Just like Doug, I like eating oatmeal in the morning, but I can never seem to enjoy the stuff without suffering an oatmeal spill somewhere along the way. Sometimes the milk prematurely boils over in the microwave; other times I mix it a bit too vigorously before eating. It’s gotten so that I can’t begin to prepare the stuff without making sure I have a paper towel on hand first. Ah, the tribulation I must endure to enjoy a hearty bowl of hot, cleansing oats.
Herbalife Signs
The secret behind all those WORK FROM HOME signs. I’ve had a few encounters with Herbalife myself; some involving a guy in Ateneo (in my brother’s batch) who went all over the campus with a “LOSE WEIGHT NOW / ASK ME HOW” button. More recently, I met an enthusiastically wide-eyed Herbalife distributor on Dela Rosa Street, right outside their Makati office. She was quite crestfallen when I told her that MLM scams are evil and intrusive and that she should get out of Herbalife quickly before it destroyed her life.
My mom occasionally used Herbalife at one point, but not for its health benefits. Rather, she got a pleasant jolt out of the huge quantities of caffeine in each tablet — that’s what’s in the pill to inhibit your appetite and drive down your weight.
Twinkies and V8
First Baptist DC
I’ve been attending at First Baptist on 16th Street for the past two Sundays. You would not know from first glance that it’s a Baptist church: the cathedral building with its stained glass windows looks almost Catholic, and the worship could be mistaken for a Presbyterian service, right down to introitus, responsory, and recital of the Lord’s Prayer.
The pastor, Jim Somerville, has taken bits and pieces of various Protestant traditions, and integrated them into this church with a uniquely Baptist touch. I was a bit worried at first upon seeing the word “ecumenical…” (You know how it is with us Baptists: “Ecumenism” = “Evil Romanist Compromise!”) …but so far what I’ve seen is a Baptist church which breaks out of the Baptist mold with its pleasant liberal-ness, but without compromising the fundamentals of Scripture and salvation by the grace of Christ. I’m liking it very much.
What I especially appreciate is that this is not a “Say the Formula Sinner’s Prayer and You’re Saved No Matter What” kind of church. As was explained at membership class, the church focuses also on building a community of relationships to encourage people to fruitful, growing, living faith in Christ. Isn’t that great?
(And the music’s beautiful. Organs, brass ensembles, even timpanis for Easter. We even had some Bach and Handel for invitational. Now that’s church music. Eh? Eh?)
April Fool!
Question: Is it…
– April Fool, (Singular?)
– April Fool’s, (Singular Possessive?)
– April Fools, (Plural?) or…
– April Fools’? (Plural-Possessive?)
Anyway, so far it looks like MeFi is under new management, Jish has gone MeFi Blue, Rich has gotten hitched (is that for real?), Google uses pigeons, and Duane has seen the light on the unholy evil leaven of alcohol.
Easter 2002
“Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again?” (Luke 24.5-7)
He is risen, and in the grave has He left the sins of the world! Trust in Him alone for your redemption, look to Him alone for your salvation, and know that with His Resurrection, He gives us all the hope of one day ascending with Him in triumph, bodily, and eternally, over death!
And a Happy Easter to all of you. :)
Yahoo Marketing Preferences
People out there who use Yahoo services (like email and egroups), better read this MeFi thread. Then, log-in to your accounts ASAP and change your “marketing preferences.” Be sure to uncheck the “mail” and “telephone” options. I also strongly suggest removing references to alternate email addresses which you may want to keep spam-free.
I know the company needs to make money, but that stank. Ever since they cut off POP3 access and Geocities FTP, I’ve begun distancing myself from them. I’m just glad I’m getting good hosting and email service from here already.
Palindromes
The Gigantic List of Palindromes. `Nuff said.
Didn’t make it to the Monument
I didn’t make it inside the Monument. It turns out that it doesn’t matter if you have the whole day to yourself; you need to reserve your place for the day by getting tickets, and today’s tickets ran out at 9.20 this morning. Oh well, I managed to get a few pictures, at least, and I spent the day walking The Mall and lurking around the National Museum of American History. Lots of interesting exhibits and displays to see there. Now I feel more patriotic. (Yeah! God bless America, dude!)
I walked through the crowds of people around the White House to get back, passing a huge pro-Palestine rally in front of the Reagan Building, and am now at Kinko’s on 16th Street. (It turns out I’m just a block from the Third Church of Christ, Scientist.)
While I was away, the world saw the death of still another famous person: The Queen Mother.
Washington Monument 1
Well, it’s the Easter holiday, so there’s not much I can do in the way of job-hunting. I’m going off to visit the Washington Monument, and maybe check out the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. Never mind that it’s peak holiday season. I have all day. :)