WILL WHITEY LIVE?

"A time to be born, and a time to die..." (from Ecclesiastes 3:2)

Today, my daughter Rachel had an unfortunate experience with our 1993 Olds station wagon.  When she went to start it this morning, it would not start, and a "charge battery" light came on the dash.  Immediately following, smoke poured out from under the hood.

I later looked under the hood and the "serpentine belt" which essentially powers everything was off and broken.  I had to replace the serpentine belt in the Summer of 2000. At that time, there were other complications and the total bill was $213.  Lately the car has been making "funny noises".  Bill Lincoln at our church who is a mechanic has said he believed the Power Steering pumb was dying and soon to completely fail.

We got the 1993 Olds wagon in December of 1997.  For the past several years, 20-year-old Rachel has done 90% of the driving of the car we call "Whitey".  It's been great transportation for her back and forth from Westfield State College and around Framingham and Westfield.  We had a close call with Whitey awhile ago.  In September of 2005, Whitey broke down and became undriveable.  It sad broken down in our driveway from September of 2005 to August of 2006.  We had to put a new gas tank into Whitey and "sink some serious dough" into Whitey in August , September, and October of 2006.  Since then, Whitey's not been too bad. 

For us, money is a big issue.  If we have to take Whitey off the road and replace the car, no matter what, it's going to be a huge hit that we don't need.  On the other hand, if I have to spend more than $200-$300 to get Whitey back "alive" is it worth it?  Maybe not.

It's amazing how you can get attached to cars and how much you depend on cars.   I will have to have Bill Lincoln thoroughly look at Whitey in the near future.

Will Whitey live?

WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE SUCH JERKS?

"And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how
they chose out the chief rooms;" (from Luke 14:7)

We were able to have the yard sale in Canton on Saturday. The weather was
perfect. Overall it was a good day. We did not sell quite as much as we would
have liked to, BUT we DID sell quite a bit.

Although my giant bin full of antique Jeep parts did not draw any customers,
my license plates and automotive collectibles table did VERY well. I had put
out a mailing to my mailing list of "car nuts" to attractive them to the sale,
and for the second year in a row, the mailing worked well. I DID specify on
the mailing that I did not want any "early arrivals" before 8 a.m. and that
there would be no sales before 8 a.m.

At 7 a.m., as my sister and I were working hard and setting up, a guy around
58 years old pulled up. He claimed to be just coming home for work and said
he very much wanted to "at least LOOK at the stuff". I reluctantly let him
look. He immediately went to the most expensive and desirable stuff I had at the
auto collectibles table. "I want to buy ALL this stuff!" he said excitedly.
I told him he would have to wait until 8 a.m. He whined about it, and whined
about it. He tried and tried to get me to break my policy.

"Look," I told him, "I gave my word that I won't start until 8 and I won't
start until 8." He disgustedly drove off. By 7:55, there were 3 or 4 guys
"chafing at the bit" as it were to buy auto collectibles. I actually let the sale
begin at 7:58. At 7:59, the very first (pushy) guy came charging in. He was
practically GRABBING stuff out of other guys hands.

"I WANT THIS STUFF, I WAS HERE FIRST!" he yelled.
"No I was here first," another angrily replied.
"Well, technically he was here first at 7 a.m." I said, "but I think there
should be plenty of stuff for everybody."

There was then a lot of pushing about who's stuff would be added up first and
who could pay first, etc. The first guy (that I'm labeling a "jerk") did get
about 75% of the best items. Yes, he paid for them, but at the end of the
day, I had a sad feeling. I almost felt guilty about selling some of the stuff.

Money is tight for me, and often things are financially difficult. A sale
like this can mean that instead of going around looking for quarters, I can
actually do some eating out in restaurants and filling my cars up with gas and
just not have to worry about that kind of stuff. I WAS happy for the money I'd
made, but I realized, it wasn't that I was sad about selling the stuff...I was
sad that the 7 a.m. "jerk" had bought so much of the best stuff. A part of me
really DIDN'T want him to have it.

He couldn't follow the rules. He was pushy and selfish. Yes, he got some
valuable auto collectibles. He may well go on-line and sell the stuff for two
or even three times what he paid for it. But he has to live with himself and
he has to look at himself in the mirror. I would never want to be like that
guy.

I'm just venting, but WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE SUCH JERKS?

JUST SO Y'ALL KNOW

I know "y'all" seems very southern but I have a strong southwestern Missiouri connection, so I guess that sort of counts!

I'm a real stickler about how I want everything to look and come across on this blog and right now I'm not real happy with it, but it's due to circumstances beyond my control.

1.  Many of you know that about 2 months ago my home iMac computer decided to not let me post or edit anything on my blog.  This became a very frustrating situation.  After numerous calls to AOL technical services and to a computer geek who is an expert on Apple I just had to give up, and so I can't do anything with the blog on my home computer anymore.

2.  I then started posting and editing from the Framingham Public Library computers.  My initial experience with them was pretty good until just a few days ago.  For some reason, the computers at the library are suddenly 5 TIMES SLOWER than they used to be!  What used to take me about 4 minutes to do on a library computer now takes 20 minutes.  AND, just getting to the blog and posting on it is a nightmare. ... forget about editing entries.  That's why the entries seem sloppy and contain some extra "computer junk," etc.  I've even had great trouble setting my "mood" - that's why the Canton Yard Sale piece doesn't list a mood.

3.  Bottom line, I'm not going to stop blogging but it's gotten a lot harder for me!
The sloppiness in my blog entries is due to complications beyond my control!

FINALLY, we're hoping to have a brand new state-of-the-art computer at home by January 2008. In the meantime, we've got to just put up with this stuff!


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CANTON YARD SALE

From: RevRBaril@aol.com
Subject: CANTON YARD SALE

My sister is once again hosting a spectacular yard sale on Saturday, July 14, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or so).  (If it rains, it will not take place, although my understanding is that it's not expected to rain.)
You may know we inherited lots and lots of classic automobile memorabilia.  Some of that stuff will be for sale at "my" table.  (I know that stuff is of interest to a select market, and I've sent out a specific U.S. mailing and e-mailing to that market.)

You're welcome to come to 99 Independence St. Canton (cormer of Prospect and Independence Streets...near Sherman Street and Pleasant Street) just one mile from downtown Canton on Saturday, July 14.  I'd love to see you!


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MONDAY'S BOSTON HERALD

"And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the
land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols,
and among the people." (I Samuel 31:9)

I'm a subscriber to the MetroWest Daily News (Framingham, MA) but at least
two mornings a week, I buy a Boston Herald. I know the Herald is a struggling
tabloid, looked down upon by the Boston Globe and by the "literati" of the
metropolitan Boston area, but I learned some stuff in the Monday, July 9 Boston
Herald!

First, I was fascinated by the front page story, "FEATHERS FLY IN DUCK WAR".
I learned that there is now a copycat duck boat tour company in Boston. I've
taken the "real" duck tour with Boston Duck Tours and really enjoyed it. The
upstart company is "Super Duck Tours" of Charlestown, MA. Many tourists are
confused, assuming Super Duck Tours IS Boston Duck Tours, and even some locals
have been confused. Many of those who have taken the "Super Duck Tour" were
upset to learn that it was not the real thing. Boston Duck Tours is taking
the matter to court on Wednesday. I think the upstart company should have to
clearly say in it's advertising and promotional material something to the effect
of: "Not affiliated with the original Boston Duck Tour company".

Second, I learned from page 3 that Times Square Church (an independent
Pentecostal church in New York City's Times Square which is associated with the Rev.
David Wilkerson) is very upset because of billboards affixed to their
building featuring naked buttocks with smiling faces on them. That matter is also
going to court.

Third, I learned that people should really think carefully before switching
to Verizon FiOS. Now, please don't misunderstand. I'm a Verizon stockholder,
and it's very much in my interest for as many people as possible to sign up
for Verizon FiOS. Even so, the article on page 23 states that FiOS is much
more expensive than Verizon DSL and that when homeowners sign up for Verizon FiOS
their traditional copper phone lines are essentially cut forever. Some have
regretted their decision to sign up with Verizon FiOS.

Fourth, I learned from page 22 that a number of "expectant fathers" are
wearing "pregnancy empathy" suits to find out what their pregnant wives are going
through. I think that's a bit much, and although my wife and I attended
natural childbirth classes back in the 1980s, and I was present at the births of all
of my kids, I'd never have worn a "pregnancy empathy" suit.

The Herald also had stories about the fake cop who raped a woman in Randolph,
and about the number of babies who were born on 7/7/07. The "Inside Track"
has a piece about John Krasinski who is one of the stars of "The Office" and of
the film "License to Wed". I knew he was originally from Massachusetts, but
I did not know he'd actually been a camp counselor in Wayland, MA. I also got
the latest news about Clay Aiken's incident on a recent Continental Airlines
flight and about Avril Lavigne being sued for (supposedly) stealing the
lyrics to one of her latest songs.

I'd say all of the above information was worth the 50 cents I spent for
Monday's Boston Herald!

DYS 'n 'dat

(I have sent this to a number of people that I know and I decided to also post this on my blog.)

Many reading this are connected in some way to a school or a church- you particularly may be able to be of help in a very practical way.

DYS is an overhead projector bulb that is now very difficult to get.
Specifically it’s the small DYS halogen 600 watt, 120 volt overhead projector bulb. They were made by Apollo.

Our little church has not “graduated” to “Power Point” yet. (Sometimes I think some of us are too dependent upon Power Point, but that’s a matter for another time.) Our (circa 1988) overhead projector works fine and is still a great tool.

Up until around 2004, the bulbs were easily available at any Staples store.
I’d always have at least one spare bulb available in case the projector bulb
blew at an inopportune time. In mid-2004, I went to Staples to purchase a DYS overhead projector bulb only to learn the store no longer carried them in stock. I was told I could call a toll free number and have a bulb shipped.
Between 2004 and 2006, I ordered 2 or 3 bulbs from Staples’ toll free number which were always delivered within a couple of days. A couple of weeks ago, the overhead projector bulb blew out. We replaced it with the spare bulb we had on hand. I called Staples toll-free number and learned that Staples no longer
carries them. I was given the name of a supplier to call. I called the supplier, but I was told I could not order them because they only sell them to retailers. I was also told the price of the bulbs have gone up...now $32 (at one time were around Hi! (I’m sending this to a number of people that I know and I will also be posting this on my blog.) Many reading this are connected in some way to a school or a church- you particularly may be able to be of help in a very practical way. DYS is an overhead projector bulb that is now very difficult to get. Specifically it’s the small DYS halogen 600 watt, 120 volt overhead projector bulb. They were made by Apollo. Our little church has not “graduated” to “Power Point” yet. (Sometimes I think some of us are too dependent upon Power Point, but that’s a matter for another time.) Our (circa 1988) overhead projector works fine and is still a great tool. Up until around 2004, the bulbs were easily available at any Staples store. I’d always have at least one spare bulb available in case the projector bulb blew at an inopportune time. In mid-2004, I went to Staples to purchase a DYS overhead projector bulb only to learn the store no longer carried them in stock. I was told I could call a toll free number and have a bulb shipped. Between 2004 and 2006, I ordered 2 or 3 bulbs from Staples’ toll free number which were always delivered within a couple of days. A couple of weeks ago, the overhead projector bulb blew out. We replaced it with the spare bulb we had on hand. I called Staples toll-free number and learned that Staples no longer carries them. I was given the name of a supplier to call. I called that supplier, but I was told I could not order them because they only sell them to retailers. I was also told the price of the bulbs have gone up...now $32 (at one time were around $18-$20). I’m aware that a number of churches and schools have either replaced their older overhead projectors with new ones or they have replaced their older overhead projectors with Power Point. There may be DYS 600 watt, 120 volt halogen bulbs laying around on shelves in schools and churches which someone like me could really use. (Warning: the bulbs are usually kept in clear plastic cases. NEVER touch them with your bare hands or the acid from your hand will ruin the bulb.) If someone has a small DYS 600 watt, 120 volt halogen bulb which you’d like to donate to our church. we’d be most grateful. Our mailing address is: FIRST ASSEMBLY OF GOD, P.O. BOX 4702, FRAMINGHAM,MA 01704. For shipping, use my residence: Rev. Bob Baril, 40 Harrison ST, Framingham, MA 01702. I can be reached at my office at 508-875-5030. Maybe you DON’T have any DYS 600 watt 120 volt bulbs but you might know someone who does. Would you please e-mail that person and ask them to check out this blog entry? Thank you.

HOME AGAIN

"... I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (from Philippians 4:11)

My daughter Rachel and I arrived home on Tuesday night.  I'm happy to report that the drive home from Missouri went well- it was very different from the ride TO Missouri!

Time would fail me to tell ALL about the trip.  We DID get to go to Silver Dollar City in Branson, but did NOT get to visit Silver Dollar City's "Marvel Cave".  This was VERY disappointing for my daughter Rachel.  Most of the time we were there, the cave tours were closed.  We DID have fun at Springfield, Missouri's Bass Pro Shop.  Visiting Bass Pro in Springfield (their "Store Number One") is an "experience"!

Back here at home, we attended the Natick 4th of July Parade on Wednesday morning.  I always enjoy the Natick Parades and this year's was great, as always.

I made the mistake of joining my wife for a grocery shopping trip on Wednesday at Noontime.  I guess the folks back in the pre-1980 era had the right idea to have supermarkets closed on major holidays!  Without going into a lot of detail, I had a real bad experience at this supermarket.  I won't tell you which supermarket it was, but I absolutely regretted going.  We usually shop at the crack of dawn to avoid crowds and foolishness.  Today only confirmed that shopping at the crack of dawn is a VERY good idea!   After a week in the amazingly friendly and polite Midwest, I'm finding the Boston-area rudeness kind of hard to take.  I wish we New Englanders could be more like the people in those "middle America red states" but I guess I have to learn to be content where I am, as the Apostle Paul admonishes in Philippians 4!

Anyway, I'm back!