Brian, the senior religion teacher, delivered the morning prayer before an all-school assembly yesterday. Before the prayer, he told us this story: There was a farmer working out in his field one day. A traveler was walking down the road next to the field. The traveler motioned for the farmer to come over to talk. […]
Within the course of a lengthy conversation covering a gamut of topics like retreats, Thomism, and his new parish assignment, I asked a young priest what was the best thing and worse thing about his new job? He said that the best part is being there for people, especially at some critical point in their […]
In preparing to use toilet paper, should one wad or fold? (Hint: Theoretically, one of these methods will help facilitate the dissolving of the toilet paper in water.)
What is the optimum length of toilet paper needed to get the job done? Or, as my daughter would ask, how much can I use without clogging up the commode?
How should toilet paper hang? Should the end of the roll be in the front and drape over the top, or at the bottom and go under and behind the roll?
Photo by Don Norman This problem was originally investigated by usability expert Don Norman, and reworded into the form of a question by Gil Milbauer. In an attempt to provide a mechanism where someone is not left in a situation with no toilet paper, some establishments have installed dual toilet paper dispensers. The question is, […]
Have you tried the new guacamole flavored Doritos yet? They are pretty good, although how much they taste like real guacamole is debatable. But be fore-warned: they go in green, and come out green!
I was watching a TV show called Oswald with my three-old son this afternoon. Oswald is a children’s cartoon about an eternally optimistic, soft-spoken, blue and round octopus. In this particular episode, he first meets his happy-go-lucky friend Daisy the flower. She is busy catching leaves for her leaf collection. Then he meets his anal-retentive […]
Ever heard of the phrase “you’re one in a million” used as a compliment? With over 6 billion people currently alive in the world today, that means there are 6,000 people just like you! (The population of the state of Oklahoma is about 4.5 million. Ironically, there are four people in the state with the […]
Some people just won’t let you help them. At noon today, my teenage daughter and I were driving down the interstate. It was along a semi-suburban/rural area of the interstate, just at the eastern edge of Oklahoma City. There was this lady, walking with the flow of traffic on the inside of the highway near […]
The best place to be during a graduation is with the seniors lining up before the ceremony. There was a positive energy, with a hint of happy anxiety, that filled the air at last night’s graduation. The students were beaming. Of course, there were a couple seniors whose body language and attitude showed that they […]
I was driving down the interstate this morning and began to thing about control. Within all the rush hour traffic, I realized that the only control I really had was the space in front of me, that space between myself and the car in front of me. Sure, I was controlling the steering wheel, how […]
Yesterday was the last day of classes for seniors at the high school where I teach. I always have mixed emotions about the last day of school. (I have another last day of school to go through with the underclassmen.) The last day is further complicated since most of my seniors are exempt from their […]
A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts, “Excuse me. Can you help me? I promised my client that I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don’t know where I […]
Have you ever been cutting something in the kitchen and accidently cut yourself? In that instant, time seems to stop, and you can see the razor edge of the knife blade slice into the skin of your finger. And in that same instant, a non-verbal part of your brain thinks, “Oh man! This is going […]
Earlier in the week, I noticed in one of the news reports a scene of Iraqi people cheering the arrival of Coalition forces. About 10% of the crowd was holding and waving palms around in the air. I was reminded of the scene in Mark 11:1-10 where Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt. I am […]
I was following this person driving a brand-new BMW this morning and began to think about how far technology has progressed. The automobile has come a long way since Ford’s Model T. Cars have an amazing amount of the electronic and electric-powered devices built into them these days to enhance our driving experience. These devices […]
With Spring in the air and Easter just around the corner, I found some fantastic images of flowers. Katinka Matson has managed to produce some of the most striking digital images of flowers. The colors and the composition just leap out at you. And here is the catch, she does not use a camera! She […]
Our esteemed state leaders decreed that every school in Oklahoma will have spring break at the same time, that is, during the third week of March. As the weather would have it, we have had four days straight of rain and gray skies with temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s. Today, the last official day […]
Looks like spring is here in central Oklahoma. The dogwood trees started blooming two or three days ago. Many types of grasses have greened up. And today, I noticed that first hint of green on a lot of the trees. Although the skies were gray today (and despite the news of the war), my heart […]