What's Cool on the Internet?

Every once in awhile I find something cool on the Internet. As I have been pondering why I blog, I thought to my self, "Self, you should share some of those cool things." At the very least it would give me something to write about and share, and at the most enlighten you on things you may or may not have found on your own.

So I am continuing, what has become a regular feature on my blog:

(::disclaimer:: Obviously, this feature is subjective)

So what, you may ask, is worthy enough to be featured in this ,er, feature?

RetroJunk.com

This site is dedicated to Movies, TV Shows, Commercials and People from the 70's, 80's and 90's.  "Your Memory Machine."

This is a site you really have to explore.  Most things you find you have already completely forgotten about.  But at RetroJunk.com they survive on to give you a flash from the past.

Remember any Cartoons before or after school when your were growing up?  How about these classics:  He-Man, Smurfs, or Star Blazers.  Or maybe the more obscure:  Great Space Coaster, or Bugaloos?

What about the TV shows you grew up watching?  Major Dad or Who's the Boss?

Or a creepy commercial that kept you up at night? Dancing Raisins?

You can either search for something you specifically remember.  Or, click on a category and then era and read the list and click "next" until something catches your eye.

This is a cool site to reminisce with, so check it out ... RetroJunk.com ... it's what's cool on the Internet.

I Sometimes Forget I Have a House in Washington

It's true.  I don't always think about the reality that we still have a house in Monroe.

Also known as the "yellow house"

Since we have been in Maui for a year now, our lives are pretty focused on what we are doing here.  Mandy sends our renters a monthly "rent due" reminder, but other than that ... out of sight, out of mind.

It is strange to think about that.  When we found our "yellow house", it really was a huge blessing.  My wife (who has her own blog) and I had been living in our "blue house" on Maple St. for awhile (we moved there July 2000, right before Caleb was born).  It was a 2 bedroom house and by the time Micah was born it was awfully crowded (I am the father of four).

The kiddos in front of the "blue house" 2005

We had been been complaining to one another how the house was just too small for our family.  At one point, we had had a chimney fire that put all the kiddos into our room.  But God kept reminding us to be content with what we had.  To be a good steward of what we had.  We finally began to understand what that meant.  We reevaluated our thinking.  We were fortunate to even have a house and even got to the point where we figured we good live another 4 or 5 years there and make it work.

After a few months of our new attitude about our living conditions, my wife's sister sent a link to a house she found online.  The real estate agent (Kevin Hunt) went to our church, so we thought it would be a good excuse to get to know him for when we eventually would look for a house.

It turned out he also owned the house.  He and his son had bought the house as a foreclosure and fixed it up to resell.  He was willing to sell us the house at a very reasonable price and help us sell our house.  Mandy and I prayed about it and looked at the house and prayed while we were there and felt a release to buy it.  I believe that because of our attitude change about our housing condition, God honored our needs.

Within a short time, we moved into our new house (January 2006).  It was everything we "needed" and many "bonus" things we wouldn't have thought of.  Off the top of my head:

• It had 4 bedrooms (2 downstairs and 2 upstairs)
• It was on a Cul-de-sac
• It had a driveway! (curb parking only on Maple St.)
• It had a room we could use for an office
• It had a bonus room for Mandy to use (Homeschooling and Crafts)
• It had a downstairs play area
• It had an upstairs "reading" room
• It had a big kitchen
• It had a large eating area
• It had a garage (for storage)
• It had a yard (in the back)
• etc, etc, etc

It met our every need and then some.  God is awesome.  The house even had a couple of different options we could have done to make more bedrooms for the kids if we wanted them to each have their own room when they got older.  In fact, Mandy and I were certain this was the house we would live in until the kids graduated.  Now we live in Maui.

(As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  Isaiah 55:9)

Our Maui House

I Have Lived in Maui for One Year

A year ago, 4/21/09, we boarded a plane to move to Maui.

April 21, 2009
You can read about our departure here (and see where I swiped the picture from)
Are those long pants and coats?

And a year ago from today (4/22/09), I started working in my new role for Pacific Source (we ship building materials to Hawaii).

Before Maui, I was the operations manager for our Mainland warehouse in Washington.  My dad (one of the owners) and I had a good system, where he would oversee and coordinate with the Sales and upcoming orders and the lumber yard, and I handled the day to day operations in general:  receiving, packaging and loading.  Rob, one of the owners, oversaw our Island operations and coordinated with our facilities there.

In January of 2009, I had a work trip planned to Maui.  We had been trying to get me to Maui for almost 4 years, for work the experience, since Maui is our largest market.  But circumstances and personnel issues made it untimely.  In January 2009, it worked out to fly over to "train" the guys in Maui on how to handle a new product we were carrying.

My wife (who has here own blog) was able to join me for that week.  During the day, I would go to work and she would go places.  In the evening, we would go places together.  It was an enoyable time with one another without the distraction and interruption of the kiddos.  One day, while we were together, enjoying our time, Mandy says, "I can picture us living here."

Now, as I mentioned before, it took 4 years to plan a work trip.  The reason being is that it is hard to manage people from a long distance.  We had 3 managers at our Maui facility in those same 4 years.  Rob was spending a considerable amount of time travelling to Maui to infuse philosophy and direction to those managers.  Every time it seemed I would have a window to make a trip, an issue would come up that required Rob to handle it himself.  By the time the January 2009 trip came around, it was more to give Rob a break.  (The new warehouse and showroom were being built at the same time).

So when Mandy says, "I can picture us living here," a flood of thoughts came into my mind.  My Dad and I had talked about solutions for Maui management.  It really came down to 3 options, Rob, Dad or I could move there, because we needed someone who understood the company and goals and philosophy and everything else.  However, it really never seemed like a legitimate option for me to move because of our family (I am the father of four).  So when Mandy says, "I can picture us living here," I had to ask, "Are you serious?"

We spent the next couple days in Maui, and the next week or so back in Washington, talking and praying about it.  We both felt a release to talk to the company about offering our willingness to move if they felt it was necessary.  When I mentioned it to my Dad, he said, "That would solve a lot of problems."  When he mentioned it to Mark (one of the owners and president), he said, "That would solve a lot of problems."  And by April 21, 2009 our family was in a plane flying to Maui.

When we were preparing to move and people would ask how long we would live there, our reply was that our commitment was for one year, but we would stay as long as God wanted us to be there.  My belief throughout the process has been that God used the vehicle of a work move to get us where He wanted us:  in Maui.

And though my role has moved beyond operations management to include marketing and customer service and relations, I still believe we are here for a different purpose.  To some extent we are seeing it, but to another, there is still that "other" thing.  And we wait with expectant anticipation.

So if you ask me now how long we will be here ... It will be awhile longer; Maui is our home.

April 10, 2010, a year later.

You can read about Mandy's one year reflection here.

I am the Father of Four

I have 4 kids.  It really isn't a surprise.  My wife (who has her own blog) and I talked about how many children we would have before we were married.  Her parents had 4 kids, my parents had 4 kids, we both said we would have 4 kids.

The trend, however, in the US is to have smaller families.  The average in the last 50 years has gone from just under 3 kids per family to less than 2 kids per family.  Larger families is becoming the anomaly.  And many people look at you like you are an anomaly when you have more than 3 kids.

(And if I add that our kids are four and a half years apart, you might pose the question, "Have you figured out what causes that?")

Now, I assure you, saying you will have 4 kids is completely different than having 4 kids.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the task before me.  I have a complete and utter appreciation for my parents and my wife's parents.

I believe ... the children are our are future.  Teach them well and let them lead the way.  Show them all the beauty they possess inside.  Give them a sense of pride to make it easier.  Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be.

I [also] believe that God has given me (and my wife) stewardship of these kiddos.  And it is our responsibilty to "train our children up in the way they should go, so when they are old they will not turn from it".  So one might wonder, as God is still teaching me about myself, how do I train up my children?

I have no idea.

At least it is warm rain?

OK! Everyone Smile!! ... hmmm

Am I the luckiest dad or what?

OK! Everyone Smile!!! ... nevermind.

I do believe I have my hands full.

Self Discipline

We have all had experience with Self Discipline.

Anyone who has set out to accomplish a particularly difficult goal has had to stare Self Discipline in the eye in a contest of wills where the first one to laugh loses. And when you start to squirm from the exertion and as Self Discipline begins to say things and make faces (that really are funny), you ask yourself, "Is there really any harm in laughing?"

SD:  Your determination won't help you.
SD:  I'm thinking about getting another hair-cut.
SD:  I'm going to kiss you now.
YOU:  haha. Dang it Self Discipline, you are funny. haha.

Whether it is a diet or exercise, getting up on time, spending less time on the computer, calling loved ones, talking to your neighbors, praying regularly or reading your Bible, or whatever else those things are that may come as a challenge to us, Self Discipline must be there. 

Dictionary.com defines self-discipline:  –noun, discipline and training of oneself, usually for improvement.

The greek word (from the Bible) translated as "self-discipline" is:  Sophronismos ( ) meaning,  an admonishing or calling to soundness of mind, to moderation and self-control, OR, self-control, moderation.

In my life, however, it often means a literal disciplining of myself.

A few years ago, while praying, I had a vision of myself walking through my life depicted as a house with rooms.  I was asking Jesus to show me which rooms needed to be "cleaned up".  At that time in my life, I was confused at the dead ends I came to and pleaded with God to show me what I was "doing wrong."  In the process of touring my house, the rooms were clean and Jesus was pleased. 

We came into the bedroom and Jesus had this look of appraisal, as if he was really taking in the surroundings.  He came to my bed and leaned over and said, "Hmm, what's this?" and waved my bed aside.  Underneath the bed was a trap door.  I sat down surprised and replied, "I didn't know that was there."  He said to me, "When you're ready, let's take a look."

Even though that was just a vision while I was praying, the ramifications were powerful.  It took me awhile to "take a look".  I don't remember exactly how long, but it was a significant time later.  I asked my wife (who has her own blog) to sit and pray with me as I opened the trap door.

Since then, God has shown me things that were affecting me that I was completely oblivious to.  Things that hinder me from experiencing God more fully.  Things that prevent me from seeing myself as God sees me.

One of those things is Self Discipline.  Not the "discipline of oneself for improvement", but the "punish or penalize oneself in order to rebuke or chastise".  I act as if I deserve what I get.  The results are the consequences of my actions, whether recent or in the past.  If there is tension between my wife and I, I withhold myself from her, because I don't deserve her.  If I am overlooked for a responsibility it is because I wasn't worthy anyway.  If I get a ticket for running a stop sign, I had it coming.

God has been teaching me and showing me this inclination.  I am only beginning to understand the depth of how this tendancy affects me.  If I am engaging in a "sin", I don't deserve God's forgiveness.  If I'm not reading the Bible, I don't deserve to know God's will.  If I'm not praying, I don't deserve to hear God's voice.  It can really be debilitating.

I am currently baffled by it.  I don't know where it stems from.  I suppose that is part of the process though.  God shows me the "thing" and my awareness brings about teachability.  The in-process part is hard though.

::prayer:: Lord, help me understand myself and continue to show me why I am the way I am and how I can be who you want me to be. ::endprayer::

Three Day Ambition

I enjoy writing.  Since moving to Hawaii, my schedule has been different, allowing more time for family and other stuff.  I felt early on this would be a great opportunity to write more and blogging seems a natural venue.  Being able to blurb whimsically about whatever seems a natural fit to the way my mind works. Sometimes my musing rumination is deserving of an outlet.

As I mentioned before (when debating the virtues of asterisks), I write for myself.  However, that is not to say others may not be intrigued by my musing or find insight in my rumination.  That begs the question, though, "How often should I blog?"

When I finally determined to write regularly (starting with this post (not this post)), I committed to myself to write every three days.  Ambitious you say?  I agree.  And even my wife (who has her own blog) gasped as I told her my intentions.  You may have noticed that I have reliably stuck to my plan for 30 days (that's 10 posts (including this post).  But is it too much?

I ask you, the reader, for feedback.  I know many of us have many blogs we try to follow and keep up with.  It occurred to me, that every three days is a lot.  If you happen to check in to a blog once in a while, or when you remember, that could be a lot to read and catchup on.  Or if you happen to follow or subscribe to a blog or receive RSS updates, that could be more often than you would care for.

So, if it is not too much to ask, how often is too much to post?

Sons of Halver

I am a Halverson.  In our culture, our family name is patronymic; it conveys the lineage from the fathers side of an even earlier male ancestor.  We are the sons of Halver.

Not this Triple H

I am exceedingly proud of my heritage.  Being the only son of my father, I am solely responsible for carrying on our family name.  That can sometimes be a bit of a burden to bear considering the triple-H implications.  What is our history?  What is our heritage?  And possibly most importantly, who was Halver? 

I find that I sometimes struggle with my expectations of being Halver's son.  Am I worthy to bear this name?  Will my sons be as proud of their name as I am?

My immediate experience with our history comes from my grandfather and my father. These are great men and surely worthy to be called Sons of Halver.

Grandpa:  Hard-working

Dad:  Self-sacrificing and Loyal

Me:  Will Halver be proud?

When I think of these men, it is hard to not be in awe and wonder if my own sons and grandsons will reflect on me with similar inspiration. 

As to other Halverson's of historical note, I have no idea.  Apparently we are a prolific lot (73,515 from the 1920 census)and you can find us mostly in Minnesota and Wisconsin (and bordering states*) as well as Washington state.

There are 14 Paul Halverson's on Facebook.  Richard Halverson was a chaplain to the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1994 and Courtney Halverson is a "famous" actress.

Our heritage is Scandinavian (Norwegian, Swedish and Danish), with alternate known spellings of Halverson being Halvorson, Halvorsen and Halversen.  (Any Alverston, Alterson, and Averton are posers and only wish they could be considered Sons of Halver)**.   We are Vikings.  Víking refers to an overseas expedition (Old Norse fara í víking "to go on an expedition"), and víkingr, to a seaman or warrior taking part in such an expedition.

Vikings, in our modern era, have a poor reputation as savages and pagans mostly due to Adam of Bremen.  Mr. of Bremen chronicled Scandinavian history in his 4th book which was likely written to inspire future missionaries to the desperate need of the Vikings.

Eirik: "That's it, I'm going to kill Adam of Bremen!"
Jorgan: "Don't you think that's just proving he's right?"
Eirik: "But he is misrepresenting us!"
Jorgan: "Only history will tell how we are remembered.  Just be yourself."

However, Vikings were great explorers and warriors.  They had a code of honor among their culture that was misunderstood by those they encountered.  They were likely the cleanest people of their time and knew that first impressions would last.  But as with any people group exploring beyond their territory, one's ethos can come in conflict with another's, resulting in war and, er, conflict.  Vikings were quick to take advantage of their environment and adapted to be shrewd businessmen and are remembered as barbarians.

Bjorn: "Hey look!  Those people seem nice!"

You may ask yourself, where does Halver fit into this quagmire of reputation?  In the Scandinavian culture Halver wasn't originally a name, so much as it was an occupation^{[citation needed]}.  As was the case with many cultures before surnames were used, families might have been known by what they did.  The Smith's worked metal,  the Wagner's made or drove wagons, and the Tyler's created tile.  These are just a few examples (see here for more).  And as time passed and families expanded they were ever tied to their family history, though they may no longer be in the same line of work.  They became the sons of.

So what is it that a Halver did?  The name Halver is a variant of Halvard from the Old Norse Hallvarðr, composed of the elements hallr ‘rock’ + varðr ‘guardian’, ‘defender’.  The original Halvers were responsible for guarding the business acquisitions of an expedition ^{[citation needed]}, and ultimately responsible for dividing the proceeds to all who were involved.  A Halver was an important role on any outing and only those with honor and integrity were considered for the task.

As I reflect upon what it means to be a Halverson, I find that only time will tell if I have lived up to our name.  My grandfather and father have set an example to strive for with their history.  I am a part of a gregarious people with Viking heritage.  And though I may not be a halver, I still am to be a rock and guardian for my family.  I cannot control my history or heritage, but I can shape my future and what becomes the legacy of my sons, the sons of Halver, for our name will live on.

Son One

Son Two

____________________

*bordering states of Minnesota and Wisconsin are North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois

**it's true.  Saxon's have been trying for years to claim Scandinavian lineage because Vikings kick Saxon butt.  Over half the battles fought between 836 and 1016 were won in Saxon territory which the chronicler failed to mention.  Besides look at their crest and pretend battle.

meh.

Saxon's pretending to be Vikings. (pink painted shield = exhibit A)

If you are looking for a good novels about the wars between the Danes (vikings) and Saxons, these are a great read:  The Saxon Tales, by Bernard Cornwell.



Or even better on Audio CD, performed by Jamie Glover.

What's Cool on the Internet?

Every once in awhile I find something cool on the internet.  As I have been pondering why I blog, I thought to my self, "Self, you should share some of those cool things."  At the very least it would give me something to write about and share, and at the most enlighten you on things you may or may not have found on your own.

So I am introducing, what will become a regular feature on my blog:

(::disclaimer:: Obviously, this feature is subjective)

So what, you may ask, is worthy enough to be featured in my new feature?

Legomatrix.com

This site is dedicated to two individuals creating a lego stop motion film of the rooftop scene from Matrix where Neo dodges bullets for the first time and Trinity says, "Dodge this."  They entitled it "Trinity! Help!"  (The clip below is the original footage (with user added music) to help your memory and the iconic "Dodge This" photo.)

Trevor Boyd and Steve Ilett spent over 440 hours creating a 1 minute and 24 second video of this scene in time for the 10th anniversary of the Matrix.  They recreated a frame for frame replication of the rooftop scene and included on their site a side by side comparison of the two clips (original footage and their re-creation).  They also take the time to break down all 21 scenes they shot and share their techniques and challenges of how each picture was taken.  They created their own OCR to capture the bullet time footage and include a FAQ addressing the curiosity of the masses.

Overall, this site is cool.  Which, ultimately is why I featured it in "What's Cool on the Internet?"

Below is the result of their labor.  But make sure you take the time to check out their website too.  Legomatrix.com ... it's what's cool on the internet.

Did you think that was cool?  Let me know in the comments.

Back in the Day (I'm Not a Kid Anymore)

I like music.  I like any kind of music.  And then the music lyrics embed themselves into the recesses of my mind and lie in wait.  It is not unusual for me to quote a song lyric or break into song when someone says something that triggers it in conversation.  They come unbidden and sometimes out of nowhere.

Sometimes they are common or known songs.  Like someone might say to me, "I hope you have a good night."  And I would reply in song, "I gotta feeling ... that tonight's gonna be a good night."

Or, if one of my kids are playing with their food and say, "I don't want to eat it."  I might sing to them, "Just eat it! Eat it! Eat it!" 

But sometimes, the lyrics that come out of my mouth are obscure ... like someone might say to me, "Hey Paul, who was that guy?"  And I most likely as not will start singing, "Who's that guy? Where did he come from?"  There are very few people that acknowledge I'm singing a known song.  (Or even acknowledge I'm singing.)

But then there is this one song I quote.  I usually remember the lyrics when someone is talking about their past or when they were a kid, and I'll say, "I remember when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore, but sometimes I wish I was a kid again.*"  Until recently, I didn't know what song that was.  I thought it was something by the Digable Planets, but I could never find it when I searched for their songs on Google.  However, this last time that song came to mind, it stuck in my head.  I remember liking that song and I wanted to hear it again (not just my recollection of that particular lyric).  So this time I just googled the lyrics as I remembered them.  The lyrics I remembered weren't exact, but they were close enough to find the song.  "Back in the Day" by Ahmad. 

Who?  Apparently Ahmad was a West Coast rapper and "Back in the Day" was his first (and only) release from his solo debut album.  He was a one hit wonder and I remember lyrics from his one hit (made it up to #26 on the Bill Board Top 100 in 1994).  Crazy.  Apparently I only remembered the chorus, I don't specifically remember the rest of the song.  But I still like it.

And I found the music video on YouTube ... Ain't the internet grand?

____________________

*Sorry about that.  I didn't link this lyric (because of the video included), but since all the other song lyrics were blue for sake of consistancy I changed the font color.

Also ... music featured in this article ... if you are interested.