Mesa Mike's Midden of Musings

This is supposedly attributed to Bill Gates. I dunno. They're good rules, though.

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Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up,it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So, before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

I guess I'm feeling like a Concord grape.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

1. O sacred Head, now wounded, With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded With thorns, Thine only crown.
O sacred Head, what glory, What bliss, till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

2. Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee And flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, With sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish That once was bright as morn!

3. Now from Thy cheeks has vanished Their color, once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished The splendor that was there.
Grim Death, with cruel rigor, Hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou has lost Thy vigor, Thy strength, in this sad strife.

4. My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression Which brought this woe on thee.
I cast me down before Thee, Wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

5. My Shepherd, now receive me; My Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O Source of gifts divine!
Thy lips have often fed me With words of truth and love,
Thy Spirit oft hath led me To heavenly joys above.

6. Here I will stand beside Thee, From Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish In death's cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I'll clasp.

7. The joy can ne'er be spoken, Above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I'd breathe my soul to Thee.

8. What language shall I borrow To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this, Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
Oh, make me thine forever! And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never, Outlive my love for Thee.

9. My Savior, be Thou near me When death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, Forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, Oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish By virtue of Thine own!

10. Be Thou my Consolation, My Shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy Passion When my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, Upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfold Thee. Who dieth thus dies well!

Amen.

Rumor has it that Ed Grothus passed away this morning.

Update 2/13/2009: Not just rumor -- More here.

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The Black Hole occupies what used to be a Piggly-Wiggly supermarket, and the aisles are stuffed to the ceiling with all manner of old test equipment, obsolete spare parts, hardware and every other imaginable type of castoff surplussed from The Lab. The parking lot is stuffed full of other items too big to fit inside.

Ed Grothus, the proprietor of The Black Hole, also owns a church building adjacent to the "nuclear waste" repository, which used to be the meetin' tent of Grace Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). He has turned it into the "Omega Peace Institute", adorned with a large peace sign mounted on the building, two symbolically broken torpedos out front and a sign that reads:

OMEGA PEACE INSTITUTE
FIRST CHURCH OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY
BLACK HOLE SYNOD
Critical Mass Every Sunday
with
Bomb Unworship Service

Actually, no services are held, and the church building itself is stuffed with more junk.

Some say Ed's a crackpot. Maybe he is, but you can't deny that this fixture of Los Alamos is an interesting fellow.

Here's a YouTube video of Ed Grothus giving a tour of the world famous Black Hole of Los Alamos. This is an amazing place, and should be on your itinerary when you come to visit the Secret City.

Yes, that's a Geiger counter clicking in the background...

Labels: Black Hole, Ed Grothus, Los Alamos

There was a farmer who had a gaggle of geese that laid golden eggs. These golden eggs brought the farmer much money, which he used to help maintain and operate his farm.

The farmer's laborers were lazy and neglectful, and brought most of the rest of the farm to ruin. Thus, the farmer was feeling financially squeezed, because he needed to spend a lot of money to fix the barn, repair the tractor, replant his crops and buy food for his starving barnyard animals.

So, he took the golden eggs from the geese and ground them up and threw them into the river that flowed through his property. You see, it cost money to have those eggs shipped intact to the smelter, so he was able to save that cost by eliminating the need to transport them.

Labels: parable

There was a person who, by some fortunate event in life, came into the possession of a tulip bulb of a very expensive and beautiful variety.

However, this person knew she was not skilled as a gardener, nor was she confident that she could afford the costs associated with growing such a precious plant. In fact, she didn't even really care to raise tulips. Too much of a hassle; it would interfere with her other interests. She figured that if she tried to plant the bulb and nurture it, it would just suffer badly at her hands.

So, she cut it up and threw it out. After all, it would be such a shame for it to have to grow amongst weeds and and be neglected by an uncaring gardener. Much better off in the garbage, where it wouldn't have to suffer.

Labels: parable