First day of School

So I had my first day of Orientation today for B-school... Kat took a picture of me when I realized that I looked like the Uber-prep with my coffee mug, paper, multiple bookbags, etc.



The cheezy grin completes it... Still, this is a far cry from my first day of kindergarten, which I remember because it was so traumatic. I wanted my breath to be really fresh, so I used way too much toothpaste, swallowed a bit of it, then went outside to play on the jungle gym at my house... and threw up. Why do we only remember the bad things? Hmmmm...

So relatively speaking, today was awesome! *grin*

Oh Baby!

When I was back home in Indiana, I got to go down to Noblesville to see my good friends Sean and Jenn, who are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl, Callie, circa 5 days ago or something. Aside from the visit taking place unexpectedly back at the hospital (Callie was looking a little yellow, so they took her back in to go under the special lights) the visit was great!

It is such a trip to see friends I grew up with put in charge of another life... I look forward to telling Callie stories about her parents someday! *Grin*

Proud parents


If you can't do anything else, you might as well make yourself useful as a pacifier


Adorable... simply adorable!

Back home again...

in Indiana...

Well, it has been a lovely visit back home in the great state of Indiana. Kat is regrettably not along for the ride, as someone has to support my deadbeat you-know-what! She is missing out on:

Weather!

Wow! You start to forget that the weather in this place is more mercurial than even the stock market. Rain, sun, wind, rain again, now some humidity, now sun... WHEW! We forget about this stuff out in California. I wonder what it is we actually talk about out there?

Expectant Sibling and Sibling-in-Law!


Talk about your exciting stuff! Mom is more than stoked about the first grandbaby along the way for our family. Julie and Jim drove over to see us, and Jim and I played a round of "value" golf, as in, get the most shots for your money kind of value. *grin*

Boilers score 30+ in a half


The fam went out to root on the Boilers against the ever-tricky Eastern Illinois "Eastern Illinoisers" (OK, maybe they are called the Panthers, but who really knows) Basketball on grass never lets one down, unless one is playing a halfway decent team...

But it does make for a lot of exciting points, 33 to be precise, in the first half before that torrential rain showed back up again. But I got my yearly fix of Black and Gold, Boilering Up, and Purdue pride.

1st Anniversary

Kat and I celebrated our 1st anniversary on Sept 3rd. Highlights of the day included:

• Brent cleaning toilets (ok, so that wasn't a highlight but was necessary)
• Romantic breakfast at sultry sidewalk cafe in Del Mar
• Tantalizing kayak excursion at La Jolla Cove
• Exciting airport recovery of Kat's aunt and uncle
  Alternating grins and grimaces as we watched our wedding video for the first time in its entirety... (Man, that dance number was HOT!)
• Satisfyingly sweet enjoyment of our wedding cake topper

It really has been a blessed first year of marriage, and Lord willing, I look forward to many more! - B -

Facebook is Amazing!

Ok, I know this is not news to most, but today, I FINALLY set up a Facebook account. All I can say is, WOW! Who knew that networking could actually be FUN? It is amazing how interactive they make it, in a non-foolish teenager way... I am impressed.

So if you are on Facebook and you see this post... Would you be my friend?

*grin*
B

news @ nature.com - Hydrogen fuel goes liquid - Nitrogen unlocks the possibility of convenient clean fuels.

http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070820/full/070820-14.html

Good article in Nature about ways that liquified Hydrogen might power our cars... I did like in the closing paragraphs how the researcher referred to the all-important "bonfire test" for gaseous hydrogen tanks... Because if I have a hydrogen tank, the first thing I am going to try to do is to put it on a BONFIRE! :-)

Maggie's Grueling Walk

OK, Just to preface this post, I took Maggie the Pug who we are ,... errr,... dog-sitting for a BRIEF walk around the block (less that 1/10th of a mile) on a day that though sunny, was only about 80... and there was a breeze.

Here's the result:

Don't worry! She perked up a moment or two later! But I thought this was pretty funny! Pugs aren't exactly likely to be winning any speed or agility contests, I don't think...

San Diego Finale

Kat's good friend and former roomate Sara is doing her farewell tour of all things good in San Diego before she departs for bigger and better things in Palo Alto. We helped her enjoy some tasty BBQ over at Phil's at Point Loma... Sara models the 2007 bib collection in this shot!

Phil's has a good thing going down there... It is constantly busy and has zero competition. In my humble opinion, it is no match for even the most marginal Texas joint, but at least you leave with your clothes smelling a bit smokier and your arteries a bit more clogged! Good times!

Uganda in pictures

Please allow me to preface this picture parade from our Uganda trip with a caveat: Pictures cannot do the experience justice!

Pictures can't capture the warmth and openness of the people. They can't express the daily challenges and unexpected events. They are not able to convey the stench of a pit latrine, the fear of Kampala traffic, or the panic that seizes you when you are told to share your testimony with a large group of men in prison.

Most importantly, they can't share the genuine love and admiration that we now feel for our many new Ugandan friends. But pictures CAN give you at least a glimpse into life in what seems like another world. Thanks to all who helped us get there! We are so grateful!!!


Our missionary cover story was that we were dorky tourists... Convincing, no?


Dave Eby is in his element in Uganda!


70% of Ugandans are under 30. There is a tremendous need for education and children's ministries


Katie T and friends in Kifimbura


Kat bonded with this woman, Sara... It was amazing how quickly cultural barriers could be overcome in this type of relational ministry.


Chris and friends in Kifimbura


Life at the Eby's started so peacefully and tranquilly each morning...


.... Only to give way to the scariest, smoggiest, and most aggressive traffic I have ever experienced!


Between the 2 weeks of ministry we were able to visit the Nile River and Murchison Falls


Our van driver was bribing the boat captain to let us on at the time... This is Africa!


Rowr, Crocodile!


Big snake... which we very narrowly avoided running over


Graceful giraffes ~ I love how they just seem to glide around


John Mugabi is a man of vision. He was a tremendous host for our 2nd week of ministry!


Can you see the future?


So many new friends!


We found that songs were a VERY helpful way to round out our teaching lessons


Someday that will be a lion... It IS Africa, you know!


Homecoming... It was so hard to say good-bye!

How I spent my summer vacation

OK, this one is going back a bit... Before we went to Uganda, I helped out at the church VBS by playing a broadcasting butterfly each morning during the puppet show. The wisdom of posting this picture on Google (They of the "We save everything" persuasion) remains to be seen. But it was a hoot!

We're Home... But Home is on the Move!

Kat and I made it back safely from the wilds of Africa! Praise God!

We have a million pictures and stories to share, but at the moment, life feels totally chaotic as our entire apartment has been put into boxes as we prepare to move today. Just an in-town move, but still, it takes a lot of effort.

The trip to Africa was tremendous! I promise pictures and more stories, but just to wet your appetites, here is a preview of some of the highlights:

• Helping a church get started by going door-to-door to invite people
• Eating more root vegetables than a sane man would ever care to!
• Doing a VBS with kids who are so happy despite living in a slum that I can scarcely fathom
• Seeing giraffes, pythons, huge bugs, hippos, crocodiles, and most excitingly, a couple of elephants sharing a special moment
• Sharing our testimonies with 400+ men at a medium-security prison
• Teaching school and handing out 500+ dental hygiene kits
• Leaving Kat an extra night in Minnesota to recover from a painful ear infection

Like I said, much more to share and report. We are so grateful to all our friends and family who supported us in this great adventure. It was so neat to see how God used the circumstances and events to grow us in our faith and reliance upon Him! - B-

Fun with Mr. and Mrs. T

Kat and I have enjoyed a nice visit this weekend with her mom and dad. Jan and Craig came all the way out to California for some summer vacationing.



We had the pleasure of hosting them for a few nights at our little condo, which is rapidly accumulating way too much stuff for our trip to Uganda! They didn't seem to mind too much~ Such wonderful houseguests!

We did get to do some neat stuff, too! On Saturday we went to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the San Diegon Natural History Museum.



If you could tell those Assene monks that their parchment was going to someday generate such a hub-bub... and at 28$ a head!... they would have thought you crazy! But it is neat to see such broad interest in these ancient religious documents and commentaries, especially in a community like San Diego that is not exactly known as a part of the Bible Belt.

It does seem a little bit weird to see one's faith on a wall as if it were a mounted butterfly at a science fair. As I read the timeline of religions, I got to 30 CE and read, "Jesus of Nazareth arrives and brings new interpretations to Hebrew scriptures." Talk about understatement!

But nonetheless, it was neat to see such an important work of scholarship. I was aghast to find out that the original scholars pieced together the fragments with... scotch tape! Ever try removing scotch tape if you mess something up? Yikes! Hopefully they didn't botch anything up too badly.

The rest of the weekend was a rush of hikes, shopping outtings, and very large margaritas.



We are so blessed with loving parents on both sides who have all come out to see us this summer...

My first crack-pot, strongly-worded product letter

It must be a rite of passage of sorts... I wrote my first crack-pot, strongly-worded product letter today. A whole exciting world of being a cantankerous old geezer is opening up in front of my very eyes!~ Enjoy...

July 22, 2007

Newman’s Own
246 Post Road East
Westport, CT 06880

Dear Sir or Madam:

A pleasant Sunday lunch. I had just downed the last bite of mixed greens salad, topped with my favorite Newman’s Own Light Honey Mustard dressing, when I noticed a story printed on the back-label, just above the list of ingredients.

“Oh, look,” I said to my wife, “How neat! The Great Salad Dressing Balloon Race.” Delighted by this discovery of a bit of wit on the normally staid confines of a condiment label, I began to read the story aloud to my wife.

We followed the starters gun through the zany race, and laughed with El Piloto as he “quaffed mucho quaffs” of Newman’s Own. The story danced with silliness until we arrived at the line, “A medium light Italian starlet, daughter of Butch Cassidini, named Bitch Cassidini, leaps into the balloon basket,…”

Our smiles and laughter faded away. “Heh, heh,” we tried to chuckle, “How weird?” But we both knew: Newman’s Own had crossed the line.

Newman’s Own, you introduced a derogatory, misogynistic, and thoroughly unnecessary term into our Sunday lunch. You betrayed our trust and the sanctity of our dinner table. And to what end? To complete a weakly amusing pun on Paul Newman’s Butch Cassidy character? For shame!

We have little leverage over you. All we possess is our buying power, and with that we will be forced to buy an inferior product from Kraft or Wishbone until you recognize your wrongs and make amends.

At a minimum, you should put an apology on your website and change the label on all future production runs. But if you really cared about your customers, you would take the initiative to also do a full product recall of all the bottles that bear this offensive phrase.

It’s a shame to see a company that is so charitable in its operations do something so uncharitably offensive in its marketing. I hope you will take this opportunity to recover and do what is right.

Sincerely,

Brent Applegate

Responses from 21 High School Interns: Kat speaks AGAIN!

Responses from 21 High School Interns at The Scripps Research Institute to the question, “Do you think science and faith are contradictory? Why?”

***Please note that prior questions were, “In your own words, what is evolution?” and “Who was Charles Darwin?” This explains why most of the students’ answers center on evolution and creation, rather than on science and faith as a broader topic.***

1. I believe they can both coexist if written religions are not taken literally. But I do believe they are contradictory.
2. Yes to an extent. Faith in general believes in things that are unprovable or have been proven wrong by the scientific method.
3. To me no, I believe that in some way science and faith work together. (This person noted on another question that he or she “not so much learned but read about the controversy of evolution in Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.”)
4. Not contradictory both are ideas that people have stating their origins.
5. Yes, I feel that creationism is a product of the ancients that needs to be exterminated
6. Nah, they have different ideas but not contradictory. Except for the one where ‘poof’ god made humans.
7. Definitely, creationism contradicts with evolution because that means all animals, plants, etc. spontaneously existed.
8. Yes – science shows evolution where some religions just are based on faith alone and have no facts.
9. They can be depending on how serious you are in your faith.
10. No. I think they’re two different entities that may never be reconciled, but one can be Christian and a scientist. They are different levels of explanation.
11. For most people, yes, but personally no. I’m a devout catholic, but yet I continue to throw myself into the science world and I accept both worlds.
12. It depends on people’s perspectives but science and faith, I believe, are not contradictory.
13. No, because I’m catholic.
14. No, they’re the same but faith has fable.
15. It depends on the type of faith.
16. Somewhat because religion does not believe that humans evolved from monkeys.
17. Yes and no, depending on what is said.
18. Science and the Christian interpretation of faith are contradictory because the Bible is so detailed, but not necessarily faith as a whole.
19. Yes because both sides have different beliefs of how life evolved. However, it seems that religion is molding itself to science now.
20. In regards to Christianity it is b/c the book of Genesis says one thing while science says another.
21. Yes, because humans according to science weren’t created exactly as we are now nor came from Adam and Eve.

Brent's 2-cents: My favorite is the one who said "No, because I’m catholic." I love it!!!

Kat's Uganda Update

Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! We need it all the more, as we leave in less than two weeks.

I am amazed to report that the gifts from our church alone to the group have totaled over $7,000 so far - almost $1,200 per person! In addition, Brent and I are coming along very well in our fund-raising and others on the team have received significant external support as well. God has provided more than we expected.

Not only are we receiving funds for travel, but as a church we quite possibly wiped out the entire Staples inventory of pencils and pencil sharpeners during their recent sale! They were selling those items for a penny each (limit 3), and LOTS of people from our church stopped by. We are putting together tote bags of school supplies for the orphans we will visit. The kids at North City's Vacation Bible School will decorate and fill the bags next week. Hopefully that doesn't qualify as child labor!

In addition to the school kits, we will take over 350 dental hygiene kits (each with toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, and instructions) that have been generously donated. Africa has a big need for education on dental hygiene, since the diet has included more sugar in recent years without a corresponding growth in dental care. We will teach primary school kids at Nkumba School how to properly take care of their teeth, while at the same time emphasizing why we take care of our bodies - to glorify God by caring for his creation!

As if these things weren't enough, we're hoping to bless the long-term missionaries in Uganda by fulfilling some of their requests for things like books (sheesh - they'll be heavy), blankets, pillows, eyeglasses, nuts, and chocolate chips.

Add in to the mix sports equipment (soccer balls, frisbees, etc.), two laptops (donated), two cameras (also donated), and our own personal luggage, and we'll be fully loaded down! You may wonder how we'll get all this over there...all I can say is very carefully. An extra bag or box (up to 70 lbs) costs $150, but shipping it would cost over $800. That's why when teams go, they take as much as humanly possible!

Ok, so enough about the stuff...beyond prayers that we can successfully pack it all, we would cherish your prayers for the preparation of our hearts. The team is beginning to feel more cohesive, and we are thankful for that. Brent and I still find ourselves getting caught up in the logistical prep more than the spiritual. All the toothpaste in the world won't stop our bodies from death and decay; we must bring the Gospel clearly, in faith and love.

The other day in Walmart, I had to apologize to an older couple behind me for separating my things into two piles, one personal and one Uganda-related. When I told them I was going to Africa with my church, the woman said, "Oh, are you a missionary?" It took me a minute before I said, "Well...yes." I am too small for this task, but I am grateful for God's choosing me to go and making it possible. Pray that we would represent Him well!

Moon larger near horizon? NO!!!

I've been saying this for years, but nobody ever believes me!

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020130.html

Micah will like this Checkershadow Illusion

Checkershadow Illusion

Pretty cool stuff... Do you believe?

San Diego Stroll

I've been on Jury duty for 6 days thus far, and have at least 2, maybe 3 to go...

One of the few perks has been the hour and a half lunch and stroll around downtown San Diego. These are some of the things I have been seeing:

Knowledge is Power

I don't claim to be a real fix-it kind of guy...

Never have...

But a recent experience with my somewhat less than trusty '99 Camry Solara got me thinking. Here's how it went down.

1. Driving to work and notice check engine light is on. Panic, as I have no way of knowing if the car is going to konk out at any moment.

2. Knowledge Power #1 - Coworker tells me that AutoZone will lend you the tool to read the code for free.

3. Knowledge Power #2 - Autozone helpfully reads code and then recommends 300 O2 sensor to replace. Grudgingly, I pay the money.

4. Knowledge Power #3 - Come home and after a few minutes of internet searching, discover instructions for how to replace the sensor and an online site where it can be ordered for less than half.

5. Take part back to AutoZone.

************

Cars have traditionally been one of those things where knowledge, held by the few, has been used to exploit the many. I love seeing what the information age has done to blow this whole thing up! Knowledge is POWER! Now, if I just knew someone who could help me change this part...

Brent

Fourth and Forrest

Day 6 of my seemingly infinite service to the court system of San Diego as a juror is just dawning this morning ~ After 5 full days of jury service, I have come to the following conclusions:

1. I am SOOOOO glad that I didn't follow that dream of being a lawyer (Always a big fan of lawyers since Mrs. Huxstable made it cool on Cosby)

2. I am so blessed to have lived a relatively peaceful life

3. See #1!!!

But we did get a day off for the 4th of July, and last night Kat and I had relatives come by for dinner, so that was pretty cool. On the 4th we went to a pool party with church friends and then watched the Del Mar fireworks at our "secret spot" that only we and 1.3 million other people know about. Great views of the fair and fireworks, but a few too many bitey ants and sugar-overloaded kids at this year's edition.

Kat's aunt and uncle Forrest and Judy, with their two youngest kids, stopped by last night for dinner. They are on vacation down here in SoCal and were kind enough to stop in for dinner with us. You start to feel like an ex-pat out here in California sometimes, so it's great when family comes to YOU!

So... Day 6 of ??? is almost upon me... Gotta drink a pot of coffee and try to get psyched for... more endless testimony!!! Woo Hoo!!!!