Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Life is theater from the moment your feet hit the floor in the morning.

c0 vintage GI Joe from my generation.
Click to enlarge: c0 vintage GI Joe from my generation. I had this action figure as well as a few others.

Most of what we do we do because we enjoy the rules and the challenge of playing by the rules, not because we want to reach the goal. That goes for digging ditches to building corporate empires to writing or painting or anything else.

We talk about winning, keeping our eyes on the prize, etc, but it's more about perseverance than getting there.

How many people do we know that "made it" but are unfulfilled? They're always looking for a new challenge. "Arriving" is just a rest stop between goals.

Grownups play house and doctor and soldier just like kids do; we just don't realize we're pretending.

Life is theater from the moment your feet hit the floor in the morning.

The origin of this post was a series of conversations with WWII corpsman Jay Garvelink. He told me about a second lieutenant whose inexperience got a lot of people killed. This was called "playing soldier." I told the story here > 

[2013-02-28]

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Monday, April 29, 2013

If you don't write, you're not a writer.

I had an old acquaintance, many, many years ago that I haven't seen since, who was writing a book. He said he was having trouble getting through the boring parts, and wrote quickly so he could get to the exciting stuff.

If you're not enjoying all of it, you're doing it wrong.

Most good writing is less about the story and more about how you're telling it. Most writing that matters, at any rate.

[2013-02-21]

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c0 Rob, Buddy and Sal (Dick Van Dyke, Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie) from The Dick Van Dyke Show
Click to enlarge: Rob, Buddy and Sal (Dick Van Dyke, Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie) from The Dick Van Dyke Show
There's an old episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show in which Rob (Van Dyke) receives a book in the mail form an old friend who finally got published. It reignites Van Dyke's excitement about writing a novel and the show unfolds around his struggles and realization that he should stick to comedy.

I was always struck by that - a writer wanting to work in a different genre, but eventually being satisfied with where he's at.

I first saw that episode as a child and promised myself, I'll be the guy that writes that book and sends a copy to my friends.

I kept half that promise.

[2013-02-21]


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c0 Bones in a whale graveyard.
Click to enlarge: Bones in a whale graveyard.
At some point, all writers realize they will only and always be writers, and so that's where they spend what time they have, because being the best writer is more important than being an adequate something else, and if you have limited time, you give it to words, like whales that just swim until they find the graveyard that will hold their bones.[1]

[2013-03-23]


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c0 Cast of Barney Miller (L) and Steve Landesberg (R)
Click to enlarge: Cast of Barney Miller (L) and Steve Landesberg (R) who played Sgt Dietrich. I always identified with him and enjoyed his comedy.

[1]
There is a very good episode of Barney Miller
in which an aging Native American is picked up by Det. Wojciehowicz for protesting in a city park. The old Indian is deemed mentally unstable and scheduled for Bellvue, a famous New York mental hospital. Wojo reluctantly agrees to transport the old Indian to Bellvue and lets him spend a few more minutes in the park, where the old Indian dies. The 1970's was a period in which Americans came to terms with the injustices suffered by Native Americans, and story lines like this were common.

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Sunday, April 28, 2013

You ain't from 'round here, are ya?

c0 This is a picture of Mt Airy, NC, the town Mayberry, RFD was based on.
Click to enlarge: Mt Airy, NC, the town Mayberry, RFD was based on (well, the town Andy Griffith grew up in).
I've had two family members - one younger, one older, and both who know me very well - tell me I wouldn't do well in a small town.

Guess I have to take their words for it, though I like to have tried, nonetheless.

I think that train has left the station.

[2013-03-23]



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c0 Leonardo DiCaprio trying to stay afloat at the end of Titanic.
Click to enlarge: Leonardo DiCaprio trying to stay afloat at the end of Titanic.

Why is it that some folks take offense when they're asked if they might like something others like? They can't just not like it, they have to hate it, as though popularity immediately deserves contempt.

I must admit to having this reaction just once that I recall - to Titanic. I was ready to push Leonardo DiCaprio's head under myself and tell him to Die already, willya?

Then there are those that recommend a movie or a menu item or a travel destination, and if you don't take their advice they are insulted.

Never understood that.

(I have no one in particular in mind, truly, rather an old story told to me by an acquaintance.)

[2013-03-11]

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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Elvis Has Left the Building

c0 Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis who was arrested for ricin poison attacks, then released.
Click to enlarge: Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis who was arrested for ricin poison attacks, then released.

There was a lot less attention given to the April 23 release of Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis than there was for his arrest for allegedly attempting to poison President Obama and others with ricin-tainted mail. (Story >) NBC Nightly News didn't even cover the release.

I think this is because...

a) Innocence is uninteresting.
b) He seemed to be enjoying the free press (even thanked his fans).
c) Elvis impersonators are goofy and don't draw audiences like explosions, of which we've recently (and sadly) had a surplus
d) He's used a lot of religious language in his public statement (that whole papal thing just plum tuckered us out).

This article tars and feathers Mr Curtis and as of today (4/24) hasn't been updated:

The comments show how dangerous it can be to be accused of something in this country (whether you're guilty or not).

We are only a breath away from gladiators and lions.

[2013-04-24]

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c0 Logo for Grand Rapids classic rock station 101.3 The Brew, formerly 101.3 The Fox.Grand Rapids classic rock station 101.3 The Fox became 101.3 "The Brew" in February.

They ran promos leading up to the switch with sounds of rifle shots and the words "The fox is dead" and "Kill the fox."

Comment: Don't make fun of the old ways when there's been a lot of folks trying to make the old ways work for a long time. Just embrace the new and appreciate the old. It's all going to start over again anyway. Enjoy the ride.

BTW, after listening for a bit, the main changes are a few more B-side tracks, the sound of pouring beer between songs, and ads targeting guys that never quite made it over the bell curve and would seem to have a lot of sexual, legal, and tax problems.

[2013-02-28]

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Friday, April 26, 2013

Clarence Answers All...

In answer to some recent inquiries:

c0 A vintage picture of a medium gazing into a crystal ball1
Are you sick?

Nope, I'm not sick, not dying, and not planning to anytime soon.

2
Are you Catholic?

Nope, I'm not Catholic, and not attending mass or catechism. But I believe Rome is more right than wrong and deserves a lot of credit for doing the heavy lifting for the Lord when evangelicals have largely been preoccupied with politics and doctrinal hairsplitting.

3
So what are you?

I made a decision for Christ at age 6 and was given "believer's baptism" at age 7 or so, probably 1970, at Bethel Baptist Church in Erie, PA when it was on E. 26th Street, and I shall in some respects always be a Baptist. I've never had membership in any other church or denomination; I guess I just never really left Bethel.

4
What's this story about? (Musée de la Tristesse >
 )

The story is about a writer trying to find time to write when the world around him thinks that's a waste of time.

We don't leave much behind...

  • The DNA that made new human beings
  • Our actions that affected others
  • Anything we put on paper or online

c0 The  Energizer BunnyHundreds of years from now, nothing we care about today will still be here. But the issues won't change, and most everyone will still be scurrying around like little Energizer bunnies trying the same solutions we tried a hundred years before and getting the same results.

But some few will read these words, listen to old music, watch old movies, and find some beauty in all the noise.

It's quiet inside my head, even though the world is screaming.

5
Where are you originally from?

Tralfamadore, a tiny planet tucked out of the way in the Small Magellanic Cloud. If you blink, you'll miss it.

[2013-04-24]

 

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Pleasantly Surprised by Starbuck's VIA Instant Coffee

c0 Starbuck's VIA Instant Columbian Coffee
Click to enlarge: Starbuck's VIA Instant Columbian Coffee

In an effort to save a little money, I recently tried a package of Starbuck's VIA Instant Coffee and have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

They managed to get most of the instant taste out and enough Starbuck's in that I'm not reminded with every sip that I'm drinking instant coffee.

Would I pay $2.50 a cup for it? No, but it's not bad for something you pour out of a pouch.

Hint: Double it up - use two packets per 16 oz cup. If you find it on sale, you're still under $2 a cup.

[2013-04-19]


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c0 Da Vinci's The Last Supper
Click to enlarge: Da Vinci's The Last Supper

I don't see a meaningful difference between transubstantiation and consubstantiation:

transubstantiation
The bread and wine change fully and literally into the body and blood of Jesus during communion.

consubstantiation
The bread and wine coexist with the body and blood of Jesus during communion.

I guess I should say I understand the difference, but not the distinction.

Consubstantiation seems like a compromise to satisfy doctrinal nit-picking.

Compare Eucharistic theologies here >


Seems the basic difference is "Christ is physically there" vs. "Christ is not physically there." Anything in between is semantics. (And IMHO Jesus didn't really give us that choice.)

[2013-02-20]

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

What do you have to believe to be a Christian? Part 3

(I'd planned to complete this series in three parts, but it will take four. Part 4 will take a while.)

c0 A vintage picture of Jesus with children. Quick review...

1. Part 1 > 
Jesus is a simple proposition and Christianity is not about knowing what you don't believe.
2. Part 2 > 
Christianity is about not only believing something, but doing something.

There are two aspects to finish out my thoughts on this, and both need a little time:

3. Part 3 (You here now.) What must a Christian believe?
4. Part 4 (still in my noodle) What must a Christian do?

A caveat: Entire libraries could be filled on this topic. I'm not summarizing or encapsulating or even providing anything new for most people, but the exercise was rewarding for me, and that's why I share it here. I was raised - and still am to some degree – an old-school Baptist, but developed a very un-Baptist fascination with resolving disagreements between Christian denominations. I think there is less that divides us than we think, if we think a little harder.

c0 a quote from House: If nobody hates you, you're doing something wrongHow do you summarize what Christians must believe to be "Christians"?

In linguistics (my area of study a long time ago), when describing a language for the first time, you develop a corpus of words and grammatical structures by eliciting natural speech from native speakers. Describing what you hear is called a descriptive grammar. It's an explanation how the language functions when speakers are speaking naturally (without regard to dictionaries or grammar teachers).

Something similar happens when a small group of people with a shared set of values becomes a large group of people with a shared set of values: They codify the values that first brought them together; unlike language, however, those values are carefully guarded and change little over time (except by consensus, and sometimes painful consensus, as, eg, with the American Civil War).

All human groups work this way, and early Christians are no different.

Among the set of beliefs Christians settled on ~1,400 years ago is the The Apostle's Creed. It's not a summary, but a compaction of essential teachings that can be easily memorized, prayed and shared.[1]

What I Believe

If you want to know what Christians believe, and what I believe, you need go no further than this Creed. The
red parts, IMHO are non-negotiable; the others, though I believe them and they are central to Christian orthodoxy, wouldn't, shall we say, be on the entrance exam at the pearly gates.



Creed
Comment
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth;
This is the God of the Old Testament
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
God visited us in the person of Jesus; the human language Jesus used to explain this mechanism was of a son to a father.
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
Jesus had no earthly father that donated DNA.
born of the Virgin Mary;
Jesus' mother was a virgin.
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Roman procurator circa 36AD
was crucified, died and was buried
Jesus was executed, died, and was interred.
He descended into hell;
Hell in this case is not a place of eternal punishment, but rather Sheol or Hades, the afterlife of the ancients, both good and bad. This clause means "Jesus really died," because there's no other way to enter Sheol.
the third day He rose again from the dead;
Jesus wasn't resuscitated, he returned from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
Not literally on the right hand side of a man with a flowing white beard, but rather occupying a heavenly place of authority. 
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
He's coming back to judge everyone.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
Also God, but not Jesus and not the Father. The Holy Spirit appears a number of times in the New Testament and is the agent that descended at Pentecost.

When I was a child, it was helpful to think of the Trinity as three personalities of the same person, distinct but coincident.[2]

However we satisfy ourselves with analogies, the Godhead has unique personalities and ways of interacting with us that defy human explanation, just as light can be both wave and particle.
the Holy Catholic Church,
The universal body of Christ. I believe it does have one authorized representative on earth with unbroken successive leadership, but there's a larger conversation most fundamentalists would want to have.
the communion of Saints
All Christians, living and dead, have a relationship to each other and to Jesus. It means the body of Christ survives death and continues on both sides of heaven.

Jesus speaks of the dead as living like angles in heaven (Mark 12:24-27), and he is seen in the
Transfiguration talking with Moses and Elijah.

the forgiveness of sins,
This is the ultimate outcome of a relationship with Jesus. "Sin" is a shortfall, in Hebrew, literally "missing the target"; it need not be the sinister concept associated with fire and brimstone. It is instead anything that stands between you and Jesus.
the resurrection of the body
This is probably the most difficult for me. I remember vividly hearing sermons on how all the molecules of the deceased, even after thousands of years, will be collected together and restored into a new heavenly body. It's a very old doctrine.
and life everlasting.
We live forever with Jesus in heaven.
Amen.[3]
In Hebrew and Greek, "so be it."


 

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A couple caveats:

• The
red is a start, not the end. If belief is a staircase, they represent the landing (presuming you're going up :-)
• There are many more important things that Christians believe that aren't here. A distillation to essential ingredients is not meant to obviate the others. They are still very important, and though not peripheral, they are not necessary for one to call himself a Christian. (In my opinion. I am not ordained or a teacher or even as widely read as your friendly neighborhood parson. I am just a Christian.)


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What's not there?

Going to church on Sunday
A prayer of salvation
Baptism or communion or any other sacrament.
Mary remaining a virgin all her life
Praying to saints
Priests and pastors and pot lucks and many other integral, incidental, good or benign things associated with Christianity.


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c0 Damiano Crucifix
Click to enlarge: A Crucifix with a body of Jesus on it is a good reminder of what Jesus did for us and that we have a daily obligation to respond to it. This constant reminder is a good thing. It doesn't mean Jesus is still on the cross. You can still say every day "We worship the risen Lord," as all good Baptists do (partly in response to crucifixes, I think), but I've found there is no better way to be reminded every day to ask myself, "How shall I live today?" than seeing Jesus on the cross. I have a very little Damiano cross above the light switch in my home office. It's there for a reason: I see it every time I turn the light on or off.
IMHO if you sincerely believe the red words in the Apostle's Creed, you are a Christian.

But with that sincere belief comes a response the the person of Jesus.

That is Part 4, and that will be a while. Perhaps you will revisit the Gospels with me in the meantime.

Peace out.

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[1]
The Creed is based on the bible, but the form it took evolved over a few hundred years. Learn more here >

 
A very interesting experiment today would be to elicit beliefs from Christians across socio-economic and ethnic boundaries and see what they have in common. That's probably been done in a lot of comparative religion classrooms.

I remember reciting the Apostle's Creed at Bethel Baptist Church, only once, in the sanctuary during a Sunday morning service. (I think we had moved to the 38th Street location by then. Reciting The Apostle's Creed is a very un-Baptist thing to do, which is probably why I remember it). The Creed was printed in the back of some very old hymnals that Bethel has since discarded, but which I liked, for they contained the good old hymns no one sings much anymore.

As I recall, the clause "descended into hell" was omitted from the version in our hymnal; however, this was taught by Mrs Andrus in Bible class at Bethel Christian School, but she didn't call it "hell," she called it Abraham's Bosom. For a child of 12, it was all so confusing.

I could understand heaven and hell, but I wasn't ready for Sheol or Hades or, for heaven's sake, the chest of an ancient personality buried so deep in biblical antiquity I couldn't picture or understand why his life or actions were important to me. I'm still not sure I understand; it's an ancient concept we've discarded largely because New Testament theology doesn't benefit much by it (or so it seems to me, just as we discarded the Jewish origin of baptism, thinking that it sprung up automagically with John the Baptist - whom some today call John the Baptizer, lest, heaven forbid, we think he was Baptist).

[2]
This is actually a heresy and called "modalism," ie, that the Trinity is actually just three different ways we interact with the same deity; but I think God would forgive a child for finding some comfort in a simple analogy.

c0 a line drawing of an apple with the word 'apple' written underneath it, as if by a children in school.Mom and Dad introduced us to this concept with children's book that used an apple as a metaphor, identifying the skin, flesh, and seeds (IIRC) as the three parts of the Trinity.

[3]
I actually pray it this way:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
and Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, was buried,
and descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and sits at the right hand of the Father,
from where He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of the Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

Not much different, but each difference is there because that's what comes out of my mouth. When I was a child at Bethel Baptist Church, we used the term "Holy Ghost," which I'm still partial to and use here in the second half of the Creed. It's just an old-fashioned name for the Holy Spirit. When you're raised with it, it doesn't sound spooky or ghostly.

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

That is the end of this conversation.

One reason I'm so quiet is I've often finished the conversation in my head. That's not necessarily good or bad, just is.

[2013-03-08]

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c0 Soldies in a foxhole, WWII.Story Idea:
Musée de la Tristesse


A soldier is hunkered down in a foxhole; he's wearing a WWII-era uniform and helmet and writing on a pad of paper. Bombs are going off nearby; after each whistle and explosion, clods of dirt scatter off his helmet and pad of paper. He brushes the dirt off his paper and keeps writing.

Another soldier drops in next to him, holding his helmet down and crouching low in the foxhole.

What the hell are you doing? the second soldier shouts. Can't you see there's a war on?

Oh, I see it just fine, says the first one, and he keeps writing.

The war ends.

After the war, the soldier's journal is dug up next to his body and it finally comes to rest in a museum. There are no bullets or bayonets or bombs in this museum, just words. It's called the Musée de la Tristesse; it's in a muddy little European town that no one visits anymore since it got the shit bombed out of it in the war.

But all the town's school children go every year and they read the words the war left behind and they all grow up wishing there would be no more wars.

That is the end of this conversation.

[2013-04-18]

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Monday, April 22, 2013

What and why are different questions.

c0 Signpost that says who, what, where, how, whyI've had a number of people over the years tell me I will eventually change my beliefs.

This is most often an echo of their own journey rather than insight into mine.

But it is also invariably true. Our tastes evolve in everything, it's just a matter of extent.

Whether it's religion or romance or restaurants, there is always a honeymoon period, some indecision, rejection or recommitment, and long term affection, an attraction and comfort of the sort afforded by an old flannel shirt.

I think folks more often than not are pained by their own disaffection and project that on others.

(Projection was a big deal in 1970s, so forgive me if I'm dating myself.)

[2013-04-21]

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c0 This child just ate something she doesn't like.Just because most folks don't understand why they do something...

... doesn't eliminate the importance of what they are doing.

Children resist math in grade school, refuse vegetables at the supper table, and stumble over thank you and please and you're welcome. Men wear ties around important people. We shake hands with strangers. We obey the speed limit.

Telling the difference between what is practical, expedient, enriching, unnecessary, or unhealthy is another matter.

The point is that the what and the why are different questions.

(I had this thought while considering religious practices, but it applies to everything.)

[2012-12-26]

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Sunday, April 21, 2013

Cracklings

c0 Scansion of Sapphic meter.The best prose is indistinguishable from poetry.

[2103-04-14]


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It's easy to speculate on unsavory details when the objects of our derision won't or can't defend themselves.

That's like shooting fish in a barrel. Cruel and pointless.

[2013-02-24]


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I once hurried to write quickly and make these blogs timely to match current events, and if that's possible, I still do, but I soon realized that the news is cyclical, and what's timely today will be equally timely again. Given the different daily experiences between you and me, and that I have no control over the duration of events or when you will be reading me, trying to be topical is an unnecessary burden.

[2013-03-12]

I have something to say about the Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent events.

It can wait.

[2013-04-19]

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Saturday, April 20, 2013

This beautiful girl killed herself...

c0 Rape victim Audrie Pott
Rape victim Audrie Pott

This beautiful girl killed herself after her (alleged) rapists circulated pictures of the incident. Story >

Her name was Audrie Pott. She was 15 years young. In the wake of the terrorist bombings in Boston, this story has taken a back seat.

As the father of two daughters, I can imagine the pain her family endured, but will never know the deep anguish Audrie Potts went through that would convince her suicide was the only way out.

Something is fundamentally wrong with the violent men and environment that allowed this, and something is equally wrong - and maybe harder to fix - when the support structures we build for children fail them.

Because somewhere along the line, Audrie believed she was utterly alone, and fixing that means fixing you and me.

[2013-04-13]

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c0 This was the MSNBC.com homepage at 5:42pm ET, April 15, 2013 after the Boston Marathon bombing.This is what what MSNBC.com looked like after the bomb blasts in Boston during the marathon.

This was at 5:42pm ET, April 15.

(Blogger is having trouble showing the full image; hopefully the blur gives the general idea.)

Imagine turning on your TV or radio and getting gibberish because too many people are trying to watch or listen at the same.

Not a criticism, just an observation. Someday folks will look back and say stuff like, "Remember when you actually lost a cell signal?"


[2013-04-15]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Friday, April 19, 2013

It is not a dance. It gathers no food. It does not serve Vaal.

c0 An Oliso iron with Powerlift.
Click to enlarge: This is my iron, an Oliso with Powerlift. It's a good one. When you set it down, it lifts up so you don't damage your delicate unmentionables. I bought it here[1] a few years ago and it works as well today as the day I bought it, notwithstanding end user errors. Hint: don't set it down horizontally for long periods; its shuts down. Needs to be vertical to stay warm.

My wife and my coworkers think I don't iron my shirts.

But I do.

Don't know what the problem is - the iron, the material, my stance?

So what's so important about a pressed shirt, anyway?

It doesn't keep you any warmer.
It doesn't coordinate any better.
It doesn't hold a tie any better.
It doesn't fit any better.
It takes time to iron.
And it's uncomfortable.

 

c0 Makora and Sayana, from the Star Trek episode, The Apple
Click to enlarge: "But what is to be gained? It is not a dance. It gathers no food. It does not serve Vaal. But it did seem as though it was pleasant to them."
--Makora, on Star Trek, "The Apple," to his pretty Gamma Triangulin girlfriend, Sayana

The older I get, the more I've come to realize I was born into the wrong universe. No one I know thinks like I do. They happily go through life ironing their clothes and looking snappy.

But it does seem as though it is pleasant to them.

[2013-03-04]

 

 

 

c0

When others insist you have fun, they usually want you to have fun according to their rules.

[2013-02-28]

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[1]
I work for this company and they have rather strict rules around employees referencing
the company online; this is a little inside joke. I love the work I do and the people I work with. I'm one of the lucky writers who gets to write for a living. That's no small feat. Ask any writer.

c0

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Smoking behind the Backstop

c0 A picture of an old baseball in a mitt.I referred to "smoking behind the backstop" with a good friend today [2013-04-10], and he didn't immediately understand the reference, even though he's very involved in sports. About 5 seconds into my explanation, he made the connection.

A backstop is a somewhat V-shaped structure behind home plate on a baseball diamond, and usually in a far corner of a school yard. As the name implies, the backstop stops the ball if it gets past the batter and the catcher.


c0

This is the backstop at Vernondale Elementary School in Millcreek, PA today
Click to enlarge: This is the backstop at Vernondale Elementary School in Millcreek, PA today. When I was a boy attending there in the late 1960's and early 1970's, it was made of wood. It's now a chain-link fence. Google maps link >

In the old days, backstops were made of wood with four high poles, between which was suspended netting.

It was common at Vernondale Elementary School (in Millcreek, PA, where I attended K-6), for some kids (not me) to smoke behind the backstop. And they often got caught.

Nowadays this structure is most often a chain link fence. And there'd be no sense in smoking behind it, because you can see through it.



c0 Cigarette lighter on a smart phone.That would be like flashing a picture of a lighter on your iPhone at a concert. Oh, wait...

 

c0

Speaking of a little flame...

c0 Rolling Stones tongue logo outlined in flames.I had a big mouth as a child[1] and was made by my 7th grade science teacher, Mr Rodney Blystone (at Bethel Christian School), to rewrite the entire biblical book of James in longhand on notebook paper.

The book of James contains this passage:

"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" (KJV).

I don't recall what I said to deserve this punishment, but it was one among many incidents that led me to be a reserved adult.

c0

[1]
Some might say I still do have a big mouth, but I've actually overcompensated as an adult by being generally quieter than most. I will definitely share an opinion, but usually wait for it to be solicited.

[2013-04-10
]

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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

I don't write enough about what I think about most.

c0 Church Cemetery in the Diocese of Newcastle, John's Terrace, North Shields, England
Click to enlarge: I thought this was a pretty picture; it's from the Diocese of Newcastle website; the Diocese of Newcastle is in St John's Terrace, North Shields, England. I don't know if the picture is from a Newcastle cemetery or just decorative. I presume it's an English cemetery.

Today [2013-04-01] while picking up Dee Dee from morning daycare at Holy Spirit (a change for us, we usually use p.m., but we are trying something new for spring break), a funeral was concluding next door in the sanctuary.

The parking lot was nearly empty, so I was surprised that there was a hearse and priest and a small gathering at the door that was paying its last respects.

I parked my car and went into the school to get Dee Dee. This would have been about noon. As we returned to the car, a very old man was walking alone from the funeral to his car.

He was gray and bent and walked slowly. He and I and Dee Dee were the only three living things in the deserted parking lot. There was no procession. No long line of cars to the cemetery.

I think someone very old with few mourners had been in
that hearse, and that man was among the few who were there to say good-bye.

Sometimes
funerals are accompanied by sun and blue sky, greenery and flowers and singing birds, and you look around at the young couples, restless children, sleeping babies, and take comfort in all the lives the departed touched, many who otherwise would not be there.

But not so that day.

I wanted to say something, but I didn't. What to say?

He didn't even know I was there.

I wondered if he was a husband, or a brother or a close friend, and if, like all of us, he was pondering his own departure at that time, and how few would remain to mourn him.

I pondered this all afternoon.

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Something little like this would have otherwise gone forgotten, had I not recorded it here, since Dee Dee is too little to remember. It's that way with most of what happens each day.

[2013-04-01]

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c0 Jesus says to the crowd, "Let you who are without sin cast the first stone."
Click to enlarge: Jesus says to the crowd, "Let you who are without sin cast the first stone."

Unrelated:
I once argued with a minister's wife if she would permit a prostitute
to continue attending our church if the prostitute didn't change her ways. She said no, and wouldn't budge.

Who gets to decide when we've forgiven enough?

(Nobody I know would remember her, and I honestly don't recall her name. This was Grand Rapids, not Erie.)

[2013-04-07]

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