Better Multi-tasking Through Copius Amounts of Caffeine

I didn't get as much done today as I should have. I'm going to try to make up for it later this evening by doing some of the less demanding tasks of my week, like the bulletin.

I did so some studying, including reading in a number of my commentaries. We'll be in 1 Cor. 5 this Sunday, a difficult passage. The exegesis and interpretation don't present any real problems, just some interesting features. The real issue is how the teachings of this section about a major problem in the Corinthian church apply to the local church of the 21st century. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying the application is uncertain, just uncommon in the contemporary church.

I lubed the four zerk fittings on the front axle of Gerta. That involved a number of firsts, and so took more time than it will in the future. Where should the floor jack be positioned? The jack stands? Loading the grease gun. But the biggest challenge was getting the gun off the zerk fittings. I yanked and tugged and yanked some more. I eventually got the gun to come loose from each of the fittings but there was a point where I wondered if I'd be dragging a lube gun along the pavement as I drove Gerta.

I took a major life step today. I've been thinking about it for a month or so. It first crossed my mind as I was trailering Gerta back from So Cal and it's come to mind several times since then, most recently a week ago today.
This morning I listed my motorcycle for sale on the BMW Owner's site and on the local edition of Craig's List. Pam will be very surprised when she gets home to hear that I actually listed it. I mentioned it to her last week and she discouraged me from selling it, but it's time.
We currently have four vehicles, and my name isn't Jay Leno. Pam drives the xB and I drive Stealth Reliabity, the motorcycle and Gerta. Seems excessive on the face of it. My rides are all paid for, but insurance adds up. And my rationalization for the bike was the mileage it gets compared to the van; the trips up into the mountains were the frosting. Now Gerta is the mileage maven (~30 mph), even without AC I can ride her in the heat of summer when the motorcycle gear made riding the bike unbearable. Gerta is a different kind of fun, but fun nonetheless.
Last week I rode the bike to the BMW dealer in Scottsdale to get an idea of an appropriate price and was pleased to hear the book on it is $5,100, only $900 less than I paid for it almost four years ago.
Shhhh. Can you hear an HDTV in the distance?

Chris Brown is a 19-year old hip-hop/R&B entertainer who has been at the top of the charts since he was 16. He's very successful with credits that include not just music, but dancing, directing and acting. He was nominated for a Grammy and was supposed to appear in last night's Grammy show. He was also supposed to announce the players in this weekend's NBA Allstar game. He didn't make the first appearance and he won't be making the second. According to reports he beat up his girlfriend and fellow performer, Rhianna. Beat her up pretty severely.

How does a guy beat up a girl? What goes on in his head that makes that possible? I've never hit anyone in my life (hard to swing when you're laying on your back) but I can't imagine what goes on inside a man that leads him hit a woman, never mind beating her repeatedly with closed fists. Yes, I know it happens, I just don't get it.

Of all the things we could do wrong as kids none was guaranteed to bring down the righteous wrath of my father like any form of disrespect towards my mother. If he came home from work and heard a report about back talk or open disobedience the outcome was certain, swift, and involved a now-infamous ruler. I'm sure there were days when he walked through that door ready to drop and wanting just a meal and some peace. But he was never, ever too tired to deal with a kid dumb enough to disrespect his mother.
Trust me, none of us was ever dumb enough to do something like that in his presence.

I have a theory. I suspect that men who beat women didn't have fathers who taught them to respect their mothers. Maybe no father at all. Or a father who treated his wife poorly, spoke to her harshly, belittled her, swore at her.
Actions speak louder than words. So even if a dad tells his kids to respect and obey mom, if he treats her badly they're going to get that message - it's OK to treat women as though they don't matter.
Frued was right. At least in this respect. So was Aretha.

You can probably guess what was guaranteed to bring out that flat block at our house. And because they're pretty bright boys they learned early, like their dad did. They did stuff, but very rarely did they sass their mother or fail to do as she asked.

I'm sure a certain percentage of abusive men are pathological. But I'll bet the vast majority of them are living out, maybe in spades, what they saw modeled growing up. Or their example was a father who disrespected mom by walking out on her.

Dad's, love your kids' mother. Treat her with respect, including in the way you speak to her. All the time, even when you're angry with her.
Your sons' girlfriends, and some day your daughter-in-law depend on it.

Pam came home a few minutes ago and I told her about listing the bike. She said, "Well, that's a very unselfish thing to do."
I'm thinking 38".