Unfortunately the Supreme Court has stepped in and halted the beginning of marriage equality in Virginia. We’ll have to wait now until they rule for the whole country. Sad but we’ve waited this long, we can wait a bit longer.
Category: Blog
Seems Like
It seems like my blog has turned into a video blog. While that may look like the case, it isn’t. My latest hobby is creating videos and posting them to my YouTube Channel. I embed them here so those who don’t go to my YouTube Channel can see the videos.
However, I am still looking for birds, still taking lots of photographs, and still think of things to share on the blog. Just the other day I was at Scotts Run Nature Preserve recording video and taking pictures. One of the pictures I took was of the waterfalls. I slowed down the shutter speed and adjusted the other settings for the light conditions and came up with what I think is an amazing photo. Click the picture to make it bigger to see the detail.
I do have lots to say about the current happenings in the world and the US but I just haven’t spent time to write them down or to even record a video of how I feel about them. Maybe soon I’ll do just that. In the mean time, enjoy the videos and keep checking in. Actually, I don’t even know if anyone is coming to the blog anymore. We’ll see.
Another Year Closer To Retirement
Today I finished my 27th year of teaching. That brings me closer to retirement. I haven’t had any official estimate of when I can actually retire but I do think it’s between 3 and 5 years. Next fall I’ll get an estimate of when I can actually retire. However, I am ready to retire now. If I could only win the lottery, I’d retire tomorrow!
I’m Turning 50
30 days from today I’ll be 50 years old. I don’t think turning 50 is a bad thing. I don’t usually stress over birthdays so this one should be reached without much fanfare. Things are pretty good right now. I have a solid career that I’ll be retiring from in the next 3 to 5 years. My relationship is very strong. We’ve almost been together for 10 years. I have several hobbies that keep me busy in my free time. I would like to be making more money but that’s what I get for taking a public sector job. I’m pretty materialistic and always want more things but I hope in my older age I’ll put less importance on items. I would like to be thinner and be a bit healthier but I make choices that won’t make that happen unless I change my ways. Overall though I’m pretty happy and pretty content in my life right now. I don’t think turning 50 will have too much of an effect on me. It’s a milestone birthday but I don’t expect much to change.
Presidents’ Day
On this holiday I’m reminded of presidents past who have made more of an impression on the country than any of the more recent presidents. In terms of the what role religion should play in our country, the founding fathers had the right idea. I found this article about how our founding fathers felt about religion and government. I wish our more current presidents would take the same view as our founding fathers. Here are just a few quotes from presidents past on the topic of religion. As the article is titled, I’m sure christians would hate these quotes.
“The Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”
~1797 Treaty of Tripoli signed by Founding Father John Adams
“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, then that of blindfolded fear.”
~Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787
“The civil government functions with complete success by the total separation of the Church from the State.”
~Founding Father James Madison, 1819, Writings, 8:432, quoted from Gene Garman, “Essays In Addition to America’s Real Religion”
“We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition… In this enlightened Age and in this Land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man’s religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining and holding the highest Offices that are known in the United States.”
~Founding Father George Washington, letter to the members of the New Church in Baltimore, January 27, 1793