1 November 2005

Ah, winter...

Finally the heat is gone, finally the leaves start to change, and Mr. Grenn feels more comfortable all around -- confident that winter is right around the corner. 

I've always loved winter. I mean, who can't love spring, or a nice, crisp autumn day? And for crying out loud, a day at the beach in August surely does a man good, too.

But for ME, winter always matters most. 

. . .

I've been busy these last weeks -- I mean to say, busy in a way that just wears me out. Just like always, I run all over the place having adventures and mishaps, victories and fiascos -- all in pretty much equal measure. 

So I'm sorry I haven't posted much, but I just don't feel like it. It's not anything BAD that makes me that way, but just that I feel like I've got nothing to SAY. At least TWICE in the last month I've spent 20 or 30 minutes getting something all typed up and formatted -- only to end up saying, "This is stupid," and erasing the whole thing. 

Trust me, I did the right thing by that. 

But the few of you who actually check in from time to time, I know you wonder why I don't write, and you wonder what it means, and you wonder if something's wrong... 

Bottom line is I'm cool, with what feels like a full schedule. I'm full of hope -- I still believe in miracles, dude -- I mean, I'm talking like crazy, turn your world upside-down miracles -- I still expect those. It's stupid, right? I mean, it's practically DELUSIONAL, isn't it? But still, I keep sitting here, day after day, and I expect the big one is just gonna come flying out of nowhere and take me for a joyride like I've never even dreamed -- I'm not joking, man, I still fall for that crap -- and I swear to you every time I step out that door I believe something amazing can happen. 

. . .

Speaking of which, my friend Eric had a pretty amazing thing happen, which is basically that his wife Kristen dropped a kid last month. It's pathetic that I'm a month late telling this, but little Ian Michael Alexander was born on Wednesday, 5th October -- "all 7 lbs. 15.5 oz. and 20" of him"...

I told Eric I thought he looked like a THINKER, you know? I'm like, he ain't just dreamin' about toys and stuff -- that kid looks like he's got some THEOREMS and AXIOMS and crap going through his little noggin'... Don't he?

Anyway, I sure miss Eric a ton. And I'm guessing HE's missing a good night's rest about now, ha ha... 

. . .

NEXT in the news, is that I hope to be going HOME in a few weeks. I have my ticket in hand, and if you are one of those special ladies in my life (you know who you are) then please contact me so we can make plans to hook up. 

(ha ha -- that's a missionary joke there, folks)

Anyway, it will be FUN, and a MUCH-NEEDED time at home with my family. I know that it wasn't that long ago that "missionary types" left home on a big ole boat, took 3 months to get to Japan, and then stayed the rest of their dang life. I know that. But I got used to coming home every summer in Hong Kong, and it made things so much easier on me and my family when I could do that. 

Now, in Japan, it seems I have neither the time nor the resources to do that -- not anything like I wish. But I'm thankful I've been able to get these few days home, and not only will it let me spend time with my family, meeting my nephew for the first time, talking to my niece for the first time, etc... It's not only THAT kind of thing, but it's BUSINESS stuff I need to take care of. There are SO MANY things I need to do while I'm home to make sure "my house is in order" -- that's the part that no one seems to think about until something bad happens -- and then they all wonder, "Geez, Glenn, why didn't you take care of that before?" -- Well, because my whole life I was busy teaching English to a bunch of kids who HATE English, whaddaya think? 

Whatever -- I'll tell more later...

. . .

Lastly, I hope you musicians can hear this mp3. It's a little bit hard to explain, but it's a demo from a company that makes samples for making music. This particular company has an amazing-sounding set of guitar samples, and this demo is supposed to show how well you can use them to emulate a "death-metal" style of guitar sound. 

It's called Mr. Mosquito (approx. 1.5MB download) and it is one of the funniest things I've heard these last few weeks. 

I especially love the line that says: 

"Can't stop sucking -- it's ALL your fault!!"

Remember -- there are NO real guitars on that recording -- they are all samples being played from a keyboard. 

And YES, it's supposed to be funny, duh... (isn't ALL death metal?)

4 November 2005

I've heard it said that it ain't easy being cheesy -- but in fact, it's even harder to go through life being phenomenally ugly.

Trust me on that one. 

5 November 2005

Few prayerification things this morning:

1) On Sunday afternoon I have to get my monthly preachin' on up in da haus -- at our Sagamino International Fellowship. I'm wrapping up my three-part wing-ding on the book of Ruth. God just keeps giving me more and more to say, but I'm feeling a little hesitant to say some of it. I mean, you know -- I'm just a soul whose intentions are good -- it's like, geez, oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood. You know what I mean. 

2) My friend Irene Sanchez in Phoenix is having some crazy health problems -- it's not a stroke, but maybe lime disease, maybe side-effects of hernia problems -- I ain't a doctor, fool. But she has been losing sensation in her face and arms. So far she has recovered each time, but when she has these episodes (losing control of her facial muscles and hands), it is very alarming. 

3) My friend Jason in New Albany just found out his father has cancer. 

4) Trust and obey. That really sums it all up for me this week: "Glenn, trust and obey." 

8 November 2005

From The Onion:

New Custard Could Cause Worldwide Flandemic

ATLANTA—A recently discovered strain of custard could cause a worldwide flandemic, Centers For Dessert Control warned Monday. "We are warning people who come into contact with milk, egg yolks, sugar, and whole vanilla beans that they are at risk of concocting this custard," CDC director Paul Liddleston said. "All reports indicate that it is extremely non-resistible." Liddleston said the government's present reserve of dried tapioca is "useless" in combating a flandemic, and until a more effective vaccine is created, "the proof will be in the putting of containment teams in high-risk areas."

24 November 2005

Well, in just about 20 minutes I'll head out the door for the good ole US of A. I'll only be home for a few days, as I have MUCH travelling to do -- but I'm looking forward to a whirlwind tour of Amerika. 

See you back in Japan soon.
  

8 December 2005

I'm back in my frigid little room here in Japan -- I fancy I'll write more later, but for now I'm going to BED.

20 December 2005

I lost my Bible the other day. 

At CHURCH. 

I mean, of course I didn't LOSE it -- someone TOOK it. Which is to say, someone removed it from it's previously static state of simply sitting there. Yeah, I'm serious. I left it there, in the little holder in front of my seat -- not on PURPOSE mind you, but it's a church, for heaven's sake -- surely it would still be there a mere 2 hours later, right? 

Nope. Someone took it. 

Now, this sets up an interesting conundrum... 

I mean, on the one hand, maybe there's nothing to this. Maybe the ladies were just going through the room cleaning and tidying up, and they grabbed my Bible and put it aside so I could get it next week. 

That is ENTIRELY possible.  

Perhaps someone "took" it to take care of it. That's possible, right? Maybe the kids saw it, started playing with it, and you know, some responsible soul said to themselves, "Uh oh, that's Glenn's Bible -- I'd better take it from these kids before they destroy it." And they "hid" it so the kids couldn't get to it.

Another scenario that is ENTIRELY possible, right? 

Or think about it this way -- what if this is really some Providential event. Like, what if God NEEDED that Bible to be in someone's hands, and so he allowed it to be taken from ME so that through a convoluted and Providentially impressive chain of events it would get into someone ELSE's hands, thereby -- in some way which is beyond our mortal understanding -- bringing God's divine will into being. On earth, as it is in heaven, no less. 

That is ALSO entirely possible, as I see it. 

So it's a conundrum, dig? Because I can't say God is in control and walk around flapping my gums about Providence, and THEN go getting completely furious that someone would, shall we say for the moment, "move" my Bible. 

Seriously. It just doesn't look good when the missionary gets ticked off simply because his Bible goes missing -- even though he keeps thinking about how everyone in that dang building KNOWS it's his Bible, by simple virtue of it being, well, you know -- IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE... 

No, it's a real conundrum, because there's the selfish and whining and petty part of me that wants desperately to pout and yell and scream and just generally express over and over and in a loud way that I can't BELIEVE someone would just walk up and TAKE my Bible -- I WANT to do that, but I can't, and indeed I shan't.  

I mean, granted -- the irony is precious. I have carted that Bible -- not one like it, not one that was the same style, but THAT VERY BIBLE -- to every continent on the planet, save Australia and Antarctica. I have been in jungles, I have been on mountains, I have been on boats and planes and trains and automobiles with that Bible. I have gingerly protected it from rain and sea and mud and food -- from ice and blood and dirt and fire -- I have cared for it, as I do all my books, with the utmost respect and concern for its longevity. I can read a book through 4 times and you still wouldn't be able to tell it's ever been opened -- that's my thing, see? Taking care of my books, I mean. And I'd treated this Bible the same for the last, what -- 20 years? 

But I finally lost it -- at CHURCH of all places. 

. 

(I'll let you know if it ever turns up).