http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog The weblog of Joshua McInnis http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=77


FAIL]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=76 http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=75
Google's Chrome has been an extremely responsive and reliable browser, but I am now running Iron (link: translation courtesy of Google! oh, the irony). Iron is built off of Chrome's source code, but strips out the privacy concerns: Google tracking where you go, Google tracking your keystrokes, Google gathering all your personal and private information. Iron takes all this stuff out, but in running Iron you are trusting the Germans behind Iron to not be collecting the same information for themselves. Iron is free and the code is available for review, so if privacy is compromised by the browser, the world will be made aware.

This news video of a 7 year old who stole his grandma's car for a joyride is one of the most hilarious videos I have seen this year.

Joe Biden's snaffu #1,685 is too good not to post: Biden and Obama criticize Palin for once support the Bridge To Nowhere, but when a congressional amendment proposing that the money for the bridge be reallocated to Katrina rebuilding efforts, Obama and Biden voted against the amendment, favoring the money going to construction of the Alaskan bridge. Even CNN reported this.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=74 http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=73 http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=72
Slovakia defeats Bulgaria 82-0 in women's ice hockey. Slovakia tallies 139 shots. Bulgaria did not shoot on goal a single time.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=71
Owning a house has definitely already come with its inconveniences, challenges, and adjustments. Probably the most challenging part is avoiding paying too much attention to all the things that need to be fixed, changed, or that just up to par in the house. I'm looking forward to a day when I can just come home and stick my feet up.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=70
At St. Ann's Parish in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, the Rev. Edward McDonagh has decided to institute a drawing for a $50 gasoline card at weekly mass.

The drawings are symbolic gestures and not intended to boost attendance, he said.

"When Jesus was at the wedding feast of Cana, the groom ran out of wine, he produced the wine for them," he said. "In that spirit, we feel that this might be comparable."
Source: Yahoo! News]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=69
Timberwolves rookie Kevin Love, 19, whose contract guarantees him $5.4 million for the next two years, won't be buying a Cadillac Escalade or similar luxury sport utility vehicle like many of his teammates. "Maybe a Prius, because gas prices are so high," he said. "I'm all about saving money so I can have some security. I'm not chasing money; I'm chasing the game."
Source: Pioneer Press]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=68 America's Got Talent. But then there are activities after which I do no feel guilty, one of my more common such activities being running, getting exercise. Today I spent a few hours watching the Home Run Derby, and while watching the first seven out of eight contestants seemed like a waste of time, that all changed when Josh Hamilton's turn came.

Josh Hamilton, who grew up in Raleigh, was drafted first overall in 2003 by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and was touted as someone who would be a great baseball player. But right away he fell into heroin addiction and poverty, leaving baseball behind and losing millions of dollars that he was guaranteed if he stayed clean and played the game. Then in 2005 he started to turn his life around. He became a Christian, fought his drug addiction, and returned from idleness to baseball. Last season was his first in the Major Leagues, and his return was impressive as he hit well and displayed the natural skills that earned him his accolades coming into the 2003 draft. His off-field life was impressive too as he retained accountability in guarding himself from returning to his previous lifestyle, and while he shared his story with struggling kids in America.

Now he has emerged as a great baseball player, and he set a record tonight at Yankee Stadium with 28 home runs in the first round of the home run derby (pitched to by a 71 year old who used to pitch batting practice to Josh when he was a teenager, and to whom Josh promised that he would take with him to the Home Run Derby if he ever made it there). The next closest competitor hit 8.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=67 America's Got Talent show on NBC. Last season in Britain's Got Talent, the winner was Paul Potts, a heavyset phone salesman who unexpectedly could sing opera really well, revealing this in his first audition by singing Nessun Dorma. In one of the previews for this year's America's Got Talent, a heavyset insurance salesman who unexpectedly could sing opera really well, reveals this in his first audition by singing Nessun Dorma.

I really enjoy watching professional hockey, but if the National Hockey League (NHL) touts Sidney Crosby like he's the only thing they've got, then the NHL does not deserve more fans.

Saw something irresistible on CNN.com this morning. The headline to one of their featured videos mentioned that a man claims to have caught a space alien outside his house on video camera. Unfortunately, for unclear reasons, the man's video could not be aired on CNN. A still photo from the video was fodder encouragging skepticism. The simulations were lame. Like the X-Files, I want to believe. Apparently this guy has had multiple encounters, which oddly enough makes me even less inclined to believe the witness. I can't directly link to the Larry King interview, but go to http://www.cnn.com/video/ and search for "aliens among us".]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=66
]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=65
Right now I am feeling content, so it would be remiss if I wasted the moment and the beautiful afternoon in front of this computer.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=64 ]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=63 states 51-57, Mr. Obama?

Yahoo releases a subtly useful new security feature to show what links returned in a search might contain dangerous downloads or might take your e-mail address for the purpose of sending spam. Attention to details and taking care of the small things are signs of a company that cares about its user-base.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=62 this to be some truly beautiful photography from a lens-wielder in Karachi, Pakistan. ]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=61 Spoiler: they win)

]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=60 del.icio.us bookmark users who run Internet Explorer rather than Firefox as their internet browser, whether due to compulsion or preference. There is a new extension for IE7 that operates just like the Firefox del.icio.us extension, enabling you to easily tag and add bookmarks to del.icio.us and access those same bookmarks without having to load up the del.icio.us webpage. This extension is more usable and prevents the use of screen space that the del.icio.us toolbar demanded. You can download the extension, just released by the del.icio.us guys last week, from their Yahoo group. Click on Files and you will find a link to the executable to install this extension. You can find a user's screenshot of how this extension looks at this link.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=59 Prince Caspian, looks great. It looks bolder than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which gently introduced audiences to Narnia. That would be properly consistent with Lewis's stories.

A study says that humans were nearly wiped out 70,000 years ago. That does not seem so alarming in fact of the more recent near-extinction of the human race, an event from which only eight people survived.

A small Welsh village church has applied for a license to sell alcohol on its premises. Sounds shocking at first, but for every negative concern I can come up with at least two positives. Bottom line: it's not counter to what the church should be doing, in this context, but it is something that could easily be turned into a problem. That's not something unique alcohol in churches by a long shot.

Beermenus.com is an excellent idea: it enables users to search for a beer and discover what establishments in their city sell that beer. The site currently only indexes New York City, and I can't wait for it to expand. Will the expand? If not, someone else will surely pick it up... like a Web 2.0 Craiglist for beers.

I want one of these. It's brilliant.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=58 he had a six-inch knife stuck in his back.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=57 and let me hear you sing
the orange and the black
the orange and the black

across the blue line we attack
we are
the orange and the black
the orange and the black

re-load and shoot again
we are
the orange and the black
the orange and the black

and a 1 2 3
let the hats go flying
for a flyers victory
and a 4 5 6
our bold batallion
may they take us all the way

down my family it was passed
we are
the orange and the black
the orange and the black

kick the boards and pound the glass
we are
the orange and the black
the orange and the black

and a 1 2 3
let the hats go flying
for a flyers victory
and a 4 5 6
our bold batallion
may they take us all the way

wake up philadelphia
and let me hear you sing
the orange and the black
the orange and the black]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=56 Photoshop Express this week, an online "lite" version of its renowned image editing software. Their hold on the graphics editing market is strong (who hasn't heard of "photoshopping an image"?) and the release of Photoshop Express is another fine move on their part. Express brings the most used features of Photoshop onto a web-based image editing platform, so that you can easily upload photos and remove red eye, add special effects, and generally touch up the image. Accounts are free and you receive 2GB of online storage space for your photos. Photoshop Express runs smoothly and easily, and is great for simple projects since it does not tax your computer's RAM like launching the full Photoshop software might. You'll need the latest version of the free Flash player, and this can be downloaded from the Adobe website (and a nice looking site it is).]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=55
I was satisfied with the quality and the length of today's run: it was rather average for me, which is terrific considering that it was my first in nearly two weeks of no running or leg strengthening exercises. After running for two miles I walked around the lake to wind down and enjoy the outdoors, and near the end of my walk I noted the runners who passed me in the opposite direction: one girl, followed shortly by another, and ahead of them both an older man not quite power-walking, but really trucking along. I passed through the parking lot and was considering running a little bit more before leaving, so I started up again and on the burn over the lake saw both girls finishing their circuit around the lake and also saw the older man marching past me again. I couldn't believe they had already made it around the lake, and it made me feel really slow. That always pisses me off so I determined to sprint another two miles around the lake to make myself feel better.

The kind of runner I am can be compared to the undisciplined fast runner in the T Rowe Price commercial, who passes the slower runner but later on in the commercial stops from exhaustion and is surprised to see the slower disciplined runner pass him and keep on going at that same solid pace. I sprint more than I jog because I like to go fast, and I like to pass other runners, though I do not do that so much anymore. I don't think I'm particularly fast because when I race friends who do not usually run and who might not look athletic, we are usually neck and neck. When I start to get tired towards the end of a run but think that I am still getting along rather quickly, I am often humbled when I pass a family and as I pass the little kids start running and keep up with me as they dart around my feet for a few seconds before returning to their parents.

Unlike the runners I saw today who made it around the lake quickly and were still going strong, I am rather undisciplined: quick to succumb to exhaustion and wanting rather to think about refreshing things such as hamburgers and beverages than pushing myself to keep going. What usually helps me out is when I can run with or behind other runners, because then my competitive nature compels me to keep up with them, and match what they do. I'm a weekend runner: I do not really run regularly during the week anymore, though I would like to. I don't build up endurance on treadmills, because I do not enjoy running indoors and do not like the way my feet sound heavy on the treadmill's surface, like I'm an elephant among gazelles. Hopefully with the change in weather I will be able to work a little more on my running and endurance. ]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=54
There should be some tight races in both the American League and National League this year, and I am really excited to see how they turn out. Did the Detroit Tigers add enough talent to surpass the Red Sox in the American League this year? Will the National League pennant be won in the NL East or NL West, or can the Cubs finally win it? My prediction for the World Series is the Dodgers against the Red Sox, with the Dodgers winning in seven games. I think Miguel Cabrera will be the MVP in the American League in a losing cause, leading the Tigers to the ALCS against the Red Sox. The National League will be completely up for grabs: will it be another Phillie, Utley, or will Howard resume the crown, or will it be Holliday, Soriano, or Chris Young?

Yet again the NCAA basketball tournament delights with buzzer beaters, monumental upsets, and tight games: my favorite underdogs are Washington State, Villanova, and Davidson. I just want someone to take down UNC, and Hansbrough to begin his career as a bust in the NBA so that I do not have to see him on tv anymore.

My ankle is almost fully healed. I can hop no that leg and walk without pain, but I do not quite have full flexibility in it yet. I'm hopefully confident that it will be normal by next weekend, when the weather will be warm again and my cold will hopefully be gone.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=53
What a perfect example of what separates good beers from low-quality beers for the masses: if good beers want or need to improve, they modify their recipes and experiment with their selection of ingredients. Low-quality brewers cannot comprehend going to the trouble of improving their beer itself, so they scam you with a couple of changes in the physics of their can.

Note of clarification: Guinness improved their glass bottle by adding a nitrogen widget that is supposed to preserve a tap-like flavor. It does not work. Guinness, a good beer, is not so good in a bottle, but the quality of their keg product is their redemption.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=52
Today I attempted my usual weekend cross-country run, but did not get very far before I sprained my ankle. Fortunately it seems like a mild sprain and might heal quickly. I heard a crack when my ankle rolled and feared a broken ankle, but thankfully it was just a crack and a pop from unusual stress on the ankle and foot, as nothing is broken. I guess I'll be sitting around my apartment this weekend.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=51
The first story about Iraqi young people's seemingly growing disenchantment with their harsh, oppressive, and culturally heavy-handed religion makes me wonder if this could be the means the Lord uses to once again bewilder those who oppose him. I can see him laughing the whole while, but we still need shepherds for the sheep over there.

The next story theorizes that Moses and the Israelites were under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug sourced from acacia trees. This is why Moses ascended into the mountain, spoke to God, saw a great light, had glowing skin, and so forth.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=50 The Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life:

"For why were we delivered from the quagmire of iniquity and pollution of this world, if we want to wallow in it as long as we live?"

"Since Christ has united us to his body as his members, we should be anxious not to disgrace him by any blemish."

"Since the Holy Spirit has dedicated us as temples of God, we should exert ourselves not to profane his sanctuary, but to display his glory."

"The apostle denies that anyone actually knows Christ who has not learned to put off the old man, corrupt with deceitful lusts, and to put on Christ. External knowledge of Christ is found to be only a false and dangerous make-believe, however eloquently and freely lip servants may talk about the gospel."

"Our religion will be unprofitable if it does not change our heart, pervade our manners, and transform us into new creatures."

However, after all this tough talk regarding our pursuit of the holiness to which we are called, Calvin offers some comfort and encouragement:

"We should not insist on absolute perfection of the gospel in our fellow Christians, however much we may strive for it ourselves. It would be unfair to demand evangelical perfection before we acknowledge anyone as a Christian. There would be no church if we set a standard of absolute perfection, for the best of us are still far from the ideal, and we would have to reject many who have made only small progress."

"But let everyone proceed according to his given ability and continue the journey he has begun. There is no man so unhappy that he will not make some progress, however small. Let us not cease to do the utmost, that we may incessantly go forward in the way of the Lord; and let us not despair because of the smallness of our accomplishment." ]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=49 http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=48
Having pancakes today made up for my lack thereof on Shrove Tuesday. The restaurant I was planning on lunching at turns out to be closed on Tuesdays. There was no IHOP nearby, that I am aware, so that was that.

Annoying news this week: Yahoo! Music Jukebox is converting its customers to Rhapsody due to a new deal. What makes this annoying new is that only a few months ago, last year, Musicmatch was bought by Yahoo! and I was transferred with only a little problem - frustrating nonetheless. But aside from a few bugs the new player and service worked out comparably, if not better. The thing about Rhapsody is that the monthly subscription will be higher: $13 a month. That's not a lot of money, but more than I want to pay for the limitations of the service. My Blockbuster subscription doesn't even cost that much. I'll have to explore other music providers, as Musicmatch and Yahoo! Jukebox have been my primary means of discovering new music and listening to music at home. I do not like the usability of Pandora, and internet radio such as Deezer and Last.fm is not quite what I am looking for. Any suggestions of other legal music providers?]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=47
Last night's Super Bowl felt like vindication for all that went wrong this NFL season. The mighty undefeated patriots fell to the giant-slayers, the Giants themselves, who won the Super Bowl as the lowest seeded NFC victor ever - overcoming such high-powered teams as Dallas and Green Bay. To add to the irony, the Giants' first touchdown and then the game's biggest catch were both made by the ultimate underdog David Tyree, who previously tallied only 4 catches all season long. Tyree's amazing leaping catch with one hand and his head after Manning improbably scrambled away from a sack deserves a name to enshrine it in NFL history, but sadly sports journalists I've read are of such poor worth that they admit being unable to come up with a fitting name. When the receiver is on a team with the name "Giants" and the play is made in the game's final minute, fitting names are ready-made: off the top of my head I can come up with The Giant Miracle, the Giant Leap, Goliath's Revenge, the New York Minute, et cetera.

Eli Manning's poise was impressive, both throughout the playoffs and in the Super Bowl. With two Mannings leading their teams to Super Bowl victories and earning game MVP's two years in a row, I hope they do not have a younger brother who will be really feeling the pressure to live up to that. Aside from Manning and Tyree, Usi Umenyiora deserved consideration for MVP after leading a stalwart defensive effort against the highest scoring offense in NFL history.

The Patriots leaving the field one second early was the perfect stamp to the end of this classless imperfect team's season.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=46 http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=45 the Constitution needs to be modified to conform to God's Word. I wonder who gets to conform it though? Obviously, this will raise a lot of ire amongst Christians and non-Christians alike. What do you think about such a concept?]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=44
I am surprised at how good Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is starting out. I did not expect much, but the story is fun and the show plays like a movie. Summer Glau's character looks like she stepped right out of Firefly/Serenity.

I was pleased with last night's Golden Globes. Most of the movies I did not see, so my interest was not so much in seeing my favorite movies win as reinforcing what movies I might like to see. What I liked about this year's Golden Globes was the absence of the glitz and the ceremony: no hours of red carpet, lame acceptance speeches, and preening celebrities between award announcements - just a quick hour of getting straight to the results.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=43 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=42 These particular Ron Paul supporters were just classless. They forgot to represent the "love" of the Ron Paul Re-Love-ution. Okay, so I get that the "re-love-ution" play on the word revolution is just a hippie slogan, and the Ron Paul blimp poignantly points to the two sides that represent Ron Paul's support base. On one side of the blimp is the slogan that represents the good of the Ron Paul message - the modern semi-intellectual who is tired of current government trends and the Bush and Clinton eras: Google Ron Paul. The other side represents the kooky side of the Ron Paul campaign - the excitable hippie crowd: Ron Paul Re-Love-ution.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=41 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and has not works? Can faith save him?

Sola fide - but it is not as simple as that sounds when it comes to the matter of faith and one's salvation. Faith alone will not save. In fact, it is not really your faith that saves: it is the Lord's covenant faithfulness, the Messiah's faithfulness in life and death, and the faith that is God's gift of grace to those to whom He bestows this unmerited love. We are to exercise this faith in works that show that we have received this gift, that we desire to serve the Lord and reciprocate His mercy to the world around us. Faith without works is just faith: it is dead - and the person who has just faith is also eternally dead, except by a change of heart.

19th century Scottish minister Thomas Chalmers said: "Though justified by faith alone, let me remember that it is not by faith being alone, or by faith which is alone.-My God, may I show my faith by my works, and when tempted to the opposite of this, do Thou prove unto me a very present help in the time of temptation."]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=40 When you go into battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people greater in number than you, be not afraid of them: for the Lord your God is with you, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

These words were spoken to the people of Israel during the review of the law ahead of their crossing the Jordan to possess the Promised Land. If the Lord delivered such a promise to the people of Israel in the old covenant, how much more would He be with us who in the new and better covenant are much more than His people: we are His sons and daughters. No matter how strong our opponents look, no matter how dire our circumstances, no matter how much we may seem outnumbered at any moment, the Lord's promise is that He is with us, that He will fight for us, and that the course of history is under His control.

The promise is - should be - a source of hope, a focal point for the confidence of our endeavors: the manner in which we receive this promise should be an exercise of our faith. The Old Testament Israelites abandoned God, culminating in rejecting His Son, and things did not go to well for them as a result. The Lord will not reject His sons - if we remain faithful to Him. We intend to remain faithful, so why expect anything but future blessings from God here on this earth? As long as we are faithful, God will fight on our behalf and bless our work here on earth. So let's remain faithful and optimistic for the future, but at the same time we should remember that faithfulness of the mind and the obedience of action are inseparable. ]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=39 Zach Wendling and his pertinent reminder of what a caucus is, and why the system of caucuses are flawed and rather undemocratic.

Yes, I am supporting Mike Huckabee, though I am not thrilled with the choice. Yet in a field of the kinda good (Huckabee), the bad (Giuliani), and the scary (Paul), Huckabee has more positives and less negatives than the rest of the field - and the fact that he appears the most overt Christian is a distinguished plus. Concerned about his sometimes somewhat liberal voting tendencies while governor of Arkansas? Read this for a little perspective. Not excuses, just perspective. I would like to like Fred Thompson more, but he seems to be half-hearted about running, and has stated that he is no longer a practicing Christian, both of which things point to me of an alarming lack of commitment.

Since most of the people who are likely to read my blog are among those who like Googling Ron Paul (the Ron Paul supporting mob I affectionately dub The Great Googley Moogly), I feel like I should explain why I don't like him (why he's "scary"). First of all, I am glad that he is in the race: he has some good things to say, particularly about states' rights and, to a point, economics. But (leaving his conspiracy theories and my doubts of his diplomatic ability aside) the deal-breaker for me is his foreign policy: a policy that both ignores history and at the same time does not seem future-oriented. He's saying a lot of the right things (right as in effective) to polarize people from the way things currently are, but I do not think he is the man to lead this nation to a better state.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=38
On the first day of 2008 I have already encountered my first such reference. After having read the O.T. passage, I had better be able to say of the N.T. reference "hey, I just read that". Hebrews 10:28 (when warning about the danger of neglecting or falling away from Christ's ultimate redeeming and purifying sacrifice, especially considering how disobedience under the old covenant resulted in death) says: "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses", referring to Deuteronomy 17:6.

Hebrews repeats over and over again the fact of the comprehensiveness of Christ's atoning sacrifice: he has completely covered my sins, the Father does not remember my sins and hold them against me, I am not held guilty. This is often difficult for me to grasp: I need to be careful about what really lies behind my thoughts when my conscience makes me feel guilty and a sense of having to "make it up". There is a place and a role for conscience regarding particular deeds, but there is also a kind of feeling of guilt which is not humility but is its opposite - pride, being a lack of faith. Moving on from the precious milk of Christ's atonement, I should be progressing on to the meat of willing obedience and full reformation.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=37 movie called Scotch Mist. How can the sultan of sulk provide so much happiness? Surely this is some paradox, some oxymoron - but they pulled it off.
HT: Jon Amos]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=36
1. Reduce my existing bills by 20%. The net amount I pay in bills may go up this year, but electricity (assuming I do not move into a house), internet, cell, water etc should accumulatively go down in cost 20%. Why 20%? It sounds good and might be do-able. Even if I move into a house, my electricity use and so forth should be more carefully moderated in a way that might realize some monetary benefit.
2. Take on at least one commercial client for website development, and get started on formulating a detailed business plan. Possibly outsource myself to contribute to others' projects, for gaining experience and starting to cultivate professional relationships.
3. Continue taking career-related college courses throughout the year.
4. Travel somewhere, even if just the NC mountains.
5. Get back into the habit of blogging regularly; but more importantly, resume private journaling even more regularly.
6. Exercise more consistently, particularly during the colder months.
7. Time management: manifested in increased reading time (at least one book per month) and slightly less time on the internet.
8. A popular favorite: eat better. Eat out less, save maybe $150 each month as a result (I have already become much better at the eating out part, but this has to hold up over an extended period).
9. Help at least one stranded motorist (I feel guilty because I pass so many in a hurry - I think I have helped only one all year). A few years back I was blessed by some aid that really saved me some time.
10. Attain the modest goal of running six straight miles this summer.

I reserve the right to add more to this list later.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=35 The Weight of Glory:

"This brings me to the other sense of glory - glory as brightness, splendour, luminosity. We are to shine as the sun, we are to be given the Morning Star. I think I begin to see what it means. In one way, of course, God has given us the Morning Star already: you can go and enjoy the gift on many fine mornings if you get up early enough. What more, you may ask, do we want? Ah, but we want so much more - something the books on aesthetics take little notice of. But the poets and mythologies know all about it. We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words - to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses and nymphs and elves - that, though we cannot, yet these projections can enjoy in themselves that beauty, grace, and power of which Nature is the image. That is why the poets tell us such lovely falsehoods. They talk as if the west wind could really sweep into a human soul; but it can't. They tell us that 'beauty born of murmuring sound' will pass into a human face; but it won't. Or not yet. For if we take the imagery of Scripture seriously, if we believe that God will one day give us the Morning Star and case us to put on the splendour of the sun, then we may surmise that both the ancient myths and the modern poetry, so false as history, may be very near the truth as prophecy. At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in."]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=34
Christ is able to save to the uttermost. He addeth intercession now to the atonement which He hath already made once for all. What a blessed apparatus of reconciliation with God! He who pleadeth for us at God's right hand is omnipotent to save - and willing as He is able.
Sabbath Scripture Readings (Solid Ground Christian Books. Birmingham, AL. 2006.) p. 348

I have had the pleasure since October of Chalmers' chapter-by-chapter devotional commentary accompanying my daily New Testament reading.]]> http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/archive.php?article_id=33
There are not very many visible changes: most of what is new are things that make blogging easier for me by automating processes so that all I need to do is write my blog entry and click the Publish button. While one big benefit is that I will be blogging again, I feel like the biggest benefit was the experience gained from solving problems, spending hours debugging a single problem, trial and error, and accomplishing intimidating tasks so that I will be better equipped to apply the experiences and the new knowledge gained to future projects.

One thing to note is that my RSS feed has changed, so if you subscribe to this blog's feed please update the link in your favorite feed aggregator to http://www.joshuamcinnis.com/blog/rss/rss.php. Also, regarding previous blog entries, I have not updated the archives to incorporate into the new system since it would be too much unadvantageous long work to handle those years' worth of entries, so be prepared for a little bugginess if browsing old entries. New archives from this point on will be fine though.

I hope you enjoy the return of the blog! It was fun to revamp.]]>