In the movie “Field of Dreams” Shoeless Joe Jackson lurked just beyond the edge of the cornfield ringing Kevin Costner’s fictional Iowa home.  Until the diamond was complete, the field perfectly striped, manicured, and groomed, Shoeless Joe and his 1919 Black Sox exiles remained out of sight, out of mind.

Such is the state of D-Star implementation in the Ham Radio community.  Commercial-grade equipment from Icom sits on store shelves gathering dust while radios purchased by early-adopters churn their way through eBay, eHam.net, Craig’s list, and a host of other online swap meets.  The hype machine from Icom kicked into high gear with the release of the first commercially available digitally-equipped Ham radios.  Early adopters who had long sought a digital alternative to analog bandwidth-hogging technology jumped on the crazy train.  The rest of the legacy-bound Ham community let go with a collective “yawn!”

Welcome to the age of obsession.  Everywhere you turn, it seems people are obsessed with something.

Cell phones.  Gadgets.  Clothes.  Food.  Computers.  Costco.

(Okay, that last one is a personal downfall.)

Take cars, for example.  There is this guy in our neighborhood who can only be described as an unrepentant “car junkie.”  This guy’s car gleams.  It is truly radiant.  On sunny days his gold luxo-mobile reflects the sun’s rays like one of those mirrors they use to gather solar power out in the Mohave desert.  Reports are that neighborhood children have been blinded by an errant glint off the high polish finish.

I, on the other hand, qualify more in the category of ” car tolerant.”

She said it in such a goofy, exaggerated way that at first I didn’t think she was serious.  Then she said it again and I realized it was actually a term of genuine respect.

“Hey, Coach!”, she shouted from the other end of the hallway.

“Yo, Justice!”, I called back.  “How YOU doin’?”

“Pretty good, Coach.  I’m ready to go play some basketball!”

Justice was a tall-for-her-age 5th grader on my church league basketball team.  She also had the distinct misfortune of catching me in my first attempt at being a “Head Coach.”  I had been the assistant on my daughter’s team the year before and decided, after not a small amount of internal debate, that it was time to belly up to the bar and take a swing at the world of coaching.  Poor Justice didn’t know quite what she was in for.

Neither did I.

Dear Kate,

You don’t know me.  You have no reason to trust my advice.  I am, after all, just a Christian guy who, along with his wife, has managed to stay happily married for nearly 21 years.  With just three kids (16, 14, and 11) living under the roof of our townhouse I know my experiences pale in comparison to the complexity of managing your brood.  Somehow, though, I hope you will hear what I have to say and take my advice to heart.

As I took my turn on the treadmill last night I tuned into the “season finale” of your show, “Jon and Kate Plus 8.”  Throughout the second half of the hour last night the producers repeatedly teased the “cliff hanger.”  They interspersed the cuts of the kids getting royal treatment court-side with the Harlem Globetrotters with cuts of Jon uttering phrases like, “…if we are back for a fifth season…” and “I can’t be just ‘Jon,’ I’m ‘Jon and Kate Plus 8′…”.

I knew where the trip was heading long before the train hit the station.  I have seen the rumors on the Internet.  I have seen the photos of Jon looking toasted as he visited a local bar near his parents house.  I knew there was trouble in Paradise (or whatever Lancaster area town in which you now live) months ago.  Over the past week the network made sure they milked your dilemma for all it was worth.

I am sure the ratings for last night’s show were through the roof.

There was, however, something vaguely creepy and distinctly ominous about the ending.  At the risk of speaking out of turn, I feel compelled to offer you some urgent advice.

Welcome to my “less controversial” (he says with quotes obviously in place) blog.  For the blatantly political or Christian stuff, head over to NoMoreGreed.com.  For the kinder, gentler Steve-O, this is the place. Yes, you will still hear commentary and critique, but not the bluntly critical or overtly faith-based stuff you might find over at NoMoreGreed.com.  Don’t get me wrong… Faith is a part of everything I do in life, so you won’t escape the Christian world view over here.  It will just be more “weaved in” as a part of the commentary rather than the obvious point of the commentary.

You will notice a few pictures on this page.  That’s my wife, top-left, and my kids, top-right.  And smack dab in the middle is one of our favorite places; the Perkiomen Trail.  When the weather is nice you’ll probably find us out there trekking the trail as a family.  Or not.  We might be out camping.  We might be visiting Wellsboro.  Or, just perhaps, we could be in the Poconos.  Or we might be doing some service work somewhere.  Over time I hope to pop up some other photos that give you the gist of who we are and what we enjoy.

So sit back, relax, and join in the conversation.