One Vote – Yours

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on October 25, 2008 at 10:18 am

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One vote can make all the difference. Stand up for family, faith, marriage, and truth. If Obama wins, I’ll still stand. If I’m the only one left, I’ll still stand. I won’t drink the Kool-Aid.

I’m Voting Democrat

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on October 19, 2008 at 12:08 pm

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No, actually, I’m not. Here’s why. Thanks to my friend Heather for pointing this video out.

My Bicycling Hobby

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on October 18, 2008 at 11:22 pm

On 10 August, 2007 I began an active attempt to ride my bike, a slightly modified 1993 Diamondback Topanga, at least ten miles every day. Since that date 435 days ago, I have only taken trips on 153 days, which averages one trip every 2.84 days and is a bit short of my “every day” goal. My daily mileage average is 3.94 miles per day, falling short of my plans to tackle ten miles each day. I don’t feel too bad about these failures though, because I lead a very active life and time is often short. Read the rest of the article »

I Dislike Obama (and BoingBoing, too)

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on October 16, 2008 at 11:20 pm

I used to have an active love/hate relationship with boingboing.net’s RSS feed, but I no longer subject myself to the rantings of its moderating monkeys.

I peruse hundreds of feeds with thousands of posts almost every day, and back when I subscribed to boingboing its entries were of two kinds: either utterly fascinating, or so politically liberal they make Marx look like Reagan. I read the first group and almost completely ignored the second. Then on October 9th, 2008, I came across two articles which were so egregious they caused me to decide to break my silence, register with boingboing, and let my opinions be known. Read the rest of the article »

Banjo

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on April 12, 2008 at 12:49 am

Our dog Banjo was born on June 9, 1994 in southeastern Tennessee. My wife Jennifer and I met her in an animal shelter on 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The meeting took place on July 30, 1994 on the seventh day of our honeymoon.

Banjo was a frisky puppy. Of the two females in the litter, we chose her because she was the more playful. She had a beautiful black coat, and a bit of black on her tongue. Although she looks like a shaggy black lab, she must have some chow in her. Not much, though, because she has none of the lousy chow disposition.

We had to sneak her into the honeymoon chalet on the last night of our stay, because the shelter was not open on the day we left Gatlinburg. We kept her in a box, so no harm was done. She had a bit of diarrhea, which became a deluge of feces on the trip home, during which we must have stopped fifty times for puppy potty breaks. Read the rest of the article »

The Evening Sky

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on April 11, 2008 at 12:32 am

I’m blogging tonight from my driveway, where I’m looking at the crescent moon, with Mars right next to it and the two head stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux, right there with the moon and Mars. It’s a very pretty sight. The sky is rather clear, although, I do feel a little cheated by all the light polution that has been creeping in over the last 28 years that I’ve lived here. But it’s still refreshing to have a clear night, to look up and to see some familiar stars like old friends just waiting for me to come out here and visit with them. That’s all for now.

My Response to Those Who Disapprove Of Street Preaching

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on February 24, 2008 at 8:57 pm

An article recently appeared in the local paper highlighting the disapproval on the part of some regarding the street preaching practices of my church. The article dealt with one of the locations chosen by a few of the younger men of the church, which is on the sidewalk in front of a local restaurant/bar. They talk to the college students and others of the younger set who are entering and exiting the establishment on Friday nights, starting around midnight. For as long as the article lasts, it can be found here. The online version of the article attracted the comments of people who are less tolerant of my religion than I am of theirs. The following is my response to their comments: Read the rest of the article »

My Struggle With Hypothyroidism And Myxedema

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on February 21, 2008 at 12:55 am

My journey through this wretched disease has been long and grueling. Before July 31, 2005, which I call “the day I got sick,” I never talked about my health. I didn’t even think about my health. I was a strong, seemingly normal 34 year old man. Since that time I’ve changed a little bit, and my journey back to where I came from is not over yet. Read the rest of the article »

First Blog and Introduction

Posted by Troy Eckhardt on February 20, 2008 at 11:20 pm

Well, now we have our own blog. There are a few things that I will probably blog about, including my savior Jesus Christ, my family, and my three year battle with severe hypothyroidism and myxedema. I anticipate that my wife, Jennifer, might want to blog here as well. Pictured at left is the family as it was at Christmas, 2006. Left to right are Troy, Kaj, Jennifer, Japheth, Silas, and Heike.