stuff i think

The Wonders of IM

I'm coming to the belief that of the killer-apps of the internet age has to be AOL's Instant Messenger, be it th MSN knock-off or Mac's iChat. I remember a few years ago, fiddling with it and suddenly chatting with a college buddy who was literally on the other side of the earth, in Mongolia. It was a little sobering to think that it was possible. Of course, not everyone's going to chat with their Mongolia-based buddies regularly...but today is an excellent example of what I love about it. I'm here in the prayer room, studying the Psalms, and when my ten year old, Jackson, woke up, he took 3 minutes to ping me and say good morning. I expect the same from six year old Grayson in a few minutes. All the while, I don't need to stop...Instant Messenger has enabled the laptop to function as the ubiquitous appliance.

It's a big weekend for hanging out and meeting people. We're having three couples over for dinner tonight and three families on Sunday afternoon. Saturday afternoon is the biggie - we're hosting the IHOP New Staff meet-and-greet-and-eat event at our place...there are about 80 new staffers, plus add a few kids and nonstaff spouses...and staff...and the previous new staff class. Yikes. That's a lot of folks! If any of you are in the KC area today, have a lawn mower and would like to mow a yard....