Just some random stuff

I studiously avoid airing my political views here. But this is a candidate I could absolutely get behind:


I approached the football pool results for this past week with fear and trembling. Out of a total of 91 possible points I got 56. Figured my standing would take a hammering. Turns out the weeks champ had a total of 66 points! Stupid Broncos. So I remain in 11th place. Not sure I like this coming week any better.

Weight loss contest - down 1 pound. But hey it's DOWN a pound. Any weight I lose from here on out is territory I haven't seen in over 20 years. Kinda cool when I realize that I will have no choice soon but to buy new clothes. My current wardrobe is starting to hang on me like I'd just gotten over a long illness.

Added a new recipe to my repertoire! Homemade spaghetti sauce. It's very close to the classic "Godfather" sauce (which legend says is actually the Coppola family recipe) and it was delicious! I was little worried because spaghetti is one of my lady wife's favorites and she can be a little picky (just a little). She's happy to make the homemade sauce our regular. Very cool.

And I pulled off a little car repair spiffiness too. I swapped out the door jamb switch on the driver's door. Now I not only have the interior light come on when I get in but the "lights on" warning chime now works too! Took all of five minutes. But oh so satisfying.

Later today I'll launch the first youth ministry video (actually this would be youth ministry videos v.2. We tried last year and had some technical problems) It's just a quick collection of memories from EYE but it's nice to have one up and running.

Monday update - September 29

The Weekend That Was - I guess it was OK. My lady wife was at a Happening teaming then went to visit the kid at college so was gone basically all day. So did a few chores around the house and goofed off. Then Sunday was church and an ordination (Yay, Mother Cathy!) at the Cathedral. Then I dropped off something at the kid's apartment too. Didn't get home to a little late so that was basically the whole weekend. Did watch the Formula 1 race in Singapore. A first ever night race under the lights. Just amazing. Even more amazing was Ferrari's TERRIBLE day (they scored ZERO points). Really weird.

The To Do List - The video stuff remains at the top of the list. I started work on the big video last week only to have my computer develop some kind of brain cramp. I spent the weekend trying to massage that out. We'll see if that changes anything.


What Am I Procrastinating About? - Just stuff in my personal life. I need to buckle down.

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To? I've pretty much given up on "The Ice Diaries". Don't know why but it's not grabbing me. I am reading "Storming Las Vegas" a real life story about a Cuban, Marielito refugee who had been trained in his previous life as a Soviet era special forces "Spetznaz" trooper who robbed a string of Las Vegas armored cars and casinos (including the Bellagio) back in 1999 and 2000. It's been fascinating so far.

I haven't listened to much music nor seen any movies this week. Depressing. Did bump off three "Speaking of Faith" podcasts over the weekend. They were "The Business of Doing Good" which looked at businesses that are trying to change the world and thrive as businesses. Which was very interesting. "Brother Thay - A Radio Pilgrimage with Thich Nhat Hanh" This is a well known Vietnamese Buddhist teacher who is very interesting. Sadly the show eventually became a lot of interviews with his students who all said what a great teacher he is. Got a bit boring. And finally "Evangelical Politics - Three Generations". How about Chuck Colson, Greg Boyd and Shane Claiborne on the same stage talking about the relationship between church and politics? All three had great things to say but it was Claiborne that really spoke to me the most.

Next Up The videos! The videos. The videos. Oh and another weigh in on the new weight loss contest is tomorrow. I'm not sure I've lost anything this week. Oh wait! I start playing volleyball with the parish team tonight. Last time I played volleyball I was in high school. (Yes, volleyball's been around THAT long!). So I may post tomorrow from a hospital room.

How Am I Doing Meh. I've had a sore throat all weekend. I woke up all froggy voiced this morning. I've tons of things to do. So I'm feeling a little stressed right now.

Peace

Bits o news

Been a strange week so far:

A very dear friend at church passed away yesterday. It was not unexpected in any way but it's still sad. She was a special lady and will be missed. Funeral tomorrow.

Had to take our older cat to the vet yesterday because she had pretty much lost all interest in anything. She barely flinched when the kitten would jump on her and gnaw on her head rather than growling and hissing per usual. And she wouldn't even budge when my lady wife came into the house. This cat has always treated her as the "goddess" and needs her undivided attention for at least 20 minutes at the end of every day. The last three days? Didn't even turn her head. The early word is not good -liver damage, kidney damage. She's a very sick kitty with a very poor prognosis. She's in the animal hospital for the time being.

In news of lighter note and less importance -

My first weigh in on my new contest put me in the top 5. I doubt I'll stay there. Lost just over 2% of my initial weight. I would really love to drop below that next 10 pound milestone. Just four pounds away.

Dropped out of the top 10 in the football pool. It was a wretched week. Come on the Dolphins beating the Patriots? And a serious case of tail whoopin' at that. A couple other teams let me down as well. So I fell to 11th place. Still picked something like 10 out 16 games last week but got several high point games that I missed. Need a better week this week. Only 13 games to pick.

I've spent most of the day waiting on a software download that I need for the big project I'm sitting on. So everything has been on hold. Doing lots of little things.

Peace

On being disliked

It came up again the other day.

Some people don't like me.

That's always kind of, well, puzzled me. I suppose it shouldn't. I know for a fact (because she's told me so) that my lady wife didn't like me much at all when we met in college. I know also that my academic advisor was hoping I'd transfer preferably to a different college (He actually got his wish for a semester). As a young man I protected myself with an facade of nearly unbearable bravado. I behaved as if I were supremely confident to cover my utter lack of confidence.

Do I still do that? I don't think so. Many, many people seem to like me. I've worked hard to lower my guard and be myself. It's taken years of work but I do believe that I'm pretty good at several things I do.

So why don't people like me?

My thoughts would include:

1: Because I am a confident person. I've been fairly successful at several things over the years. I know what I'm good at. I don't brag about it (any more) but I'm not going to be falsely modest either.

2: Because I'm smart. No, I don't think I'm bragging. My IQ has tested consistently well above average. I'm fairly well read and I read widely. Consequently I know a bit about a great many subjects. I know, like and use big words sometimes. Because they're the best words for the moment I believe. Traditionally American culture doesn't like smart people. The anti-intellectual strain still runs deep. You can be a second rate jock and be a "regular guy" that everyone loves. A brilliant nerd will always be the butt of jokes.

3: Because I believe what I believe. I try not to hold opinions without some basis. Because I do try to get a deeper understanding before I take a position I'm not likely to give up that position easily. I am open to having my mind changed. You will need to have a COMPELLING argument to do it and you can expect that I will challenge the basis for your argument and question you on the details. People don't like that.

4: Because I expect people to work as hard and care as much as I do. Not about everything. If baseball bores you, more power to you. But if we work together, I work hard. I expect a lot of myself and I don't see any reason why you should get paid to do half ass work. Now I acknowledge that we need to be judged by the quality of our gifts. I don't expect you to match me in areas where you are not as gifted as I am. Or vice versa. But I expect you to work hard to achieve whatever level you are capable of achieving. You'll have my support and I expect yours. I once told a group of my former co-workers that the company had given us everything we need to succeed and if we didn't they should fire us all. They complained to the boss who, astoundingly to me, TOOK THEIR SIDE!!! I was told I expected too much of people. I don't think so.

5: I don't kiss butt. I avoid playing office politics whenever possible. That cost me a job once. I'm not going to pretend just to make you feel better. When I've been a supervisor I've tried to be as gentle and caring as possible when I have to chew someone out. But they get chewed out.

As a younger man it bothered me tremendously that people disliked me. I will admit it still bothers me a bit. But I am who I am. I am flawed but I'm working on those flaws. Otherwise I'm comfortable with who I am. I'll take whatever comes because of it. I walked out after losing my last job with my head held high. I left honorably and without compromising on what I felt was important.

In the end I need to look at myself in the mirror, I need to face my family and friends and be able to say I did what I thought was best. I did what I believed was right.

And if you don't like me? I sincerely ask that you sit down with me and tell me why. Offer me the chance to explain or change. I will listen as openly as I am able. If our differences are too great then at least we can part with honest understanding between us.

Peace

Monday Update - September 21

The Weekend That Was - Fairly quiet weekend. My lady wife was away on Saturday (she's on Happening team for the next weekend) so I cleaned. Don't know why but when she's gone I have an uncontrollable desire to clean. She finds that odd but a perfectly acceptable odd. Sunday was our first Youth Commission meeting of the new program year. The big news was the beginning of our camp re-examination process and the first of a set of recommendations for change. All of which was met very positively. Which was cool. Then the Steelers game. We shall not speak of that.

The To Do List - The video stuff goes to the top of the list (you mean it stays at the top of the list you slacker!) plus a few other smaller chores.


What Am I Procrastinating About? - Nothing at the moment.

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To? I'm reading two books right now - The Ice Diaries - written by Capt. Wm. Anderson, the second commander of the nuclear submarine Nautilus. Nautilus was the first ever nuke sub, went under the artic ice cap and a bunch of other cool stuff. I will admit that what grabbed my attention first was that the dust cover on this book only covers the bottom half of the book itself. Never seen one like it before.


The other book is "Free For All" by Don Borchert. This is about one of my favorite places in the world, the public library. Written by a Los Angeles area librarian (be warned, librarians know a lot of "naughty" words!) Borchert pulls no punches about some of the folks who use the library and how they are run. As I checked it out the librarian told me she had read it and loved it so I'm guessing it's not far from the mark even in my little corner of the world.

The movies for this week were:

Midway - caught this on AMC. An all-star cast in a really creaky WWII film about one of the great naval battles of that war. The dialogue was truly wooden. But it's a fun movie to play spot the stars on. It was OK.

Garden State - This was a much better movie! Funny, kinda quirky, fun cast (Zach Braff, Natalie Portman and Ian Holm) about a New Jersey boy who comes home for his mother's funeral, faces some of his personal demons, re-discovers the ability to feel and, oh yeah, falls in love with Natalie Portman. Some guys have all the luck. Another great little indie film.


Next Up The videos! Must make progress on the videos! Plus get the camp stuff rolling. Oh and the first weigh in on the new weight loss contest is tomorrow.

How Am I Doing Better. The meeting went well, I have an excellent weight to report, the sky is blue and the sun is shining. Which means I've forgotten something.

Aaaaaarrrrrr! It's talk like a Pirate day!

I first came across this bit of silliness years ago. It's just too much fun to pass up.

So Ahoy mateys! Welcome aboard my Pirate ship the "Poison Sabre of Hell", (name generator)

I am your captain: Iron Sam Kidd
"A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!"

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.


The original "Talk Like a Pirate" website.

So greet the day with an Arr or I'll have the lot of ye keelhauled!

Something for the middle of your week

Really, this was just too much fun to pass up. As someone whose personal piety balances between the catholic and protestant this just cracks me up. then I think about it and realize how sad it makes me. The number of people in America who have no real understanding of the language they speak each day just appalls me. I had a co-worker back in the day who insisted in substituting the word 'mute' for 'moot' which drove me bonkers. The list is endless. I will confess that upon occasion I misuse a term, we all do. It's folks who insist on using words about which they don't have the slightest inkling of comprehension that makes me crazy.

By the way this is from the site "Not Always Right" which is now a regular vice for me. If you've ever worked in retail you'll love. And you'll probably love even if you've NEVER worked in retail.

Football pool update - I'm up to NINTH place after this week! I got the same number of games right but got more of my high point games so I improved by a handful of points. Top 10. We'll see how long that lasts. Next weeks Steelers game isn't going to be fun to pick.

And the weight loss thing - Matthew McNutt is firing up another weight loss challenge and I'm in. The Biggest Loser debuted the new season last night and I was moved as always. It makes my goal of losing 20-30 pounds seem pretty pathetic. They have TWO contestants who are medically restricted to only 30 minutes of exercise a DAY. If they can lose the weight surely I can too. My official starting weight is 198 pounds, which is actually a couple pounds heavy. I had my photos taken to start the competition then realized I had omitted something and had to re-take them at the end of the day after dinner. So I'm going to get a first week boost of a couple pounds. But I've been losing and re-gaining those 2-3 pounds all summer. And I'm being honest about it here. I did in fact weigh that much at the time I had to get the weigh-in photo. That's about 5 pounds above my ending weight after the last one.

Same plan, eat smart, eat less, exercise. We'll see.

Peace

Monday Update - September 15 2008

The Weekend That Was - Well my adventure in self injury is detailed elsewhere. Went to the ordination and installation of a new priest just down the road. Got a great turnout from all over the diocese which was cool. Over 150 packed into a pretty small church in Randolph. Quiet otherwise. Steelers, Bills and astoundingly Pirates all came up winners. Watched some TV and relaxed. Nice weekend actually.

The To Do List - Still have video work to do, I have a very important fax to send, some calls to make, and prepare for Youth Commission on Sunday.


What Am I Procrastinating About? - Pretty much all of the above. I'm pathetic, lol!

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To? Still working on the Sci-Fi collection, watched an episode of Foyle's War a British mystery set during WW II. I love the characters and the acting and oh yes, there's Miss Honeysuckle Weeks (that's her REAL name NOT the character!) who I much enjoy watching as well.

Do not expect me to be ashamed of enjoying God's good work. She is easy on the eyes AND can act. Even my lady wife agrees.


Next Up The next big thing is Youth Commission. But there's also a car appointment too. Oh yes and as of tomorrow I begin the next weight loss contest. As of today I've gained back 5 of the 25 pounds I lost in the spring. Yes, it feels good to be this light. How much better will it feel after the next 20? Oh and I've decided to play on the church volleyball team at the YMCA for exercise too.

How Am I Doing I'm grumpy about those returning pounds.

How embarrassing

I'm afraid I've done myself an injury.

It's really rather embarrassing.

You see I've given my big toe on my right foot a rather solid whack. Hurt like blazes. It's swollen a bit and turning rather black and blue.

How did I do it you ask?

Well that's the embarrassing bit I'm afraid.

I dropped a pound of frozen hamburger on it. From chest height. Slid out of the freezer. And I don't wear shoes around the house much.

It is absolutely amazing how much that hurts.

So I'm icing it down, taking some aspirin and hoping for the best. Doesn't appear to be broken, which is the good news.

I get injured in the most ridiculous ways.

Sigh.

Peace

Oh where to even begin!?!

Story

Here's the headline:

Dad chases nude boy from daughter's room with pipe

I'm the father of a daughter.
My first reactions were - amusement and understanding.

Yes, if I'd ever caught a naked young man in my daughter's bedroom I would have reacted badly. I readily admit it.

And yes, this seems funny at first blush.

Here's what's not so funny:

Dad didn't even know darling daughter HAD a boyfriend.
Dad didn't know this had been going on for a year.
Dad opened up naked boy's scalp with that pipe.

On the last one I have to give him a partial pass. He heard a noise and found a naked stranger standing in his daughter's bed. My first reaction to that is "Daughter in danger. Must kill person putting daughter in danger". I'm sorry if that's not terribly PC, or evolved or whatever. If I think you're hurting my family you're in mortal danger. Period. End of sentence. Discussion over. I'm willing to bet that it's the same for the vast majority of guys.

No the real problem is that Daddy and daughter clearly have a communication problem. Daughter doesn't feel like she wants or can share with Daddy. She also feels safe enough that Daddy's not going to wander by while she and naked boy get on whatever form of whoopee they favor. There's a year's worth of evidence to support that point of view.

Since I don't know anything about the family I'll pass on trying to judge who's at fault. In my experience it's usually a bit of everyone.

In the end the lies and the lack of connection between parent and child ended up putting a young man in the hospital and may put Daddy in prison.

Call it a cautionary tale.

Peace

9/11

From last year.
Nothing new to add.

Today I Remember

And the latest update is...

Had a little adventure today trying to leave Binghamton.

The car I drove doesn't have a functional "dinger" (warning chime I believe is the correct terminology but everyone I know says "dinger") for leaving the lights on. When I got to Binghamton yesterday I'd had them on for visibility but it was a bright shiny day and I never noticed. So they got left on.

For 20 hours.

Can you say "dead battery"? Oh, so very dead.

Bad words, bad words, bad words.

So my very good friend Debi Clarke from the Diocese of New Jersey agreed to give the battery a jump. Actually Debi said I could use her car for the jump because she knows nothing about cars and in many ways would be perfectly happy if cars didn't exist. That was fine because routine stuff like jumping batteries was something I learned early from my dad.

First problem - Debi has never actually popped open her own hood and isn't sure how to do it. Now this may sound like I'm picking on Debi but the truth is I looked at the owner's manual, looked where it was supposed to be and I didn't see it either! A black plastic handle up against a black plastic wall just kinda disappears. Eventually we figured it out together.

Second problem - The battery in her VW (Jetta I think) is actually HIDDEN! It's in a weird place (behind the engine compartment just below the passenger side windshield) and it's actually covered with a sliding panel! There is a symbol for the battery impressed into the panel but again - black on black. We figured it out.

Third problem - Note I said it's on the PASSENGER side of the engine bay. The only available slot next to my car was on MY passenger side. Yep, jumper cables came up about 18 inches short.

At this point I began to laugh. I sent my lady wife a text telling her my departure was being delayed and why. I could hear her laughter right across the state.

So now my good friend Kep Short, also of the Diocese of New Jersey, pulls his car up. The hood pops open, the battery isn't hidden and IS on the traditional side and all is good. As my battery charged a little Kep took a second look at his own engine bay and discovered the last tech to work on it left one of those rechargeable flashlights sitting just behind the air filter. Had probably been riding around that way for a couple weeks maybe?

All this as Binghamton drizzled on our heads.

Car started. Deb and Kep headed east. I headed west. The rest of the trip was wonderfully boring.


On another front I've hooked back up with the football pool I did last year. I won't bore you with too many details but the first week went OK. I got 11 out of 16 games right. I picked the Colts, Chargers, Lions (against a rookie QB!), Titans, and Bengals. The Colts, Chargers and Titans are probably anomalies (not positive about the Titans) and the Bengals and Lions are probably going to be just awful this season.

After week one I'm listed in 20th place although places 18,19 and 20 were all identical. But 20th is still much better than where I spent most of last season. This coming week looks like a complete field of landmines. Maybe I'll get lucky.

Good to be home.

Peace

Morning in Binghamton

On the road for the Province II youth network meeting. I really enjoy meeting with these folks. Being a diocesan youth minister is a very small "club". There are fewer than 100 of us so a chance for us to get together and share. Plus looking at doing some great things on a provincial basis. The plan (I'll have more details soon) is to do a provincial youth mission trip down to Gulf Coast to continue the process of rebuilding post-Katrina. I'm very excited about the possibility.

One of the traditions of these meetings is dinner out. We laugh and eat and just have a fine old time. These are really special people. It's worth the time invested.

The drive from home is about 4 hours and yesterday was a great day to drive. I popped a book on CD into the player (Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" - which I'm REALLY enjoying). I'll finish it up on the ride home. Which will be in the rain. Sigh.

Well back to the office tomorrow. So much to do.

Monday morning update

OK this was not intended to become the entirety of this blog. Can't believe that I only posted once last week. I'll do better I promise.

The Weekend That Was - I suppose I should include all of last week too. Truth be told that not much happened. Work began on some of the video projects but was stalled because the computer was being stupid. Things cleared up by the end of the week. The weekend was very quiet, stayed at home with my lady wife. Caught the F1 race at Spa, watched the Bills put a whupping on Seattle, Steelers were great, the Pirates were awful. Watched some movies. Very nice.

The To Do List - I have some e-mails to respond to, I MUST get some serious video work done, Diocesan Council meeting, oh yeah and the Provincial youth network meeting which starts later today in Binghamton.


What Am I Procrastinating About? - Creating my To Do List actually, still.

What Am I Watching/Reading/Listening To? Gonna push all these into one category. Not listening to much this week. I finished the 1919 book, pretty good. I'm onto the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume 2. Been a while since I really dove back into SF, a lifelong passion. So far so good.

Two movies this weekend:

The Whole Nine Yards - This is a silly, very funny movie about a hit man moving in next door. Matthew Perry does great physical comedy and Bruce Willis is a great borderline nuts but kinda heart of gold hit man. And Natasha Henstridge is just glorious to look at. We really enjoyed it.

Under The Tuscan Sun A wonderful romantic movie that I really loved. I love the look of Tuscany and the looks of Diane Lane (so shoot me). Funny, poignant, all about love of many different kinds. Makes me want to run off to Tuscany with my lady wife, cook and bask in that wonderful light.

Next Up I have to get out the door here very soon to head to Binghamton for the Province meeting. Then back for a day, the D Council. OY.

How Am I Doing Feeling a little stressed actually. I'm tired of feeling stressed.

Monday update - delayed

The Weekend That Was Actually pretty quiet. The end of last week was no fun. We went to get a key made for my lady wife's car which has the Ford Passive Anti-Theft System (PATS) which means duplicate keys are very expensive (cost us $75). And the key doesn't work. Took hours to get it done (much longer than normal) and now it doesn't work. Ford is going to "take care of it" for me today. Plus my doctor's appointment was no fun. My blood work was bad (good cholesterol down, bad up, etc) and my BP was up. My doc (who I like a great deal) wanted to change and add medications. I got her to agree to a 3 month waiting period to see if my summer "lifestyle" was the culprit. She admitted it was likely. So I will be creating a new regime both food and exercise for camp next year.
So a quiet holiday weekend was cool. I did install a new motion sensor light on the garage that works perfectly!

This week's To Do List Um, never did get to really making my to do list last week and the computer was messed up so no video editing got done. So this week.....

What Am I Procrastinating About? Oh, most things.

What Am I Reading? Knocked off John Grisham's "The King of Torts" which was pretty good although the ending was TOTALLY predictable and safe. Working on "The World on Fire - 1919 and the Battle with Bolshevism" by Anthony Read. It's an interesting time in history (and not one of America's brightest since it includes the Palmer Raids). The book's tight focus on a single year feels a little constraining however. Interesting so far.

I'm also working through Krista Tippett's book "Speaking of Faith" with a book group. Deep but interesting. See more below.

What Am I Listening To/Watching? I'm listening to mostly podcasts at the moment from "Speaking of Faith" with Krista Tippett. I started with the podcasts a long time before the book. She ranges VERY widely in the world of faith covering everything you can imagine - prayer, voodoo, all the major religions to the poetry of Rami and more. I really enjoy them.

Watched the movie "Failure to Launch" which I generally enjoyed. My question is why do some movie makers insist on adding something stupid? There's a story line about how Matthew McConaughey's character's lifestyle is "rejected by nature" which is shown by some really stupid interactions with animals. The rest of the movie is realistic in style and then the animals are out of some kid's movie. Dumb. Two particular thumbs up to Cathy Bates who has a small role but is wonderful as the mom and Terry Bradshaw, yes #12 from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who is hysterical as the dad. Oh, and naked. You get several really good looks at his naked butt. It's gonna take a long time to get that image out of my brain.


Next Up? Gotta get some stuff done this week before next week's trip to Binghamton for the provincial meeting.

How Am I Doing? Feeling pretty good. Took my BP at home last night and it was wonderful. The sun is shining and I feel pretty good.

Another friend!

Got the chance a couple weeks back to meet one of the friends I've made online over the years. This is me and the kid with Shel otherwise known as psuedopiskie. With Shel I've now met 5 folks that I know through various sites on the internet. I'm happy to report that all of them are wonderful people. Not a psycho in the bunch!

What's funny is that of all of them Shel lives the closest, just a few hours away. We had a great couple hours chat about all sorts of things. It didn't occur to me till after she left that I was a complete failure as host. Never offered her a drink or a bite to eat. My mother would be appalled. Sorry Shel!

It was a great visit though. A nice respite in an otherwise hectic summer.

Peace

I'm a gitar man!

Whoops, I almost forgot the major new "skill" I picked up this summer! This is the summer that I officially became a guitar player! I've been a guitar owner for a while now but couldn't play anything. So under the hectoring guidance of our Junior High camp director I learned to play a song in 4 days and perform it in public.

The song is "They will know we are Christians by our love". I chose that song not out of some deep theological basis or because it was the song "I've always wanted to play".

Nope.

Chose it because it only has two chords. Am and Em. Which the real guitar players will tell you are two REALLY EASY chords!

My "teacher" was disgusted. He ranted. He raved. He kept badgering me to change songs, to add a chord (his arrangement has at least 3 and maybe 4 chords. I refused), to be a man about it. (I note that he was mostly kidding. Mostly)I stood my ground. I had 4 days and maybe 45 minutes a day if I was lucky. Simple was my friend. He did con(vince) me to include a quick intro and outro which I managed to learn.

When it came time for the performance at the talent show I told the whole story to the kids. Then I sang LOUD! It helps to drown out the missed chords. I'd say I got 75% of them right, maybe. Might be a little less than that.

The kids gave me a standing, roaring ovation.

So now I'm working on my second song. An old folk tune that my Dad sang when I was growing up.

Tom Dooley.

It has two chords.

I'm like that.

Peace

What I Did on My Summer Vacation

As promised here's how I've spent the last couple months.

For me summer began with our trip to Las Vegas. I've written briefly about it back on May 22. The trip was great. Of all the things we wanted to do I knew that doing the "Star Trek Experience" at the Hilton was going to be at the top of the list. So yes that's me fulfilling a lifelong dream, sitting in the Captain's chair on the bridge of the starship Enterprise.

Yes, I'm a geek. Get over it.

After that it was a sprint to get ready for back to back events. Senior High Conference ended just two days before we flew out to the Episcopal Youth Event. So it was pack up everything needed for the conference (I fill the back of a mid-size SUV with the seats folded down), do the conference, then come home, partially unpack, wash my clothes and then take off. Such fun.

Senior High was good. Our numbers were up one or two from last year. The young people seemed to enjoy themselves despite some glitches (the university keeps changing the rules at the pool on us, without telling us!). I led a whole conference workshop on "Tending the Temple" talking about caring for ourselves in body, mind and spirit. On the whole I'd call it a success.

The it was EYE time. We arrived at the airport at 4:30 AM to take a 6 AM flight to San Antonio. As always the kids did me proud and we arrived without any adventures at all. Trinity University is a beautiful campus and was a great host. The weather was hot and humid. Combined with the Texan tendency to run their AC ice cold I lost my voice after less than 48 hours. The music, the worship, the classes, the chance to meet with young people and adults from all over the country was absolutely great!

Then back home to try and get caught up on tasks around the house (still not caught up), to watch our tomato plants try and figure out if they were going to live or die (still up in the air) and maybe get a little rest too. Somehow it just didn't feel very restful.

At the beginning of August we had friends come visit us which was very cool! Tom is one of my oldest friends (meaning longest standing, although he IS older than me). It was great to have him and Jen and the girls come visit. The house has lots of beds but isn't really ideal for having guests in some ways. You do the best you can. Then just before camp kicked back in my lady wife, daughter and I jumped into the car and did a banzai run out to Chicago to be with another couple friends as they celebrated a combined 90th birthday (he's 50, she's not). We drove out Friday, went to the party, spent the day with them on Saturday then drove half way home Saturday night, then finished up Sunday. All three of us had to be at work Sunday afternoon so it was an interesting experience. Not one I'm sure we'd do again but it was a special occasion.

Then back to camp. A week with the Junior High camp. It poured down rain for the first two days. Which is very bad. You do NOT want a bunch of junior high aged kids trapped inside. At least not with you. Fortunately the weather lifted (but stayed pretty cool) and the rest of the week went well. I did manage to come down with laryngitis along the way. Then a couple more days off before Sleep Away Camp. Fortunately I'm not on staff there I just am there to run errands and do some support work. So I got to sleep at home.

Finally back home to stay. And unpack. And sort. And do paperwork. The end of summer is not my favorite time of the year. Plus it has been abnormally cool for this time of year which is no fun either. Took the kid off to college and moved her into her first apartment. Add in a couple small car problems and it was a full summer. We didn't get the chance to do nearly enough grilling on the back deck.

So at the moment I'm still feeling a little run down but that'll change as I settle back into the routine.

Peace

At least they're consistent

Earlier this summer I noted my discontent with "The Living Church" (I'm So Angry I Could Spit). I wrote them a letter. In the earlier post I said I'd publish it here if I didn't hear back.

Well, they haven't published it and I've not heard back from them. Plus on the latest cover they've done it again. The cover shows young people taking Communion with a headline "Camp at Kanuga". Inside? Nothing. The cover is a tease, a heart warming "Gee isn't that nice" moment. Once you open the cover it's back to the "important" business of the church. The Living Church holds itself up as a news magazine but uses its cover for apparently non-news items. I find the practice astonishing.

So here's what I sent earlier in the year:

Your cover of the July 27, 2008 issue is the perfect image of what is wrong with (how we treat youth) in the Episcopal church.  A cover photo with a nice headline.  I was filled with anticipation of a substantial article about the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) and/or the state of youth/youth ministry in our church.  Instead I got one additional picture and a very brief editorial.  The editorial amounted to "Gee, youth ministry is a nice thing and we're glad someone (else) is doing it".
 
Once again our youth are window dressing.  Once again they are used by church institutions for a bit of "feel good".  Once again no substantial support is placed behind the window dressing.  It is a metaphorical pat on the head before returning to the "important" business of our faith community.  In my diocese we refer to this as "potted plant syndrome".  Potted plants are there to look nice.  In reality they are given the minimum amount of attention required and are kept around only so long as they don't get in the way.
 
Additionally let me challenge you on journalistic grounds.  A subscriber picks up the issue, sees the photo and asks "Gee, what's EYE?".  They will not find the answer inside.   Again, the cover photo is simply window dressing.

Let me note quickly that there are dioceses and parishes out there that do a better job than that.  But the number, being well less than 100%, is too low.  Still too often our view of young people in church is that we've created programs for them "over there", away from "real church", "adult church", "big church".  Monies for youth ministry is too often cut early in the budget process when times get tight.  Some one once offered this test - compare your youth budget to the budget for garbage removal, the salary for your youth minister to your sexton (sextons are chosen because they are among the lowest paid staff).  In fact take a look at the percentage of your time, talent and treasure that are directed toward youth ministry.  Then decide if you can look your young people in the eye and tell them that there is an "emphasis on youth ministry". 
 
In the case of The Living Church I'm afraid you'd fail that test.

The words in parentheses in the first sentence were substituted for "youth ministry". It's not my intent to challenge the youth ministers but the rest of the church, most especially the power structure.

My respect for and interest in TLC has declined markedly.

Peace

Monday Morning update

Summer has been a complete loss on the blogging front. I'll do a "What I did on my Summer Vacation" post later this week.

For now I'm totally stealing an idea from Marko at YS with a few personalizations. The Monday Morning Update. Don't know if it'll amuse you but it'll help me get my thoughts organized.

The Weekend That Was I'm exhausted. End of Sleep Away Camp which is mostly me just flitting around helping out and hoping everything and everyone gets off OK. Worked out great but sucks up a lot of mental energy for me. Then on Sunday it was in early to help set up for a special music service (some Gospel/Jazz stuff. Was quite good)followed by blasting back home to discover the kid didn't have the car packed to go back to college. So we got off late which is grumpy making. Then unload (first floor apartment this year instead of fourth floor walk up dorm room) then shopping for school stuff and food. Rachel didn't know what she wanted so we wandered aimlessly. Further grumpy making. Then a very late dinner with my lady wife. We did a fondue restaurant which was a bit expensive but quite good. Then the long drive home. Collapse into bed.

This week's To Do List Actually creating my To Do list is first. Then Video Editing!!!!!! Lots and lots and lots. Oh and some end of summer paperwork too.

What Am I Procrastinating About? Um, well doing my to do list and that paperwork stuff mostly.

What Am I Reading? "Holy Fools" by Joanne Harris. My lady wife recommended it to me. So far pretty good. The writing is good, the characters are interesting. It takes place in France in 1610 and revolves around members of a troupe of travelling performers.

What Am I Listening To? Have to mention a Finnish group that Rachel has introduced me to Poets of the Fall. I really enjoy the "Carnival of Rust". (The music video is here. It's very Tim Burton but the song is great.


Next Up? I get a break for a little while then I have the Province II Youth Ministry Network meeting in early September.

How Am I Doing? Actually I feel totally whipped today. Mentally and physically. Hope that improves before my visit with the MD on Friday.

My city, now and always

Great Pittsburgh sports video. I instantly recognized almost everyone. And if you want just one example of why Roberto Clemente is treated like a baseball god by Pirate fans (and most other knowledgeable baseball fans) watch the clip where he catches the ball in RF, spins and throws a laser to third to nail the runner. I had chills watching this.

Hmmm, could it be?

(Update - received a private e-mail from another alum of my high school who was a couple years behind me. He confirms that these are the same person. Very cool. He also points out that there's at least one other famous person from our school - Capt. Stephen Frick USN. (Bio) Steve was also a couple years younger than me but has logged over 500 hours in space as a NASA astronaut. He's served as pilot and crew commander on the space shuttle. Going into space was one of my boyhood dreams so it's great to see a hometown boy do it.)

(Update #2 - Got another reminder of the semi-famous and another one that I actually went to school with - Tony award nominee(1994) choreographer Jeff Calhoun. Jeff, Rebecca (just Becky back in the day) and I were all in school musicals together. At least once, probably "Guys and Dolls" and/or "Pajama Game"

Had a chance to hang out with a couple of high school buddies a while ago. We were discussing the chance that someone fairly high profile these days might be an old school chum of ours.

The name is Douglas Holtz-Eakin, chief economic advisor to Sen. John McCain in his bid to be our next president. A current photo of Holtz-Eakin didn't help much. Like many of my contemporaries he has a lot less hair than once upon a time. A little background research shows that the high profile gent is the same age as I am (to within a week in fact!) and graduated college the same year. So he certainly COULD be a member of my high school class.

Doug and I weren't friends but we were friendly. We had a lot of friends in common but didn't circulate in the same circles. He was a runner (and a pretty good one as I recall), I was on the debate team. I'd been in his house once for a party (where his dog "bit" me. The dog gave me a very gentle chomp when I did something it objected to. Doug was extremely apologetic). Eakin was one of the smartest people in our class. If it is the same guy then credit to Sen. McCain. Having smart people around you is always the best way to go. Have no idea what Holtz-Eakin's proposals are in detail but I'll probably do a little more digging now.

In reality I don't know that having a former classmate of mine advising him changes my vote (and it probably shouldn't). But it is interesting.

So decide for yourself. Maybe some intern for the McCain campaign will stumble on this blog while doing an internet search and find the answer for me. Heck, if it IS Doug he'll probably get in contact BEGGING me to take down this photo! The photo on the left is from our high school year book "The Rambler" (the cover of which I designed but never got credit for but that's another issue for another day) the one on the right is a recent PR still of the Senator's advisor. Could be.



So whattya think? This would make the second famous person (although both only minorly famous) from my class. The other is Rebecca Cole who had her own TV show on cable for a while on Discovery and has her own floral design company in NYC.

Cole Creates
McCain for President

Well this is cool!

Here's a much better way to start the day.

Someone quoted me (favorably) on their blog.

Cool!

Andrew, over at justinfatica.net, liked my "Thoughts On the Cart and Horse" sermon and has been thinking about it since. It led him to offer a couple more scripture passages for youth ministry. Good stuff.

Don't know much about Justin except he's a local boy (just over the state line in Erie) originally. I like that the site encourages young people to post as well. We have an awful lot of us old folk talking about youth and faith and not nearly enough youth doing it.

I must have done an especially good job with that sermon. RevRef even said he might steal an idea from it!

I am an idiot

Each week I put out e-mail newsletters to our youth and our adult leaders. I've been beating the drum to raise interest in a conversation about the future of our camp programs which are very low on youth the last couple years.

Well I should be getting LOTS of attention now. I meant to write:

I am NOT saying we SHOULD get rid of the camp programs.

I actually wrote:

I am saying we SHOULD get rid of the camp programs.

Let me make myself clear. What I meant to say is that I am NOT saying we should get rid of the camp program. I am a big believer in the camp programs. I just think they need freshened up and refocused.

I am in SOOOOOOO much trouble.

Stupid boy. Stupid, stupid boy.

And yes I proof read before I hit send. And I still missed it. Thank God for one of my fellow staff members who caught it.

I'm going to go slam my head against the floor for a while now.

Peace

I'm so angry I could spit

Much to the surprise of many folks who know me I am a regular reader of "The Living Church". I don't always agree with their editorial point of view but on the whole they are a reasonable voice of a more conservative view point than my own. My thoughts are often stimulated by what I read there.

Well we blew by "stimulated" with this morning's mail. As if often the case we received two copies over the weekend the July 27 and August 10 issues (the August 3 issue arrived last week - go figure). It was the July version that caught my eye. I've reproduced the cover here so you can judge for yourself.

The full cover is of young people attending EYE. The headline is EYE. I anticipated a nice article on this big event. I would think this is what any reasonable person would expect from a news magazine. Inside there was one additional photograph and a very short editorial. The editorial amounted to "We have young people in the church. They do cool stuff. We should keep doing that". The editorial was about three column inches long, the majority being a list of things that young people are doing in some parts of the church.

I was flabbergasted. I was dumbfounded. I was, well I don't use that kind of language on this blog. But I'll bet you can guess.

There was nothing about EYE, a gathering of over a thousand young people. An event where the Presiding Bishop appeared, hung out, worshiped with us before she left for Lambeth. If you don't know what EYE is you certainly won't find out by reading the TLC issue. There isn't any information there.

Once again young people are used as window dressing. It's gee, isn't that swell but let's not waste any of our resources on them. There's too many more important things going in the church.

And we wonder why the Sunday attendance is so old?

I'm so mad I want to swear. To throw things. To pound on something. When in the name of all that is Holy are we going to learn? I'm at a loss for words.

I'm sure the editors at TLC probably wish that were true. I just sent them a blistering letter (all very Anglican polite but seriously angry). We'll see if it shows up any time soon. If not I'll share it here at a later date.

What a rotten way to start a Monday.

Peace

An attempt to get back in the groove

I have an interesting problem during the summer.

Too many days off.

Yeah, I know. I can just hear the sympathy dripping off you all.

Because I'm still at 80% of full time and I'm very busy during camp weeks and EYE I end up with a fair amount of comp time. My bishop is pretty directive about me taking it. When I'm at camp or EYE I actually end up working between 2 and 3 weeks worth of hours in a single week. And let's face it by the time I'm done I'm pretty well wiped out. Not only are the hours long (camp is 7 AM to 11 PM) but as a Myers-Briggs INTP all that "people time" just wears me out.

The problem is that if I'm taking comp time I can't get any work done! It's a conundrum. So I cut back to just 2 days a week for the last couple weeks. That keeps me from falling too far behind. Unfortunately it means some things don't get done right away. Like blogging.

What's that you say? Couldn't I blog from home? Sure. Heck that's where I am right now! But I try to get as much rest as I can (which I need since I'm OLD) plus I can get caught up on chores around the house. Things like mowing the grass, cleaning the garage and weeding the several quite large plant beds around the house. Which doesn't create a lot of bloggable adventure.

But I'm caught up on comp time and headed back into a more normal routine starting tomorrow. So I thought I'd get caught up a bit on blogging.

First, a momentous event! I met another of my online friends today! I've met folks from Tennessee, Maine, and North Caroline but I'd never managed to meet my friend Pseudopiskie who lives all of about 2 hours from here. We just missed meeting a couple weeks ago. So she drove up today and we spent the afternoon together. I'll link to our photo as soon as she posts it. She got the only picture. It was great to meet her, we chatted like we've known each other for years. Which we have, virtually. I'm now up to five online friends that I've met in real life. I'd love to keep adding to that list.

And a new movie!

Pay It Forward - I'm aware that there's a tendency to sneer at this movie by some. It offends our culture's well fed sense of cynicism. Tough. This is a wonderful simple story told very well. It's got a great cast (Kevin Spacey (who I'll watch in anything), Helen Hunt (who I'll watch in anything, although for different reasons in part), Haley Joel Osment, Jon Bon Jovi (who's not a bad actor at all), Jay Mohr, James Caviezel, even Angie Dickinson!). Yes, there are some sniffle moments in the movie and a surprise ending but what a wonderful concept. We could do a lot worse than take the idea of Paying It Forward to heart. Oh and it's also a great theological message that's perfectly in accord with the Gospel. Do something for someone else with no expectation of being "paid back" and ask them to "pay it forward". Even a nice trinitarian touch! This is a truly good movie in just about every possible definition of the concept.

Quick notes: On my weight loss front I'm stalled but that's OK. I wanted to prove to myself that this was a real loss. That it could be maintained during my "real life". And I have, steady in the low 190s with only a couple pounds fluctuation from day to day which is perfectly normal. And all done during a time when I have completely stopped working out! So I'm expecting that I can take the next jump once I kick the workouts back into my schedule. Good stuff.

Haven't ridden the bike much nor played much golf. I've written a few new things and I have an idea for something totally new for me. It's either going to be really cool or I'm going to a complete idiot. We'll see.

Peace

Movie Night - Click

It's been a while since we've tried to do a movie night around here. We decided to crank it back up again. This is something we started a couple years ago. Since Sunday evening TV was fairly dull and it was usually a time when the whole family was home we made use of it. Dinner is finger foods, cheese, crackers, hummus and pita, veggies, whatever. And we use our Netflix movie subscription for the program. I really enjoy it and we've seen a wide variety of movies.

Tonight's selection was one I had reservations about but it seemed to get some decent reviews from people. The professional critics weren't so nice. The movie is "Click" starring Adam Sandler. My reservations begin and end right there. Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Jack Black and Jim Carrey, "top" movie comics that do virtually nothing for me. But Ferrell's "Anchorman" wasn't bad, I like Carrey in "Liar, Liar" and "The Majestic", and I loved "School of Rock" with Black (heck he was even bearable in "King Kong"). Sandler didn't suck in "Spanglish" so I thought maybe I'd like this one.

I agree with the pros.

Actually I think they were too nice. Trapped deep in a dark dungeon, bound and gagged, chained to the floor of this movie is a good idea trying to escape. It never made it. Sandler sticks with his usual 12 year old boy humor and shows he has absolutely NO chops as a serious actor at all. Surrounded by a pretty fair supporting cast every time Sandler tries something serious he simply sucks. He's awful. Flat, unbelievable. He manages to do love scenes with Kate Beckinsale and look like he's kissing his sister.

Some of the funny stuff he carries off pretty well. When he gets out of the way of the concept of the movie it almost starts to roll. But then he Adam Sandlers it and it whimpers and collapses.

The concept of suddenly having "control" of your universe was much better done in "Bruce Almighty". I did connect with the idea that it's easy to just fast forward through our lives. To get so caught up in the "work" that you miss big swathes of the important stuff. I'm sorry to say that I did some of that in my own life.

It could have been such a good movie. But not with Adam Sandler. This would have been great for a young Tom Hanks maybe.

Too bad. It's not the worst movie I've ever seen. But it's closer to the bottom than the top.

Peace

Bad Evangelism

I don't know anything about Niko Gruber who appears in this video except that I think he does a great job with it. While done in a funny way each of these examples are EXACTLY the kind of nonsense that too often passes for evangelism. You'll notice most of them feed the ego of the "evangelist". That's always a good sign that you're doing it wrong.

Warning - while there is nothing in the way of bad words or anything the humor is decidedly sophomoric.

Farewell Porky

This blog entry is only of interest to you if you're:

A: Into the history of rock and roll radio in its earliest days, and/or
B: Into Pittsburgh radio of the same era.


At age 90 the "Platter Pushin' Poppa", the "Daddio of the Raddio", the "Bossman" Craig "Porky" Chedwick is leaving Pittsburgh.

Here's why this is important -

The Porkster is one of the great ORIGINAL rock and roll DJs. Never heard of him? Doesn't surprise me. The rock and roll historians tend to glide over the Pittsburgh native. You will find his name at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their display of the great early names of radio DJs. He's the only Pittsburgh DJ to make the cut. But if you ask the great acts and artists of those days THEY know Porky Chedwick. Porky was one of those daring young men who played black artists for white audiences. Put him right next to Alan Freed (if you don't know who Alan Freed is I'm going to have to ask you to leave this discussion right now. Go look him up. Only then will you be allowed back into polite rock history discussion society). Porky later was the father of Oldies radio as well.

His radio career isn't over yet despite the fact that he got started in the late 1940's. He's done over 7,000 record hops. Pittsburgh honored him two years in a row with his own "Porkfest" Oldies festival. He's been recognized for his history on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. His greatest years were with legendary Pittsburgh station WAMO.

And Porky was all about Pittsburgh. He's lived his entire life there. By the time I paid attention to the radio Porky was a "relic" but you still knew the name. He's as much a 'Burgh Thing as the Bucs, the Stillers or Iron City.

In August Porky and his wife will leave his hometown behind and head south to Florida. Not to retirement (as one commentator puts it "...Porky would never consider retirement because he can’t find a rhyme for it!") because he's got plans for doing his music thing down there too.

But it's the end of an era in my hometown and for the industry I loved and served for so many years. His "air chair" will never be filled.

Peace

It feels so good

Just to be "home". I discovered some interesting depth to that word today.

Today was my first day back in the office after EYE (which was great, more on that later). The office is a mess. All the stuff from Senior High conference was still all over the floor, then add in the stuff from EYE. Plus a backlog of camp registrations and other mail. I hacked my way through some of it for about three hours then I found myself getting up and walking away.

Down the stairs and out the front door. Across the courtyard and into the church.

And the first word in my head was "home". I didn't go in to pray or even to sit. I just needed to be in that space. The high vaulted ceiling of my English neo-gothic home parish. The Italian marble of the raredos and the brilliant colors of the stained glass. Just being there lifted my spirit and raised a weight from my shoulders.

If that's not home I don't know what is.

Peace

Quick word from EYE

Well I've got just a second to catch up. We had a small adventure at the airport (five of us without seats at first) but that was quickly resolved. The youth are doing very well and getting into the event.

The major event has been that I've lost about 90% of my voice! I can hear the laughter from here. Yes, I have to shut up for at least 24 hours to try and give it a rest. The downside is that I can't SING!!!! And the music has been great.

I'm taking lots of pictures and video so I should have plenty to share.

Keep us in your prayers.


Peace

entre acte

Well Senior High is over and it went well. There were tons of little nitsy problems to start the week which threw me out of my routine. Because of that my all conference workshop wasn't as polished as I prefer them to be. The reaction seemed very good so it was good enough.

No major blowups, just a couple of medium sized ones that seemed to work themselves out well enough. So mark it down as a good week.

Now two days off and then on to EYE (Episcopal Youth Event There will be regular updates on the website on what is going on so join us via Internet). Things have been going smoothly till today. Went to download boarding passes for our group and discovered not all of us have seats at the moment. In fact we're FIVE seats short. I hate this bullshit from the airlines. They've oversold the flight as business insurance for themselves. Is there ANY industry out there has made sticking it to their customers as much a part of the basic business model as the airlines have? Every move they make is aimed squarely at the convenience of their customers.

How soon can we restart regular rail passenger service? I actually checked the railroads for this trip. It would have taken almost two days to get from Buffalo to San Antonio because of an enormous layover in Chicago I think.

On the plus side I'm really not in the panic mode that was a common part of my life a decade ago. We show up at the airport, we check in, we see what can be done when we get there. That's all I can do at the moment. The other adults travelling with me have already been notified of the glitch.

What a pain.

I'm looking forward to seeing many friends and having a good time between tomorrow and Sunday. Forecast for SA is low to mid 90s. Looks like it'll be humid though.

Pray for us travellers.

Peace

Our newest family member

I meant to post this as part of the "Friday Cat Blogging" trend but the place where I store my photo files seems to have died (again!). So I had to establish a new place for the photos.


This is Zaphod. I award extra points for folks who catch the reference although that's costing me a LOT in points. It's not nearly as obscure as I thought. Which is kind of cool actually.

Zaphod is a long hair (sigh, not my choice. My two ladies picked her out and didn't check) all black kitten. I knew I was in trouble the day I picked her up. She was climbing the inside of the cage at the SPCA. Then when she was safely in her cat carrier on the way home she attempted to tear her way OUT of the cardboard carrier. No piteous mewings, no anguished yowlings. Just claws and teeth and full length extensions of paw and limb through the air holes looking for somethig to grab.

Since she's gotten home she's displayed all the usual kitten energy. Plus an absolute mania for climbing. Not just the usual though. She climbs like a lumberjack, wrapping her front paws around the newel posts of the stairs or even the door frames and kicking her way up. She's gotten well over five feet up the door frame several times. I have no idea where she thinks she's going. Fortunately she likes the scratching post I built for her (pretty spiffy if I do say so myself. Hand wound with 100 feet of sisal rope)

Our senior cat Amidala is less than amused by all this energy. Ami never had much of a kitten's sense of whimsey even when she was a kitten. Now she's a grumpy old dowager barely tolerating this tasmanian devil of activity. But no blood. Ami growls and swats when Zee gets too much for her. They've made peace at the food bowl so that's good.

It keeps life interesting for us all. Zee likes to announce her joy of life to me by rubbing, purring and licking my face each morning. Usually around 4 AM. I may be the one to draw blood.

Oh and a note on black cats. Black cats are a tradition in my family started by my father. We only had black cats all the years I grew up. They remain my favorite. I was very disappointed when we adopted our last two because there were none to be had at the SPCA.

Supreme Court Decision

It's the end of session for the Supreme Court and they're cranking out some big ones as per usual.

One from a day or so ago has been sitting with me. It was the ruling that said that

"the death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child."

Man, I had a split reaction to that. I do support a carefully applied use of the death penalty. It is not a position arrived at lightly and it is one that I hold with a certain ambivalence. The concept of state sponsored murder doesn't sit well with me. On the other hand society needs to hold that ultimate punishment as a possibility for the worst crimes. That is my belief. As I said it comes with a certain burden of ambivalence.

So surely the rape of a child MUST qualify as among the worst crimes that it possible to commit. The court's logic that only death of the victim raises the crime to the level of capital punishment falls short for me. My heart cries out and my mind echoes the cry. While the murder is a terrible thing it is one with an end. It is a finite event. The results of rape go on long after the criminal "act" has been completed.

There are two other arguments that I find somewhat more comfortable. First that there is no overwhelming societal consensus on the issue. In fact quite the opposite. There is only a handful of states that have such a law and virtually no one other than the plaintiff in this case who has been sentenced for the crime. In fact no one has been executed for the crime of rape of a victim of any age since 1964. Capital punishment for the rape of an adult victim was ruled out by the Court in 1977.

The most compelling argument came from a surprising corner to me, advocates for children. They did not even the possibility of the death penalty because it would diminish the already minimal reporting of the crime. Sadly the most common perpetrator is a family member or close friend. People are more likely to turn in such a person even if they faced life in prison but are less likely if the death penalty is involved.

In the end I find myself resting uncomfortably with a decision on the death penalty. As a minister to young people my first impulse to protect those kids and yes sometimes at any cost. As a person of faith I am called to a path of redemption which can not be followed if the person needing it is dead. Politically I am concerned when the state has the authority to take the life of a citizen.

In the end we live in a broken world. I can only do what I can to make it work as best as it can.

Prayers for our Justices, for our children and for those whose lives have been so broken that they prey on children.

Peace

RIP George Carlin

There's a small handful of comedians that I would go back and listen to year after year. Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Cheech and Chong (so sue me! They did some classic stuff that blew me away when I was in junior high) and George Carlin. At the very top for me were Cosby and Carlin. Each a classic story teller. Each with a sharp eye for the ridiculousness of every day life. Cosby was comfortable, Carlin had an edge.

George Carlin died yesterday at age 71. Comedian, actor, author. I was amazed later in life when I realized that he had not always been the counter cultural hippie comedian that I had grown to love. Prior to that Carlin had been a big name as a very mainstream comic. The photos of those early days with the short hair and the tie and suit always look wrong to me. Carlin for me would always be the Hippy Dippy Weather Man(which is actually from that earlier period) and all the stuff from "FM and AM", "Toledo Window Box", "Class Clown", "Occupation Foole" and more. What appealled to me was Carlin's love of words and word play. For all the youth who are sick and tired of me with all my word play I'm afraid they probably have to blame George Carlin (jumbo shrimp, military intelligence). At the center of it all was his amazing (to me at the time) and landmark routine "Seven Words You Can't Say on TV" also referred to simply as "Seven Dirty Words". For the boy in white bread Middle America it was astounding to hear an ADULT talking like that. That routine eventually landed at the Supreme Court after it was broadcast on the radio.

After 1981's "A Place for My Stuff" I found Carlin harder to listen to. His act went from having an edge to an anger and bitterness that I didn't find attractive or funny. You'll find a 10 minute bit on YouTube of him taking on religion. I'm not blind to nor am I silent about the failings that religious institutions and we religious folk have been heir to over the years. I'm just not sure I see the humor in what becomes a long diatribe against what I believe. Carlin was not a believer. That's fine. Calling me stupid (and that's the NICEST thing he calls religious people in the clip. The language is rough be warned. Carlin was never afraid to use all the words he knew) for ten minutes isn't the kind of comedy I enjoy. Plenty of people still seemed to like him and every once in a while I'd catch a bit of stuff that reminded me of the older Carlin. We needed his wicked rapier strikes at the shortcomings of our culture. As his life went on Carlin seemed to despair of the entire race.

Of course he was also the first host on Saturday Night Live, had many top rated HBO specials, appeared in movies as different as "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", "Dogma" and "Cars". Plus he was "Mr. Conductor" for several years on the children's show "Shining Time Station".

Addition to the original postI was reminded in the comments that I had a close encounter with Carlin a few years back. To help my brother celebrate his incipient decrepitude we had gone to Las Vegas. As we walked down the Strip birthday boy suddenly nudged me and said "Did you see who that was?". Glancing around I only saw some old dude with a gray pony tail and a baseball cap. I shrugged and said I didn't see anybody. Turns out the pony tail belonged to George Carlin who was working at the very casino we were passing (the Flamingo I think). A very cool moment for me. Thanks for the reminder!

He was a complicated and difficult guy in many ways. Without that he wouldn't have been George Carlin. I wouldn't mourn his passing so much.

George's questions about God have finally been answered. I hope they can figure it all out together.

Peace

I fall down now

Well the big day came today and I survived. The first of what I hope is several "loops" of the lake near where I live. The whole thing is about 41 miles with lots of hills of varying difficulty. Turns out only two of us were planning on doing the whole loop (wimps) but the other guy was obviously in a lot better shape than me. The good news (?) was he was recovering from knee surgery and needed to "take it easy". Excellent.


I'm quite happy to report that there were no major difficulties along the way. We made very good time (setting a personal best at 4 hours). The biggest problem came at the end when I had a small equipment problem. It seems this little monster, known as the front derailleur, was slightly out of alignment. It seems a small thing right? Well the function of a front derailleur is to move the chain on the front gears. because of the misalignment I couldn't get into my 5 lowest gears. Which are extremely valuable when climbing hills. And the steepest hills are on the last leg of the loop. I managed to negotiate the hills without too much difficulty but by the end my legs had had it. I wasn't quite sure I was going to make it up the last incline to the parking lot. But I did. All because the derailleur couldn't move another quarter inch. It's an easy fix that I wish I'd caught earlier. Sigh.

Today marked the debut of our visiting clergy from Wales. Fr. Noel Carter and his wife Wendy joined us for the first of four Sundays while our regular rectors, Fr. Eric and Mother Susan, are in Wales, then England then France. A long distance pulpit swap. Fr. Noel's sermon was quite good and they seem very nice. So we're working hard to make them feel at home. We hope Eric and Susan (and the girls) are having fun. But not too much fun.

One week to Senior High Conference. Am I ready?

I'll assume that's a rhetorical question.

Must sleep now.

Peace

And now back to the usual silliness

Thanks to Grandmere Mimi for this one

Could You Pass the U.S. Citizenship Test?

The folks at MSNBC give you the chance to see if you could do it. From the site:

When immigrants want to become Americans, they must take a civics test as part of their naturalization interview before a Citizenship and Immigration Services (INS) officer. The questions are usually selected from a list of 100 sample questions that prospective citizens can look at ahead of the interview (though the examiner is not limited to those questions). Some are easy, some are not.

I took the test and scored a 95% The one I missed doesn't surprise me at all (Question 19 which is about INS procedure. No doubt the folks who really take this test are familiar with it). So I would certainly pass this step in seeking my citizenship. Honestly other than question 19 which I took a total guess at the questions should be pretty simple. There was one question (#8) that gave me pause. Everything else was either obvious or easy to figure out.

So I throw down the gauntlet. See if it's as easy as I think it is. I missed one question. How 'bout you?

Peace

And now for equal time...

A few days ago I wrote about a kind of mid-life crisis I've been having. Questioning what I've done with my life so far and the value of what I've accomplished.

In the days since I've been confronted again and again with little reminders about the other side of that coin. The comment posted on the first post, an e-mail, a message in the parish newsletter and last but certainly not least my rector's sermon today! With the exception of the comment none of them were direct responses to the post.

Coincidence? Or is someone up there trying to tell me something? Hmmmmmmmm.

So just to make sure that you don't think that I believe my life to be an utter waste and desolation let me talk about the positives in my life:

My wife. My friend, wife, partner, soul mate and advisor for over 30 years. We've gone through diagnoses of 3 chronic illnesses, one chronic condition, viral meningitis, several massive infections, two hip replacements, two periods of unemployment, a child born 2.5 months premature followed by 20 years of parenthood. We've lived in three different areas but have moved 8 times in 26 years. At the end of it we're still madly (my daughter would say nauseatingly) in love with each other.
I count that as a success(especially given my generations overall track record. In which case it's a world class success)

My daughter. Let's see. She's smarter than I am, more talented than I am, she's funny and articulate and brave. She's travelled more widely than I did at that age (or any age until very recently). The kid has been a wonderful child and is turning into a great adult who I hope will be my friend. Apparently my parenting skills are not so wretched that I screwed her up. Count that as a success.

Career - I've been blessed that with two careers at which I've had success. It's been my honor to work at things I care passionately about. For over 19 years I was a radio personality. Most of that time I was the morning man (at two different stations). I also wrote copy and did the news, recorded spots, chose music, did sports play by play and color, had my own talk show for a year, was the afternoon drive show three times and finished up in management. I worked hard, tried to be fair and gave my best every day. After that career ended I went to work as a youth minister. While I haven't succeeded at everything I've wanted to I'm not ashamed of what we've done. I've seen God move in the lives of my young people and I've had some small part in that process. I was able (with the help of some other gifted youth ministers) to re-start the youth ministry network in my province. I've worked at the local, diocesan, provincial and national level of my church and been respected at each one. Most of the people I've worked with have been sorry to see me leave.

I'm a pretty good photographer, a fair writer, not a bad singer. I'm learning to play guitar (oh so slowly!). I've biked up to 50 miles in a day after I was 40 years old (I'll do 42 more a week from today). I can fix things around the house that don't need to be re-fixed. I've designed theater scenery and built it. I've been the lead in a variety of stage plays over the years and done supporting roles too. They cheered at the end each time. I've learned something new every year of my life and there's no plan to stop that.

As my commenter(who I'm pretty sure is my brother) said I've had some adventures, things I'd never willingly give up. Not for just about anything. And I'm not dead yet.

I'm hard on myself. Always have been. At my last job review a couple years back I was marked down in only one area "Sets goals too high". My motto has always been "Good Enough, Isn't". I doubt that's going to change. God has given me gifts. I don't want to be the guy who buries his treasure to keep it safe only to have God say "But you were supposed to make it grow, stupid".

My parents always told me they were proud of me. That was important. I never wanted to let them down. I still don't. I don't want to let my brothers and the rest of my family down, I don't want to let my wife and daughter down. I don't want to let my friends down. I want them all to be proud to know me.

And yes I don't want to let God down. I want him to be proud of me too.

I'm afraid I'm stuck with my own high expectations. But it's good to remember that this has been a good life. That I've done things I can be proud of. That other people think well of me.

And that'll do.

For the moment. LOL!

Peace

So what to do?

I'm going to confess (in short form) something that has been troubling me. I know at face value it sounds silly and perhaps shallow but it troubles me deeply. In simple terms it is this:

This is not the life I thought I was going to live.

Don't get me wrong. In some ways this is a much better life than I could have imagined. The imagination of an 18 year old or 22 year old really isn't up to the task of understanding what life at 30 or 40 or 50 is like. Since I'm surprised at what 50 has turned out to be I'll admit that I probably don't have the imagination to forecast what 60, 70 or 80 may be like.

The problem is that in some ways this life has been very much less than I had dreamed. My lady wife's illnesses has had a serious negative effect on the shape of our married life. It's affected career choices even though without it I probably never would have taken on my current job as a youth minister. So there is both good and bad.

But I had a vision. A vision of who I would be and what my condition in life would be by the time I turned 50. The opportunities I'd be able to give to my wife and child. And yes the things too. Don't read me that sermon, I know the words. In the end this is what I face:

I'm never going to own a house.
I'm never going to be able to treat my wife to the things I dreamed of.
I will not do better than my parents.
I'll be damn lucky to do as well.
It's quite possible that I will never be able to retire and enjoy the things my parents did.
If I'm lucky I won't leave my daughter any debts. The chances that I'll be able to leave her any kind of inheritance rapidly approaches zero.

Let me be honest. While my life falls well short of failure it strikes me as being resoundingly like mediocrity. And in my heart mediocrity IS failure.

I know my wife disagrees. She's told me so.
I know my daughter disagrees. She's told me so.
I'm sure folks who know me will tell me I'm being stupid or silly (again).

And I'm sure you're all right.

And I still feel like I've let my gifts down. I've let my family down. I've let myself down.

And I don't know what to do with this feeling. I've talked with my wife about it. I knew she would be hurt by some of it (and she was. And she's forgiven me already because she's entirely too good for the likes of me).

This isn't the life I thought I was going to live. I'm not sure who I'm supposed to be at this point in my life. It has been noted before that I tend to expect a lot (some have even said too much) of myself. But I've been given several large gifts (I don't think that's my ego talking. I base that on what I've been able to do) that I don't think I've fully used.

I don't know. The longer I type the stupider I sound even to myself. Maybe what I see as mediocre is just normal. And maybe I'm just normal.

But that's not what I expected.

Peace

Movie news

I've bumped up against an idea several times now which probably means I need to do something with it. At our last diocesan staff meeting we were talking about increasing our usage of video (YouTube, etc). Our communications director had been to a meeting with Father Matthew Moretz from Rye, NY. If you've not seen "Father Matthew Presents" it's worth your time to take a look. Check out the "Father Matthew Channel" at YouTube. Serious subjects approached with a little tongue in cheek. It's been a fairly amazing response. In less than two years his channel shows just shy of 50,000 views.

So here I sit with a degree in Theater, decades of radio work, fully comfortable with public speaking and script writing and an office full of cameras and video editting software. Hmmmm, think someone is nudging me a little bit? So I have to think about what that may mean for me.

In real movie news let me finally get around to my review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. First let me say I enjoyed it. I have a great appreciation for the tradition that Spielberg and Lucas are honoring with this series. It's the old movie serials of the 1930s through the 1950's. It's action, adventure, outrageous villians and equally outrageous escapes. And this one does all of that. While not as good as either Raiders of the Lost Ark or Last Crusade it is better than Temple of Doom. ToD always suffered from over cuteness (Short Round) and a female lead with whom there was ZERO chemistry (Kate Capshaw). The biggest negative in this one is Cate Blanchett (maybe it's a Kate/Cate thing) as the villain. She's simply awful. One dimensional, flat and uninteresting. Really bad.

I've been interested in the very negative response from a lot of Indy fans especially with regard to the aliens from outer space. Somehow the complaint seems to be that this makes the movie less "believable". Which only makes me wonder if some folks aren't taking this whole thing a little seriously. Indy is older and wiser (he gets it right with Marion this time!) The script (which is a little uneven) tips it hat to many of the top icons of the time period, the 1950s. The Bomb, motorcycle gangs and UFOs. These movies aren't about believability, they're about over the top fun. And this one delivers. Plus they seem to be setting up for a possible baton pass to the next generation. We'll see if Shia LeBouef can carry the franchise.

Double Happiness This is a neat "little movie" from Canada. I have this whole category of "little movies". They're not made with a big budget, they usually have lesser known actors or actors better known for supporting roles in lead roles. And they are often wonderful discoveries. "Double Happiness" is the story of a Chinese-Canadian woman trying to find the balance between the new world life she wants and the old world life of her family. It's not always easy, it's often funny and it was fully worth the 87 minutes of run time. The star is Sandra Oh, best known from her role on TV's "Grays Anatomy". I'm reminded of my other favorite "little movie" Crossing Delancy

Ok that's it for now. Gotta figure out my own video calling.

Peace

Time to be gracious

Here's another reason why I'm grumpy. But this only contributes a little bit.

Congratulations to the Red Wings and their fans. It was an amazing Stanley Cup Final with some absolutely incredible hockey. It had pretty much everything that is not only good but great about the sport. Some astounding goaltending, wonderful virtually non-stop action, great hitting, come from behind action and tension literally to the final second of the final game.

I'm very proud of my Penguins. They never quit. They were facing the best hockey team of the last decade, playing at the top of their game. The Red Wings were smothering. At times it looked like they were on a permanent power play with at least one more player on the ice than the Pens. The Penguin's stars were largely shut down and STILL the Pens refused to pack it in. They were in it till the clock ran out (even if that took FOREVER in game 5!!!)

The Penguins were good. Really good.

The Red Wings were great.

Hail the victor!

A Horrible day so far...

Came in to the office this morning, fired up the computer and Firefox my trusty web browser won't work.

Actually it's spent the morning claiming it WAS working but that I just couldn't see it.

I've spent most of the morning at as many of the Mozilla help sites as I could find. None of them seemed to solve the problem. I've done everything I can think of doing, re-booting, going to a restore point (everything worked fine on Tuesday), deleted the profiles.ini file, finally broke down and deleted the program. Re-installed the program. Did several steps over again. Nothing.

(Thank God I had Opera as a back up.)

Finally got access to the Profile manager which let me get in under a default profile. Sadly it appears that several years worth of bookmarks are in the wind.

I can't imagine what happened yesterday that would cause this. The laptop went home with me to do some work, I couldn't connect to my home wireless network (still can't although my daughter can on her Apple laptop)and fiddled with some of those settings but using Restore should wipe those out.

I'm really angry about losing all those bookmarks. I'm hoping that since profile manager seems to believe my old profile is still here I might be able to snag them. Otherwise...

I'm going to be grumpy for the rest of the day.

Very, very grumpy.

What Sci Fi character are you?

Yoda

A venerated sage with vast power and knowledge, you gently guide forces around you while serving as a champion of the light.

Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not - for my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminescent beings are we, not this crude matter! You must feel the Force around you, everywhere.

Yoda is a is a character in the Star Wars universe. More Yoda information is available at the Star Wars Databank.