May 2012
7 posts
2 tags
4 tags
4 tags
4 tags
3 tags
NDAA Declared Unconstitutional →
Even though I don’t currently live there, I do love the US. I really do. But it has its flaws, and the things it does scare me sometimes. The NDAA is one of those things.
The whole purpose of the Bill of Rights is to spell out those rights that cannot be taken away from us. It delineates the very freedoms that our nation is built on. The freedoms our Founding Fathers fought and died for....
3 tags
Autism in Korea →
Short but interesting feature about an autism study done a year ago in Korea. I have a couple students who I don’t think have autism, but have some sort of learning disability or social disability. This article helps explain why the other teachers don’t like talking about it.
4 tags
April 2012
4 posts
Note to church building designers: 10 flights of stairs does not a Stairway to...
1 tag
4 tags
March 2012
3 posts
3 tags
5 tags
1 tag
February 2012
1 post
3 tags
6 Reasons Being Single On Valentine’s Day Isn’t... →
In celebration of Singles Awareness Day…
January 2012
2 posts
7 tags
5 tags
Dammit, Jim! I'm a waiter, not a park ranger!
Ooooooooooooooh campers annoy me. Don’t get me wrong. As a restaurant customer, you are entitled to eat and relax at your own pace. But please, be reasonable about it.
If the restaurant is really busy and most or all the other tables are full, please leave. You’re taking up space that another customer would like and preventing them from leaving me another tip.
Most of the time, I...
November 2011
1 post
6 tags
What do you consider an adequate tip for a waiter?
Before starting off on this new venture (see below), I thought I’d ask a couple questions and see what thoughts other people have. What do you consider an adequate tip for a waiter who provides adequate service?
What do you consider adequate service?
Did you know that minimum wage is different (lower!) for waitstaff than it is for other jobs? Well, in the USA, anyway.
This is the first...
October 2011
1 post
August 2011
2 posts
2 tags
10 Myths About Introverts →
Here’s another post about introverts.
3 tags
Caring for Your Introvert →
Hello. My name is Jon. You may know me as ‘Milton’. I am an introvert.
July 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Center for Khmer Studies →
I figured I should tell people what it is I’m doing this summer. I am participating in the Khmer Language and Culture Study Program through the Center for Khmer Studies. Basically, it’s a beginner-level Khmer language program geared towards academics, but participation is pretty much open to anyone whose work will benefit Cambodia and the Cambodian community.
It’s an intense...
6 tags
June 2011
3 posts
6 tags
30 days of 30 years
I’ve been in school almost non-stop since I was 5. That’s 25 years. A quarter of a century. A third of my life expectancy. And I don’t have a whole lot to show for it. No wife, no kids, no career, no house, no major appliances. A hand-me-down car. FML.
Thirty days ago, all I could see was what my friends had and what I didn’t. LASIK may have fixed my eyes, but it really...
6 tags
Open Institute →
Part of my class involves weekly visits to local NGOs. Our first was the Open Institute, which seeks to encourage educational and economic development in Cambodia through the use of of free, open source software in Khmer. They developed a Khmer Unicode font, a Khmer-language version of Open Office, a Khmer-language web browser, and a Khmer-language email client. And a training program (including...
7 tags
Writing Faith →
Just wanted to give a shout out to my boy Thomspon Dou. He’s spending the summer with a team from Adventures in Missions. He’ll be doing some construction work, playing with the kids, and of course, sharing God’s love.
I don’t know how often he’ll be posting, but you can follow his thoughts and adventures at the link in the title.
March 2011
3 posts
7 tags
Buffs in Cambodia →
A trip to Cambodia marks West Texas A&M University’s fourth international sojourn as winners of the annual Readership WT essay contest departed Wednesday for Phnom Penh on a nine-day learning experience.
The nine-day trip will introduce the students to the Cambodian culture through home stays with local Cambodian families. They will visit local markets and experience the country’s foods and...
3 tags
8 tags
Twisted Optiks →
About the album:
A sophomore release album that generates love through hard-hitting beats, mesmerizing melodies, and lyrics that compliment each track right from the artist’s heart. Journey from raw gritty hip hop to melancholy thought music on this breathtaking album.
Just trying to keep the hype going. This album dropped a month ago. This link will also get you to his first album. Try...
February 2011
4 posts
4 tags
4 tags
Organ Trail →
Anybody remember Oregon Trail? The best part of going to the computer lab back in elementary school? Here’s an updated version.
With zombies!
4 tags
3 tags
Kindling More Disappointment
So I was reading my first post about the Kindle 3 and realized I didn’t talk about the bad stuff much. Other than the cost, I actually talked about the advantages of a Kindle more than the disadvantages. Here goes:
For one thing, the e-Ink or whatever it’s called. It does come pretty close to looking like a regular book. However, you still need another light source to read it. Okay,...
January 2011
4 posts
3 tags
Kindling Disappointment
I got a a Kindle 3 (with 3G and Wi-Fi) for Christmas. I put it on my Christmas list, so it was something I wanted—something I wanted but didn’t want to spend my own money on. I did research and narrowed down my my choices to the iPad, the NOOK color, and the Kindle. I decided against the iPad because I didn’t really need all the other features it offered and frankly, I’m...
4 tags
Hulu Minus
I don’t watch TV. Well, kinda. I’m a grad student, so all my classes are during Prime Time. And when I was working full-time, I spent my free evenings (ha!) doing homework or running errands. And when I moved away from Denton, I lost my free cable, so I really couldn’t watch anything even if I wanted to.
I made up for with Netflix. Besides movies, I could get old TV series on...
4 tags
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the...
– CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
2 tags
This film is almost word-for-word based on a short story by James Clavell, and it’s one of the creepiest, scariest damn things I’ve ever read. We read it in class - can’t remember what grade - and it has bothered me ever since. Still gives me the shivers.
If you have any questions, I’d love to discuss it with you.
November 2010
1 post
October 2010
3 posts
3 tags
6 tags
Advanced Auto Repair →
Okay, so this isn’t a true website spotlight, but I felt they deserved a little love. I just got back from from getting a new battery cable put on. Car starts so much more easily now!
I’ve been going to this garage pretty much as long as I’ve attended UNT—to the point that they know me by name. They may not be the cheapest shop around, but they do good work. Everyone is...
3 tags
Hulu →
This is one of the websites I missed the most while in Cambodia — it’s only available to users within the US.
I had a TV in my apt, but I haven’t subscribed to cable service in several years. Mainly because of money and time. As a grad student, all my classes are in the evenings after work, so even if I wanted to watch, I’d be in class. And around the time LOST and Heroes...
September 2010
1 post
4 tags
Extra Large is Excellent!
Confession: I just spent the last 30 minutes trying on old clothes.
Why?
Because I look and feel so damn good!
I struggle with my weight, and I have two sets of clothes: my ‘fat’ clothes and my, well, ‘less fat’ clothes. Less than a year ago, I couldn’t wear my ‘less fat’ clothes - I was simply too fat. Some of them actually hurt to put on.
I knew...
July 2010
9 posts
2 tags
Neatorama →
Really, just a bunch of neat-o articles.
3 tags
Seat Guru →
This is a very informative and detailed site about the seats on airplanes. When a carrier orders a jet, it can request a unique seat arrangement, so the planes are listed first by airline and then by type.
One problem that I have, though, is that plane information isn’t always readily available. I recently booked a ticket and will be on a Boeing 737. However, the airline I’ll be...
3 tags
Things I'm Learning to Live With(out) - Lizards
Or: Things for Which I Have a New Appreciation.
And now for a shift to something disgusting and funny
Elevators
Surreality
Air Conditioning & Hot Water (a two-fer)
Fires
Reliable Public Utilities
Dust
Roadkill
A Regular Hair Person
The People Around Me
Physical Proximity
YouTube
Safety & Security
a Clothes Dryer
My Own Car
Seasons
People Who Clap with the Beat
Ants
...
3 tags
Not a Locavore
No photos today, just an observation.
I’ve been noticing that a lot of the food I eat isn’t from Cambodia. My cereal is from Australia, my yogurt is from Thailand, and my potato chips/crisps are from Malaysia. Even my salsa is from Australia and my tortilla chips are from Singapore.
Back in the US, I never really questioned where my food came from. Even if it wasn’t locally...
4 tags
Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to [God’s commands].
There is...
– Ecclesiastes 12:12-14
2 tags
5 tags
Things I'm Learning to Live With(out) - Children...
Or: Things for Which I Have a New Appreciation.
After a long hiatus, a depressing post.
Elevators
Surreality
Air Conditioning & Hot Water (a two-fer)
Fires
Reliable Public Utilities
Dust
Roadkill
A Regular Hair Person
The People Around Me
Physical Proximity
YouTube
Safety & Security
a Clothes Dryer
My Own Car
Seasons
People Who Clap with the Beat
Ants
Breezes
Phone...
4 tags