Several years ago, I worked at a large software company in Eugene. I was in a highly technical role which included training large groups from time to time and even giving presentations on our goals. I used to affectionately refer to these sessions as “coffee and propaganda”. Most people knew of my disdain for speaking in front of large groups, even though I was reasonably good at doing so and usually got my point across. So much to my surprise, my boss came to me and asked me to give a presentation on a system upgrade that we were going to be doing later in that month. Ironically enough, it involved an upgrade to the Lotus Notes system, which I know everyone just loves! I said, “That’s fine. How many employees will I be presenting to?” He gave me a strange look and said, “Well… all of them.” “All of them” would be about 1500 people. I’m sure it was at this point that I turned about thirty different shades of white and green simultaneously. I’m sure it was an impressive sight, because my boss laughed at me. He laughed at me! He didn’t even try to comfort me in

Continue readingLately I just can’t seem to believe… It meant the world to hold a bruising faith, but now it’s just a matter of grace.

Another excerpt from my book. In the country, there are a few things that you need to remember if you’re parking your car for any length of time. The most important, however, is that you should always, always, always, close your car door. Always. One night back in the summer of 2001, I forgot this little bit of crucial advice. I say crucial advice now, but back then, it was something I never really thought about. I mean, it’s a car, and it’s the country. What could possibly happen, right? As it turns out, a lot can happen. Near midnight, I walked out to my car and noticed that the passenger door was open just a smidge. Not a lot. I hit the door with my hip and it closed the rest of the way. No big deal. I figured I’d left it slightly ajar when I was getting stuff out of the car earlier in the night. Nothing to even really consider. I walked around to the driver’s side and got in the car, started the engine, and drove up the driveway toward the highway. I should explain, before I go any further, what kind of area I was

Continue readingDon’t it make you sad to know that nobody cares at all?