Have you ever had an argument with someone where it seemed like you were fighting about two different things? My wife and I have had those. Our communication just breaks down. I have certain beliefs about issues and know exactly what I want to communicate, but my wife doesn’t listen. She has a totally different point that she wants to make. She isn’t even on the same page as me. Why doesn’t she see things my way?
Communication Breakdown
One of the main culprits in our failure to communicate is our misuse of comparisons. I am generally proud about being a good dad and I will usually feel comfortable saying that I am a good husband. Many times, my wife disagrees. I do alot of things she believes is not being a responsible husband. I lose track of time and forget to do some of the things she asks. Therefore, we end up having an argument, and problems with communication ensue.
I suppose I jumped the gun this weekend when I implemented the new design. I was so excited about it that I forgot THE rule when designing sites: Check it out on every possible browser. I didn’t. It looked good on my IE7 so I thought it was cool.
This morning I was having an email conversation with Albert from Urbanmonk.net (an excellent site by the way) and told me that my site was screwing up on IE6 and Firefox. So instead of posting relevant material today, I worked on making my site compatible with these two platforms. I’m glad to say that it is all good with firefox. There shouldn’t be any trouble viewing the site. IE 6 is good.. not finished. The drop down menu isn’t working for the browser. I’m sorry and its my dumb mistake, but you wont be able to use the blog menu if you have IE6 for awhile.
It took me a couple of weeks, but it is something that I am extremely proud of. Altnoise.net is completely redesigned and running on the server. If you are reading it through an rss feed, come check it out.
 I have never seen a blog designed the way altnoise is and that is good. Maybe I can start a design revolution. It is a very minimalistic look, but still has enough elements to please the eyes. I built the design upon the most basic wordpress theme I could find: Barecity.
I’m Not Perfect.. Here Are Some Changes
There are still some things that I need to tweak and work out. The comments section on single posts need something to help it flow. The main menu right above the bottom blue section will probably be moved to the top.
Allright, everyone. I know I mentioned that some changes are starting to go on and I am excited about them. I am redesigning (again) altnoise.net to a much more slick and minimalistic look. The design is almost finished and is looking very good. Right below is a small screenshot of the top half of the site.
 You can actually stay up to date on any upcoming changes of altnoise by going to http://intune.altnoise.net . I have changed the site to a test site for altnoise.
 Also, I really would like your input on the changes. If you have any idea on how to improve altnoise or any comment (good or bad) on anything we decide to implement then let us now. It would be great to see this site built and added to by you all.
Here is an opportunity for you, my loyal readers, to take Altnoise.net to the next leve. Lately, I have been reflecting on the site and have decided that there needs to be a change at the fundamental levels. From your comments, emails and offline conversations, you have told me that my writing has encouraged and inspired you in your personal life. This feedback is what keeps me pushing forward into the unknown
I could write up in the sky
forgive me I apologize
still if I went through every measure
with my promise to be better
you’d say - “I’ll believe you when“Â Matchbox Twenty
She stood there at the door. One foot in. One foot out. I knew what she was feeling. It was my fault that she was hurt and crying, but there was nothing I could do to fix it. I told her I was going to change. I told her that things are getting better. I told her that she could’ve done something. All the excuses were in vain. She looked beyond me and was broken. There wasn’t anything I could say. She knew the history.
I have started to go to counseling. My wife and I decided that it would be best to work out some of my personal issues before I plunge into full-time ministry. I do think it is important for me to get some of my stuff straight before I embark on an emotionally draining career. It was a choice that we decided would be best for our family’s future.
My ChoiceÂ
Really, I didn’t think I had a choice. Not because I do everything my wife says (which I do.. sometimes), but I really didn’t see any other option. I knew the consequences and path my life could likely go and knew of only one way to fix it: go talk to someone. It was the right decision, but the point is that I thought it was the only decision.
It is just around the corner, and I’m excited. The boys are at the age where Christmas can actually start being exciting. We can take them to the plays, drive to see the city lights, and decorate the apartment with a large tree. This Christmas will have a special moment in our family’s memories.
As a Christian, our family does focus on Christs birth. We’ll tell the story and have Jesus is the Reason for the season stuff, but we aren’t kidding anyone. It is about the presents. My wife and I want the best for our kids this Christmas and want to make it special for them. The problem is that we aren’t made of money. My wife is a children’s pastor and I’ve quit teaching to return to school full-time.
This morning I was tempted. I missed the first class of the day because I was trying to finish the homework. It didn’t seem like it would be hard to finish so instead of doing it last night, I put it off until this morning. I had more.. important.. things to do.
 The morning started out great. I got up early, took a shower, got the boys dressed and had plenty of time to do the simple homework. I found it wasn’t so simple. An hour after the class started I was still trying to finish the first part.
We all desire to do more. There really aren’t many people who walks through life and chooses not to improve society. We might not want to be Mother Theresa, but we would like to see a better tomorrow than was today. It is a virtue that we are naturally born with. It might be a flaw that evolution hasn’t corrected yet, but right now we want to make the world a better place.
The problem is that there are so many damn people problems in the world. What can we actually do? I’m not a superhero who can stop the genocide in Darfur. I’m not a millionaire who can help out the bankrupt amusement park owner who turned our city around. I can’t even stop time to help guide a lost stranger to his destination. I want to do something, but I dont have the time/resources/initative/skills/power/influence/income/ability/charisma/personality/../../.. to do what is required to affectively change the world.
