Swamp Stomp

The Swamp Stomp is an annual event here in Houston where contra dancers from all over the area gather for an afternoon and evening of food and dancing. Contra dancing is what you get when you cross English country dancing with square dancing and throw in some extra enthusiasm. It's a great kind of dancing, because anyone who can walk and who knows right and left can do it, but it's so fun that you almost never want it to stop. To the observer, contra just looks like lots of spinning and walking in circles, but when you get into it, it can feel like flying. Come join us, if you're in Houston on September 9. A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a thousand pictures, so here's a youtube video of an average contra.

A Twice-Satisfied Customer

I just got my computer back from Dell. The speakers went out a few days after I got the computer, and I had to send it in to get them replaced. No, I did not blow them out with loud music. I'm a little worried about what else might happen if the speakers failed for no apparent reason so quickly. To their credit, though, Dell warranty service was very quick and responsive. I heard recently that the average satisfied customer tells five people about their buying experience, and that the average dissatisfied customer tells ten people. However, a customer who has a problem which is remedied satisfactorily is likely to tell fifteen people. So there you go--I'm a statistic.

Entrepreneurial Bootcamp

I spent the last weekend getting inspired at the Vision Forum Entrepreneurial Bootcamp. The speakers shared a vision for accomplishing great things for the glory of God in evangelization, business, politics, industry, and society in general. This happens through Christians who are willing to take work ethic, productivity, honesty, and diligence to the highest levels, and teach their children to do the same. One principle which I especially took to heart was to not let my desire for a worldly sense of financial security stifle God's leading when it comes to business moves. Let's not make a regular paycheck an idol.

After the conference, I went dancing in Austin, then had a good time visiting some friends in the hill country.