Made me cry a little bit...

Sarah ran across this video this morning. Its simply awesome. God talking to a little boy and giving him truth and answers in a time of need.

Amazing...



Here's the direct link to YouTube in case it doesn't fully load...

I created an iPhone app!!

It was fun!!! In my last contract I ended up doing some Javascript fun stuff and I figured why not give web programing a whirl and see what happens. What better way to do some web programming than to program for an iPhone??? Its wizzy, its cool and I can carry it my back pocket!

So here's what it is, its a dice roller for the popular game "Settlers of Catan". Specifically for the "Cities and Knights" variant of Settlers. It rolls 2 dice and also a colored ship die. The user can simulate a Settlers roll multiple, multiple times and then see how the distribution aligns with known probability theory of 2 dice rolling.

You're probably thinking, why in the world would you do this when you can roll the dice when you play? Well....whenever we play, inevitably some good number like 6 or 8 ends up being rolled a lot less than some stinky number like 3 or 10. So then we get to discussing the accuracy of our dice and if the dice are truly giving us random rolls. Sooo, I programmed up a roller as an alternative for us to use when we play.

I went to extra effort to make sure the rolls were random by reseeding the random number generator with the number of milliseconds since epoch (Jan 1, 1970) before each and every roll of each die. This is needed because some studies have come out showing computer random number generators, really aren't that random. They're psuedo-random. And that may be good enough for Joe Blow, but not for us, hard-core-geek-freeks.

So now that its done, I submitted the application to Apple and hopefully if I didn't step on too many copyrights with regards to the game's images and references, then hopefully they'll accept it and add it to the list of Apple approved iPhone applications!!!

Above is the logo I had to create for the Apple submission and below are screen shots of the application in action... Due to real estate limitations, I couldn't use titles in the Stats View, so the first column shows actual results, second column shows expected results, and the third column shows the difference between the two.

Enjoy,

Tim.


===========
Click for PC Demo
With an iTouch or iPhone navigate to "http://www.bennettspeed.com/catan/catan.htm"


   

Elise falls asleep on the toilet

Oh too funny!!!

Different beards...

Well, after the play, I experimented with different beards. Below are pictures of the results. My friend, Lisa from Albuquerque, suggested I try a mustache with a goatee look. I liked it, but in the end, I shaved it all off. Here's some pictures...

     

Tequila addiction

Okay, so I'm not an alcoholic, far from it, but I do have a thing for trying better and better tequilas. At work, there's 3 guys who are really into Margaritas and so we investigate tequilas, we each buy one or two of the ones we think are good and then we taste test on Friday's. After deciding which is the best, we then make small margaritas and enjoy the new found tequila. This is now known fondly as Tequila Friday's!! So now I own 5 different bottles of tequila. I must be crazy. Sarah definitely thinks so. (But she's been thinking that for a long time now) So what's the results of all our taste testing? Here's the results as we've decided thus far. In order from rock-gut to whoa-baby:

Jose Quervo Gold - In all honesty about the dirtiest, nastiest stuff you can buy. Lots of bite and no taste. Not 100% blue agave.

Jose Quervo Blanco - Less bite than Quervo Gold, but still just a step above from drinking gasoline. Jose Quervo really does a disservice to tequila. Also, not 100% blue agave.

Cazadores Repasado - I once talked with a lady who co-owned a decent Mexican restaurant here in town. I asked her what her most ordered tequilas were. Hornitos and Cazadores was the answer, which they are the best of the cheap tequilas. However, Cazadores has more of a whiskey taste and less of a tequila taste making it very horrible in my opinion.

1800 Blanco - Definitely a ton smoother than Jose Quervo Blanco, but that's not hard to do. Not worth the money. Perhaps the Repasado is better.

Suaza Hornitos (Repasado) - Best tequila for the $20 something price entry. If all you've experienced is Jose Quervo, this is great stuff.

Cabo Wabo Repasado - A huge step up in smoothness and taste from the Hornitos. Has a medium amount of bite. After taste is decent.

Patron Repasado - Not far from the Cabo Wabo Repasado. Again has a medium amount of bite and after taste is decent. Some refer to Patron as the Jose Cuervo of upper end tequilas. Everybody thinks its great stuff (marketing), but really it leaves a lot to be desired.

Don Eduardo Anejo - Extremely difficult to say which of the Don Eduardo's is better, the Anejo or Repasado. The anejo has a lot of bite, which I don't like, but it has a ton of after taste. You can literally take a small sip of this stuff and have a wonderful taste in your mouth 3 minutes later. The large amount of bite however, doesn't make for good margaritas and can easily turn off the tequila sipper.

Don Eduardo Repasado - Extremely smooth, good amount of taste, NO bite what-so-ever. Makes for excellent margaritas.

Don Julio Repasado - Little more bite than the Don Eduardo Repasado, but tons more taste which more than makes up for the small amount of bite. This is definitely the best repasado I've tasted to date and makes smokin' Margaritas.

Don Julio Anejo - Less bite than the Repasado and about the same amount of taste. You can definitely tell its oak barrel aging relation to the Repasado. Have yet to try it in a Margarita, but I'm guessing its going to be fabulous and possibly a new favorite. Could very well be the best tequila you can buy in the $50 range.

San Matia Anejo - First of all, this tequila is in a whole different price bracket from all the above tequilas. This stuff runs $140 for a 750mL bottle. So its not really fair to put this stuff in the same list as the above tequilas. And No, I didn't buy this bottle. Boss lady bought it for us tequila lovers. But anywho, this stuff is aged 3 yrs, has no bite what-so-ever, has a very nice wood-maple flavor. Very good for sipping. Kind of a waste to put this wonderful stuff in Margaritas.


So there's the breakdown of Tequilas as me and the guys at work know it. By the way, our recipe for making Margaritas is really simple. 1 part lime juice, 3 parts tequila, 3 parts orange liqueur (a mixture of Cointreau, Grand Marnier, & Triple Sec). Go easy on the Grand Marnier though, too much can ruin a 'rita. And if there's too much tartness from the lime, increase the ratio of Triple Sec.

There ya go, you have more than enough info for making excellent Margaritas!! Just take it easy, those babies are strong!!

Also you may be wondering...
  Blanco - no aging in wood barrels
  Repasado - Aged a minimum of 3 months, but not more than 1 year.
  Anejo - Aged a minimum of 1 year.

Tim.

Christmas is coming...

Hey folks, again, its been a while since I blogged and I had a goal of a blog a month, but I obviously haven't hit that. Not by a long shot. But there are a few things new. Its SNOWING and man do I love it. With the 4Runner and AWD, I look for excuses to head out and enjoy kicking the truck sideways in the snow. What a hoot. People must think I'm crazy.

Also, tomorrow, I'll be Joseph in the church's Christmas play. If I had blogged earlier, you could come see me at Radiant Church, but since I'm posting this so late... But the real news is I've grown a beard for the part. Its the first real beard I've ever grown. I must say, the first 3 weeks were horrible. So many times I wanted to shave the stinkin' thing off. But I held out and now it looks pretty decent if I don't say so myself. Sarah's not digging it too much. Something about not liking to kiss hair. So she's excited for tomorrow when I'll shave it all off. Below is a picture of it as it stands right now. As we shave it, we'll try a few different looks for the beard and take pictures. We'll see how they come out. See if any of them look good or not. Below's a picture of what it looks like now. Let me know what you think...

Tim.

So what's new

Well, as you probably know, its been eons since I last blogged. Well, the job picked up so I got busy and then I have pictures from multiple camping trips and a trip to Oregon that I need to put on the website, but haven't been able to do so yet.

Sooo, what brings me to posting tonight? Bible study, that's what. Well, the church started a new church wide Bible Study called P50, which stands for 50 days of Pentecost. Its a study about the Holy Spirit. Everything from education about what the Holy Spirit is, gifts of the Spirit, etc, etc.

But to digress a little, 2 Wednesday nights ago, we had a prayer night at church (first Wed of the month). At the end of the service, I saw a lady who I thought wanted prayer but wouldn't go up for prayer. The Holy Spirit then prompted me to go pray with her. I procrastinated wondering if it was really God or not and then I asked Sarah to come with me and pray with her. Sarah was thinking I was half crazy picking out a single lady to go pray for. (She was also probably thinking, "God told you, how about you go do what God's telling you." But smiling as I write this, I don't really know that.) So anywho, while all this is going on, she gets up and leaves. Opportunity lost.

So then this week, who happens to come to P50 study besides her!!! (Praise be to God for second chances and lessons learned!) Well, we were going through our discussion questions and were talking Holy Spirit stories when I confessed to her the Spirit's prompting that night at Prayer Night, but my failure to listen. I then apologized to her and she started crying. She told me that that night she wanted to go up for prayer so bad, but couldn't bring herself to do so. Exactly what God had shown me that night. She then went onto share some about what was going on in her life. As a group we also talked about missed Spirit opportunities and not missing them in the future. So to say the least, it was a really good study.

So that's my blog for the night. If you so desire, you can pray that my heart would be softened. Not just softened as in a relative change, but rather that it would be soft. A heart that breaks for those who are broken. A heart that yearns for God and His Word. And a coming back to God with total dedication that life's distractions won't get in the way of. A change in me has occurred since RFKC that hasn't been for the better. I don't know that I've really done anything bad or wrong, I've just gone to my own thing for a bit and I want to return.

So that's the end of my story for tonight,

Tim.

I Puked at the MegaChurch

Well, I didn't, but it was a funny Craigslist posting that I stumbled upon. Read it and enjoy it:

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/den/344894297.html

Not fun, sad.

Well, it just doesn't seem like another child is in Sarah's & my biological future. We found out early last week that Sarah was pregnant. Woohoo, another wonderful Elise possibly in our future! Having lost 3 out of 4 however, we were apprehensive. However, the doc gave us hope by finding a protein mutation Sarah had and giving us medication to offset it...

So Wednesday of that week was prayer night at church (every 1st Sunday of the month) and at the end of the service, Sarah & I went up and prayed. We prayed for the unborn baby and that God would be gracious and grant us another child. The cool thing about prayer is that God heals you as you pray. Well, through the prayer, we gave the baby and the whole situation to God. We prayed, we cried and we hugged and then eventually left the front of the sanctuary with a peace that only God can give a person. That was Wednesday.

On Thursday, one day later, Sarah's period came. It didn't really hit immediately, but it hit in small chunks for the next couple of days, making me irritable and short with people.

So where do we go from here? We've been thinking adoption for a while, but now its probably something we'll definitely look more into. Sarah wants a newborn, but I'm open to just about whatever (preferably a boy though!). We don't know. We really want another child, but perhaps it won't happen the way we planned it.

Sad, not fun.

Christian Ramblings

For the last few nights, I keep coming back to a verse I read a while back. I recently finished up Jeremiah (the prophet called by God). And as a continuation of similar prophecies, I read Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai. Through all of these prophecies, God speaks of the Babylonians conquering God's people and then God's restoration of his people. In Zephaniah, when talking about the meek and humble remnant that has been left, God speaks about His restoration for His people. Its one of these verses that I keep coming back to, Zephaniah 3:17:

The Lord your God is with you,
    he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
    he will quiet you with his love,
    he will rejoice over you with singing.

What beautiful words spoken about the children God loves. First, my God is mighty to save!!   Yes!   Second, He will take delight in us and He will quiet us with His love. What does that mean to quiet us with his love? To me, it means God will push away my worries and concerns with His love. (backed up with 1Jn 4:18) And the last part is great. God will rejoice over me with singing. Wow. God would sing over me. Imagine that for a second, God rejoicing over you with singing!!

I don't know if that means anything to you, but God quieting me with His love meant quite a bit to me. I was kind of without a job for a bit and the worry started to creep in. But I have 2 great things to lean on. First, God has a quite a track record of taking care of me. Who am I to doubt him now? Second, Zephaniah 3:17. Sometimes you realize your worries and concerns aren't worth worrying and caring about!


Speaking about prophecy, have any of us considered what/where the role of the prophet is in today's church??? Does it have a role? Should it have a role??   About 3 months ago, I was pondering that exact question and I have an interesting story to go along with the question. If you ever care to hear it, ask me sometime, I'd be glad to share.  (Testimony baby!!!)

But basically Jeremiah has just about all we need to know about God's prophets. God's prophets are exactly that, they're God's prophets. They're called by Him and when God gives them a word, God's word wells up inside them until God's word is spoken.

Well, that's enough ramblings for one night,
Till next time,

Tim.

Can't work for Nintendo...

Yep, that's what the contract I signed today stated. That along with several other things, but officially as of today, I'm not allowed to work for Nintendo and specifically the Wii. Why you ask? Because they're a competitor to the company I'll be working for now. I can't say exactly what I'm doing for them, but I can show you what's on their website and tell ya its pretty cool. I guess the idea is to drop your remote in the trash and move to this gizmo. Very cool. Like the Wii remote, when you move your hand in the x, y, and z axis, this thing recognizes all 3D movement and translates that into movement on your TV screen and/or Computer. Pretty nifty. So that's what I'll be working in the near future. We should be getting some prototypes in the mail shortly.  Fun, fun!!!

Timmay

Flog Ttup Ttup

10 bonus points to whoever can guess what flog ttup ttup is before I tell them. Okay, stop a second... think about it....

Okay, if you haven't guessed yet, its putt putt golf spelled backwards and its what me and "my boys" from RFKC like to call it. Well, like I said, me and "my boys" like to play putt putt golf (PPG). We discovered the PPG place at camp and we played 2 rounds of PPG while we were there. (Difficult to do considering how much time we spent swimming and painting our nails!!) But both times we played, we had a hoot just being silly and laughing at skyrocketing balls that were hit a little hard.

Sooo, the boys have been calling me wanting to get together sometime and do something. So I chatted with their parents and we arranged to go golfing. When I got them, they were both very mellow and sorta sedated. But before 4 holes of PPG had gone by, they were crazy and having a ball again. I got to thinking about it and I'm quite content to let them be a little crazy so long as they're not affecting others and/or damaging anything. What's wrong with being a little crazy?? What's wrong with getting wild once and a while?? Well, I guess that's what "my boys" like about me. Or at least that's what I like to think they like about me.

But after we were done, I tried to talk them into hitting some softballs in the batting cages. I figured that whacking a ball with a bat was very manly thing to do and they'd be all over it. But I was surprised, neither one wanted anything to do with whacking little white balls. Instead, they were tons more interested in going to Dairy Queen or getting Frosty's at Wendy's. Now let me tell ya, at camp there was only one time that my boys got a semi-good dosage of sugar. And boy, oh boy did I ever notice it!! C in particular got super whacky and goofy. I loved it. But knowing this, I made the boys call their folks and double verify it was okay to load them with sugar before I dropped them off at home. Both parents assured me it was okay, so off we went to Wendy's for some Frosties.

We had a good time at Wendy's. We talked about Harry Potter and the Search for the Holy Grail (or something of the sorts) and it was fun. Anywho, I need some ideas for something to do with the boys next time. Any ideas???? Drop me a comment and give me some ideas of things to do with "my boys" next time... I'll be sure to give you credit in my highly read blog if I use your idea.

Thanks,

Timmay!!

Fun in Salida!!!

Over last weekend, Dave Bednarski, Kirby Neely, Pat Neely and myself headed out for 2 days of total sweetness! We went dirt biking near Salida, specifically around the Monarch Crest area. In my opinion, there's absolutely nothing more enjoyable one can do than dirt biking. (Well maybe there's one, but we're not going to talk about that...)

We arrived at the start of Greens Trail at 5:15pm on Friday evening. From there we suited up and then hit it. We rode Greens trail to Aggot Creek, down to Sargents for gas, then up Marshall Pass to Monarch Crest trail, and then back down Greens trail to where we were camping. By the time we got back to Greens trail to head back to camp, it was 11:45pm and we haven't had anything to eat except ClifBars and water. And here's the kicker, Greens trail is the toughest trail in the area. Sooo, being very tired and hungry, I decide to just ride the trail at a decent clip so as to get it over as quickly as possible and to get back to camp and help Dave start on the steaks. Well, being exhausted and trying to push it a bit, I crashed pretty good with no one around to help me. (see pic) Dave was up ahead of me, Pat & Kirby were taking it super slow in the dark and I was stuck, with my bike partly down a steep incline and no hope of getting it out by myself. So eventually Pat & Kirby rescued me and we all ended up getting back to camp at 12:30am.

     

So the next day was even more fun. Again, we did Greens trail, down to Aggot, but then we hit Canyon Creek Trail which has to be my personal all time favorite trail. This trail has the perfect mixture of turns, jumps, no rocks, and short blasts of full throttle to make it the best all-around trail that I've found. Below are some pictures from Canyon Creek trail.

     

So then it was finally time to head back to the truck and head home. Not all of us are street legal, thus, we went over Old Monarch Pass which is a dirt road. When we got on the dirt road, we immediately all turned it on. We raced from corner to corner (semi-being careful looking for traffic coming the other way). It was so stinkin' fun!! Heading into a corner, we'd all be hard on the brakes, with the rear of the bike hanging out due to the rear tire locking up. As we're braking, we're dropping 1 or 2 gears getting ready for the blast out. Then, when we could tell no cars were coming, we'd all jump on the throttle and power slide out of the corner as fast as we could, just to do it all over again at the next corner.

So now I have a good taste of what it must be like to do the Pikes Peak Hill Climb on a dirt bike. All I have to say is those are some lucky guys. Its way too much fun.

Until my next dirt bike adventure...
Hasta,

Timmay

Back From Camp!!!

Well, we're officially back from camp. What an awesome experience. I was paired with 2 of the oldest boys in the camp whom I'll refer to as C and R. What's neat is God's always in the details.

First, God paired me up with C. My most vivid memory from my first year at camp was with C. C came in last year with his armor on full blast and he was way "too mature" and "too grown-up" to do a lot of the fun activities we did last year. I had the hardest time getting him to work on his balsa wood car last year. Then by the end of the week, he was having more fun than just about any kid there. So that was my most precious RFKC memory from last year. RFKC took a kid who was forced to be emotionally way more mature than he should be (due to abuse, neglect, etc.) and made him a kid again who sang songs and prayed to God. Well, wouldn't you know it. He was mine for this week!!!

During the week, C, R & I had a ton of fun playing in the pool, going down the zip-line, building planes & stools, blowing bubbles, painting toe nails (yes, somehow this was popular amongst the boys this year) and doing all sorts of fun things. But then on Thursday, during pool time, I accidentally kicked R in the nose while trying to kick a ball out the way that me and 3 other boys were trying to get. So we decided cut the swimming early and head back to the cabin. On the way back, the 2 boys started sharing to each other about their pasts and let me listen in. Then before I knew it, they were telling me just about everything. When they each shared the story of what incident finally got them in the DHS system, my heart just broke and then broke some more. The things C & R had been through was more than I would've ever imagined. I cried and prayed while they talked. I asked God to give me their pain & sorrow and relieve theirs. At that moment, I wondered if this pain and sorrow and love was the same Jesus had for you and I.

So then every night just before bedtime, I would get C & R's Bibles out along with their Bible Study books and C would sit on my left, R on my right and we'd do our Bible Study. Then we each prayed, C leading, me in the middle, and R closing. It was those 30 minutes of every day that I treasured the most. I can't tell you exactly why, but those were the special times with my boys.

All that were involved with RFKC this year vowed to be there next year. And C, who turns 13 in 2 months told me that in 3 years time, he'll be 16 and will be at camp. Helping out as a Rover.

So now its back to normal. I need to figure out what I'm doing job wise and how I'll support the family. But it was an absolutely unforgettable experience being able to serve God by hanging out with "my boys" (better known as "Senors del Cool Guys") for a week. Getting out my comfort zone and serving for a week especially in this setting was extremely fulfilling and reminded me what I should be doing with my life. If you get a chance, I encourage you to do the same.

Off to camp

Well, the time is here. God's arranged it and its come. Its time to head off to Royal Family Kids Camp. What's that you say? Well, its a camp for Foster kids ages 6-12 who are in the DHS system. They say if a kid's in DHS, then their parents messed up pretty big. I guess it takes a lot to get in the system. Anywho, the majority of these kids have been neglected, a lot have suffered physical abuse and then a very small handful of very unfortunate have been sexually abused.

Last year Sarah, Elise and I played the part of Aunt and Uncle (and cousin I guess) and although we didn't have kids of our all week, we got to interact with all the kids at camp. It was very interesting to see the first 2 days, kids would have their guards up and have some very frustrating behaviors. And then by Thursday and Friday, there would be no way you could tell them apart from any other kid you'd see at a park or playground having fun. I think outside of telling them about Jesus, there is no better gift we can give these kids. To let them be kids again....

So pray for us this week. Pray that we would have wisdom in how to deal with problem times and that we would be able accurately show the love of Jesus just as Jesus would. Pray that Satan would be bound away from the camp and also pray that we would have the energy to keep up with them and that we'd have a ton of fun.

This year, I have two kids of my own and someone else is playing the part of Aunt and Uncle. I'm quite excited. What does God have in store??? We'll see. The stories after all was said and done from last year would touch your heart and make you cry when you heard them. Hopefully, God's impact on the kids this year will just as big and perhaps even bigger!!!

Till next week,

Timmay!!!

First Blog Ever!!

Well, here's my first blog entry. Many, many times I've wanted to blog my thoughts, experiences, and each time, I think I should do it, but never do. So here it goes. I think I'll have 2 sets of blog entries. The serious entries will usually deal with something with regards to my relationship with Jesus and what things I'm learning, experiencing, and doing. Then the easier entries will have updates on mi vida. So read if you like, but I think for the most part, it'll be a good place to store my thoughts.