Why I took my laptop

I had no intention of taking my laptop with me to Biloxi ... at first.

But colleagues at work kept saying you never know, it may come in handy.

I remained unconvinced.

Until I discovered two things about my layover in Cincinnati today:

• The layover is two hours, 36 minutes.
• The concourse where I'll be trapped has wireless Internet. And Starbucks.

That's all I needed to know.

UPDATE: The image is a map of Concource C at the Cincinnati airport, the concource for the little bitty planes.

NOTE: My enthusiasm for the wireless Internet at Cincinnati was dampened by the cost.

Ready to board

I'm really early for this flight. But so are a couple dozen other people.

I'm still not familiar enough with security procedures to know how much time to give myself. So my dear Mary got me to the airport an hour and a half before flight time. That was almost an hour more than necessary.

This is one of the greatest benefits of small airports like Fort Wayne's: even the longest line isn't too long. Standing in line at security took less than 10 minutes.

And technology has changed so much even since the last time I flew a couple of years ago. I walked in with my laptop and expected to find wireless Internet service. And the airport, naturally, had it.

So, after getting to the gate, I fired up the laptop, stuck my camera card into the card reader, saved the photos Mary took onto the computer and uploaded them to Blogger.

So I'll be able to blog with impunity -- until I reach Biloxi. Then, who knows.

Oh, and it's remarkable how much luggage one person needs when there is no guarantee of a laundromat at your destination. I believe I have every pair of casual pants I own with me. And about 16 pairs of socks.

More posts later... perhaps one more from Fort Wayne, or else it'll be after I land in Cincinnati.

Going to Biloxi

If all goes according to plan, I'll be boarding a plane for Biloxi, Miss., on Tuesday. I'll be helping out the newspaper down there which, along with the whole Gulf Coast, was ravaged by Katrina.

The paper in Biloxi, The Sun-Herald, is owned by the same company that owns the paper I work for here in Fort Wayne. I had volunteered to go even before I went on vacation, so when the call went up for page designers, I was asked if I was still interested.

Looks like I'll be staying in an RV with a couple of other "temps." I've been asked to bring a sleeping bag, so this trip is less like a business trip and more like a camping trip.

But no complaints here: I have a house to back to. Besides, the staff at The Sun-Herald is way too tough for me to whine.

I hope to be able to blog from Biloxi at least daily. Check back for updates.

The photo is from the Simul Justus et Peccator blog by a member of First Prebyterian Church in Biloxi, another church in my PCA denomination. The church survived. His house in nearby Gulfport (in photo) is now nothing but a slab.

Headline of the day

This Associated Press story is running in Monday's paper:

Video screens have shown up all over in recent years -- cell phones, bathrooms, car head rests, subway cars, even elevators. Next up: a solar-powered video panel embedded in a tombstone that plays a clip reminiscent of "This Is Your Life." ...

The device plays a 5-to-7-minute video featuring special moments from someone's life that would be compiled by anyone from friends and relatives of the deceased to funeral homes. Vidstone doesn't do video production.

The Serenity Panel's screen is covered by a solar panel, which can be flipped open by visitors. The device includes two standard headphone jacks to listen to the audio. The solar panel protects the screen from sun damage and charges a battery inside, Aguirre said. Four hours of sun provides enough juice to play the video continuously for up to 90 minutes.

The Serenity Panel should be ready for sale in October and will cost about $1,500 ... .

And my headline is:

"The Flick and the Dead"

'This album is about death'

"But in a greater sense, it's about heaven and hope." -- Andrew Peterson

There are very few musicians whose CDs I'd buy without listening to them first.

Andrew Peterson tops my list.

His lyricism paints vivid pictures, portraits of the hand of God on this land and the lives of his people.

As he sings in "Lay Me Down" on his new CD, "The Far Country," "The music of the mountains is still keeping me awake," and that vitality hums beneath and inside every song.

"The Far Country," is not as "bluegrassy" as his previous album (not counting his recent Christmas CD), the starkly beautiful "Love & Thunder." Instead, there is more pop bubbling on his new release, especially in the radio-friendly title song.

And he uses it to talk of death.

He longs for a heavenly home in the title track. He speaks of his burial in "Lay Me Down." He meets "The Queen of Iowa" who was "dying on a couch in the suburbs." He sails beyond this world from "The Havens Grey."

But there remains a joyfulness, an expectation of happiness, cascading through his songs. These songs are not morose.

I'm no expert at picking out musical influences, but I think I hear a little Paul Simon in "The Queen of Iowa" and some Bruce Hornsby in "Little Boy Heart Alive," which cites "The Chronicles of Narnia":

Take a ride on the mighty lion
Take a hold of the golden mane
This is the love of Jesus
So good but it is not tame

Peterson's music truly reflects the love of Jesus, in that it also is good, but also isn't tame.

More info:
Press release about this album
Audio snippets

'Get Thee to a Punnery'

Dawn Eden easily wins the worst pun of the day award.

Why we homeschool, reason #2

And check out Reason #1 (not in order of importance).

Living the life before you

It would have been no big deal to you, I'm sure, but to me, well, I have strange struggles.

Last week, when I was driving my family across Ohio on our trip to Wheeling, W.Va., we stopped at the little town of Russells Point. We bought some drinks and used the facilities at McDonald's, where a map of the neighboring Indian Lake was posted. And by neighboring, I mean, the lake was lapping at a dock not four feet from the north door of the restaurant.

What was unusual (for me) was what happened next. Instead of jumping into the van and focusing on the completion of the task at hand -- driving across the state -- I allowed myself to be spontaneous.

We drove off U.S. 33 and wound our way around a road that followed a string of islands into the center of Indian Lake. We drove across five or six islands, all connected by short bridges and packed with lake homes along the shores. We couldn't even see much water, but it was fun looking at the houses and admiring the boats that we could see.

The little adventure was refreshing and gave us a bit of a lift for the remainder of our trip.

Later in my life, when I forget how fun a small amount of spontaneity can be, remind me of my little story.

We're home!

We're bedraggled, and there are unpacked bags and suitcases everywhere, but we're home after our trip to Wheeling and Parkersburg, W.Va.

Here's a photo from the Mount Wood Overlook in Wheeling of the Ohio River. But the trees were overgrown! What's the use of an overlook over which one cannot look?

More posts later, as time and coffee permit.

Next gig: November 4

It's really early to say this, but ...

My next gig is on Friday, Nov. 4, at The Anchor Room in Fort Wayne.

For more information, go over to the engagements page.

Why we homeschool

We heard this quote on last night's 11 p.m. news. It was said by a football player at a public school concerning why his team was able to achieve a victory:

We was more thirstier than they was.

What a great (and long) day

I just had to say that I had a wonderful birthday. My sweet wife did make the promised pie, and threw in a free chocolate cream pie for free.

As usual, I got an assortment of things to eat and various shiny discs. That is no complaint; that's like the perfect day. My family knows what I love.

Along with various sweets, such as a half-pound Special Dark Hershey bar, I received the new Andrew Peterson CD and the complete first season of "The Bob Newhart Show" on DVD.

Please note this picture of the half-eaten, completely homemade pies my wife made. See how much yummier the actual pies look compared to the pale imitation in the post below.

And thanks to everyone who came to my gig at The Anchor Room tonight and embarrassed me by singing "Happy Birthday."