The Maxson Homepage on the WWW
According to this Baptist Press article, people are willing to become missionaries, but the funding isn't there. Christians, wake up! God has blessed America! We have tremendous wealth. It is high time we stop trying to "keep up with the Joneses" and start focusing on what is important. Do we really need new cars every three years?
They are willing, are we?
Cyndi and I went to see Revenge of the Sith on Sunday afternoon after we took my parents to the airport. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it is good. There were some things I wish they had done differently; however, overall, it is a good movie. You find out who the good guys are, how who you thought were good guys turn into bad guys, you find out why Luke still sees good in Darth Vader, you find out how all the Jedi die, you find out why Dart Vader has a mask, etc…. The list goes on.
Oh, BTW, after seeing all these movies, I agree with Lucas. If he could only ever make three of them, the middle three are the best to make. I'm glad he had a chance to make Episodes 1-3; however, I'm glad he didn't start out with them. The story would have been incomplete.
Well, we are really in Richmond now. Cyndi left Columbus on May 19th and arrived in Richmond on the 20th. I left work at NiSource early Friday afternoon and arrived in Richmond late that night. We took pictures of the move, and I will get those posted once I get a chance to play with the computer at home.
We rented our house with the knowledge that it was dirty–very dirty. However, we knew that a tennant had just moved out, and the landlord sounded like he would get everything cleaned up. Well, what he said and what happened were two different things. Cyndi and my mom arrived the afternoon of the 20th to find the house was in a mess! They haggled with the landlord and were able to get some money to clean the place up. However, the work still had to be done. They spent all afternoon on the 20th cleaning. When my dad and I arrived at midnight, they were still cleaning! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the City of Richmond–they provide gas and water–showed up but couldn't hook the stuff up because we weren't there! So, Cyndi and my mom had to buy water at Wal-Mart simply to clean the place!!
Once my dad and I arrived, we had to unpack the fish, get the fish tank set up, etc… Well, once that was all done, it was 2am. Cyndi had gotten us a room at the AmeriSuites–remember, no water–so once the fish were up, I was beat. Cyndi and my mom were tired because they had been cleaning all day. We went back to the hotel, took showers, and crashed.
We woke up the next morning at 7am–the alarm didn't go off–and had to rush to get ready because the driver had told Cyndi he would be there at 8am. We show up at our place at 7:40 am, and the driver is already there! We were hoping to have a little time to clean some more before he showed up, but we were able to deal with it.
So, the movers got the truck unloaded, the house was mostly clean, and we simply had to unpack. That afternoon–this is Saturday–we went out and bought window AC units. My dad helped me put those in (THANKS Dad!). Saturday was my dad's birthday, so we had him a Baskin Robbin's Ice Cream Cake. We were planning on watching Revenge of the Sith Satuday, but that didn't work out.
So, to sum everything up, the house was a mess when we moved in. Cyndi, my mom, and my Dad all worked very hard to get everything in shape. Cyndi is working at home unpacking stuff while I am working at the IMB. We still have some things to do; however, everything is coming together nicely.
I sent this e-mail out to my coworkers today at NiSource:
Well, with so many people to say bye to, I know I'll miss someone…feel free to pass this along to anyone you wish.
I have only been here for 5 years, but in those five years I have interacted with many people and learned many different things. Thank you to everyone who put up with my learning curve and the barrage of questions. I will treasure the experiences and friendships I have had at Columbia/NiSource and would like to keep up with everyone.
My personal e-mail address will always be mjncj@maxsons.org. My current address and phone number can always be found at http://www.techs4jesus.com/contact.htm. I have started a blog and will do my best to keep it up to date. If you want to read it, the URL is http://www.techs4jesus.com/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi. Yes, it has an RSS feed: http://www.techs4jesus.com/cgi-bin/blosxom.cgi?/index.rss. I would like to keep up with everyone. Part of how I do that is through Christmas cards. If you want to be included on my list, send me an e-mail with your address (don't reply back to this e-mail…I won't get it).
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Alan and I were talking yesterday about the possibility of using a Wankel Rotary engine in an aircraft. Well, it appears it has been done:
MISTRAL Engines offers a family of liquid-cooled rotary-piston engines for light aircraft. The powerplants are built around a rotary, Wankel-type engine core, with a planetary reduction gear and a fully redundant Digital Engine Management (DEM) system designed to meet certification standards.
Real World Solutions Inc. was formed for the purpose of developing cost effective information and products for converting the Mazda rotary engine for aircraft use. (We are NOT a "fire wall forward" manufacturer, however.) The rotary is uniquely qualified for this use due to its high power-to-weight ratio and reliability at high power settings.
Everyone is asking why Cyndi and I decided to rent in Richmond. We are planning to stay long-term and we could afford to buy. So, why "throw money down the toilet" of rent?
In the first place, I don't think rent is throwing money away. We are paying for a place to live. So? Yes, we don't own the house, but we don't have to deal with the hassles either. If the hot water tank goes kaput, we call the landlord. If the roof gets damaged in a storm, we call the landlord. There are advantages to renting.
We don't want to live in the city forever. Eventually, we want to save up money and purchase a house and acerage in the country. If we rent, we can save more money per month than we could if we purchased a house. When we buy, we will buy someplace we want to live and stay at for quite some time (15-20 years).
Additionally, I think the housing market is way inflated. It cannot keep going forever. Here are some links to some interesting articles in Money magazine:
Should I buy a house?
Risky real estate moves
Are you living in a bubble?
Will housing prices pop?
Why the housing bubble hasn't burst
Rent or buy? The answer may surprise
Additionally, I think the economy is going to turn south sometime in the next 2-10 years. When that happens, it will be way way worse than the great depression. Cyndi and I can have enough money to pay off our lease and get out of Dodge; however, we couldn't be able to get out of a house payment as easily.
I have done some reading into kitplanes and engine alternatives. Since kitplanes are considered experimental, you don't have to use a standard aircraft engine. This means you can save money on fuel and maintenance. Initial cost also seems to be less for these alternative engines. Here are two I have found and think they are interesting.
Like traditional, 20th century aircraft engines, the boxer Eggenfellner engine is horizontally opposed. But it’s similarity to old-fashioned engines ends there. Because this engine isn’t air cooled. It’s liquid cooled. And that makes a big, big difference.
DeltaHawk's Aircraft V-4 Turbo Diesel Engine is designed from the ground up as a compression-ignition general aviation engine designed for simplicity, durability, fuel efficiency and power configured to accept a fixed or constant speed propeller. [It is also a] springboard for other applications requiring light weight compression-ignition engines
Yesterday, the movers came and packed everything we hadn't already (we packed books, sheets, etc…). When I got home from work, the house was full of boxes! Today, the driver came and loaded the truck. Our delivery in Richmond will occur 21 May (Saturday). Cyndi took pictures post pack. I'll be posting those once we get to Richmond and have a computer and Internet connection available.
Well, everyone knows that American English is totally different from "real" English. Everyone in the US also probably knows that different parts of the country have different "English" dialects too (although, this is becoming less common as more and more people move, watch TV, etc…). Have you ever wondered what "type" you are? Well, here is an online test you can take to find out what kind of American English you speak.
Here are my results:
Your Linguistic Profile: |
| 65% General American English |
| 20% Dixie |
| 10% Upper Midwestern |
| 5% Midwestern |
| 0% Yankee |
Does everyone remember the WVU Marshall game from '97? I sure do…I was able to go. Well, the Parkersburg News (or Sentinel I'm not sure) is reporting that WVU and Marshall will once again play each other.
One thing strikes me as odd though. They report that Gov. Manchin made this game part of his platform when he ran for governor. What a goofy thing to take a stand on. I know WV is a great state, but aren't there bigger issues for the governor to care about?