D finally managed to find time to phone and tell me the details of his job interview. He said it was a five minute walk from the hotel to the campus of the National Institute of Health. He said 15,000 people work there--I had no idea! His building, the National Cancer Institute, is three years old and six stories high. He said the building has eight electron microscopes in it, three in the section he will work in. He said the interview started with a cup of tea! I didn't even know D drank tea, but he informed he he learned to drink it during that semester in Ireland. The director's first question was, "If we offer you this job, are you going to take it?" Looks like they really want him. Amazing.
He said they showed him the projects they are working on, gave him papers produced there, and showed off all the cool equipment. I'm going to have to look up and learn about "electron tomography." The computer he will work on is some kind of graphics computer with 16 gigabytes of RAM. And there is also a room (?) of processors to do "parallel cluster processing"--I'm not sure if I got that right. He would spend 60-70% of his time with these imaging computers, and the rest in the "wet lab" to get experience with real chemical and biological samples.
He said money did not seem to be a problem, they have lots of it and get more when that runs out. They offered him $4000/yr more than he was expecting, but the total isn't a huge amount considering the high cost of living for the DC area.
Logistics--looks like he won't need a car because of the good metro system. They don't offer any help with housing, but they've directed him to a website for government workers looking for housing, and they told him if he shares with someone else, he shouldn't have to spend more than $700/mo on rent. They do offer health insurance as part of the deal. He starts right after Labor Day.
Saturday, May 08, 2004
Friday, May 07, 2004
Cat hair
White kitty has been laying on top of a pile of floppy disks all afternoon. Probably not a good idea.
Another blog
I had an idea today to make another blog specifically for my family members. This way, I can tell my chitchat news but not have to write separate emails to everyone. I don't know if this will turn out to be a good idea or not, but I'll try it for a few days. If not, there is a nice DELETE BLOG button here somewhere.
When I tried to set the new blog up, I completely messed up the template. Then I had the idea to copy and paste from this one. That worked, then I removed a few things, but basically left the titles and commenting thing in place.
When an author writes, he or she usually has an audience in mind; with this blog, I'm still trying to figure out who I am writing to. I thought I was just talking to myself, but...
I also just discovered that Blogger works differently in Opera than it does in IE. Hmm, I'll have to investigate that a bit more.
When I tried to set the new blog up, I completely messed up the template. Then I had the idea to copy and paste from this one. That worked, then I removed a few things, but basically left the titles and commenting thing in place.
When an author writes, he or she usually has an audience in mind; with this blog, I'm still trying to figure out who I am writing to. I thought I was just talking to myself, but...
I also just discovered that Blogger works differently in Opera than it does in IE. Hmm, I'll have to investigate that a bit more.
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Last payment, travel plans
Yay, today we made the last payment for Rachel 4th year at college. Two months without payments before we start them again for her last year. Next year will include her student teaching semester, and she has already been awarded a nice scholarship for that semester. Lord, thank you for helping her to get this far!
I also made hotel bookings for two rooms in scenic Marion, Indiana for the night before David's graduation. My sister and her family, along with my brother, will drive down from Michigan and join us for David's graduation. It will be a hectic time, but we will all get to be together briefly. My mom is also coming with us in our van and bringing along boxes of grandma's stuff to give to relatives in Michigan. Andrew is flying in from Boston, Gary is flying in from North Carolina. David's HS friend Caleb will drive up with me, Rachel and mom and he can help me with the driving--yay (since I hate driving).
And speaking of travel, D. flies to Washington DC tomorrow to interview for a job in Bethesda, MD at the National Cancer Institute. Wouldn't that be the coolest research job for a little punk like him? Lord, show him if this is the direction you have for him. And take care of him while he travels.
I also made hotel bookings for two rooms in scenic Marion, Indiana for the night before David's graduation. My sister and her family, along with my brother, will drive down from Michigan and join us for David's graduation. It will be a hectic time, but we will all get to be together briefly. My mom is also coming with us in our van and bringing along boxes of grandma's stuff to give to relatives in Michigan. Andrew is flying in from Boston, Gary is flying in from North Carolina. David's HS friend Caleb will drive up with me, Rachel and mom and he can help me with the driving--yay (since I hate driving).
And speaking of travel, D. flies to Washington DC tomorrow to interview for a job in Bethesda, MD at the National Cancer Institute. Wouldn't that be the coolest research job for a little punk like him? Lord, show him if this is the direction you have for him. And take care of him while he travels.
Monday, May 03, 2004
MKs
MK stands for missionary kid, if anyone reading this doesn't know. MKs are a great bunch of kids. And they grow up to be great adults too. (Of course, not all of them, but...)
There is a very active MK youth group here, one for Jr. High, and another for Sr. High. They meet together every Monday night with official leaders for accountability groups, singing, teaching, and fellowship.
Tonight was a special MK meeting to honor the MKs who will be graduating from high school in the next few weeks. It was a large group of seniors, over 12, I think. One of the staff members made a video featuring photos of these seniors from baby to now--it was a lot of fun.
Our exchange daughter was quickly accepted by this group last August, and her (considerable) social life revolves around this group. She fits in because she is a Christian, and because she is foreign, and because she accepts everybody (at least initially) without first deciding if they are cool or not. Of course, it also helps that she is the most outgoing person I have ever met in my life.
I have a lot of admiration for the staff who work with this group. It is a big organizational job just to keep all the activities going, but more to the point, they really love and care for these kids. Most of the staff are grown MKs themselves, or else are married to MKs. One of the younger staff members tonight told me he liked working with this group because he didn't have to explain himself--they already know what it is like to grow up in an exotic country and then to the USA. We weren't at all surprised about his desire to become ambassador to X one day.
Lord, thank you for this group of MKs. Draw the close to yourself as they transition into a new phase of life.
There is a very active MK youth group here, one for Jr. High, and another for Sr. High. They meet together every Monday night with official leaders for accountability groups, singing, teaching, and fellowship.
Tonight was a special MK meeting to honor the MKs who will be graduating from high school in the next few weeks. It was a large group of seniors, over 12, I think. One of the staff members made a video featuring photos of these seniors from baby to now--it was a lot of fun.
Our exchange daughter was quickly accepted by this group last August, and her (considerable) social life revolves around this group. She fits in because she is a Christian, and because she is foreign, and because she accepts everybody (at least initially) without first deciding if they are cool or not. Of course, it also helps that she is the most outgoing person I have ever met in my life.
I have a lot of admiration for the staff who work with this group. It is a big organizational job just to keep all the activities going, but more to the point, they really love and care for these kids. Most of the staff are grown MKs themselves, or else are married to MKs. One of the younger staff members tonight told me he liked working with this group because he didn't have to explain himself--they already know what it is like to grow up in an exotic country and then to the USA. We weren't at all surprised about his desire to become ambassador to X one day.
Lord, thank you for this group of MKs. Draw the close to yourself as they transition into a new phase of life.
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Broken hearts
No, not mine. My heart is fine. But one of my kids has just broken up and now has a hurting heart. I guess that makes it unanimous: all three kids have now had an official broken heart from a failed romance. Broken hearts hurt, I know that. But they have value too. They are a time to learn about oneself and about others. Lord, help my kids to trust you, to turn to you when they hurt. Help them not to lose hope in your care for them, nor lose hope that you will one day bring them into happy marriages.
Friday, April 30, 2004
Coming and going
Doro's foot is still swollen, but maybe a bit better. She doesn't want to go to the doctor.
A. just phoned and has accepted a tentative position for a job with a Christian relief agency. The job would start late summer, I think. The details still have to be worked out, but his first few months will probably be spent in a war country. Lord, take care of him. We're very proud of him, we're not at all surprised at this job. But it did make me think about this being another phase in my empty nest, one of the chickadees really a long ways away for a really long time. But he has been headed in this direction for quite some time, and I think it is where God wants him to be. Lord, take care of him.
R. phoned today, I hadn't talked to her in quite a few days. She had just turned in a project and was feeling good about having that done. One more big project to finish over the weekend and turn in on Monday. Then she will be mostly done, except for exams. Wow, the end of 4 years for her. Thank you, Lord. One more year to go.
A. just phoned and has accepted a tentative position for a job with a Christian relief agency. The job would start late summer, I think. The details still have to be worked out, but his first few months will probably be spent in a war country. Lord, take care of him. We're very proud of him, we're not at all surprised at this job. But it did make me think about this being another phase in my empty nest, one of the chickadees really a long ways away for a really long time. But he has been headed in this direction for quite some time, and I think it is where God wants him to be. Lord, take care of him.
R. phoned today, I hadn't talked to her in quite a few days. She had just turned in a project and was feeling good about having that done. One more big project to finish over the weekend and turn in on Monday. Then she will be mostly done, except for exams. Wow, the end of 4 years for her. Thank you, Lord. One more year to go.
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Fire ants
Yesterday Doro got bitten by some fire ants on her feet. Today she came home from school with one foot really swollen. She seems to be reacting pretty badly. I gave her benedryl which made her take a nap before dinner and another one after dinner. If it isn't better tomorrow, maybe she needs to go to the clinic.
Speaking of Doro, I put some photos of her prom on my website. I decided to only put up three, but they are good ones.
Speaking of Doro, I put some photos of her prom on my website. I decided to only put up three, but they are good ones.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Fixing up my blog
Well, I don't want to brag or anything, but I'm happy that I've figured out how to make my blog look a little better with some images from my website. I'm sure the html changes I made are not very clean, but they seem to work, so that will have to be good enough.
I've also updated my website with more photos from Grandma's funeral, Easter, and more wildflowers.
Ok, time to go to bed.
I've also updated my website with more photos from Grandma's funeral, Easter, and more wildflowers.
Ok, time to go to bed.
Nice weather
The last two days we have been enjoying the nicest weather. It was rainy over the weekend, and we needed rain, so that was good. But after the rain stopped, the weather has been perfect--sunny, warm but not too warm, and clear. I always tell my out-of-state friends that April and October are the best times to come to Dallas. April is actually better than October because of the bluebonnets.
G's wildflowers are in full bloom. Well, I can hardly call them wild since he tends them every weekend, but the seeds were called wildflower mixture when he planted them about 5-6 years ago. It is interesting to see how each year the mixture of flowers is a bit different. The first year was the very best, with a couple dozen varieties, I think. Since then it has been a botany lesson in watching which are the dominate species. But that balance is upset too because G pulls out the Mexican hats in order to let the other stuff grow. They are beautiful, and lots of people slow down and gawk as they drive by.
The fire ants have come out of the ground with a vengeance since the rain too. D seems to be quite sensitive to them and has several bites on her feet that look pretty nasty.
G's wildflowers are in full bloom. Well, I can hardly call them wild since he tends them every weekend, but the seeds were called wildflower mixture when he planted them about 5-6 years ago. It is interesting to see how each year the mixture of flowers is a bit different. The first year was the very best, with a couple dozen varieties, I think. Since then it has been a botany lesson in watching which are the dominate species. But that balance is upset too because G pulls out the Mexican hats in order to let the other stuff grow. They are beautiful, and lots of people slow down and gawk as they drive by.
The fire ants have come out of the ground with a vengeance since the rain too. D seems to be quite sensitive to them and has several bites on her feet that look pretty nasty.
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Bass Hall
After church today I went to a concert with my friend K. at Bass Hall in Ft.Worth. It was the first time I've ever been there. It was a cool place. Of course it was easy to make comparisons with the Myerson Hall in Dallas, but they are both cool places. The Ft. Worth Symphony orchestra played Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Brahms. We had nosebleed seats, but still the sound was so good. I did get a little sleepy, it was so relaxing, but I woke up when the last movement of the Brahms when I started hearing the hymn "We are God's People." The last line: O let us live transparently, and walk heart to heart and hand in hand.
The rain of the weekend has stopped and the sun has come out. We are having one of those beautiful spring days of April in Dallas. Soon it will be too hot.
The rain of the weekend has stopped and the sun has come out. We are having one of those beautiful spring days of April in Dallas. Soon it will be too hot.
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Thank you, Lord
Early Saturday afternoon R phoned and said she was home from taking her test (2nd out of 3 tests for her teacher certification). She seemed very happy with how it had gone. Sometimes she overestimates how well she does on tests, so I hope she really did do OK. It was good to hear her sound relieved that it was over. Thank you, Lord, for helping her with the test, thank you for the kids who gave her rides there and back.
Friday, April 23, 2004
Tests and technology
Lord, help R tomorrow morning as she takes her test. Help her to sleep well tonight, and to wake up when she needs to, and find her ride. Help her to concentrate and do as well as she can on that test.
Today someone handed me $40 and said, "Use this to towards a DVD player." So I bought a DVD/VCR today when I went to Sam's. It seemed to take me a long to time get it hooked up to the TV, however, and the DVD of G's birthday concert isn't playing properly. Be patient, I tell myself. Don't get in a tizzy. I'm getting annoyed with the younger generation who knows everything about everything, especially how to get the DVD player to work! AAARRRGGG!
Today someone handed me $40 and said, "Use this to towards a DVD player." So I bought a DVD/VCR today when I went to Sam's. It seemed to take me a long to time get it hooked up to the TV, however, and the DVD of G's birthday concert isn't playing properly. Be patient, I tell myself. Don't get in a tizzy. I'm getting annoyed with the younger generation who knows everything about everything, especially how to get the DVD player to work! AAARRRGGG!
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Airport runs
I have just gotten back from the airport. Again. In fact, this is the 9th airport run I have made in 12 days. That stretch actually included 3 different airports (DFW, Dallas Love, and Grand Rapids) and 3 different cars (our van, a rental car, and a friend's car). I'm ready to stay home and have G stay home too.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
More on kids' jobs and housing
It seems like the Lord is doing some things with my kids' jobs already. Today A forwarded an email from his former employer with a lead on a job in Africa. Then D had a phone interview with the National Cancer Institute. And I got an application for R to fill out too. Thank you, Lord, for these encouraging signs. Lead them all to the jobs you have for them. Help us all to trust you.
Today the Lord also worked out a housing situation for R for next school year. She will be able to have a private room on first floor of the freshman dorm. At first I didn't like that idea, but I guess they advise all the student teachers to have private rooms because they have to get up so early (and therefore go to bed so early).
Today the Lord also worked out a housing situation for R for next school year. She will be able to have a private room on first floor of the freshman dorm. At first I didn't like that idea, but I guess they advise all the student teachers to have private rooms because they have to get up so early (and therefore go to bed so early).
Monday, April 19, 2004
Driving
I hate driving. I've never like driving all that much, and I'm getting to hate it more and more. But since the time G's Stargart's disease got to a certain point, I've been doing most of the driving. One reason I hate driving is I hate getting lost, but it seems to happen frequently. I also hate traffic, and there seems to be more and more of it.
Today I drove to Love Field. I got lost. My city map wasn't in the car. I stopped to ask directions, and they told me a way that didn't fit in with what little I already knew about the area. But I did eventually make it there, in plenty of time. So I should just stop complaining, shouldn't I? I mean here are the good things: I can see well enough to drive, my car runs well enough to drive, I have insurance and gas to drive, and I haven't been in an accident. "So look at the bright side," I tell myself.
Today I drove to Love Field. I got lost. My city map wasn't in the car. I stopped to ask directions, and they told me a way that didn't fit in with what little I already knew about the area. But I did eventually make it there, in plenty of time. So I should just stop complaining, shouldn't I? I mean here are the good things: I can see well enough to drive, my car runs well enough to drive, I have insurance and gas to drive, and I haven't been in an accident. "So look at the bright side," I tell myself.
Summer jobs
All my kids are looking into jobs or summer jobs at the moment. A. is contacting his former employer, whose jobs can be in dangerous parts of the world. D. is checking out a research job at a medical institute on the east coast. R. has a couple ideas, but there are complications. Lord, lead them clearly, give them the wisdom to know what you want and the courage to follow you.
Sunday, April 18, 2004
2nd day of blogging
Well, I'm learning a few new things about blogging. I figured how to change the time and I learned how to make titles. I'm trying to remember the few little things I learned about HTML when I made my website. Today I learned what deprecated means, not that I really needed to know.
To change the topic--tonight at my Bible study we heard horror stories of sudden onset mental illness. How can a young man in his twenties, with absolutely no previous hint of mental illness, suddenly "go crazy"? It is causing untold pain to his wife, his parents, her parents, etc. On top of that, there is a messy situation with medications, hospitalizations, insurance, etc. Lord, help that family.
To change the topic--tonight at my Bible study we heard horror stories of sudden onset mental illness. How can a young man in his twenties, with absolutely no previous hint of mental illness, suddenly "go crazy"? It is causing untold pain to his wife, his parents, her parents, etc. On top of that, there is a messy situation with medications, hospitalizations, insurance, etc. Lord, help that family.
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