July 16, 2009 • 7:22 am 0
I’ve noticed many of you who follow my blog haven’t updated your links to the new site – which is completely redesigned, customized with some special features, and now hosted by yours truly, rather than WordPress. Additionally, you can follow me on Twitter now which I’ll be integrating with the blog shortly.
Blog: http://kevindowker.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kevindowker
Filed under: Technology, technology idolatry
June 6, 2009 • 10:38 pm 0
Now that I have a lull in assisting others in setting up their blogs, I had some time to accomplish something I set out to do months ago. Change your links. The new ‘kd’ blog is up and running here (http://kevindowker.com). Enjoy.
Filed under: Technology
May 13, 2009 • 2:44 pm 0
On the Gospel…
We must not suppose that if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world.
Filed under: Theology, c.s. lewis, gospel, salvation
May 11, 2009 • 8:26 am 6
The Counselor, Mr. Jason Pelt, blogged recently about his upcoming first attempt at a triathlon in Colonial Beach on July 11th. We talked about it at the now-historic Settlers of Cataan tournament this past Saturday and he piqued the interest of both myself and Josh Burke sufficiently to have us join him. We haven’t selected a team name yet, which should be cause for resounding laughter when it’s revealed, whatever it’ll be. There was talk of donning speedos for the event, but I’m not sure I’d go that far for the sake of humor.
I’ll admit, the prospect of competing in both a triathlon and marathon have long been life goals of mine and the closer I get to 40, those hopes are becoming more and more unrealistic (for me, not for people that age in general). So, it’s now or never. The condition of my back somewhat dashed the fitness goals I made for myself at the beginning of the year, so I decided to make a return to the endurance-based activities I enjoy. I started a new running regimen a few weeks ago and it’s going really well – so much so that upon hearing of the triathlon, I knew that a sprint is something I could definitely do. I have some work ahead of me, such as becoming a much more efficient swimmer. I’m a good swimmer, but I’ve never swam anything close to the distance of this sprint – 700 meters. The biking leg will be a piece of cake; I used to ride 50 to 75 miles at a time, so, mentally at least, that won’t present too much of a challenge. Of course, the greatest challenge, despite what may seem like simple events individually, is the combination of these events one after another. What I like about a triathlon is the similarity to the Army’s 3-event physical fitness test, which consists of 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, and a two mile run. The triathlon’s intensity is certainly greater, and it’s been about 6 years since my last Army physical fitness test. I won’t lie; this will be a challenge. I haven’t ridden a bike since before injuring my back and then having back surgery, so sitting in the bike saddle may be difficult.
Speaking of biking, I don’t presently have a road bike. I sold my Cannondale R400 three years ago and now only have a Gary Fisher mountain bike, which I’ll use for this sprint. I need to purchase some road tires and a few other minor pieces of gear, but overall I think I’m pretty well prepared logistically. It would be great for some of you to come out and cheer us on.
May 8, 2009 • 6:33 am 2
It’s been a good week despite the rain. I celebrated my 34th birthday on Wednesday and that precipitated a couple of nice evenings with my two very special girls.
Cierra had plans to take me out to dinner, just her and me, on Wednesday so Tori wanted to do the same on Tuesday. Tori and I enjoyed a very filling dinner at Outback and then spent about two hours at Borders doing what we love most – reading. Fortunately, Tori’s not one for fanfare so when she heard other parties in the restaurant receiving the typical off-key performance of “Happy Birthday” from the restaurant staff, she said, “Don’t worry, Daddy; I didn’t ask them to do that.”
Cierra had been planning a special night for several weeks and she didn’t disappoint. Over the last week or so Cierra was adamant about ensuring I did not have plans for the evening, so I was sure to leave my calendar clear. I picked her up after school and she told me to head for Kobe, our local Japanese steak house, for sushi. We then enjoyed a movie and got soaked in a monsoon-like downpour when leaving the theater. By the time we got home, the rain had stopped, but we were both soaked.
Thank you, girls, for a very special week.
April 19, 2009 • 6:52 am 3
After a very enjoyable day off roaming Monticello and enjoying ice cream in downtown Charlottesville, it was time on Saturday to turn my attention to some spring chores. Since it was such a nice day I figured instead of continuing my spring cleaning, the girls and I would do some work outdoors. After a quick trip to Lowes where the girls selected a wide variety of flowers for our flower bed, some new gardening tools since our old ones have strangely disappeared, we set out to our tasks. As I mowed the lawn – which takes all of 5 minutes – Tori, with her cute little gardening gloves, with trash bag in hand cleared the flower bed of leaves and other debris as Cierra volunteered to make us all some lunch. After lunch, Tori’s task was complete so she deciced to run off and play with the other little girls in our court, and Cierra jumped in to help position and plant our new flowers. They both are hard workers and our job turned out with excellent results.
Filed under: Family, landscaping
April 18, 2009 • 9:30 pm 1
So, our trip to Charlottesville yesterday turned out to be a great choice of activities for the nicest day of spring thus far. Due to a late start – I remembered I had a doctor’s appointment early yesterday morning – we decided to eat at Michie Tavern first. The venue was very rustic, the staff dressed in authentic Revolutionary era garb, and the food was very good – though a little pricey. We then drove the extra mile or so up the hill to the brand new visitor center at Monticello, which just opened this past Wednesday. It appears no expense was spared in creating a first class experience for the thousands of visitors who grace the grounds of Jefferson’s famous home every year, including a first rate visitor center complete with a cafe, museum, children’s discovery room, and movie theater. Though we had to wait three hours for our tour inside the famous home, our time was well spent on the grounds viewing Jefferson’s famous produce gardens, the family cemetary, stables, kitchen, servants quarters, and all the other “ahead of it’s time” features that made Monticello a remarkably efficient manor. Here are some pictures from our trip:
Filed under: Culture, Family, monticello
April 17, 2009 • 7:04 am 0
The girls and I are heading to Charlottesville today with Josh and Jadey. 
It’s the final day of the girls’ spring break so I decided to take a day off from work – yes! – and enjoy what is turning out to be a beautiful day with a temperature expected to reach the low 70s. I’ve got my camera in hand; Monticello is first on our list followed by a lunch stop at Michie Tavern. Later on we’ll drive into the city to take a stroll through the downtown mall and do a little shopping and site seeing. I’m excited; I’ll try to post some pics later today.
Filed under: Culture, Family, charlottesville, michie tavern, monticello, virginia
April 2, 2009 • 7:46 am 0
March 31, 2009 • 2:35 pm 0
Bob Dylan, who’s in his sixties by the way, will be releasing his 33rd studio album in late April. If you go to his website, you can read an interesting article about the record and a variety of other subjects that came up in the process, and it’s all quintessential Dylan material. In fact, here’s what will likely become known as a vintage Dylan interplay:
What’s your take on politics?Politics is entertainment. It’s a sport. It’s for the well groomed and well heeled. The impeccably dressed. Party animals. Politicians are interchangeable.Don’t you believe in the democratic process?Yeah, but what’s that got to do with politics? Politics creates more problems than it solves. It can be counter-productive. The real power is in the hands of small groups of people and I don’t think they have titles.
