arfink Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 http://teamtreehouse.com/ THIS. AnneLine, look at this. Look look! They're pretty well accredited too. Is this what you were talking about earlier? Also, there's this, which is apparently THE way to get stuff done with web design these days. Sweet. http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 ^^^ Huh? that looks interesting, but if you are thinking about training, I was thinking more of some of the on-line college programs... can't pull any now but could do so later... You'd need to see what is being used by people who are advancing in your field..... sometimes non-academic is better, other times you need the accreditation piece..... Later... What exactly do you want to get trained in/ certified in, ARFink? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 5, 2013 Author Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) I dunno exactly... yet. We should talk about that too. I wish there were magical ear plugs which would let me hear other people but cancel out loud Irish/rock combo music in pubs. I'm going to be deaf when I get home. :P Edited January 5, 2013 by arfink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Well, my hearing is still intact, barely. I didn't know there was a football game on tonight, or I seriously would have brought hearing protection. It was so loud I literally could not hear myself when I spoke. And that's saying something, because when I open my mouth I can be LOUD. Voice lessons FTW. I mean, my left ear was audibly ringing when I left there. The car ride home over bumpy pot-holed roads in a car with noisy squeaky bits was blissfully silent by comparison. The guys were cheerful and nobody bothered to tell war stories. We got in an argument about whether atomism is a serious approach to metaphysics or of it's just a hipster standpoint, just to be as un-mainstream as possible. Needless to say, as the evening went on, conversation was reduced to brutish utterances that could be fit between bursts of deafening noise. The food, however, was superb. I had a bacon cheeseburger which was worthy of the name. The bacon and cheese were not an afterthought to be muscled out by a bland hunk of ground beef, but the star attractions. Very nicely balanced, which is to say there was enough cheese to really make a difference, and a huge mess. Very greasy of course, a real once a year treat. :drool: I also found that the safest bet for me is Diet Coke, with nothing in it. I tend to take my Diet Coke with grenadine, or even worse, just regular Coke. Sometimes with grenadine. I think the sugar is the culprit. In the absence of sugar I can have caffeine, and it does what I expect it to do and I don't go around acting like a loony. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) Is THAT what that horrible noise was... I could hear it all the way out in California.... You and I think alike, Sir, on food and drink.... so come out to this coast and we'll get you one of each..... I'm also open to an occasional wine or beer.... but diet coke is good stuff... And I'll throw in some ear plugs, free of charge! Edited January 6, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Is THAT what that horrible noise was... I could hear it all the way out in California.... You and I think alike, Sir, on food and drink.... so come out to this coast and we'll get you one of each..... I'm also open to an occasional wine or beer.... but diet coke is good stuff... And I'll throw in some ear plugs, free of charge! You don't know how much I would love to visit California. Some day when I am a little more rich. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) Prayers, Midas.... Come visit 'sunny California' in a different season... was hailing out here a few minutes ago... and it is FREEZING!!!! Edited January 6, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Oh you... :P How much would it cost anyway? I can't guesstimate that stuff off the top of my head, having never flown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) Welll.... hm.... if you plan enough in advance, sometimes not that much.... let me check Looks like flights vary a LOT from Minn.... as low as 140-150 each way in Jan and Feb to nearly twice that in the summer..... probably are some deals to be had if one did a search. I just checked southwest, there are prob. better options around... something to think about.... oh, and there are taxes and bag fees and stuff like that.... Edited January 6, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) I have some thoughts to share with you all on Epiphany: The magi came to King Herod in Jerusalem, and upon consultation with Herod's astrologers were told that the child to be born would be in Bethlehem, and they set out with the intent to worship him. Herod knew who they were looking for, and knew what they intended to do: they were looking for a king from an old prophesy. And he was right under Herod's nose! In modern parlance, Bethlehem would be rather like a suburb of Jerusalem. The rough distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is about 8km. In a modern automobile this would take about 16 minutes to drive. It wouldn't be too much more arduous on horseback, and a leisurely walk would take you there in in a day with ease. (see a map here) Herod the First was a murderous madman. He killed half his own family simply because he felt threatened by them. He would kill people with little provocation, and his murderous tendencies even brought remarks from his contemporaries, who were glad he only had jurisdiction in Judea. He knew what the magi were looking for, they had told him. A king! From some old prophesy. Well, those stupid magi would go and worship the child of some poor village bumpkin, and when they got back he'd send out his men on horseback to kill the child. He acted with impunity in his domain, and nothing would stand in his way. To say Herod ruled with an iron fist was an understatement; he was unopposed even by his Roman superiors, who were quite content to leave him to play with his little backwater province if only he'd keep out of Roman politics and send his share of the tribute back to Rome. In scripture we know that Joseph had a dream at night, after the magi's visit, to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt that very instant. This is no exaggeration. Herod could have his soldiers ready to murder the child in a moment; he waited only to find out Jesus' location to be able to kill him within the hour, if he sent soldiers on horseback. If the Holy Family were impoverished when they were made to come to Bethlehem for the census, they would be doubly so if they fled to Egypt. The census called Joseph back to Bethlehem because he had family there. All of their worldly goods were still likely left behind in Nazareth, as the Holy Family stayed in Bethlehem for a time. After all, they were close to the Temple which was nice because they needed to have Jesus circumcised and all, and likely had family to stay with. A visit of a year or more wouldn't be unheard of in those circumstances. In any case, they were probably hoping to go home to Nazareth soon, back to the comforts of home. But it was not to be. Setting out with nothing except their few belongings and the gifts from the magi, they fled the country. Can you imagine their haste? Can you imagine their fear? Their poverty? They were still in the shadow of Jerusalem by night. If they were anywhere near the area by the time Herod found out they would surely have been found. They probably didn't even have time to say goodbye to their relatives, their friends. One night they were there, and the next morning they were gone without a trace. And where could they go? They fled to Egypt. Can you imagine fleeing your home country with nothing but a suitcase and a little cash? And maybe a watch to pawn? A little gold, incense, and myrrh are nice symbolic gifts for a king, but when you need to transplant your family to another country, they don't last very long. They were probably traded by Joseph at the first available moment, just to get them on their way with some provisions and maybe an animal to help carry the load. Epiphany is of Greek etymology, meaning "manifestation." A shame that, at his first public manifestation, people already wanted to murder Jesus. Edited January 6, 2013 by arfink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) But it was not to be. Setting out with nothing except their few belongings and the gifts from the magi, they fled the country. Can you imagine their haste? Can you imagine their fear? Their poverty? They were still in the shadow of Jerusalem by night. If they were anywhere near the area by the time Herod found out they would surely have been found. They probably didn't even have time to say goodbye to their relatives, their friends. One night they were there, and the next morning they were gone without a trace. And where could they go? They fled to Egypt. Can you imagine fleeing your home country with nothing but a suitcase and a little cash? And maybe a watch to pawn? A little gold, incense, and myrrh are nice symbolic gifts for a king, but when you need to transplant your family to another country, they don't last very long. They were probably traded by Joseph at the first available moment, just to get them on their way with some provisions and maybe an animal to help carry the load. ARFink, this is beautiful. I clipped and highlighted this section ^^^ from your reflection... because it highlights something I've been praying about with several people recently.... letting go and moving forward in faith and with little else. Letting go of people and relationships... of memories and plans... of security... of what was taken for granted... of even the things that people have given you in love and entrusted to your care. Seems an odd thing to be doing during the holidays... or is it? Perhaps it is at the heart of the mystery of the Incarnation.... Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself….. ............................................................... Phil 6:8 The manger scene in my parish church isn't my favorite... I think because it makes me so uncomfortable. I just can't seem to 'sit' in front of it. It is beautiful, but it is COLD. (OK, I know, enough with the cold already) but it is decked in pseudo-snow, and there is something about the figures that just look chilled to the bone. (Probably more accurate than many creches, now that I think about it...) But the kicker is that they have set up a fake fire in there (see, I'm not the ONLY one who thinks they look cold!), and there is something about how cold the people look while warming themselves at the phoney fire that just reminds me of Christmas in too many people's hearts. Frightened, uprooted, all but destitute, and in a foreign land. And you didn't mention that the Word and His family wouldn't have spoken the language..... and yet the 'job description' for this Word was to speak to hearts and transform them..... Will be interesting to see how the months and years will unfold... Edited January 6, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 I would just like to point out that this is AWESOME. A bit over the top, yes. But awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) Oh, I want one ^^^^ From the in-wall Fireplace, to the Journal of the Wise Men ("Wise Guy"), and the wonderful bunch of books and leather chair.... mmmmmmmm... BTW ended up unexpectedly able to go to Mass with my husband a while ago -- he unexpectedly didn't have to be at work until 3:30 rather than 1pm!!! So... we grabbed the last-chance 'morning' Mass at 1PM at a local parish -- EPIPHANY Parish, I might add... And I think it was connected to your/my meditative musings, ARFink, 'cause 1) I had about 5 mins warning to take the food off the stove and put Mass-worthy clothes on and flee..... to the Church. Literally no time to pack ANYTHING...... and 2) it was FREEZING in there... if I thought my house was bad.... no heat at all a concrete and terrazzo floor. And they had THEIR manger draped with those garish blue-white LED lights... made it look like the Manger Scene in the Deep Freeze..... you could see the hanging icicles (oh, no those are LED lights.. sorry). How cold was it... well, when at one point I curled my fingers into a ball in front of my glasses... they steamed up. The glasses, not my fingers.... BUT it made me more aware of how MANY people were there to worship the King.... More layers to ponder... Returned to our rent-a-donkey (well, my husband's manager's free rent-a-vehicle) and DANGED that vee-Hickle was warm. Mmmmmmm. Hope the holy family were able to curl up and get a little warm with their donkey on the road.... OH... and will be heading out to spend time with my MIL and then head off to confession and Mass at my own Parish at 9PM.... a beautiful, candle-lit mass. Will see if I can snap a picture of the COLD manger scene (it may be too dark).... if I can I may see if I can get it posted one way or another to add to our musings.... Brrrrr.... later... Edited January 6, 2013 by AnneLine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfink Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 That sounds wonderful AnneLine. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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