Ray Boltz is gay. We ought to pray for him.
Serbian Weddings
Ocasionally, we’ll hear the honking–lots of honking–and know that someone is getting married. However, until Friday, we had no idea what was really going on. On Friday, our language teacher showed us a video of her wedding. It was neat. She explained what was going on, how things happened, etc… We learned quite a bit. I’m currently working on an article that will explain the differences (I’ll post a link when it comes up). In the meantime, you can find some more information on Serbian weddings here and here and some interesting pictures:
Our Weather
Our weather forecast for the past 3 days and the next 15 is going to be crazy. 2 days ago, it was in the high to mid 30s (celcius). Over the next few days that is supposed to dip down with lows into the single-digits…then go back up. Here is a vew of what I saw today when I looked (you’ll probabaly have to look at the original view for the full detail):
Interesting Natural Gas Article
For those who know, I used to work at Columbia Gas Transmission (for the 1st year or so) then NiSource after they bought the Columbia Energy Group. Working at that job made me learn quite a bit about Natural Gas and the business of gas. All in all, it was very interesting.
Well, I came across this article today that proved to be a good overview of the natural gas business and “producing” the gas. I’d recommend it if you have no idea about where gas comes from (mostly from the Gulf of Mexico and Canada) and how it is transported (in pipelines powered by huge compressor stations).
Thanks to Mundane_Joy for the picture.
This is Dumb
Photo from .imelda
I agree with Bruce. This is really dumb. Although if you read the comments people have left on his site, there are other reasons for why the plugs were turned off. If you read the article, there are several things mentioned. Below are two things I think we can learn:
1) “Terrorism” has become a weasel word and is thrown around as an excuse for everything. Can I use the bathroom? Nope, terrorists might plant a bomb there. Can I take this bottle of water on the plane Nope, it might be an explosive… dump it out into this container with several gallons of other unknown liquids that may also explode (language warning. Sorry, I couldn’t find what I was looking for without it 🙁 ) I’m a pilot and got this silverware off the plane, can I take it with me on my next flight No, it’s a knife. See what I mean?!?! Think people…THINK!
2) Classic case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing. People don’t think about the impact on others (or if they do, it is always them who will handle the communication). If you are making a change, setting something up differently, etc…. make sure people know.
More on Lance
Photo from Eugene
More on this post where I talk about Lance returning to cycling.
Can Lance be stopped?
Lance is taking a chance.
His old boss wants him back.
Oh, and by the way, Landis is making a return too.
[Update 01-21-2009 09:27:08] More information can be found here.
[Update 2013-01-18 06:58:05] Lance has admitted to doping.
Updated Serbian Quic Reference
I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ve updated my Serbian Quick Refence sheet. The original post is here.
Same chores, different routine
There are things you do every day that you never really think about, until you have to do them differently. Dishes come to mind when I long for the dishwasher which I enjoyed in each of the homes we lived in during our years in Columbus and Richmond. Not that I didn’t have to wash dishes at Grandma’s house or for the first few years we were married, but I had definitely not missed that particular chore. So at least once every day, I’ll be found at the sink scrubbing away 🙂
Laundry is also pretty different. We have a front load washer, and we add detergent and fabric softener in a drawer on the top. The wash cycle takes 2 hours and when it spins, it sound like a jet engine about to take off! Our washer also functions as a dryer!! But we haven’t really tested that feature. Maybe this winter… Every night, I put in a load of laundry and start the machine when we go to bed. In the morning, I hang up the clothes on this nifty drying rack we have…which means I take down, fold, and put away the now-dry clothes from the day before. And Lydia loves to “help” :^)
There also happen to be different rates for electrcity depending on the time of day, with nights (starting around 10) being cheaper. We have a switch for our hot water heater (on the panel with the bathroom light switch, which is right outside the door to the bathroom), so we can turn it on and off as we choose. So we choose to turn it on around 10 before bed and turn it off when we get up in the morning. This system works pretty well and our electric bill has never been more than $30 so far. Though it’s hard to tell how much difference this really makes and I’m not running the thing all the time to find out. The worst part is when both of us forget to check the switch before we go to bed. Which means that some days we end up with VERY short showers!!
When it’s time to pay said electric bill (or phone bill or parking tickets, etc…) you can go to any post office and take care of it. We do go to the cable office to pay for cable and internet, but apparently they will also come to your door (which we found out one night when this very nice lady came to collect our cable payment, which we had already taken care of several days previously…thankfully, I had enough Serbian AND the receipts from the last couple of months to show that we were current and we opted to keep paying at the office).
Our home phone bill is usually about $3.00, since you only pay for outgoing calls. And cell phone credit (which for most everyone is pre-paid), can be purchased just about everywhere. Which includes these “super” newstands found on most every corner as well as the little markets dotting the streets all over town.
It can be hard not to miss conveniences like dishwashers, dryers, mailing bills/paying online, and Wal-mart, but it’s such an incredible thing to experience life in another place and God has so blessed us through the privilege and challenge of living here these past 4 months!!
[Update 09-19-2008 10:00:31] Added flickr image from manmadeparts.
Lydia’s Latest Trick
Lydia has added a new trick to her ever-growing arsenal. She can climb up on the kitchen chairs all by herself! She has been climbing on the couch, the storage trunks, and even the coffee table with great skill and frequency, so I knew it was only a matter of time. Still, her first victory over Mt. Chair was pretty memorable and I have the pics to prove it.
Last week, she had just gotten out of the tub and was barely dry before she streaked away. I found her in the kitchen, playing (pounding) on the computer. I started to remind her about being nice to the computer when I realized she was able to reach it in the first place because she was sitting on the chair. What a big girl! So of course I documented the event before I got her down. Since then, she has climbed faster and more often. And she’s almost conquered the bed, too 🙂
American Idioms that have No Sebian Equivalent
hang a Uie/make a u turn
Jury-rigged
pokin the rain down
that’s all I can think of right now. As we learn more, we’ll probabaly find some Serb sayings that have no American equivalent.
If there is a hard part to cross-cultural communication, it is this. Try and take note of all of the idioms you use during a day. Try to explain yourself without using them. Or try to explain them. It is very hard isn’t it. Now, imagine trying to explain spiritual matters to someone. That’s very hard. And very good motivation to learn the language!