So this is a fruit

So we have had Thanksgiving again.  We had 16 people in our house, from all over the world.  We have some great friends.

The new style

We are live at Hearts To Hearts Cards!  Check it out for all your handmade card needs!

Anticipating the incisiveness

Been working on Diane's card business website tonight.  www.heartstoheartscards.com will go live tomorrow!

Partition calling

We have been working on our basement today.  My hands are tired from scraping all day.

I need to read more.  I have been reading David Wells, and letting it simmer.  I really need to start writing notes so that I can start a book of my own.

Let nothing cross

Long months.

How do I just sit here?  I'm 28 now, so I'm growing older and slower with every passing step.

I have a wife and we have a house.  Not exactly sure how that happened or really what life was like before.  As I look back since I was 17, life is essentially a series of event horizons.

I now have a commercially available iOS app, I have another project in the works with for my wife, and I'm slowly becoming more and more active in my community.  My sister is getting married this summer, and I have had a slight hand in that.

Life here proceeds apace without much to comment on.  You could check out @rondenandkuala for some occasional enjoyment from me, if you were excited by things like that.

Antecedent

Most days, I feel just socially aware enough to know that I am really awkward.

My cousin survived a near head on collision. Thank you.

Death, where is thy sting?

Grandpa went home yesterday.

John Isaac Newcomer

Often, when I was a child, my grandparents came to visit. My sisters, being the only granddaughters, got the lion's share of their largess, a disparity which I admit I may not have been happy with. However, I usually got to do more of the fun stuff - go to the Flywheels Museum or the Eisenhower Library with Grandpa, go outside and cut down a tree, go for a bike ride, or other Grandpa time which I don't entirely remember, but I do remember looking forward to what I got to do with him. Every year when I was little we would go to Illinois to Camp Emmaus for a family reunion with my aunts, uncles, cousins and Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa would play foursquare and go on walks with us, or we'd play dominoes or cards. He almost always finished his food long before anyone else, and if he was clearing the dishes, you had to watch your plate like a hawk because he'd take it even if you weren't finished. He always took pictures of us eating. Later in life, Grandpa moved in with my parents for a while, and I was not living at home. I still lived in town, however, and so a few times a week, I would go out to their house on my lunch break and have lunch with Grandpa since my Mom had to go into town. I didn't have a long lunch break, but I'd get Grandpa his food and we'd talk for a while before I had to head back. I was working for a manufacturing company, and he had been a mechanical engineer for almost 25 years, so he would often ask what we were doing, and then tell me stories of things he had made or designed when he was working. When I went overseas, Grandpa was not excited but always enjoyed seeing my pictures and hearing I was doing. He always told me to be safe. We would go and see him and play dominoes or golf with him. He wasn't the best at the different card games, but he sure did like to play with us. Grandpa has lived a long life. He got out of combat service in WW2 because he had some form of chicken pox when he was younger, so he went into the fire and communications brigade that set up HQs for 2 and 3 star generals. He got his private pilot's license after the war when he went to the University of Illinois on his GI Bill benefits, along with his engineering degree. He met my Grandma and they got married in '47, built a house in the early 50s and lived there for almost 50 years. He had three sons and eight grandchildren. I've said for years that I'm going to name my firstborn son John, because it's a family name. My Grandpa got it after his brother was born (he was named Burns but then his little brother came along and they called him Burns and renamed my Grandpa John), my uncle had it, my cousin had it, my other grandpa sort of has it, my father-in-law has it and someday my son will too. Grandpa's not doing too well. I've talked to him a few times in the last few days, and he's still my Grandpa. He asks about the weather, he likes hearing what we've been doing, even if it's not too much. I always forget how much we don't know how to deal with all of these things. Grandpa is a stubborn man who has defied his doctor's predictions a number of times, but now is truly seems that Jesus is telling him that it is time to quietly surrender his long life on this earth for a longer one with Him. Grandpa gets to be with my Uncle John and my Grandma soon. I'll miss him.

Medicate man to perfection?

Well. Time goes by and not a blog update from me. Since our last update, we have moved into our new house! I have been getting used to being a homeowner. I have been pretty busy at work with a bunch of projects, and there are numerous other things going on. I don't really have anything else for you at the moment. There are some posts rattling around in my head about who we are, but nothing concrete yet. I need to start writing more.

No more impressionism

I find the older I get, the more often I find I am learning more and
more what maturity is. The fact is that I used to think maturity was
one thing (or, more accurately, I thought people were mature because
of one thing) but I have since learned that people are actually mature
for different reasons.

So we are looking forward to moving in a little over a month. And I am
hoping to soon ship commercial software for the first time in my
career. That makes me extra hackerly minded. And I am really hoping it
takes off and sells. Because that means that I will be able to do it
more.

I have lots of thoughts about new technology stuff and new gadgets.
But the main purpose of mentioning thatnis that I am, for now,
satisfied. I don't hack enough to need new gear, and all of the stuff
that I have right now does what I need. I do want a new work
smartphone, but I don't need one. So that's life.

And I'm starting to lead the men's group I go to. It will be
interesting because I am far younger than almost all the other
participants. So here we go again.

Undirectivity

I am getting my wife a hippo for our anniversary.

I think there are enough things going on around here that I should post, but I don't know what I should post. We are getting excited to move soon!

Yay

Our friends got back from the 'Stan today and we got to hang out and try to keep them awake. It was great to see them and their kids. It makes me want to go back in a weird way.

But we are buying a house.

Fine Tuning

Well, we're still here. It's interesting.

I've been in a Monday Morning men's group for a couple months now, and we are talking about leadership.

This post is not directly about leadership.

I have a series of not completely formed thoughts on the vital complement to leadership, following. I am not the best follower, but I've been thinking about it for a while. Many people tell you how to be a good leader. Here are some of my thoughts on how to bea good follower.

The most obvious one is also the one that doesn't matter to the rest of this guide. You can be a good follower if you have a good leader. Please note that picking a good leader to follow is not always obvious, and in fact, someone who others say is a terrific leader (for them) can be a horrible leader (for you), and vice versa. I once worked for a boss whom I considered a very good boss, I never had any real problems working for him or subordinating myself to him. Many of his other employees could not say the same thing. Does that make him a bad leader? Well, maybe for them, but for me he was a great leader. Picking your leader is not the topic of this post, but had to be addressed.

Ages

Well, lots has happened of late. We were looking at buying a house, but that fell through. I had my birthday, my parents came up and I got to spend the day with three of my favorite people. I got some great tea and some fun books. I am working on lots of projects which can be nice.

And while I have a lot of thoughts about the May 1st news, I don't yet know how to really enunciate them.