maybe it was too fast for her to get my attention.  In any case I still wonder about her background, and if she made it to her destination.

With the recent terrorists attacked in Paris brings push not to allow Syrian refugees into the United States.  Yet not one of the terrorists were Syrian.  Rather they were all European nationals.

Let me tell you of my personal experiences.  In September I vacationed in Budapest, just after the refugee crisis which stranded hundreds of refugee at the Budapest train station.  While I was there I visited the Budapest Church of Christ who happened to be helping the refugees by supplying the trainloads of migrants with basic food and health products.  This is what Jesus would have done in accordance with Matthew 25.

Even further back when I was a college student I gave rides home to elementary and middle school students who were studying English as a second language.  Many of them were Kurds.  I was happy to help.

So maybe I’ve got a soft spot for international people who have nothing.  Maybe I’ve got a world view of things.  Maybe I see how much we as Americans are blessed and wish others could  somehow build themselves up with just a little assistance.

And yet I see so call Christians, even in some cases ministers putting quotes like this on social media.

“Not ONE more Syrian refugees!”

Simply amazing.  Completely unwelcoming.  Completely unChristlike.  Bordering on being the actions of the priest and Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan. By putting a stamp on all Syrian refugees they have classified all Syrians as suspect and borderline criminal.  Prejudices still rule today, even in the pulpit of the church.

Their argument against accepting more Syrian refugees?  “Well homeless vets need our help much more than the Syrians.”  As a counter to this I’m not even sure those people so strongly for homeless vets have even thought about or given a significant amount of money or time to help homeless vets.  Yes, when they say “We need to help homeless vets…” what they actually mean is “You need to help homeless vets….”

Today I watched via live stream, the funeral of a member at the church I attend. She was a mother and died suddenly in a car crash. Understandably the family is devastated. I hope and pray that they can grow closer to Christ.
During all of this I began to think about my own family’s mortality. How I will face what might be the most difficult days of my life.
A friend said during the death of a loved one, everything is a shock and a blur during the visitation and funeral. Then days or weeks after the funeral is when those survivors face reality: being very much alone after their loved one has past. I wish there was something I could do in all of this. I wish I could say something to make it all better. I wish I could say more than “I’m sorry for your loss,” or “Let’s do lunch sometime.” The problem is that we truly don’t know what to say. And sometimes we say things that truly are thoughtless – “I know exactly how you feel,” comes to mind. Let’s not pour salt in someone’s wound by being thoughtless. Only say neutral things like “I’m here for you.” To say anything more could be misconstrued.
Another truth is that there will forever a gap in that person’s life and this family member’s death is a landmark in their own timeline. “That was before my spouse died,” or “That was after my mother died.”
This will be something I think about for a few weeks after this. When I see a family who has had a devastating loss I am curious about how they are doing and if there is something I could do to help the situation. Most of the time I don’t know the family that well and would feel intrusive if I were to offer to help.

It happened while I was eating supper with my mom at Bellacino’s on Hwy 109. A tatted up guy came with a profane shirt. (I found a version of the shirt online here). My mom didn’t notice, but I was very much distracted by it. I was distracted that someone would think it was appropriate to buy and wear in public. This was what I thought was a family restaurant. But somehow I get the feeling that Bellacino’s Hwy 109 location is simply in a shady part of town, being connected to a liquor store. I’m pretty sure the liquor store and the restaurant are owned by the same person.
Also I was somewhat surprised that the Bellacino’s employee took great amusement in the shirt asking the guy to turn around so he could admire it. Had I been the manager I would have asked him to leave.
I’m fairly certain the wearer of the said shirt will do nothing with his life in his current state. He’s somewhat like the Stiles character in Teen Wolf who’s profane t-shirt has caused problems with television censors ever since.
This is nothing new. When I was in junior high and with my sister’s Sunday School class monthly outing to the mall, I can remember being told not to go the back part of Spencer’s Gifts because there were things that I shouldn’t see.
However somehow I’ve outgrown the juvenileness of profanity. Why was that guy wearing the Mickey Mouse gasmask shirt? He wanted to get a reaction out of people. He is juvenile. He wants attention. Don’t show him any attention. Don’t even hire him. Let him learn on his own to grow up.

I’ve been seeing the hashtag #enditmovement pop up in my social media lately. When I did some Googling I found the organization’s webpage, which seems VERY basic. There seems to be limited action on what exactly they are going to do to stop slavery. Instead they rely on the user to click through to other websites to do research on their own.
One of the major problems with my generation and the subsequent generations after mine is that we are very lethargic toward actually doing anything. In short, we are lazy. Many people think that simply by changing an icon on social media one is making a difference. They crave that warm fuzzy feeling one has at the end of the day thinking they truly made a difference in the lives of a slave in a third world country.
The photo above seems to be contrived, so forced. The guy on the left seems to be holding up his fist thinking he made a difference today, without necessarily knowing how the basic economics of charity work.
Those who disagree with me would argue that writing an “x” on one’s hand raises awareness of a cause. Raising awareness is immeasurable. It could be huge, slight, or nothing at all. Sometimes the social media awareness campaign can have a negative effect. One harkens back to the #kony movement of 2012. The movement itself received criticism for oversimplifying the problems of the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Remember Livestrong bracelets, magnetic ribbons, or the AIDS ribbon? The AIDS ribbon is the grandfather of useless flare. On Seinfeld, Kramer refuses to wear the ribbon calling the charity worker a “ribbon bully.” Kramer, always a subscriber to the counter culture movement, does not want to wear the ribbon simply because he is told he has to. Instead Kramer chooses to actually do something, that is get family and friends to pledge monetary pledges through an AIDS walk. I can’t agree more with Kramer.
What these slacktivists must realize is that changing one’s icon on social media is not enough. Charities need time and money which are two things college students aren’t likely to give up very easily. So instead they go to sleep at night thinking they made a difference by writing a red x on their hand, changing an icon or writing a hashtag on social media.

So I haven’t updated this blog in ages. Lots of things have happened….living abroad in Europe for 3 months, a trip to the Northeast US, and a few other things. I really regret that I didn’t write more when I was in Europe. I was afraid of break-ins, therefore I didn’t update. Somehow I feel like I should give a rundown of what I remember from the various cities I visited…Nuremberg, Munich, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bamberg, Wurtzburg, Rome, the Black Forest, Neuschwanstein, and London. Maybe one day I will. I am loving life and feeling more confident more than ever before. 2010 is definitely a landmark year for me. I really don’t know what I’ll do to top it. Anyone want to go to Europe with me?

In my neighborhood the houses are built very close together. I can hear conversations of people on the sidewalk in front of my house. This is eye opening because I wonder if they can hear me within my own house.
I woke up at 3AM this morning to the sounds of a car alarm going off. I immediately thought I was back in college where I was woken up to sounds of car alarms. In college it was a red Grand Prix. Nebraska tags. The car alarm then went off at the drop of a hat. A slight breeze would set it off.
Last night the car alarm went on and on for what seemed like forever. Enough time for me to ponder going outside pounding on the neighbor’s door to alert them to the obvious. Finally after about 15 minutes someone came out and turned of the alarm.
I never had much problems with my neighbors. But I do wonder. What set off the alarm? Why did it take so long to turn it off? And…are people really that inconsiderate?

I bought a car today. It was time. I had my old Beetle for almost 10 years. It had done me well. I am sorry to see it go. I can remember when i first got it. It was the latest new thing – the car that they’ve give away for radio stations promotions. Now it seems that Volkswagen Beetle aren’t very unique. Everyone who wants one is able to get one.
It’s a blue Beetle. I think the term is Heavenly Blue. Not girlish. Not Baby Blue. It’s a neutral color of blue. I had considered red, but it was a bit too flashy for me. I’d prefer to blend in.
The thing is I’m not terribly excited about my new car…yet. At this point I’m too tired to think much of it. I’m glad to have my radio back. It had been a while since I was able to listen to Lightning 100 in a Bug. I get a few months of satellite radio. I am unsure what I’ll do with it. My iPod connection in my car pretty much does the work for me. I think due to the presence of satellite radio and iPods, I can say that broadcast radio is dying.
I’m glad to have a car which doesn’t leak oil. A car which the fabric on the ceiling is intact. A car which doesn’t hesitate when I pull out of my subdivision. And yet basically as far as design and handling….it’s the same car. And maybe because of that I’m not all that excited.