Rachel returns tomorrow!!!  So long Hamburger Helper-guy

Until we eat again!

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Will

Wow almost two months away... where to begin... well, its like this.  I realized I had been spending way too much time on the internet and decided to unplug.

Life has been pretty exciting over the last couple of weeks.

First, with the advent of spring and summer weather Rachel welcomed it with a nice rose bush in front of our apartment

Next we traveled to CMA Council with the in-laws down in Orlando, Florida.  It was our 1-year anniversary gift to each other.  It was very cool.  The speakers were great and preached things that Rach and I needed to hear.  I unfortunately did not take any pictures at Council but I did get some nice beach shots, mabey it stems from time in Korea where you develop this fear of looking like a foreign tourist... but as Jay was quick to remind me, we were all white, we stick out.

Speaking of foreign tourist, just this past week our church is hosting a bunch of Brazilians who have come to improve their English.  We started out with a retreat to Western North Carolina mountains and went rafting down the Nantahala River.  Twas also lots of fun.  Rach and I have gotten to know several of them well and have been invited to go teach English in Brasil.  We'll see but I think we'd be totally up for that.

The English Encounter ends tomorrow.  It has been excellent and we cannot wait for the next one or possibly Lord willing travel to Brazil.  Well on an ending note I will leave you with this juicy bit of gossip.  This guy is counting down the days til Nancy Drew comes to Korea

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Will

Dearest Werner Van Wyk,
You don't know how much I miss our long and interesting chats over the breakfast table.  Showing me some excellent video editing, you are quite the original.  Being the first South African I've seen (if you don't count Charlize Theron and the chick from Lethal Weapon 2), you truly have a special place in my heart.  Its been awhile, I know, but with your birthday today, on this special day where I couldn't be with you, I wanted to encourage you by saying that you come to mind quite often at work. 

 

Sincerely yours,

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Will

I am well again.

Some nasty bugs have been sweeping through Toccoa.  Everyone has been affected by it, so what do we do after we get better?  Why have people over to play Settlers, that's what.  My wife once again comes out of nowhere and destroys all oncomers in this game, none are safe... rookie or elite.

I'm still sick.

I've been looking around for digital tablets and tripods.  There's nothing more annoying that trying to getting my mouse to draw... it just ain't happening.  Hence my need for a Intous3 (drool) or Graphire4.  They are a tad pricey but in time pennies do add up... whatever.

Off to bed.

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Will

I'm sick!  I hate, no despise, feeling cruddy.  I have had to miss two days of work thanks to this.  So, my latest creation has been put on hold.  Meanwhile, I've been looking at saving up for either a nice tripod for my camera or a digital graphic tablet.  Eventually I want to have both but which one should come first?  The panoramic picture was taken w/o a tripod (I had Rachel sit on a ladder and take the room in four shots).  What's my next creation you ask?  Heads up to this guy for some inspiration.  One of my laments about leaving Korea was not learning more from Chris.  O' the things that you miss out when nobody else had Mondays off.

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Will

...and now you know my secret.  Actually, this is a little project I had in mind for a couple days to let my creative juices flow.   Hope you like.

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Will

Its Friday, I recently joined Facebook.  Its sorta like Myspace without the porn but you have to register with your name not a nickname or whatever so that friends can find you and you can find friends from high school and whatnot.

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Will

Is Xanga dying out?

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Will

With the return of 24 (currently in its 6th season) here's what I have learned from Jack Bauer...

1. F**k diplomacy.
2. Actions speak louder than words. Though shouting can also be effective.
3. If you shoot a man's wife in the knee and he still doesn't give you the information, he's bad.
4. Revenge
   is the cruelest trick. I've seen it taken out on others, I've been
   victim to it, I've even done it myself. But it doesn't change anything,
   and it doesn't bring comfort.
5. Trust is the key to survival. And by trust, I mean getting out of the way and letting me do what I need to do.
6. The
   only thing harder than racing to stop a madman from releasing a deadly
   virus that will kill thousands of people is doing it while
   simultaneously trying to kick heroin.
7. I've been beaten,
   kidnapped, gassed, and shot at, but the most terrifying thing I've ever
   been through was facing my daughter after I made her believe I was dead.
8. I eat a lot of bananas. They're a good source of vitamin B and potassium. They're also easy to take on the move.
9. Love is a privilege.
10. If you have to trust someone, make it a quirky computer genius.
11. If I say "dammit," either something bad just happened, something bad is about to happen, or I'm going to do something drastic.
12. Any man can make a mistake. It's what he does to remedy that mistake that shows his character.
13. You better know who you are before you go undercover. If you don't, you could easily lose yourself.
14. Always carry at least one spare fully charged cell-phone battery.
15. So many times when I thought there was no more time, there was.
16. When interrogating a suspect, I've often found it effective to ask the question loudly and repeat it several times.
17. Remember, terrorists use the phone as much as we do.
18. In
    the event of a highway landing, always fasten your seat belt and return
    your chair and tray table to their upright and locked positions.
19. It's all key cards and thumb drives these days.
20. If
    the president of the United States ever orders you to shoot your boss
    in the head at point-blank range in cold blood, take a deep breath, ask
    God to forgive you, and just do it.
21. Without conscience, a man becomes his worst enemy.
22. Sometimes it's necessary to create a believable diversion, even at the risk of others thinking you're an ***hole.
23. A
    cell phone can sometimes be used to activate a secondary detonator on a
    terrorist's explosive vest regardless of how many minutes are left on
    your plan.
24. Dead terrorists can often be effectively used as human shields. So can live ones.
25. Bureaucrats want results but never want to get their hands dirty.
26. The safety of the people I love is worth any sacrifice. Even their trust.
27. Some people don't deserve to die, but that's not my call.
28. Serbs have a different word for everything.
29. If
    you don't have a Taser gun, the wires from a lamp will deliver the
    current needed to shock your subject just enough to get him to give up
    the information you need without doing any permanent damage.
30. Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
31. You can't save everyone.
32. If you see me running down the street, it's probably a good idea to take cover.
33. Don't piss off the Chinese.

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Will