Discussion vs Debate

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Ever pay attention to what happens in a conversation when a disagreement arises? It generally depends on the people involved. For the Discussers, a disagreement is an opportunity to compare ideas and share knowledge. One person tells his/her view, and the other follows. If one happens to accept the other’s position, fine. If neither wants to cave, they continue discussing or simply agree to disagree and move on.

For the Debaters, a disagreement is a challenge to debate and defeat the other person rather than to share information. Not until the opponent changes his/her mind does the battle end. The Debater cannot stand the thought of someone else disagreeing with him and will fight through any number of means, including bullying, sarcasm, mocking, and persistence.

I think the majority of people I know are Discussers, but I definitely know a few Debaters. For me, Discussers are much more pleasant to talk to.

Roller Skating Date Night

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Friday night, thanks to Grammy and Grampy, Jenny and I had our longest post-Brenden date night yet! We started by going roller skating at Interskate in Lewisville, which is the best deal I’ve seen for roller skating in the Irving area. On Friday it was $5 each plus $3 each for skate rental before 6, and the rink was open all day instead of just a few hours like some rinks. We both tried inline skates, which we quickly decided were fun but less stable than the “quads” of our youth. Most of the customers at 5:00pm on Friday were under 10, and they did NOT play a slow song for couples skating. The only people anywhere near our age were watching children. For the races, there were two boys’ brackets: 6 and under or 7 and above. I chose to sit this one out, which is good because I would have gotten smoked by a teenager who worked for the rink. We still had a blast! Jenny took a picture with her phone of me skating and sent it to our vacationing friend Alexis, who is thinking about having a skating party for her birthday. She sent us back a picture of her at Epcot, where she and her husband were enjoying the Food and Wine Festival. Technology amazes me.

After our feet and legs grew tired, we had dinner at Romano’s. This is a big deal because it’s the first time we’ve done a multi-part date (i.e. a meal AND and activity) apart from Brenden. Dinner was excellent as usual, and we got to use a couple of gift certificates. Finally we stopped at the Super Target to get some wine (see previous post on alcohol sales in Irving) and returned home to find two very happy grandparents.

Once they went home and we put B to bed, we opened some cheap bubbly and watched the original Ghostbusters, which I don’t think I’d ever seen before. Good times, good times. Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!

Soup

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I don’t blog on every CARES event we do, but tonight’s soup dinner was really cool. Although the turnout was lower than normal for a dinner, most of the residents who came were people we didn’t know well, giving us a great chance to meet some new residents. When we explained CARES to them, they really liked the concept. I’ll bet we see some of them at future events. Jenny worked hard in the kitchen during the day and made five different soups, all of which were delicious: black bean, chicken tortilla, potato, tomato basil, and vegetable beef. Even better, one of our awesome residents volunteered to help with the food and talked to the residents. And my mom came over to babysit Brenden during the event so we could focus on the residents. It was a great night, and we’ll probably try this event again this winter.

LIARS!

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As interesting as this year’s presidential campaign has been, it also reminds me of one of the main reasons I hate politics: most, if not all, politicians deliberately distort the truth in order to win. Both Palin and Biden did it tonight. McCain and Obama do it all the time. For examples from tonight, check out this story on Yahoo News. I assume they know the press and a host of watchdog groups can investigate their claims and post the results. So I guess the politicians assume we’re either lazy or stupid. That bothers me. Does it bother you?

The Unsinkable Ship?

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In the early 1900s, a British shipmaking company called White Star Line built a massive cruise ship called Titanic, claiming it was so large and so well-designed that it was practically unsinkable. As Cal Hockley put it in the movie, “God himself couldn’t sink this ship.” As we all know, this was not the case.

As the news rolls in from Washington and the financial world, I can’t help but think about the spectacular sinking sequence near the end of the movie. The bow is submerged, slowly raising the stern from the icy water. Deafening creaks of steel from the dying vessel almost drown out the panicked voices and frantic footsteps. Finally the strain on the ship breaks most of it in half at midship with a mighty crash. The forward half of the ship goes under, pulling the aft to vertical for a moment before finally dragging it to its grave at the bottom of the dark Atlantic.

Although I’m no financial expert, I must admit that I wonder if the United States and our economy are similar to that tragic ship. Even after its $10 drop on Monday, oil is still very expensive with an uncertain future. The stock market is plummeting after Congress failed to pass the bailout package. The housing market is still in shambles. Few of us fully understand what’s going on and what it will take to fix the economy, so many are afraid. Hear the steel creaking?

Am I overreacting? Probably. But not one of us knows for sure what lies ahead. I cling to one thing on this ship to keep me sane: not the indomitable spirit of man, for man is broken and flawed. Not the power and incomprehensible wealth of the United States, because there are no guarantees they will last and many examples from history that suggest another power will take our place as the world leader. Not my wonderful family, which makes hard times much easier but can’t make them go away. I cling to the simple but life-changing truth that God is in control and has a plan for every one of us. I will fight to keep myself and my family focused on Him whether we relax on Lido Deck, huddle on a liferaft, or tread water and wait for rescue.

Alcohol Sales in Irving

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One issue on the ballot for Irving is a proposal to allow sales of beer and wine in Irving. This issue has been on the ballot twice over the last few years, losing by a large margin in 2004 and only a small margin in 2006. This time I believe it will pass because of the large voter turnout for the presidential election. The main area of concern is South Irving, the older section of town which has become lower-income and more run-down over the last couple of decades. Many residents consider most of the areas south of 183 to be in decline and fear that allowing alcohol sales in convenience stores, grocery stores, and liquor stores will only make things worse, leading to higher crime and further deterioration. Proponents of the bill argue that since alcohol is already available in nearby cities, those who want to drink will get their alcohol one way or another. Allowing sales in Irving would have little negative impact while making it easier for responsible drinkers who want to buy their beer or wine in Irving instead of driving to another city.

Right now, Jenny and I plan to vote YES because we want to be able to pick up a bottle of wine at the grocery store, just like we did in Euless and Keller/Watauga. South Irving is going downhill for a variety of reasons, including drugs, illegal immigration, and lax code enforcement. Putting beer and wine in the 7-11s won’t help the situation, but isn’t going to make that big of a difference, either.