The doctor is in . . .

August 2012

The Dishers Return to Korea

After visiting friends and family for two months, Annie and Thomas have returned to South Korea.

At the end of the month, Annie reports that it's typhoon season and they've already cancelled class for one day at Big Heart Christian School. Last year they only cancelled school one time -- when Mrs. Disher was diagnosed with Typhoid fever.

Dr. Reed Does Good Work on Our Teeth

Dr. James Reed took out all four of Jean's wisdom teeth on August 2nd. At the end of the month all is well in that department.

On the 6th, he extracted my broken tooth and installed an implant. It was over "in a moment." At least that's how it seemed — one shot to knock me out and the next moment I was being asked to move to the post-op room. There was very little pain, but I still took the next two days off as sick days because I just needed a good rest. I enjoyed trying a few of the Oxycodone pain pills to discover their effect. I see how folks could get addicted.

A checkup on the 29th found all in order.

A Photo Shoot at the Zoo

The SBE staff took its annual summer outing to Woodland Park Zoo.
I took a D300 with a 28-200mm lens and tried to shoot what I could.

I roamed the whole zoo shooting bears, elephants, giraffe, komodo dragons and whatever else presented itself. But the only shots that really turned out well were of birds.

At my suggestion, we had lunch at Spuds at Green Lake. I was surprised that it was a new experience for so many. I learned that the Alki Spuds had been taken over by Ivar's. But this one had the good ol' menu I loved.

London Olympics Consumes our Early August

Everyone will have their favorite memories of the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

We loved beach volleyball, women's gymnastics, swimming, and all the other events that NBC would show us. But for me, the men's 10,000m (6.2 mile) race was the highlight. The Brit Mo Farah and his training partner Galen Rupp from Oregon finished first and second and joined the many athletes from Great Britain and the U.S.A. who dominated. It was a classic Olympic Games. (The 50" LG TV got a good workout, and as the picture at right shows, the kids had their own windows on the world as we watched.)

My Photography Goes up in McKenna Hall

My Stargazer Lily photo was printed 20"x30" and framed and went up in our adjunct office. I featured this photo in a journal entry a few years back, and had to search for it by date. I have at least ten back-up drives and finding old photos is sometimes a challenge. This particular shot is a keeper.

Ginger Cat Nears
Life's End?

Ginger had been slowing down but an apparent leg injury has turned us into care givers. For the past few weeks of August, we've needed to feed and water Ginger by hand, carry her to the litter box, and sleep near her at times. She may have hurt her right hind leg jumping off our higher bed — the plush California King mattress Nancy bought a few months ago. (Next month we need to get a new Queen mattress for the attic.)

Annie picked out Ginger years ago and was happy to see her one more time. Ginger is 19 or 20 years old! That's amazing. When we brought her home to be the "aunt" of kittens Brother and Diana, I was kind of afraid of her. But she proved to be sweet and gentle and a beloved member of our family.

Because of her apparent decline, I began taking her picture more often. And now that she cannot stand, I'm glad I did. But, God knows, she may have more life in her.

Surprisingly, on the 30th I saw her walking again! There's still life in the old girl.

Death Comes in August

In past years, it has seemed to me that there has always been a number of notable passings in August.
I always wonder who will not return to my September Bible study because they went home in August.

The death of Kathi Goertzen (April 30, 1958 – August 13, 2012), the KOMO-TV anchorwoman, was a shock to all in the Pacific Northwest. Astronaut Neil Armstrong, at age 82, was more understandable but equally sad.

Calvin Miller, 75, American theologian, died on the 19th. I met Dr. Miller at a FPCB conference at Warm Beach Camp. He taught us to remember to pray whenever I saw a bird in the sky.

Marvin Hamlisch, 68, American composer; Phyllis Diller, 95, American comedienne and actress; and on and on. As Billy Graham told us in Kansas City in 1983, "Life is short."

August at Home

At least this summer, I remembered our Gravenstein apple tree and now the whole house smells like apples. Nathanael chopped down one of the tallest branches and we harvested what we could.

The tomatoes are abundant in foliage, but with hardly any fruit to show.

And Nancy got her bridge. She made a donation to the Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society to acquire the bridge from the Act 1 set of Iolanthe. I'll get an installed picture in September. Nancy has spent most of the later half of August making the bridge ready for our yard and vice versa.

Chaps at Taproot Theatre

In 1944 London, when the US musical group, hired to be come and entertain the troops and the nation under siege by the Nazi's, did not show up at the BBC radio studio, the Brits have to step in and play the Yanks from the Wild West. What a hoot! But it was poignant too — when the air raid sounded and the reality of war burst in.

       There'll be bluebirds over
       The white cliffs of Dover
       Tomorrow, just you wait and see
       There'll be love and laughter
       And peace ever after
       Tomorrow, when the world is free . . .

Nancy Catches Up at 57

Nancy's birthday party was a simple affair but not a cheap one.
I had considered her bridge to be her present from me. But I also got her an HDMI cable so she could use a laptop with our big TV. But then she asked me to buy her a canopy (above right) to cover her bridge (for over $1,200). It presently sits in boxes on the ramp to our front door.

Our House is Voting for Mitt and Paul

Martin Luther famously said he would rather be ruled by a competent Turk—that is, a Muslim—than an incompetent Christian. (Translations from the German differ.) I understand, and I'll be voting for a Mormon/Catholic ticket, but it has little to do with their faith. These men are well qualified. And their economics, while counter-intuitive to some, is just what we need. With regard to hope and change, I hope we change in November.

We watched much of the Republican convention in Tampa on PBS and will watch just as much of the Democratic convention in Charlotte after Labor Day.

Not Done Teaching!

A week ago I was talking with my dean, asking him about some reports I was preparing for the September SBE Retreat. He let drop what may not have seemed a bombshell to him, but it sure was to me. He mentioned that he was scheduled to talk with Dr. Denise Daniels, our Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies. Reports of the poor quality of the Business Statistics course taught by the Math department had prompted a proposal to bring the course back to the business school. And apparently "Dr. Sleight" had been mentioned as the new instructor.

It's been five years since I taught that course. I am truly ambivalent.
I love the freedom of not having to be ready for classes two or three times each week. But I also covet the energizing challenge of getting back into the classroom.

Later, Jeff and Denise discussed options for bringing back the BUS 2700 Statistics for Business and Economics from the Math department. Our students have been choosing the alternate BUS 1360 class to avoid certain instructors and to bypass the BUS 1700 course prerequisite.

Associate Dean Denise Daniels met with me on the 30th and asked if I would be willing to teach a new version of BUS 2700, with greater integration of Spreadsheets — something right in my academic sweet spot. It would first be offered in September 2013. I agreed to begin preparing the new course. It will then be six-and-a-half years since I've taught this subject.

This is the kind of red meat I've secretly been hoping for — a course of my own with time to create a masterpiece.

SPU Guys Take the GNAC Academic Title

SEATTLE – Nothing quite like going 4 for 4 – especially if it's in class.

The Seattle Pacific men's athletic programs pulled off just such a sweep, winning academic titles in all four Great Northwest Athletic Conference sports in which they participate, and taking the overall men's academic all-sports championship for the third year in a row. It was the eighth overall title for the men in the 11-year history of the GNAC.

"SPU's men's teams have represented us superbly with four teams winning academic titles this year," athletic director Erin O'Connell said. "And we're proud of volleyball for representing our women with this academic accomplishment."

The men finished with 70 points, beating out NNU and Saint Martin's, who tied for second with 64. The women totaled 74 points, with Montana State Billings on top (85) and Northwest Nazarene second (82). SPU's combined total was 144, just two behind NNU's total of 146.

"The overall GNAC Academic Award is a special one that shows commitment in the classroom, and we strive to win this ever year," O'Connell said. "We'll have another crack at it once we start classes in late September."

Leading the way for the men was coach Erika Daligcon's cross country team with a combined grade-point average of 3.34. That was their third academic title, ending a three-year run by Alaska Fairbanks. The Falcons advanced to the NCAA West Regionals last fall as an unranked team, but raced past three teams ranked in the regional top 10 to finish seventh.

Bits and Pieces

“Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” Numbers 11:29b NASB This verse reminds me that it's OK to teach the Bible without the formal training some might expect. I know how to study.

The rewiring of McKenna Hall wrapped up right on schedule the last day of August. It took the day to clean my office. September means another busy year at SPU.

My August reading has been Heresy by noted Reformed theologian Alister McGrath. I found this book at Half Price Books in the U District. I am reminded that at Catholic.com, we Protestants are still listed as heretics. Maybe they're using the 1st century definition I read about in this book — but I doubt it.

I'm meeting with brother Randy for breakfast on September 1st. It's finally time to present him with his quarter share of the family silver. Our mom saved quite a collection of coins. Nathanael and I set all the silver out by date and Randy will select 1/4 of these coins. He will get the second oldest coin of each type and then every fourth one after that. I will sell half of the coins this fall for Don and Laurie. I will likely sell some of my fourth and keep some.

We also went through the Canadian coins to cull out the silver ones. But I will deal with the pennies, nickels, and other foreign money in some other manner. Nathanael and I did go through a large collection of nickels and discovered five valuable "war nickels" (late 1942-1945).

I will sell these at Bellevue Rare Coins. They give a good price, but their price is based on the silver content of the coins in most cases. The spot price of silver has been going up of late, and $1.30 an ounce just on August 31st alone. I have been watching for this pre-election uptick.