Google Contact Sync for BlackBerry available

I was updating my BlackBerry apps and noticed that Google Sync for BlackBerry now includes Google Contact synchronization. You can upgrade from Google Mobile Apps on your BlackBerry (select the "More" option, highlight the Sync icon, and choose upgrade), or you can visit m.google.com/sync from your phone and install or upgrade.

I am using a BlackBerry Curve 8320 and OS 4.5. Google Sync does two-way contact and calendar sync and it is working for me. I am very happy to finally have contact synchronization.

I had just signed up for Soocial, but their BlackBerry sync is still missing.

This move from Google is welcome; I was beginning to think they only love the iPhone and forgot us BlackBerry users. :-D

Prop 8 and Prop 22

This is a telling comparison between Prop 8 and Prop 22. Prop 8 passed by a very narrow margin, while Prop 22 passed by a large margin.

Prop 8 Passed?

I am surprised, but it seems Prop 8 is going to pass. I honestly thought, in spite of all the signs and propaganda I had heard, that Prop 8 would be defeated.

Cathy and I met a married lesbian couple while waiting in line at Ben & Jerry's last night. At the time, No on 8 was leading by about 3%, if I recall correctly. We discussed Prop 8 and wondered what its passage might mean for their family. I doubt that the California courts would retroactively dissolve marriages joined this year. According to Joan Hollinger, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, "Constitutional scholars agree that the amendment cannot be effective retroactively."

I was also assuming that many others would be rushing to get married before Prop 8 goes into effect; I probably would. But, yesterday may have been the last day for gay marriages:

“A proposed [legislative] amendment or revision shall be submitted to the electors and if approved by a majority of votes thereon takes effect the day after the election unless the measure provides otherwise. If provisions of 2 or more measures approved at the same election conflict, those of the measure receiving the highest affirmative vote shall prevail.” See Cal. Const., Art. XVIII, Sec. 4

However, marriage license will likely be issued for the coming month until the state health department directions California county clerks to stop.[1][2]

Not only did California voters ban gay marriages, but bans also passed in Florida and Arizona.

I would say that would be the end of gay marriage in California, but Prop 22 (from 2000) was struck down in May. Prop 8 used the identical wording, but this is an amendment to the state constitution, so I don't know if it can be challenged and struck down like Prop 22.

All in all, these are interesting days. I thought for sure, with a huge Democratic turnout, that Prop 8 would pass. I was wrong.

One final note: I really hope and pray that conservatives and Christians won't be jerks about the results. Peoples' lives were changed today; compassion and love should rule the day. Jesus Christ would have it no differently.

Historic Election Results

Wow, a historic night. Barack Obama has the President Elect and the first non-White President of the United States of America. I hear many people are celebrating the election of our first mostly African-American president.

I've been getting my election results online, of course.

Google has a 2008 Elections Gallery that is pretty cool. For general numbers, like electoral votes and House and Senate results, I've simply referred to the Google News Elections landing page.

For California propositions, I've been following the election applet at the LA Time. I like this applet for the "margin of victory" tab. The search for the propositions link goes directly to Proposition 8, so that must be what the LA Times site visitors deem to be most important issue?

For Prop 8, with only 48% reporting, it is 52.5% YES and 47.5% NO. That's pretty close... so we'll have to see how Californians vote on 8.

I am glad to see Prop 2 (Farm Animals) is winning by a large margin. :-) That makes me very happy. I guess I'll wake up tomorrow to see all the final results.

I'll Fly Away

Something reminded me of this song. The last time I sang it was at Promise Land with Cathy's dad.

I'll Fly Away
Words & Music: Alfred E. Brumley

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away;
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away.

When the shadows of this life have grown,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away;
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away.

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joys shall never end,
I'll fly away.

I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away;
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away.

Cathy's dad died

Cathy's dad died at about 4:00 PM Pacific time.

The men from the church came to pray outside his window. Sandra opened the window so that dad could hear them.

They were singing 'Amazing Grace' when dad breathed his last. Sandra says he was breathing comfortably, and just stopped during the song. That's very beautiful.

There is rejoicing in heaven. We will miss him, but the parting is temporary.

Cathy's dad may be dying

Jerry called Cathy with news that dad (Al) was very, very sick. He was told to say his last goodbye's to his dad over the phone. We called Georgia for more information.

Dad's medication was causing a breathing problem, so they took him off the medication. Last night, he started having problems again and hallucinated. The nurse providing hospice care for dad (her name is Pam) spoke with the doctor. It seems that the cancer had returned in the last two months and spread to his liver. Dad's liver is releasing chemicals that is causing the rest of his body to shut down.

The hospital thinks he has between 24 to 48 hours left to live. If this is the end, we will know soon.

Up until yesterday, dad was ambulatory and in full possession of his mental faculties. The nurse says he is not in any pain (morphine and something else), but he is no longer responsive, either. We do not know if he is conscious or not. Jerry, Cathy, and I were given a chance to tell dad that we love him over the phone.

I was not expecting this. Two days ago, when we got in touch with Sandra, we prayed and just expected dad to recover and eventually get his voice back. I was waiting to talk to him when he could answer instead of just listen.

We are still praying for his recovery, selfishly. Certainly, Al would be received into heaven with joy and celebration, but I would rather he live here for a few more decades.

Sandra was upset at us as she never received our voicemails and answering machine messages. Whatever misunderstanding there may be between us and Sandra (dad's wife), God has seen to it that we have a tender heart toward Sandra. Last night, Cathy kept waking up with feelings of anxiety and panic, with the thought that I was dying. She would see me snoring and go back to sleep, and it would happen again. During these attacks, Cathy thought, "What am I going to do? My other half is dying!" This happened through the night. Cathy thinks this is God's way of helping her relate and sympathize with Sandra.

Please pray for:

• God's will, whether he restores Al again or takes him home
• Comfort and grace for Al's family
• Protection and stability for Al's church (where he pastors) as the new pastor take over his responsibilities

Cathy's dad still sick, Georgia uncertain

We've been calling Georgia to check on Cathy's dad. The last time got to speak with either Al or Sandra was Sunday, August 9th! I've left messages on the answering machine at church and their home, and Cathy left messages on Sandra's cell phone, but we just couldn't get in touch.

However, Cathy's sister-in-law, Tracy, called the nurse, who then gave the phone to Sandra, and got this bit of news: Cathy's dad is having some difficulty with the treatment, which caused him to lose his voice again as his throat is swollen, so he can't speak. *sigh* Cathy was then able to call Sandra.

Somewhere along the way, someone told Cathy that they hospital thinks he has very little time left, maybe a month or so. Dad's church, and Sandra, is taking it on faith that God will continue to have mercy upon him. We are hoping and praying for his healing. We still remember his miraculous recovery in August and January.

Prior to dad's stroke, though, he sat down with Sandra and discussed having someone take over the church in his stead should he no longer be available. So, the church will go on, and it has adjusted to dad's absence, waiting for his return.

This affects our Georgia plans in some ways. A year ago in November, Al had asked me to go to Georgia and work by his side so he could train me as his replacement. It seems he may have had to turn the church over to someone who is available now. So it seems we may not be serving at Cathy's dad's church after all.

I'm OK with that; the well being of the church is far more important than my desire to serve in any one particular location. If dad has appointed someone else to head the church, then I think it would be best if I were not around, for even a perceived challenge for authority could be bad for the church.

Unfortunately, I cannot speak with him right now, and do not wish to burden him while he is ill. I've all but decided to let the entire matter go quietly. I plan to tell both Al & Sandra that I understand and respect their decision and will continue to pray for his complete recovery.

We have spent the last year planning to move to Georgia, so if the transfer comes through we may still go. Unless I have misunderstood Cathy's dad's wishes, we'll stay away from the church to avoid causing problems.

Rant: some people shouldn't be sysadmins

Argh. I just got off a client's system where their 'sysadmin' had messed things up so badly it took me 30 minutes to realized he had misconfigured up his DNS server, that his computers were part of a domain but all logging on locally, and the server and workstations were using two different sets of DNS servers even though he is running DHCP. None of it makes sense! And the users just want to do their jobs and go home.

It is soooo frustrating to fix other people's messes. And I know the guy is paid more than I am because he's the sysadmin for a large national vanline agent. *sigh* Where can I get a gig like that, where people overpay you and don't know you are out of your depth?

Fanny on the RV dashboard

 
Here's a photo of Fanny on the dashboard of the RV. She sure is comfy...