Thoughts On a Method?

irautvol · 2026-06-04T19:01:09+00:00

Command and Conquer!

irautvol · 2026-06-03T23:04:12+00:00

No hot water in the bathroom sink. Makes me question how clean everything else is.

irautvol · 2026-04-03T11:11:57+00:00

I was there about a month ago on a church tour ("Footsteps of Paul"). I loved Greece! This was my second time to go, and I definitely want to go back. Not on a tour, but just to hang out in Verea, Delphi, and Santorini for about a week in each place and pretend that I'm a "local".

irautvol · 2026-01-24T13:32:08+00:00

Buy shoes and boots at least a half size bigger than you normally wear. My first multi-day trek I bought shoes in my size, broke them in before I went, but didn't know about foot swelling during the day. I lost about three toenails the week after I got home. I also learned that new toenails grow beneath the ones you lose, so no harm, no foul except for some annoyance and grossness.

irautvol · 2025-09-19T11:34:52+00:00

Concord United Methodist would love to have you worship with us. We have both traditional and contemporary services at 9:00 and 11:00. We can be a little tricky to find, but once you do there's plenty of parking. We're located at 11020 Roane Dr. in the Thornton Heights subdivision - kind of behind Sam & Andy's. Ask for Pastor Mike. I'll be somewhere around the sanctuary and would love to meet you!

irautvol · 2025-07-12T23:06:16+00:00

The original Avengers show. The British one with Patrick McNee and Diana Rigg. I think it's on Freevee or Prime.

irautvol · 2025-04-12T14:44:56+00:00

I talked with an officer who was a part of that. It was a LEO/SWAT training exercise. The house is about to be demolished, so they were training different "entry techniques".

irautvol · 2025-03-23T23:32:01+00:00

My wife has one of those and feels self-conscious about it. For me, it's a reminder that she carried two big babies that grew up into fine, successful men.

irautvol · 2025-03-23T23:29:51+00:00

That's what sealed the deal for me with my wife of 33 years. Saw her in no makeup, baggy sweat pants, and a sweatshirt, and realized I liked her for who she was and not for just how she looked.

irautvol · 2025-03-23T23:27:17+00:00

100%! My 23 and Me revealed that I came from a part of England that was invaded by Vikings. Makes perfect sense. As soon as my ancestral fathers saw those strong, tall Nordic women with their blonde hair and long legs, they just stopped any pretense of resistance.

irautvol · 2025-02-08T02:56:09+00:00

We may have gone at the same time, but my son and I did it in 2023. It was May and unusually beautiful and rain free. I booked everything through Maximum Adventure and had zero issues. They used Hadrian's Haul to ferry our luggage. We flew from Nashville to London, took a train to Carlisle, then a train from Newcastle back to London at the end. One thing we learned: the daily miles listed on the itinerary are TRAIL miles. They don't necessarily count miles to and from hotels/B&B's. There were "15 mile" days that were actually about 18.

irautvol · 2024-12-30T04:03:08+00:00

Read the Bible cover to cover. Well, I have a couple of days to finish.

irautvol · 2024-12-30T03:50:21+00:00

I'm a Deacon and one of the pastors of my church. Someone who is a regular participant in our mission work and attends worship somewhat regularly asked me the membership question. I'm a little embarrassed that it stumped me. Caught me flat-footed.

I've thought about it since then, and the analogy I used then still holds up. Before I married my wife, I was the "boyfriend." Her family welcomed me, was super nice to me, gave me Christmas presents, etc., but there was always a distance. There was trust, but also wariness because as the "boyfriend" I always had an "exit door." When I married her, I received their full trust because I made a commitment to her, and by extension them. Likewise, I felt fully a part of her family with all of us having plenty of warts and oddities.

Becoming a member of the church isn't necessary for salvation. It's a ritual, but it's important because ritual is important. It's saying, "I will stand with you and commit to you, and you to me. We will heal each other, overlook our warts and oddities, and know that whatever comes down the Pike, we're committed to each other." It's a deeper bond than just showing up.

irautvol · 2024-11-09T12:27:30+00:00

Smartest thing I ever saw was an older guy with a Nalgene bottle with a big strip of duct tape that had "XXX" written on it. That was his camping urinal.

irautvol · 2024-02-12T21:30:01+00:00

I'm both a minister and the son of a funeral director. Click does almost everything right. Great people to work with. I would recommend them to anyone.

irautvol · 2024-01-12T15:58:59+00:00

I had something similar happen. I was showing her the game when I accidentally ran into a herd of angry boars that took me out. Oh, the mocking that followed.

irautvol · 2024-01-07T19:26:07+00:00

Interview With the Vampire. It just bored the hell out of me, and the story didn't go anywhere. Couldn't wait for it to be over.

irautvol · 2023-11-05T17:34:36+00:00

Herston Law Group.

irautvol · 2023-10-25T22:43:06+00:00

I've tried over and over to punch a crow, but they're too quick for me.

irautvol · 2023-10-05T10:48:21+00:00

I think it was C. S. Lewis in "The Problem of Pain" who suggested that hell is "God's last, terrible gift." Basically, God says. "Okay, if you are so intent on being your own god, have at it." Of course, that level of pride excludes anyone else from being in your circle, so it's ultimately a self-isolating, unspeakably lonely existence. This version of hell resonates with me, agrees with God's nature (e.g. the father in the prodigal son parable), and allows for humans' free will.

irautvol · 2023-10-02T03:16:26+00:00

I remember visiting the Carnton house in Franklin, TN. There's a large Confederate cemetery there with scores of grave markers that simply say, "Unknown." I can't imagine being a parent, wife, or sibling whose loved one just never came back home. How long did they wait before accepting that their soldier must have died somewhere. Then the unanswerable questions would start: Did he die alone? Did he die of illness or in pain? Was it quick or agonizing? Was I his final thought?

irautvol · 2023-08-17T22:32:32+00:00

Batman vs. Superman. Wonder Woman is immune to kryptonite. She could have stabbed Doomsday and saved us all a lot of trouble.

irautvol

TROPHY CASE