The license plates here in Montreal have the provincial slogan "je me souviens" on them. My French is a little rusty but I think it means "If you think your roads are in bad shape wait 'til you see ours!"

On my way to Montreal for customer service. Hope our developers have saved the day again!

Had a great Father's Day yesterday. So thankful for my kids, wife, and my Father.

Whether its church, board games, drinking, or whatever. People need friends and a sense of belonging.

Everyone needs to find a community, at least one, that is based around your selfish interests. This makes you more interesting in general.

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Prayer Works!

I’ve been agonizing about whether or not to buy a new road bike for awhile. It’s the old story about the high cost versus how much am I really going to use it. I’ve been keeping my eyes open, looking at classifieds, and going to a few bike shops. Meanwhile I’ve been riding my old one more and more. Nothing makes me feel as young or healthy as biking.

Last week I finally (almost) decided to take the plunge by making an appointment to get sized for a Trek Madone 5.2. Yesterday I went down there and ended up saying yes. The total cost? Let's just say it was enough to make me queasy. My last road bike was a 2000 Trek 2300 which I thought was outrageous at the time.

I applied the money we'd saved from various yard and classified sales which we were going to put towards a flat screen TV. Still, I felt sick all day and night that I dug us deeper into debt and fretted about what I was going to sacrifice make up for it. And yes, I think I prayed silently for an answer. (why does it take desperation to remind most of us to pray anyway?)

This morning I got an email from my bank notifying me that a large deposit was made last night. It was a surprise from the school system; apparently they have been underpaying my wife for months and are finally straightening things out.

This is not the first time something like this has happened. The same thing has happened at least 5 times in the last 5 years when confronted with surprise bills. After surrendering to prayer, somehow the money showed up just in time. One time I got 2 medical refund checks that totaled up to the exact amount I owed to the dollar. Of course, once I had to get hit by a car to get money to pay the IRS...so it wasn't completely painless. But the point is, prayer works!

I've read similar stories from Tony Robbins and other gurus of empowerment. I have to believe that we can somehow tap into a larger consciousness. A good friend is trying to teach me about enlightenment through the art of breathing although the skeptic in me is resisting. However, my own personal evidence is mounting. I feel like I'm on the edge of a breakthrough in consciousness and self-actualization.

I also think The higher power (God, the Logos, etc.) is trying to tell me to do something for the good of mankind and it might have to do with bike riding! All the better!