Digital Lifestyle Broadcasting

The best way to put it is that my iPhone confects my life. You might even say it’s become a way of life.

Early in the morning it wakes me vie the clock app. As I lay there in a pre-awake state pondering the day before me, I quietly open the Olive Tree app and read my bible without waking my wife.

Before heading off to the tennis club I let the dogs out to do their “beenus” in the back field. My iPhone doubles as a flashlight.

Whilst driving to the club I listen to the latest Lew Rockwell podcast. Driving is now something I look forward to. I eat my morning apple and record it’s 70 calories into Shapeup, a great app that tracks my diet. It tracks my calorie expenditure as well.

When I tire of the political debate with my liberal friend and the news blaring on the TV, I sometimes slip on my Bluetooth headset and listen to music during my workout in the weight room after tennis.

Now it’s off to my Realtor’s Brokers Council of Idaho meeting. I arrive way-early so I check my email, respond to those needing attention and make a couple of outgoing calls. Still I have some time before the meeting so I decide to read my book – you guessed it on my iPhone using a nice app called Stanza. With a few minutes before the meeting I get online and see what’s going on in the national news and hey, I don’t have to watch Katie Couric’s biased trash. I get news online that fits with my ultra-conservative, anarchist viewpoint. Now it’s time for the meeting and during the presentation by a local builder I tweet about him to others who are no doubt tracking this builder and will see my comments. During the meeting, I receive an offer via an email fax on one of my listings. I review it right there and forward it to my seller to review prior to calling him.

This particular morning I write up a listing and snap all the photos on my iPhone since the digital photo quality is top notch. Though it may not be quite as good as a top rated digital camera, it’s plenty good for my purposes. I put together the listing documents on the web via my iPhone and email them to my client’s computer. He signs them digitally on his computer right then. There’s not much need for paper these days. I also shoot some video that I’ll drop on Youtube and then post to facebook later.

Next I must pickup a buyer to show him homes. I’ve entered the addresses for all three showings into Motion X Drive, a really powerful GPS app that’s far better than my previous stand-alone dash-mounted unit. This gives me the flexibility to focus on my client’s concerns and conversation with him rather than diverting mindshare to the mundane of finding the next home on the list. My buyer’s wife couldn’t come with us and he’s very excited to show her some of the features of one particular home. Viola – I create a quick video tour via the built-in Camera and send it to her via text messaging. She gets to view it before her husband arrives home. I use the Zillow mobile app to find other homes for sale in the neighborhood and view their photos with my buyer. Of course to open doors, I use the lockbox device that attaches to my iPhone. I also use the HP 12C Financial Calculator app to determine my clients’ monthly payments on the homes he’s most interested in.

After dropping off my client I have a nice dinner with my wife at a local restaurant that I find using the Yelp app – oh an hey a nice e-coupon to save some bucks that I found with the Groupon app. This particular restaurant has good reviews but I didn’t like it all that well so I write my own review for others after snapping a few photos of the cuisine. Of course I drop all of this over to Facebook for my friends to see along with other conservative if not controversial thoughts certain to get some response. Several folks who share my perspective and values contacted me last year because of my Facebook presence.

After dinner I go for a run and track the course, my time, and calories expended with Runkeeper, a nice app for us runners. Oh and yes, I also post it to Facebook. I shower up (no app for that) and then head off to the theatre with my wife. On our way there, she looks at the available movies using Flixter, a nice app for watching trailers and reading review. I’m tired of spending $10 to see trashy movies. Afterward I review the movie with Flixter and of course the review drops onto my Facebook account.

After getting home I realize I’ve missed my favorite show, Parks and Rec. No worry, I just download it to my iPhone using the iTunes app. I’ll watch it on the airplane later in the week whilst traveling.

It’s time for bed now, so I set the alarm so I can do it all over tomorrow.
So lets see, I’ve eliminated the following accoutrements that most folks normally must schlep along: Wrist watch, digitial still camera, digitial video camera, real estate lock box opener, GPS, laser printer, fax machine and television, newspaper, financial calculator. In the process, without having to divert focus, I found a nice place to have dinner, saved money with the e-coupon, previewed movies to watch and in the process communicated electronically with all of my friends. Oh and I made a few calls as well.

There’s more, much more that I do with my iPhone in a typical day but hey this blog must end eventually. The point – technology is getting so integrated into our lives with these wonderful devices and they’re really making our lives better, easier and more enjoyable – plus we get to broadcast our lifestyle, see others’ lives in living color and stay in-touch with so many more people. With this technology each of us is our own news-station of ideas and lifestyle choices.

Mmm… Summer in the Sawtooth Mountains

Last weekend my wife and I decided to go to the Sawtooths to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary.

We usually partake of the Sawtooths at least once each Summer and every time I’m there I’m amazed there aren’t thousands of people everywhere. It’s one of the most beautiful places on the planet yet it seems mostly undiscovered.

We watched a massive thunderstorm invade Redfish Lake while eating dinner at the Lodge and people-watching. If you’ve never watched the families at play on the lawn, and their comings and goings on the dock, that by itself is a treat. Again, very few folks were to be found.

In contrast, my daughter told us of her recent hike in Virginia with 100-degree heat and just as much humidity. They couldn’t find the James River for the massive vegetation.

But Idaho - it’s hard to beat nice hike to the meadows above Stanley Lake where we found wildflowers blooming in abundance. At 7000 feet elevation, the temperature required light jackets. Nothing against the East coast but hey, tell me where you’re going to find a view anything close to Mount Heyburn back there.

Driving back from Stanley is one long three-hour downhill run. The longest hill I could find in Virginia – maybe 20 minutes. To be fair, I did find some beautiful places there as well; they just not my preference, nor can I see why they’d be someone else’s but then that’s why this blog is entitled “Lifestyle Nazi.”

Before heading back to the Boise Valley, we stopped at Pettit Lake and sat on the beach for four hours. With virtually no one to be found I imagined that I owned the place. Maybe this is the mansion God has promised me. There we threw bumpers for my friendly labs and enjoyed their exuberant splashing about. The breeze and mild temperatures hid the onset of sunburn but the peaceful sound of lapping waves and views of the massive granite walls across the lake made this penalty seem light.

Truly the purpose of life is to enjoy ourselves. At least that’s part of it. Westminster’s Shorter Catechism actually states it this way, “The purpose of life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Part of enjoying God is unquestionably enjoying life for what of life is not wholly and completely of God and hanging out in Stanley with no particular agenda – now that’s enjoyment in its purest form.

Covenant Community – It's Beauty Cannot Be Denied

We recently returned from a trip to visit my daughter and son in Virginia.  They’re members of an OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) there in Lynchburg.

Like the church I attend here in Idaho, I’m always struck by the beauty of a true Covenant Community.  Beauty is something that cannot be denied.  It’s not subjective - like encountering a striking outdoor scene, it’s beauty cannot be denied and it’s the same with a Covenant Community. Here are some of the specifics.

My daughter’s car had serious mechanical issues; more than could be handled easily by a member of the church but still several members had given it the once-over and then my son, Taylor, spent four days ripping it apart.  My daughter rents from a family who attend her church and the next-door neighbors are also members of her church as well as others who rent from them. They have a place in the back where they help each other with auto repair tasks.  We hung-out there during Taylor’s arduous repair-job; we drank a few beers and smoked pipes, all while we encouraged him.  Lot’s of kibitzing went on until Katie’s car was finally running like a dream.

We bowled a couple of times with their friends who took us in like we were one of their own.  I played tennis a couple of times with one of the members. We sat on the front porch several times and discussed politics, religion, guns and other assorted stories with the men of the church. We were invited to another member’s home for dinner and we invited a couple of families to my daughter’s (Katie) place for dinner.  We attended their church a couple of times. We attended an all-day picnic where we played basketball, volleyball and wiffle-ball.  They barbequed huge pork roasts for everyone and there was wonderful potluck food in abundance. We played cards on the porch in the evenings. The men I saw treated their wives with tenderness and the wives treated their husbands with respect. The children were well behaved and disciplined when necessary by both parents. There seemed to be no end to the fellowship. The beauty of their Covenant Community is beyond question. 

Truly the purpose of life is to fellowship with God and enjoy Him forever and a Covenant Community is the obvious extension of that purpose.

Now I’m back in my beautiful Idaho where my wife and I enjoy the same Covenant Community – just different people. Life is good.

Liberty University's Commencement - A Sad Commentary On The State Of The Evangelical Church

Glenn Beck, the nationally syndicated talk-show host recently spoke at my daughters’ commencement ceremony at Liberty University (LU). A glaring incongruity immediately beset the entire event but the largely evangelical audience seemed unaware. LU is arguably the nations preeminent undergraduate Christian university. Glenn Beck is a Mormon.

That LU would give any Mormon access to one of their school-sponsored venues, let alone invite him to be the keynote speaker at their commencement was mystifying. I learned however that inviting unbelievers to speak is nothing new at Liberty. Ben Stein spoke last year and Chuck Norris the year prior. Obviously LU cares more about a speaker’s public prominence or at least their politics than their standing before the Lord.

As far as I can tell the reasoning behind inviting Mr. Beck to speak (according to Jerry Falwell, Jr.) was that “he is one of the few members of the media who stands for the principles upon which this nation was founded.” I presume Mr. Falwell missed the Sermon-Sunday when the pastor taught on Psalms 2 admonishing us not to sit in the council of the ungodly nor walk in the path of sinners.

There is not nor can there be an equality of faith between Mormon’s and Christians. We can’t let them think they’re one of us, nor can we let fellow Christians think of them as one of us. Like any other cult, adherence to Mormonism leads to eternal damnation, so ya; it’s a big deal. How could LU miss this glaring incongruity?

Many other issues come to mind as well. For instance, LU’s mission statement is: To develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact tomorrow’s world. So where’s the disconnect? Very simple –LU’s actions betray the university actual mission statement: building the size and worldly stature of the university. In other words they’re not a lot different than any other secular university. However revealing it may be, the fact that LU would facilitate a Mormon giving spiritual advice to its student body is disturbing.

Secondly, Mr. Beck’s speech was little more than a rah-rah session about how bad things are. I agree but I can hear this daily on his radio program. Mr. Beck didn’t talk about any of the Biblical solutions to the world’s problems because he doesn’t have any understanding in this area. His only admonition to the graduates was that we had better do something about this or “the blood will be on our hands.” Mr. Beck’s talk was the essence of shallowness itself.

Over-the-top however was Mr. Beck’s cry-talking; Here’s the thing – I don’t think he was faking it. Well at least he probably wasn’t. Either way, sincerity is not the measure by which we decide the soundness of one’s philosophy for indeed Mr. Beck was sincerely wrong in so many ways. His words seemed designed to evoke an emotional response and to cause the audience to embrace him as one of our own. Sadly it seemed to work.

He read a long letter that he’d written previously to his daughter as she headed off to college. Again, nothing of substance that might anchor a young person in their faith as they strikeout to conquer the world for Christ. Funny? Yes in a sort of a gratuitous way; superficial – definitely.

Lastly, and here’s the main point – the largely evangelical crowd in attendance, gave Mr. Beck a standing ovation. They seemed to have no problem with his Mormonism or of the shallow content of his speech. In fact, they loved it. One can only surmise that they loved it because they too are shallow which pretty much sums up the condition of the Evangelical Church these days.

Though we Evangelicals have access to God’s plan (His Word) for fixing this mess (the world) we’ve not examined the blueprints. Our answers to the world’s problems are not Biblical – they’re Beckish and thus the evangelical community is by-in-large relegated to a status of uselessness. We have little if any effect anymore in the culture and the commencement at Liberty University clearly demonstrated as much.

What Goes Through Your Head After You’ve Lost The Weight.

When I was racing bicycles (1980) and weighed 158 lbs, I said out-loud "I will always be this weight." Pride comes before the fall (or gain) in my case. Five weeks ago (at 51 years of age) I was 200 lbs. I'm on the HCG diet now that a friend turned me onto and as of this morning I weigh 177 lbs. This already makes me look normal instead of frumpy. I’m down 23 pounds with 14 pounds remaining before I hit my ideal weight of 163 lbs.

My point in this blog is to simply to record my thoughts while losing weight, not to explain or promote the HCG diet. I will say, however that it is absolutely painless (no hunger), defies logic in the sense that you really can lose more than dieticians tell you and can do it in a very short time-frame. Again, my point is not to promote the HCG diet but if want to know about it, let me know and I’ll refer you to my friend.

OK so my thoughts - I have been rather surprised by the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head. Strangely I find that my thinking has shifted. In particular

• I think of the new clothes I’m going to wear and how they will hang on my limbs.

• I’m planning a new wardrobe. New suit, business slacks, Levi 501 jeans like I wore in high-school, tight fitting sweaters.

• I see young, thin people and think, just a few more weeks and I’ll be wearing your clothes.

• I wonder why I didn’t do this twenty years ago.

• I’ve been doing quite a bit of weight training especially for my abs and core so that after the fat melts off, I’ll rediscover my old six-pack abs back.

• I must work on building up my butt muscles so my pants will stop falling off.

• I think of the people I’ll beat-up on the tennis court.

• I plan to take my shirt off and bask in the sun and get a tan. My stomach hasn’t seen the light of day for 25 years.

• I feel more successful and I have the feeling like there’s really nothing that I can’t accomplish in life.

• New horizons seem to have opened. My wife and I could go live in England for example or some other points-distant. Nothing is out of the question.

• I have more energy and feel more encouraged about life in general.

• I see myself maintaining this weight the rest of my life.

• I see myself eating certain foods after I’m off the diet; in particular fried-chicken . . . mmm.

Live the Dream or Become a Pickle

"The best part of college is that you could become whatever you wanted to become, but most people just do what they think they must. - Seth Godin, Social Networking Guru

Introspection is a good thing. On a regular basis I ask myself, "Is this really what I want to be doing with my life or is this what I'm settling for?"

I see so many people taking the safe job instead of living out their dreams. I can think of two Christian friends working in an industry where Christians should not be but hey, it's safe; there's good health insurance, and no chance of getting laid-off.

Obviously the bills must get paid but when we squash ourselves into a barrel like pickles, doing distasteful things in mind-numbing places, something inside us dies.

I'd rather die broke, living out my dreams and striving for greatness and wealth in a place that requires creativity, risk and brains than settle for the medium income in a place that turns me into a pickle.

Fall Is Close - So Is Bird Hunting

It was the quintessential neighborhood icon, the Sunflower, which first made me contemplate Autumn and the upcoming hunting season. The cooler weather and heavy rain made their water-laden heads droop, almost as if they were bowing in reverence. Is it really only August 7^th? What a nice reprieve from the summer’s heat. No question – Autumn is in the air early this year and according to 2 News Weather this pattern will persist.

In the low, fast-moving clouds I earnestly track multiple squadrons of quaks speeding to and from destinations unknown to me and I wonder, do others notice these rather obscure clusters flying about or is it just us waterfowlers?

The land and crops are also showing signs of fall. They’re turning that wonderful shade of gold I so love. I doubt the uninitiated really care much but to us bird-hunters it’s a thing of beauty, a harbinger of good things to come.

A few of the wheat fields have already been cut and even plowed under. What a shame. With a nice goose-blind they could have been put to such good use this coming fall. Soon the tall corn will be also be nothing more than stubble and as I drive home I wonder if I can muster the chutzpa to ask some farmer to hold-off plowing his field under until I’ve sufficiently exhausted its hunting potential. Don’t they know, birds need habitat. I suppose they have their reasons.

Each day the season gets closer and as it approaches I find it more and more difficult to concentrate on work. Instead I find myself perusing the Cabelas Fall catalog and exploring the Fish and Game website for opening dates. Soon my doggies will be dropping quail, chukar, huns, pheasants, grouse and best of all ducks into my waiting hand.

The dove season is only three weeks away and I’ve already secured my hunting privileges with a local landowner. Doves provide such a nice early-season tune-up. Their tweety-bird flight patterns make for difficult targets and since they offer little scent, dog-handling is often an fun part of the aftermath.

Next down the pike come quail, blue grouse and by mid-September, the opening day for chukar arrives here in Idaho. September is a little early in my opinion - too hot for the dogs and the cheat grass still retains those unfriendly canine chards.

The Oregon opener on the other hand comes one month later and the hunting is far better. I and my buddies will have waited over eight long months for this masochistic leg-burn. In years past, a limit was commonplace but no so of late. No one ever really knows how well the hatch has fared until opening day when we either hear something akin to an all-out war or just heavy breathing as sweat pours from the brim of our hats. Regardless of odds, we continue to haul ourselves over the brutal Owyhee Mountains – last year over 200 miles.

Maybe I ’m imagining this but I think my dogs sense the upcoming season. They lift their heads curiously and track me whenever I move about. I think they’re checking to see if I’ve donned my camo garb. Soon I’ll be testing the new skills that I hopefully infused in them over the spring and summer. If it weren’t for training and AKC hunt tests what would there be except boredom between seasons.

My old big game friends ask me why I no longer hunt with them. It’s simply this. A day hunting big game is a day I could have been shooting birds under my labs – no contest; bird hunting wins every time.

Final preparations are underway as I check each day off the calendar. What’s left really except cleaning my shotgun, getting the decoys in order door knock to garner a few more hunting permissions. Soon that anticipated day will arrive and every year after I kill that first bird the same thought crosses my mind – Is this the best sport in the world or what!