The power is finally back on! It only took 11.5 days, but we have lights, A/C, cable, internet access… In short, we have our home back, and it is good.

As I said in my last entry, we survived Hurricane Ike just fine. In fact, we don’t seem to have suffered any damage except for the power outage and a front door that no longer opens due to swelling (the wind blew water right at the door all night, and it swelled to a point [...]

Just a quick update that we are alive and well, but still (as of last night, anyway) waiting for the power to come back on. It went out a couple minutes after my last live-blog post. More to follow soon.

To all who are checking this site out for Hurricane Ike info, I’ll be live-blogging the storm. My wife and I live in The Heights neighborhood of Houston (map here). That’s quite a distance from Galveston and the coast, but right in the path of this monster. I plan to blog until I lose power [...]

Joe Holland has posted an altogether excellent review of The Shack (hat tip: Tim Challies). Meanwhile, my blog has attracted a couple comments on the topic. Granted, there are not too many comments, but they contain themes worth a little discussion.

I sure hope so. America’s dependency on foreign oil will be much more easily reduced if we’re not fighting off a cartel. Three cheers for the Saudis and capitalism. Source: The death of OPEC.

I have work to do, but serious connectivity issues mean it’s time to stop. So, just waiting now. Nothing much going on outside, yet – it was breezy (like 10-15 mph gusts) a while ago, when I retrieved a small pot from the back patio before it could reenter the house on its own.
Right now, [...]

Well, all our preparations are complete. Our windows are taped – boarding them was not a realistic possibility, as the exposed windows are all both very large and very high above ground level – and there’s plenty of water (bathtubs and bottled) and food. Work due today is all completed, too, so it’s down to [...]

As you may be aware, Houston is staring down a major hurricane (currently Saffir-Simpson category 2, but probably about to become a 3 or maybe even a 4). I’ll be working from home the rest of the day and all of tomorrow, given the craziness that is Houston’s roadways during a coastal evacuation. Our place [...]

I have nothing against credit card companies or other commercial lenders. They provide a valuable service at the rates (prices) the free market will bear, and that’s a good thing. That said, I am sometimes amazed at some of the great deals a credit card company will offer me. Like the cash-back program one credit [...]