MacGyver

My favorite TV show from my childhood is now available for free streaming on CBS, here.

I loved the intelligence/resourcefulness of the main character (very high on the geek factor) … and it had a catchy theme song.

If I had to name a computer with a Mac themed name, macgyver (or "gyver") would be on my short list.

This entry was originally published at Abel's Island

Weekend to Remember

Last, last week, my dear fiancee and I attended the FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference. Highly recommended for all married and soon-to-be-married couples. If you're interested in going anytime the rest of this year, I can give you a group discount code.

On the first day, they didn't say much that you couldn't get from a secular relationship seminar … but as the conference progressed (from Friday evening, all Saturday, and Sunday morning), a God-centered, Christian world-view emerged.

Two main speakers traded off sessions (and sometimes, with their wives) and they were both engaging and entertaining. I enjoyed the more intimate setting of the breakout session for pre-married folk. Also, for one session, the speakers addressed the men and their wives addressed the women. One of the speakers was amazing … he had eight children (all biological with the same wife) and just adopted another—he looked quite young for his age (in his forties). Anyhow, I was touched by his stories of how he grew up with many father figures shifting in and out of his life (not meeting his biological father until he was 30), what fatherhood meant to him, and how he was able to be a father in spite of his past.

Anyhow, I bought a bag o'books for $70 … will keep my book pipeline full for a little while (at least one I'll have to save to read after the wedding). Yes, I love books.

Given that I've done a lot of reading of relationship books and listening to the FamilyLife podcasts, and went to another relationship conference earlier this year, most of this material was not new to me. However, it was valuable to just have some dedicated time to try to take what I already knew and try to apply it to our relationship … and even more, it gives both of us a common point of reference for discussion. And, besides, any time with my future wife is cherished.

Afterwards, we went up to Woodland to visit my folks and to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of their church.

I was pretty tired after the entire weekend (all the driving to San Ramon each day, and then to Woodland, and back) … but it was good … very good.

This entry was originally published at Abel's Island

Worship Retrospective

Led worship on the keyboard yesterday. What a blessing it was to see and hear people singing out.

I had to find an appropriate patch that worked for leading. I love the gospel organ sound, but I wasn't able to make it work (more because of my lack of skill), though it's great for filling in with another lead instrument (accompanying guitar or piano). The clean EP sounds nice for mellow songs but couldn't drive for more intensity. Then I discovered the 70's electric piano sound … was mellow yet full sounding when playing light but had enough bite when I pounded on it … so that's what I used. In the future, it'll probably be my go-to patch when leading (seems most versatile for my needs).

I love hearing PK preach.

This entry was originally published at Abel's Island

Finding Travel Deals

In looking for hotels for the honeymoon, I looked into my hotel chain points … and found that my Hilton account had expired (that I had 13,000 points on) … but it required 30,000 points for a free night's stay at a 4 star hotel. Ah, well. My La Quinta rewards membership didn't have record of my stays (got a couple of days reinstated). And I'd have to have a couple more days of stays for a free night (and I don't expect to travel anytime soon). I guess I'm not much of a traveler.

After some Google searching, I found two sites that explain the strategy for bidding on Priceline.com and Hotwire.com: Better Bidding and Bidding for Travel. They give suggestions on prices to bid … and how to get free rebids. Reading about booking 4* hotels for $50 a night. Wow! I really haven't done much shopping for travel and don't have much experience with either of PL or HW, but these two bidding guidance sites are really helpful and comforting (otherwise, it'd be like a shot in the dark).

So, what sort of experience do people have with these "opaque" travel sites (that is Priceline.com or Hotwire.com)?

This entry was originally published at Abel's Island

Product Research

I'm an information junkie. Yeah, I admit it. I'm not comfortable making a large purchase without a lot of research.

Anyhow, lately, I've had the opportunity to do lots and lots of research in preparation for starting a new life together with my fiance, for things such as:

• Engagement ring
• Housewares (especially for the kitchen)
• Honeymoon destination

The Internet is great! There's an abundance of resources … but you have to know where to look (there are a lot of sites that have a lot of words just to attract ad revenue but scarce content).

I've grown up on Consumer Reports and trust its reviews. I've got a subscription … and it's nice that I'm able to refer back to old issues that I didn't pay much attention to before.

A great starting point on the Internet is Consumer Search, which compiles summaries of other reviews.

Another great resource I discovered is Cook's Illustrated. It's like Consumer Reports for cooking (awesome to read for a geek like me). It has equipment reviews where they actually do comparative product testing, some of which you can access via Google (without needing an actual subscription). If nothing else, I found a lot of references to high ratings by CI in people's product reviews in other places like on Amazon.com.

Update:

I found that most of the equipment recommendations from Cook's Illustrated are available here on America's Test Kitchen (the companion show/site to CI).

This entry was originally published at Abel's Island