Monday, August 4, 2008
He must become greater; I must become less.
He must become greater; I must become less. (John 3:30, NIV)
This is the summer that Eliot has come into his own as a car mechanic. In past years, through my own grievous fault, he was not trusted to do much of the difficult mechanical work. Either I was afraid he'd get hurt, or I was impatient and knew I could perform a given task more quickly myself.
But this year has brought a quantum leap forward for our relationship as co-mechanics on his car ... no longer do I ignore any suggestion made by my son ... because I have realized that I do so at my peril. He has saved me from hurting myself a few times, and from damaging the car. He has saved me time, in the long run, by reminding me of things I'd forgotten to do. And in fact he has come up with with some great suggestions for better ways of performing certain tasks.
I am becoming more and more his partner, less and less his mentor. It feels great.
This is the summer that Eliot has come into his own as a car mechanic. In past years, through my own grievous fault, he was not trusted to do much of the difficult mechanical work. Either I was afraid he'd get hurt, or I was impatient and knew I could perform a given task more quickly myself.
But this year has brought a quantum leap forward for our relationship as co-mechanics on his car ... no longer do I ignore any suggestion made by my son ... because I have realized that I do so at my peril. He has saved me from hurting myself a few times, and from damaging the car. He has saved me time, in the long run, by reminding me of things I'd forgotten to do. And in fact he has come up with with some great suggestions for better ways of performing certain tasks.
I am becoming more and more his partner, less and less his mentor. It feels great.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Anglican Hooligans ... Represent!
From the Man I Wish I'd Thought of That Department, comes this kool Anglican Hooligan wear, available right now at cafepress.com ...
I know as soon as my next paycheck comes, I'll be stocking up on this merchandise!
And it is for a good cause, too: All proceeds benefit Children's Ministries of St. Francis Anglican Church in Turlock, California.
NPC USA Women's Bodybuilding
The NPC USA Bodybuilding contest was held Saturday, July 26, in Las Vegas.
The big (and I do mean big!) story on the women's side of this contest was the overall win by Isabelle Turell. Isabelle now joins the IFBB Professional ranks. She came into this contest in great condition, sporting about the most extreme V-taper (i.e., wide lats, narrow waist) I have ever seen on a competitor. And check her hamstrings in the side triceps shot ... crazy!!
The 3rd photo is of Claire Rohrbacker-O'Connell, who just moved up to the Middleweight class and finished a very strong 2nd Place. Congrats, Claire!
The 4th and final photo is of Tracy Bodner, who competed in the Lightweight class, and who (with her husband Cameron) coached me through my own recent contest preparation period. They are some of the nicest people you'd ever wish to know. And Tracy's posing is phenomenal.
The big (and I do mean big!) story on the women's side of this contest was the overall win by Isabelle Turell. Isabelle now joins the IFBB Professional ranks. She came into this contest in great condition, sporting about the most extreme V-taper (i.e., wide lats, narrow waist) I have ever seen on a competitor. And check her hamstrings in the side triceps shot ... crazy!!
The 3rd photo is of Claire Rohrbacker-O'Connell, who just moved up to the Middleweight class and finished a very strong 2nd Place. Congrats, Claire!
The 4th and final photo is of Tracy Bodner, who competed in the Lightweight class, and who (with her husband Cameron) coached me through my own recent contest preparation period. They are some of the nicest people you'd ever wish to know. And Tracy's posing is phenomenal.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Weldcraft Wheels & Proverbs 22:29
Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. -- Proverbs 22:29
We had a challenge with regard to the wheels on Eliot's Meteor. It took us a long time to find a rear wheel with sufficient backspacing to tuck under the rear quarter. It turns out that 2005+ Mustang GT wheels are a match.
But ... those are 17"x8" wheels - fine for the rear, but too wide for the front!
We needed minimum diameter of 17" on the front, to clear the Cobra calipers, but 8" is just too wide for the front of the Meteor. We'd rub the inside edge of the tires when turning.
But we wanted matching wheels, if possible. This is when Weldcraft Wheels came to the rescue. They were able, through some very tricky and skilled welding, to narrow our extra set of Mustang GT wheels by 2" ... and it was not easy! The difficulty came because of the large taper (slant) to the inside profile of the wheels. Sure, it is relatively easy to cut 2" out of the middle of the wheel somewhere, but then the two diameters would not match. James, the welder at Weldcraft, did amazing work in building up the inner and outer edges, and then laying down a massive weld bead which joined the two wheel halves ... all while guaranteeing that the wheel runs straight and true.
Here is the work of James, who (obviously) ROCKS!
And this 5-spoked beauty is one of the final 17"x6" wheels which we picked up from Weldcraft (Plymouth, Michigan) just a few days ago!
We had a challenge with regard to the wheels on Eliot's Meteor. It took us a long time to find a rear wheel with sufficient backspacing to tuck under the rear quarter. It turns out that 2005+ Mustang GT wheels are a match.
But ... those are 17"x8" wheels - fine for the rear, but too wide for the front!
We needed minimum diameter of 17" on the front, to clear the Cobra calipers, but 8" is just too wide for the front of the Meteor. We'd rub the inside edge of the tires when turning.
But we wanted matching wheels, if possible. This is when Weldcraft Wheels came to the rescue. They were able, through some very tricky and skilled welding, to narrow our extra set of Mustang GT wheels by 2" ... and it was not easy! The difficulty came because of the large taper (slant) to the inside profile of the wheels. Sure, it is relatively easy to cut 2" out of the middle of the wheel somewhere, but then the two diameters would not match. James, the welder at Weldcraft, did amazing work in building up the inner and outer edges, and then laying down a massive weld bead which joined the two wheel halves ... all while guaranteeing that the wheel runs straight and true.
Here is the work of James, who (obviously) ROCKS!
And this 5-spoked beauty is one of the final 17"x6" wheels which we picked up from Weldcraft (Plymouth, Michigan) just a few days ago!
Friday, July 25, 2008
It hasn't got much Anglican in it ...
I need to apologize to you readers of this blog for the lack of Anglican content lately.
It is just that I am not feeling very strong in spirit these days. I have been reading virtually no Anglican news lately. I hardly know what happened at Gafcon, much less what is happening at Lambeth. Well, maybe nothing is happening at Lambeth?
My only exception has been to read Christopher Johnson at MCJ, since he always writes either (A) exactly what I was thinking; or (B) exactly the thing I wish I had thought of.
I have been afraid that if I read the Anglican news this summer, it would send me on a drinking binge, the proportions of which can only be described by saying that it would be as big as Gene Robinson's ego.
It is just that I am not feeling very strong in spirit these days. I have been reading virtually no Anglican news lately. I hardly know what happened at Gafcon, much less what is happening at Lambeth. Well, maybe nothing is happening at Lambeth?
My only exception has been to read Christopher Johnson at MCJ, since he always writes either (A) exactly what I was thinking; or (B) exactly the thing I wish I had thought of.
I have been afraid that if I read the Anglican news this summer, it would send me on a drinking binge, the proportions of which can only be described by saying that it would be as big as Gene Robinson's ego.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Rejoiceth as a Strong Man to Run a Race
"In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race." (Psalm 19:4,5)
Above is the starting pose of my evening posing routine. It reminds me of a sprinter about to begin a race, and that was (sadly) prophetic ... the adrenaline coursing through my veins caused me to rush through the beginning of the routine way too fast! (Laughing Out Loud.)
I really like this back pose, because it shows the complexity of the back musculature, and the good amount of detail I was able to bring out.
But here is the big news: I only missed winning this contest by a single point!
That's right: Two of the five judges, including Head Judge Remi Bruyninga, actually had me marked down in 1st place! Here is the Score Card:
That is huge for me, psychogically. Because, if the winner had received straight 1s across the board ... I would have no idea whether I was a mile behind the winner, or an inch. But, because of getting two 1st-place votes ... I know I was really close!
Above is the starting pose of my evening posing routine. It reminds me of a sprinter about to begin a race, and that was (sadly) prophetic ... the adrenaline coursing through my veins caused me to rush through the beginning of the routine way too fast! (Laughing Out Loud.)
I really like this back pose, because it shows the complexity of the back musculature, and the good amount of detail I was able to bring out.
But here is the big news: I only missed winning this contest by a single point!
That's right: Two of the five judges, including Head Judge Remi Bruyninga, actually had me marked down in 1st place! Here is the Score Card:
That is huge for me, psychogically. Because, if the winner had received straight 1s across the board ... I would have no idea whether I was a mile behind the winner, or an inch. But, because of getting two 1st-place votes ... I know I was really close!
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