Friday's Feast

Appetizer - Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

Depends on how you define "city" and "country". I wouldn't want to live in a big city like New York or Chicago - too many people, too much steel and concrete. I wouldn't want to live out in the country - not enough people, too far from civilization. I like right where I am - right outside a nice, medium-sized town next to the mountains. If there was a beach on the other side instead of, well, Farragut it'd be perfect!


Soup - Who is the cutest kid you know?

Both my kids, of course. What else am I going to say?


Salad - Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

Salad - Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard Battlestar Galactica wasn't starting up again until APRIL!?!?.


Main Course - If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

Carnival Cruise Lines, or Walt Disney World. I'm not picky.


Dessert - What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

I don't take any vitamins, per se, but I do take medicine for high blood pressure and cholesterol which both work amazingly well. And I take a baby aspirin every day, as probably everyone my age or so should.

GREASE is the Word. Hopefully, For a Long Time to Come...

I just started rehearsals for "Grease" at the Oak Ridge Playhouse, and things are thus far going swimmingly.

It's great being a more-or-less established musical director, because I use the same musicians over and over (and being such a swell guy) they just tend to enjoy coming back and playing again. I'm using the same pianist from "The King and I", and my drummer and bass player have done several shows with me. It's great to go into a show without constantly worrying about putting together a band.

The cast is great, young people who are excited about a show that's been around for years and is ready for a fresh chance. One of the big problems about producing a show that's a) been around for a long time, and b) spawned a highly successful movie version, is that cast members can fall into the trap of imitating the previous performers. Being that John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John made their parts so famous and distinctive (along with Stockard Channning, Jeff Conaway, Fabian and other stars) it's difficult to go back to the original script and score and treat it as if it were brand new. As I told the cast in the first rehearsal, if people wanted to see them imitate Travolta, Newton-John and others onstage they should just go rent the movie. It's our job to create something fresh, new and entertaining.

And that's really the same for every play or musical. Directors shouldn't simply copy a convention or design that's been used in the past, either in their own experience or based on a particular staging from a famous version of the show. They should always try to bring something of themselves, and the performers to the show and make it unique to this place and time. This is something I believe community theatre has over professional and maybe even regional theatre. Professionals perform in dozens, hundreds, even thousands of shows over a lifetime. Their experiences and memories or particular shows begin to blur over time. Even as my own resume' grows, memories of shows start to run together. But more often than not, I remember very distinctive parts of almost every show I've ever been involved in. And that should be the same for anyone who's ever worked in community theatre. Each one is separate and unique, and the good memories of casts, performances, relationships, friendships and emotions should be treasured their whole life. I certainly hope to for myself.

I recently got back in touch with an actress that was in "Company" almost 5 years ago. She's in college pursuing a masters. I've worked with several people in "Grease" before, one in particular who's playing Danny also played Horton in "Suessical" and Drake in "Honk". Another friend from "Company" and "King & I" I keep in touch with via Facebook. So connections continue and experiences go on.

Anyway, "Grease". The performances are weekends of April 25-May 11. I hope you'll try to

LOST in Thoughts

My thoughts on "Ji Yeon"...

• I was completely faked out on the flashback/flashforward. In fact, I didn't realize it was a dual flash until I came onto some messageboards after the episode. In my brain, I'd worked out the elaborate pretense that somehow Jin had arrived back in the world separate from Sun, and had to mask his identity. He had moved to China (hence visiting the Chinese ambassador, disregarding the fact you don't visit the Chinese ambassador in China, you visit them in whatever country they're ambassador to, like, oh, South Korea?), taken another wife for two months, and had taken pains to drop out of site of the rest of the world - even from Sun. And that Sun actually thought he was dead. Somehow as part of the Oceanic 6 deal, he had to disappear (something like Sayid). Of course, presenting yourself as a representative of Paik Automotive should've been the tipoff but it didn't occur to me till later after reading the boards.
  
  
• So is Jin dead? I believe that Sun thinks so. That was no "you're not here, you're still on the island, but I'm going to pretend your dead to play along with the cover story" performance at his gravesite. In her mind (and possibly Hurley's, though that's not certain) Jin is dead. But is he really dead? Either he dies at some point between now and when the O6 are taken off the island, or Sun thinks he dies but he's still alive and being held with the rest of the O816 survivors. I hope it's the latter, because no man should totally miss his first child...
  
  This of course means that if Sun is, what, 9-10 weeks pregnant now (and in 3 weeks will be going through the 2nd trimester), and it appears the baby was born slightly premature due to labor starting painfully and all of a sudden in her hotel suite, she was born probably somewhere around the 36-40th week. And of course Sun doesn't die of SIDS (Sudden Island Death Syndrome), so she must leave the island in the next few weeks, make it back to civilization and become part of the Oceanic 6 within the next 20 weeks of show time. That means the flashforwards start as early as, say, March or April 2005.
  
  
• The dates on Jin's headstone state he was born in November 1974 and died on 9/22/2004 (the date of the plane crash) so obviously the cover story is he died on the plane crash. Obviously nobody tested Sun back in civilization to discover she got pregnant after the crash, or it didn't matter to anyone. Is there a body in the grave? Is it the body of the fake crash victim that was at the bottom of the ocean? Is it Jin's real dead body they bring back from Lostopia Island? Is it empty? Who knows. Another question - there's another date on the opposite side of the headstone, that just says a date in 1980. I assume that's Sun's birthdate, and they bought the dual plot long ago for both of them to make final use of eventually?
  
  
• I was actually shocked that nobody tried to take the baby. Combine the sudden labor, the substitute physician, the overly helpful and friendly nurse, the mysterious passerby in the hallway the Sun thought was Jin....I assumed as a matter of course that Widmore/Oceanic/Dharma/Ben/Paik/Hanso/whoever was orchestrating to take the baby soon after birth. When Hurley turned up at the apartment later and the baby was right there, I was actually surprised. Way to telegraph an obvious plot development and actually not go the easy route, Lost!
  
  
• I am surprised that the cabal mentioned above wouldn't have interest in Sun's baby. It was conceived on the island and the mom survived to give birth.
  
  
• Although, Juliet, who has been known to tell a fib here and then, maybe lied about the conception date, or was mistaken. Maybe it isn't really Jin, and could still be her lover's? Nahh, that's a stretch.
  
  
• Two episodes this season end with women holding babies...
  
  
• Where did Frank fly off to with the helicopter???
  
  
• Man, Daniel Faraday, you are a terrible liar. At least pretend you're more than not a geeky spazoid... "That's....not.....really....my....call...." I love how Sun is direct in her questions.
  
  
• Does Desmond know Michael? I can't remember if their paths ever crossed...
  
  
• Where's Walt? Is he onboard the ship? Guess we'll find out next week.
  
  
• I would bet Walt's the last of the Oceanic 6. His identity as such will be revealed next week. Michael will likely not survive the season, and will die to protect his son. The Oceanic 6 would thus be Jack, Kate, Sayid, Hurley, Sun and Walt. Aaron and Ji Yeon don't count, because they were born after the crash. Ben doesn't count because he's not likely in the open, nor was he on the plane (as well as Desmond and Juliet).
  
  UPDATE: (Saturday, March 15)
  
  
• I liked seeing Bernard, and wish the show would use he and Rose more as mentors to the younger cast members. The show really needs some age and wisdom - everyone's so young!! I was surprised they made Jin to be 30, when in real life Daniel Dae Kim is about 39. Usually when age of a character comes up later and isn't integral to the plot, they make the character close to the age of the actor. In this case they deliberately made Jin 7 years younger than the actor (allowing for the 2004 time period of the show). I wonder why? Similarly, Yunjin Kim who play Sun was born in 1973 which would make her 7 years older than Sun.
  
  
• I really wanted to see a parrot on the shoulder of one of the swabbies on deck of the freighter ;)
  
  
• Hurley, dude, how many polyesters died in the line of duty to make that suit for you?
  
  
• Kinda makes that web-episode with Jin on the golf course take extra meaning...
  
  
• People are all up in arms over Zoe Bell's brief appearance as Regina. She's guarding the cabin, reading a book upside down. Then she's taking a dive covered in chains. I checked her IMDB page - who is she? She doesn't seem to have done that much except as a stunt person. Why is she so supposedly well-known?
  
  
• Do we trust the captain or not? He seems trustworthy, but we know the people who hired him aren't (Widmore, Abbadon) and at least some people on the boat we knew weren't trustworthy (Naomi). Why should the captain be one of the good guys? Sure he laid some cards on the table we can probably assume are true, but if they have no intention of rescuing Satid, Desmond and the others, why should he care if they know? After it, it helps earn their trust.
  
  
• Whose blood was all over the wall? Ick. Someone sure cut themselves shaving. Nice CGI cockroaches ;)
  
  

That's all I have for now...

OneWords

Sarcomical posts these from time to time - they're a quick, fun diversion.

Here are the ground rules:

1. After reading my answers, copy and paste the list into your comment.
2. Change my one-word responses with yours (yes, only ONE WORD, even if it hurts the most painful of hurts).
3. Submit your comment.
4. And hey, you can always post your finished list on your blog, too.

You're Feeling: Unsure
To Your Left: Carbonation
On Your Mind: Frustration
Last Meal Included: Pimentos
You Sometimes Find it Hard To: Fortify
The Weather: Cool
Something You Have a Collection of: Starships
A Smell that Cheers You Up: Popcorn
A Smell that Can Ruin Your Mood: Gif Jif
How Long Since You Last Shaved: Hour
The Current State of Your Hair: Long
The Largest Item On Your Desk/Workspace Right Now (besides computer): Triceratops
Your Skill with Chopsticks: Laughable
Which Section You Head to First In the Bookstore: Sci-Fi
...and After That?: Fantasy
Something You're Craving: Clarity
Your General Thoughts On the Presidential Race: Pointless
How Many Times You've Been Hospitalized this Year: Zero
A Favorite Place to Go for Quiet Time: Computer
You've Always Secretly Thought You'd Be a Good: Director
Something that Freaks You Out a Little: Spiderwebs
Something You've Eaten Too Much of Lately: Chips
You Have Never: Skiied
You Never Want To: Skydive

Day 4 of the Lost Crisis

"Lost" update: Four days later, and Jin and Sun are still searching in the jungle. No sign of them emerging before Thursday.

Return to your homes, citizens...

I Feel Sorry For...

Sun and Jin, from "Lost", still wandering the jungle looking for Daniel and Charlotte...

How long did they search around, in the pouring rain, till they headed back to camp? And when Jack and Juliet didn't return, did they just go back to bed?

Failed His Final Saving Throw

Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons creator, dies

Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

This is too bad. Thanks, Gary, for creating the game that gave me (and my wife) many, many hours of enjoyment while we were in college. I'll always have many great memories of the great adventures my friends and I embarked upon.

**Warning: Extremely Geeky D&D Talk Ahead**

I had never played D&D until I was at UT and in the marching band. Several of my friends played, so I joined them in rolling up a character or two in the basement of Andy Holt Apartments. My first and overall main character was a fellow named Joshua, a Ranger who eventually made it to about 12th level. The first module I ever played was called "Ravenloft", which I'm sure many D&D alum will recognize as one of the best ever written. My novice, low-level character was the one to deliver the killing blow with a special artifact the Dungeon Master provided himself.

My enjoyment of D&D and eventually doing some Dungeon Mastering myself came from a strong storytelling place inside me that is still there today - it manifests itself in my love for theatre and dramatics, and for that I'm grateful. Even the Dragonlance world this site, "The Inn of the Last Home" is based on is a D&D creation.

So thanks again, Gary, and may you find the Happy Hunting Grounds...


UPDATE (03/05): I think this photo sums it up:

Our Name in Lights

There's something indescribably cool about seeing this:



Doug, Rich and LissaKay were kind of enough to join The Atomic Horns last night at Ray's ESG - Doug has a great review, and Rich will have video soon. Watching bloggers at an entertainment event, Twittering, Utterzing, Seesmicing and blogging away was a bit surreal but fantastic. Thanks guys, it meant a lot to have your support!

Atomic Horns This Friday at Ray's ESG

And here's a special bonus free plug: Ray's ESG.

All the cool kids will be there - will you?

Friday's Feast - Leap Day Edition

Feast One Hundred & Eighty One

Appetizer - Who was the last person you hugged?

My daughter, Tink, when she got up this morning.


Soup - Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

Wash your hair. Take baths or showers. Cut your nails. Don't wear clothes that are visibly dirty. Trim your beard (males only). What, you really expect me to know anything special?


Salad - What does the color yellow make you think of?

Dandelions.


Main Course - If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

Kids playing, theme parks, kids playing at theme parks...


Dessert - What was the longest book you ever read?

Probably one of the mammoth Stephen King books like "The Stand".

How to Get Unstuck in Time

Ok, Lost fans. Here's my theory for the time displacement surrounding the island:

Picture the island as a dot on a piece of paper. Picture the boat as another dot on the other end of the same side of the paper. Now draw a line between the two dots - that's the distance in real time and space between the island and the boat:
The chopper takes off from the island around dusk (according to Sayid). It's dusk on the boat, too, because the two areas are actually in real time sync with each other. It's Christmas-ish 2004 in both places. Things are proceeding normally.
Now picture the island existing within a bubble or dome of some sort. Anything that hits this bubble without being on the precise correct heading (sort of a corridor through the bubble) encounters a "warp". This "warp" connects through "subspace" (for want of a better term) and bridges the 40-minute gap. While in that warp, for the people on the chopper a short but indeterminate time has passed, but it's obvious when they finally get through and arrive at the boat, it's the middle of the next day. It's also the middle of the next day on the island. So they've essentially been caught up in that warp for a day, while subjectively to them the time passes much more quickly. Picture it as a layer of jello that, while allowing radio waves to pass through unhindered (they can talk in real-time from the island to the boat and back on the radio) it hinders matter and slows it down. The effect is more or less unnoticed on the chopper by Frank and Sayid (although they experience it as storm turbulence) except for Desmond, who, due to his unique exposure to the hatch electromagnetic radiation, becomes "unstuck" in time.

So the chopper and its passengers leave the island at dusk, run into a thunderhead, and come out of it on the other side in full daylight. To them, only a short time has passed but to the island and the boat it's been a full day.

This accounts for what happened to Daniel's rocket in another way - it was launched from the boat, and supposed to arrive on the island in app. 20 seconds. It takes far longer than that to arrive, and when their clocks are compared, it shows that while "x" minutes have passed for Daniel on the island, "x+31" minutes have passed for the rocket. It was stuck in the barrier for a number of minutes, out of time with the rest of the island.

So picture the barrier as a big bubble of jello, catching objects going in and out and holding them for a particular amount of time that seems short to those coming out and long to those coming in, then releases them to arrive at their destinations. If Frank flew the chopper back to the island and missed the safe corridor, he would probably arrive later than expected again, and to Frank he would've been gone even longer still.

I'm Not Running for President, and Neither Are You

Bloomberg: I'm not running for president

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has squashed the notion of running for president this year, declaring that he will not seek the White House but might put his support behind another candidate who embraces bipartisan governing.

Yeah, well, I'm not running either. So there. I win.

I'm also not running for mayor, County Commission, dogcatcher, or in the New York Marathon. Does that get me an AP Wire story? Probably not...

My New Desk

I just had this great new desk installed in my office:



Yeah, people are looking at me funny, but hey...I've got a model of DS9, 3 Star Wars lego keychain men, Micromachine Trek ships, a Borg cube, the Enterprise NX-01, a stuffed lionfish, The Abominable Snowman from Rudolph, a framed aerial photo of EPCOT and the World's Fair, a print of Prince Eric fighting Malificent, Bill and the Conjunction Junction guy and a working tribble in my office. Who can tell a difference?

Ok, I don't have the cool Han-Solo-in-carbonite-desk, but you know I'd use it if I had it. Buy it for me here and I'll let you sit behind it and pretend you're Princess Leia...

6th District to get a Merry Christmas this year

(from the live blogging of the County Commission meeting)

District 6, Seat A

Interim Knox County Commission Chairman Thomas "Tank" Strickland drew 6th District, Seat A from the hat.

Strangely enough, there's a little-known Knox County regulation: Tank Strickland is now also required to be the 6th District's "Secret Santa" at the County Commission Christmas party.

Quick Takes on the Traumas of Life

I'm in a big blogging lag, without the will to post much at all. A lot's going on in our life these days and it seems like the more my offline world throws at me, the less I feel like blogging. When things get boring, I'll get back to posting I suppose.

In a nutshell: flu and flu scares, science fairs (Brainyboy 1st place!), Valentine's Day Simple Machine Project, end of basketball and beginning of soccer, church drama, Atomic Horns drama and new opportunities I hope to advertise soon, almost-teenage birthday sleepovers, "Spiderwick Chronicles" quite good, and once again no chips for Lent. No chips, snacks, popcorn, crackers, nothing good. It's starting to make me hallucinate, but I'll get through it. I've lost 7 pounds so far, which is good.

Anything else? Oh yeah, I opted against surgery on the bulging, herniated disk in my neck and will be starting Physical Therapy soon, and will have steroid epidural injections in my neck the first of April. Yeah, there's that little decision that was on me all last week...

One final thought: UT suspended punter Britton Colquitt and revoked his scholarship for his umpteenth DUI and alcohol-related arrest. Critics once again all over coach Fulmer for not keeping control of his players and the program. All I have to say is there's a young man here with a serious, serious substance abuse problem that is nobody's responsibility but his and his family's. That's where the focus should be, getting him into treatment and rehab so he can hopefully live with this addiction. I've seen the tragic, tragic results of alcoholism and the only thing it brings is grief and regret.

Cause and Effect

Maybe I'm being totally simplistic about such matters, but after reading this the yesterday:

TVA board will vote on rate increase (Knoxville News Sentinel, 2/12/08)

Tennessee Valley Authority board members will vote Friday on a rate increase that would add between $4 and $7 to monthly bills for residential customers, starting April 1.

...

"The reason for it is we are going to do these long-term investments and meet new power generation," said TVA spokesman Gil Francis. "It is a combination of gas turbine plants and Watts Bar 2 and it is going to allow us to continue to have the resources to keep the lights on."

...

TVA is spending $423 million this year to build and buy more gas-fired plants and recently began a $2.5 billion program to finish its second reactor at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant by 2013.

Ok, higher power rates you just have to deal with. If they're for increasing capacity to meet future demands, I'm kinda ok with that - I'm not sure an addition $4-$7/month ($48-$84/year) would be that big of a burden on anybody...

But then I saw this in the paper today:

Drought induces TVA's $17M first-quarter loss (Knoxville News Sentinel, 2/13/08)

TVA reported a loss of $17 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2008, as the federal utility continues to feel the pinch from a drought that has stretched on for more than a year across the Tennessee Valley.

...

To make up for the gap between power demand and TVA's generation capacity, the utility is spending $423 million this year to build and buy more gas-fired power plants and is launching a five-year, $2.5 billion project to finish a second reactor at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant.

I'm not trying to make more of this than there is, but the separation of the two stories makes it seems like TVA's increasing our rates to pay for increasing infrastructure, but then the next day it comes out to appear they're only trying to recoup a significant 1st quarter loss that, even allowing for the intensity of the drought, should've been handled to a tune of less than a $17 million loss.

Am I being needlessly suspicious here, that execs are raising rates not just to increase generation capacity but make up for the loss of the bottom line on their paychecks?

Double Play

I love when Amazon comes to visit :)

Courtesy of my brother, I recently took advantage of a nice Amazon.com gift certificate. First up, the long-awaited but trepidation-filled animated Dragonlance movie.

Longtime viewers may remember the "Inn of the Last Home" is a fictional inn from this fantasy book series based on the Dungeons & Dragons series. This has long been a favorite series of mine, and in my opinion much richer, more fun and less pretentious than Lord of the Rings ever thought about being. I'd highly recommend any fantasy fans to give them a try. Meanwhile, the animated adaptation of the first book, "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" awaits.

The other half of Amazon's delivery was the latest Jimmy Buffett album, a live 2-disk CD of his March, 2007 beach-side concert in the Caribbean island of Anguilla:

While any new Buffett is heaven to me, what makes this compilation special isn't just the music but the accompanying DVD showing Jimmy live in concert - both at the Dunes concert venue, but also some acoustic tunes sitting around on the beach with the band. A great DVD.

I'm a happy parrothead :)

Catfish Hunters

Voters boot officials tied to county turmoil

Republicans repudiated the officials directly involved in the year-long political upheaval in Knox County on Tuesday, turning out all but two of those who had opposition in the county primary.

Democrats got in on the rebellion, too, with Amy Henley-Vandergriff thumping George Stooksbury, despite running a shoestring campaign against a seasoned politico in the county clerk's race. Stooksbury has been running the clerk's office since October.

Foster Arnett Jr. attributed his runaway victory over Commission Chairman Scott "Scoobie" Moore and two other opponents in the GOP county clerk's race to anger over the status quo.

The citizenry taking charge of their county combined with the NYT article that said (among other gems):

At curtain’s close, the 12 appointments included the son of one outgoing commissioner, the wife of another outgoing commissioner, the father of a sitting commissioner, a top aide to the politically muscular sheriff, and a businessman who years earlier had come out on the wrong end of a sexual harassment suit. It seems a catfish could have been appointed if properly connected.

The Catfish Hunters have practically hurled a no-hitter.

Best Care Anywhere

One of these days, when we make our long-planned/never-fulfilled West Coast Trip, I'm going here.

Or better yet, someone should just recreate it in their backyard somewhere. How cool would that be?

Best Super Bowl Ad of the Night

What would've made this commercial a true classic, though, if right at the last moment when Charlie Brown was about the snag the Coke Bottle a huge Lucy balloon comes out of nowhere and snatches it away from him...

Maybe next year - a sequel!

Fly Oceanic Air!

Oceanic Air has a new website... Makes me want to fly with them!

Not.

Anyway, if you go to that site, you can re-watch the commercial they ran last night (without the interference from this guy). Is it just me or are those flight attendants, while quite attractive, rather creepy?

Also, and this is the true geek in me shining through but I downloaded the source code for the home page and found two "clues":

At the very, very top of the page is printed "<--a warn witness-->" (in HTML code when something is surrounded by "<--" and "-->" means it is commented out, or not intended to be seen actually printed on the website).

A little lower down is, "<--smash moat-->".

Now when they ran the LOST Experience two summers ago there were clues embedded in the webpages, so I'm assuming these are similar. Any ideas what they might mean?

Where's Michael?

No, not this Michael. this Michael.

Harold Perrineau's name was in the opening credits of the season premiere of "Lost" last night, but as far as I could tell was nowhere to be seen in the entire episode. Was a scene with him filmed and cut? Saved for a later episode? Or was he there and we just didn't see him?

And that was totally You Know Who sitting in Jacob's chair in the Haunted Cabin. ;)

Speaking of the Haunted Cabin, One-eyed guy peeking out at Hurley (and scaring my wife to death)? Mikhail. I need to go back and check his eye color, but I bet that's who it is. The guy in the window had (a) brown eye, and I think it's significant they only showed the left one since Mikhail's right eye is gone. I don't think it was Michael (see above) because the skin tone was too light.

Did anyone think, right after Charlie disappeared from talking to Hurley, the woman sitting at the table in the background with the blond hair could have been Libby? Ok, just me.

Who is Naomi's sister? Right before she died (again) she told George on the sat phone to "tell her sister she loved her" (Unnngggggh!! *thump*). Who's her sister? Is she significant? I thought at first it could be be Penny (obviously not blood-related), but when Charlie told Penny that Naomi had parachuted to the island, Penny said, "Who's Naomi?" instead of even a momentary recognition of the name. And Desmond would've probably known her, or known of her from before. Maybe Naomi's not her real name, but George knows who she and Penny really are? I can see a plotline develop there.

I suppose it could also be Nadia, Sayid's erstwhile girlfriend. I don't know if Naomi is Iraqi (I'm assuming Nadia is) but she's the closest match ethnically we've seen on the show that I can think of.

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Seventy Eight

Appetizer - What is your favorite kind of cereal?

I'd say Raisin Bran would be at the top of "sorta healthy" cereals, but my all-time favorite would have to be Lucky Charms. That frosted oat cereal with sweet surprises...why, they're Magically Delicious!


Soup - When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go?

Wow, we actually haven't bought anything really for the house in a good while. There's a number of things we need to buy...a new deck door, for one.


Salad - What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen?

Probably the funniest one I ever saw was the famous "Herding Cats" commercial that aired during a Super Bowl a few years ago. Here's a Youtube link.


Main Course - Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey).

Thyme Turles


Dessert - Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______.

I haven’t eaten squid since well, never.

Author! Author!

Ok, I'm digging the new site I just found: Ficlet

What Are ficlets?

A ficlet is a short story that enables you to collaborate with the world.

Once you’ve written and shared your ficlet, any other user can pick up the narrative thread by adding a prequel or sequel. In this manner, you may know where the story begins, but you’ll never guess where (or even if!) it ends.

Check out my first attempt. Beware, I've read a lot of Stephen King...


UPDATE (01/31/08): I've written a second one: http://ficlets.com/stories/19745. Short stories are fun when you have a limit of 1024 words!

My Creepy Daughter

Eight-year-old Tink was under the weather most of this past weekend (a polite way of saying she was yakkin' all over the place, including my parent's house where she was a guest Saturday night. Sorry, mom and dad - I'll make it up to you. How bout next weekend?)

She's much better now, though last night she complained again about her tummy hurting. Probably nothing, she went on to bed around 9pm.

Later, pushing 11pm after everyone else is in bed and I'm at the computer, listening to the UT/Bama basketball game on the radio, I heard voices. Or more accurately, a voice. Coming from downstairs.

Now, a quick bit about the layout of our house. The computer desk is on the landing at the top of the stairs. I can come to the top of the stairs, look down and see the whole living room (there's a vaulted ceiling so everything's very open-air). A bridge/hallway that's also open-air to the vaulted ceiling, goes from the landing, over the living room to Tink's room. Brainyboy's room is downstairs in another part of the house.

Did I mention it was storming?

So I get up, wondering who in the world is talking below in a high-pitched voice... I come to the bridge, look over and there's Tink sitting on the couch watching the UT game with a very blank expression. Ever have one of those moments where you feel like you should literally rub your eyes in disbelief and shake your head (eh-eh-eh-eh-eh!) like in cartoons? For her to get downstairs, she would've had to come down the bridge, walk past me at the computer and then down the steps to the living room. All out in the open.

Kid's so light that barefoot she didn't make a sound and I never saw her out of the corner of my eye so intent was I on my, er, my spreadsheet. Ok, my web surfing. Ok, my World of Warcraft. But that's not important.

I ask her, a bit incredulously, why she's out of bed and if she's ok. She gazes up at me, smiling faintly. Ok, creepy (Have I ever told you how much she resembles little Heather O'Rourke from Poltergeist - "They're here!". I need to film her doing that sometime, it would creep you out, too). I go downstairs, pick her up and carry her back up to her room. I ask her once again if she feels ok, and she says, brightly, "yep!". I lay her in her bed and kiss her goodnight - she gives me a kiss too and settles right back to sleep.

She didn't remember a bit about it this morning.

Creepy dang sleepwalkin' kids.

So Ironically Symbolic

One of the worst things about election time in Tennessee (one of the many bad things, of course) is the interminable litter:





Pathetic.

What makes it ironic is that the candidates' campaign staffs - all campaign staffs, nationwide really - actually think these road sign jungles represent anything more than what their candidates really are: artificial, paper-thin, insubstantial participants in popularity contests. All that matter are their names. In their eyes if you recognize the name, the more likely we are to vote for them. The more people recognize the name, the better chance they'll be elected.

Meanwhile we have to put up with scores of blighted spots like the one above (taken at lunch on Northshore Dr. near Kalamata Cafe and the Pizza Kitchen). They might as well be cardboard cutouts of the candidates waving for all the good they do.

All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

I TOLD YOU!!!! I TOLD YOU!!!!

And did anyone listen? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!


(Big ol' hat tip to Big Orange Michael for cluing me in that this LOST mobisode was available)

Ready to Get Lost

I just watched last year's 2-hour season finale of "Lost" again, in prep for next week's season premiere. This season may be strike-shortened, so get it while it's good.

A few last minute thoughts that occur to me from the finale before we plunge ahead to season 4:

1) Christian Shepherd, Jack's dad, is alive. I'm certain of it. When Jack was confronted by the doc and asked if he was drunk, Jack said, "Call my father down here and if he's drunker than I am, I'll leave." No matter how drunk Jack was, he wouldn't "forget" his father was dead. He remembered which key opened the drug cabinet, he knew the name of the woman that was in the car wreck. Yes, he was drunk and his motor skills were impaired, but he wasn't amnesiac. Somehow Christian Shepherd not only survive his "death" he survived the plane crash.

2) Miles away, baby Aaron knew Charlie was dead. As soon as it happened he began to cry, and while it could be chalked up to dramatic license, I think it's significant in showing the baby's developing abilities.

3) Apparently one of the people that died in the finale is Not Quite Dead. That means either Charlie, Mikhail, Bonnie and the other woman in the Looking Glass Station, Mr. Friendly, Ryan, or one of the rest of the "Others" killed on the beach. I'm banking on Mr. Indestructible, Mikhail. He's survived cranial sonic disruption and a speargun to the heart - what's a little hand grenade?

4) It was apparently confirmed over the summer that the body in the coffin was Michael. Why would Jack get all broken up to the point of ending it all over Michael's death? What could happen in Season 4+ that would re-endear Michael to Jack, but not to Kate (who said she would not have gone to his funeral)?

Any other loose threads from the finale I missed?


UPDATE (01/25/08): I kept the 2-hour finale on my DVR since last May when it first aired. It's one of the first shows I "taped" (still use that word since it's easiest to understand, though there's no actual "taping" going on) when we got DVR last year, and it's almost been an old friend - first on the menu list by a long shot for several months. When I'm scrolling through the recorded menu, I always use "LOST (2 hrs)" as my starting point and work backward to find the most recent shows. I'm not sure I can stand to get rid of it now, it's like part of the family...

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Seventy Six

Appetizer - How many times per day do you usually laugh?

I can always count on being able to laugh around my kids and my wife. I'd say I laugh 30-40 times a day.


Soup - What do your sunglasses look like?

They're black plastic that keep bending and getting out of alignment. They have a brave history of surviving dunking in an alligator pond and being lost for months in my gym bag.


Salad - You win a free trip to anywhere on your continent, but you have to travel by train. Where do you go?

Well, no passenger trains leave Knoxville so I'd have to travel to another city and pick up an Amtrak. And they go most everywhere, so I guess I'd take it to Washington DC. New York and parts west are too far to travel on a train...


Main Course - Name one thing you consider a great quality about living in your town/city.

A huge quality is living near the mountains. The Appalachians and the Smokeys will never rival the Rockies for grandeur and majesty, but our mountains have a warmth, culture and character all their own. The green...all that green! To get out early in the morning and see the mist curling around the peaks in the distance...it's wonderful.


Dessert - If the sky could be another color, what color do you think would look best?

Orange, baby. Big Orange :)

Good Luck, Amy!

I finally dragged myself to the TV and watched a little of "American Idol" - not because I have the slightest bit of general interest in the show, but because Knoxville teen Amy Catherine Flynn is a contestant.

Amy Catherine (or "AC" as she introduced herself) is a junior at Knoxville Catholic High School, and more relevant to your family, is a former student at the my kids' school. When she was in 7th and 8th grade, I helped her out a couple times in the school talent show so I'm acquainted with her and her singing.

She's developing into quite a nice talent, with a soft voice and good tone. We wish her a lot of luck!

Oh, and the best part was she really got under Simon Cowell's skin during the audition, which is always a plus. Has there ever been a less-likable person on TV?

What I Did On My (Short) Winter Vacation

Since the kids' school was closed today on account of the massive (ahem) ice storm (unlike Knox County schools, which were closed, they were to be open today) I stayed home with them.

Having a laptop and wireless access to work means I can be almost as proficient here as I can there. I don't quite have a dungeon to work in, but the kitchen table filled in nicely.

But what made the day was all of us spending our day watching the Gilligan's Island 1st season DVD I got for Christmas! I think we watched 15 episodes of classic B&W comedy gold...

And Tonight's Special Guest....

I'm podcasting with RexandtheBeast.com!

Rex and the Beast and I are discussing theme parks - it'll be online tomorrow and I'll link to it...

UPDATE: The podcast is online!

Wheel 'em in!

Just got back from having my MRI.

In case you joined the story late, a week and a half ago I realized my right arm was aching. As a couple of days went by it felt less like a muscle ache and more like a pinched nerve. So I went to the doc last Monday and they made x-rays of my neck, which showed compressed C6 and C7 vertebrae. The most likely treatment option is Physical Therapy, although surgery is always a distant possibility. She would need to see an MRI to have a better idea what was going on. So I went there today.

I was very glad to go, because although the pain comes and goes what's become fairly constant and more annoying is numbness in my hand and arm. For someone who types (like now) and mouses for a living designing websites, and also plays keyboards in a band for fun and profit, the prospects of a diminished functionality arm are not pretty.

I had no idea the space was actually that confining. If I were claustrophobic, it would've been unbearable. As it was the fact my arms were squeezed in to my sides made my right one (where the nerve is being compressed) very sore. There were a couple times I thought I was going to have to squeeze the little bulb that signals you needed out, but I made it ok. It lasted 20 minutes with all these weird loud noises (they provided earplugs, thank goodness).

The doc gets the results tomorrow and then I'll find out from there....

So, how has your day been? ;)

New Year's Traditions

Tish of The Kat House tagged me for this meme about New Year’s good luck traditions.

Rule:
Copy the person and persons’ names that sent it to you and add your own at the bottom of the list. It really helps to build community.

Let’s start it here!

*My mom used to collect some coins and when the new year comes she put the coins in a bowl and shake it to create sounds. She said its good luck for money throughout the year. And also wearing dotted dresses on new year don’t know why. CC/chalyza/keep

*My old folks always told us to avoid spending money on new years day. They said, once you spend on the first day of the year, you like to spend the rest of the year. Behind d Scenes of ME/ Retchel’s Pure Life/ A little bit of me

*I grew up believing that if you have some money on your pocket (whatever you’re wearing) come New Year’s eve it will ensure steady flow of income throughout the year. The other belief is that the main door of the house should be wide open come New Year’s eve so that good luck will be ushered in. Juliana of MY WORLD and JULIANA’S LAIR.

*I don’t know if what I am about to write is a new year’s tradition or not. In my place, most people will ‘jump’ into the sea or take a shower as soon as the clock strikes to 12 in New Year’s Eve to get rid of all the bad lucks in the previous year. ;D ~ CHOC MINT GIRL~

*Like most other East Tennesseans, I always have a side of blackeyed peas with my dinner on New Year’s Day. - Tish of The Kat House

*For the past several years we've invited four other families from our church to our house New Year's Eve for a great get-together. Food, games, kids, a great time for everyone. Unfortunately this year my band had a gig so I had to leave the party early, but it's become such a big tradition I wasn't missed too badly :) And most importantly, no black-eyed peads were served! Thank goodness. Where that tradition ever came from I have no idea but I can't stand black-eyed-peas. I don't know if our tradition invokes particular amounts of good luck, but it certainly starts the New Year off right! - Barry of Inn of the Last Home

I tag Logtar, Michael and Sarcomical.

Fossils on Exhibit

Sue the T. rex stomps into East Tennessee

Millions of years ago, T. rex was the top of the food chain. Today the T. rex named Sue comes to East Tennessee State University and General Shale Brick Natural History Museum at the Gray Fossil Site near Johnson City for a first-ever visit to Tennessee.

This is really cool, and I'd love to take a trip to Johnson City to visit. However, it occurs to me that we have more fossils in Knox County than we can handle.

They call it county government...

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Seventy Five

Appetizer - What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?

My middle name is Wade. I'm actually pretty happy with all my names. I didn't like my last name when I was younger because it starts with a "W" and I was always last in whatever alphabetical ordered thing we were doing (interestingly I'm hearing the same complaints from BrainyBoy. What's old is new again..) but I like it ok now especially since I realize it has such a historic significance in Scottish history. And Barry is cool because it's fairly unique.


Soup - If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?

Oh, come ON! Since I'm, you know, a guy I'm going to arbitrarily change this question...

Soup - If you were a fashion designer video game designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles strategic tactics would you probably use the most?

Ok, much better. I love Civilization III, and I usually try to build my civilizations up slowly. I try to spread my soldiers out among the cities to repel invaders, but rarely expand over others' territories. But, of course when I do, I smash them utterly, enslave their workers and take the women as my concubines.

...what? Why are you looking at me that way?


Salad - What is your least favorite chore, and why?

I can't stand changing the litter box. We have four cats and two boxes. You do the math. But my wife and I split the chore, mainly because we're too horrified to make the kids do it...


Main Course - What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?

I have for ages been terrified of a nuclear weapon, and I can trace part of that directly back to watching "The Day After" when I was in high school. The nuclear detonation sequence of "Terminator II" bothered me, and I didn't like watching the nuke go off on 24 last season.


Dessert - Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment.

I'm sitting upstairs on the landing at my home computer. It's 11:18 pm and everyone else is in bed. I can see several empty cups, the new Harry Potter book and the new Walt Disney bio sitting nearby, and a large artificial tree we used to keep downstairs but now lives up here by me. I like it.

My Fifth Bloggiversary

On January 9, 2003 I posted my first blog entry.

It's been a long strange, trip, but a lot of fun. I've considered hanging it up a couple of times, but thought better of it. I've made a lot of friends while blogging and visiting blogs and all those of you out there who I've come to know via this online community please know I appreciate you all and value your friendships.

Thanks for five good years. Here's to five more! (and more!)

Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture..

Iranian TV: Pentagon video, audio fake

Iran accused the United States on Wednesday of fabricating video and audio released by the Pentagon showing Iranian boats confronting U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf.

The video from Sunday's incident shows small Iranian boats swarming around U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz. In the recording, a man speaking in heavily accented English threatened, "I am coming to you. ... You will explode after ... minutes."

"The footage released by the U.S. Navy was compiled using file pictures and the audio has been fabricated," an official in Iran's Revolutionary Guards was quoted as saying by the state-run English-language channel Press TV.

Dudes, if you knew anything about America besides the belief we're all a bunch of infidels, you would know we couldn't possibly have fabricated that video.

It's obvious, if Americans were going to fabricate a video of some little speedboats in the water buzzing around, there would've been a John Williams or Hans Zimmer score playing in the background. Tom Hanks would've been there as captain of the American destroyer with Tommy Lee Jones as the crusty old admiral and Will Smith as the wisecracking-slacker-with-a-heart-of-gold lieutenant. They would have seen Christopher Lee in dark make-up as leader of the terrorist cell with Keifer Sutherland playing the crack CIA operative climbing onboard the lead speedboat.

And there would've been a dog - usually a german shepherd or collie somewhere. Plus a monkey. An orangutan. And aliens. Somewhere, hovering nearby, would be an alien ship observing the conflict for future invasion. The Rock would be the President, and Uma Thurman his VP. Mariah Carey and Steve Tyler would sing a rock ballad duet over the end credits....

C'mon, this is America. When we fake a video, we do it right.

Rex and the Beast Podcast

Rex and the Beast, theme park aficionados, movie stars, and all-around good guys, have released their first podcast.

Take a listen!

Quick Hits - From Lost to Rocks to Mayo

• Billboard entices 'Lost' viewers (Knoxville News Sentinel, 01/08/08)
  

  A billboard for fictitious Oceanic Airlines greets travelers on Interstate 40 eastbound just before the West Hills exit. The ad is related to the upcoming season of ABC's hit television series "Lost."

  I'll take personal responsibility for "Lost"'s popularity in Knoxville. Thank you, thank you... ;)
  

  McGhee Tyson Airport spokeswoman Beth Baker said Monday that the airport has received no calls inquiring if a new airline is coming to Knoxville's airport.
  
  "There was a 'press release' last week that we discovered that named Knoxville as one of nine cities that fictitious Oceanic would begin serving.
  
  "I was surprised to also see a billboard. My best guess, being a fan of the show, is that the character Sawyer's tie to Knoxville is why we were chosen to be one of the cities. All of the nine cities have ties to characters' pasts," Baker said.
  
  ...
  
  Also, it was unclear Monday if Knoxville would be mentioned in upcoming "Lost" episodes or if the nine cities are all homes to characters in the show.

  Just for the record, early on in the series the character of Sawyer (a southerner) was shown to be carrying around a letter he had written as a child but never mailed. The return address on the letter was Knoxville, TN, establishing Knoxville as his home town. It hasn't really been mentioned again in the series that I recall but that could change.
  
  
• Rock ruling lessens sentence - Boulder not considered destructive device, state appeals court rules (Knoxville News Sentinel 01/08/08)
  

  In a landmark decision Monday, a state appeals court has removed a rock from the list of weapons deemed under state law as destructive devices.
  
  The ground-breaking ruling comes in the May 2004 death of Barbara J. Weimer, 69, who was slain when a 10-pound rock heaved from an Interstate 75 overpass smashed through the windshield of the van in which she was traveling.
  
  The ruling does two things. One, it fills a gaping hole in a state law that made it a case of first-degree murder to cause a death by throwing a destructive device. Two, it cuts the prison term of Weimer's killer, Alford Lee Morgan, from a minimum 65-year prison term to 18. With credits for good behavior, Morgan could be eligible for release now in as little as six years.

  This is yet another example of how reality can be warped by those that sit back and allow it, and how anyone can get away with virtually anything today. To not consider the little "redneck fun" they were taking part in as anything less than deliberate, wanton, reckless endangerment with intent to cause massive bodily harm is a complete idiot. I'm usually not so crude, but this ruling is just revolting. Oh wait, one more quote that's also pretty revolting:

  "This is a great day for Alford Morgan," defense attorney Russell T. Greene said Monday. "This has been a four-year battle to finally get to the point we said we should have been all along."

  A great day for the moronic killer of the woman driving along the interstate, minding her own business, when she's smashed with a 10-pound rock. Yes, Mr. Greene, this is a great day. I hope nobody ever uses his services as defense attorney again.
  
  I wish I could offer some brilliant blogging insight into this story, but there's really nothing to be mined from it. The court was completely inept and negligent in overturning this conviction, the attorney should never practice law again, and the perpetrator should never again see the light of day. It should be blatantly obvious to everyone, and those that agree with the ruling or have sympathy with the perpetrator I will never be able to understand. I only hope a higher court can restore the original sentence.
  
  
• After that last story, I almost could care less about anything else, but then there's this bit of sports news:Mayo expected to enter NFL draft; Foster may follow
  

  The NFL's college advisory committee prompted mixed responses from three Tennessee juniors considering leaving school early.
  
  Linebacker Jerod Mayo was projected to be a late second- or early third-round pick and is expected to forgo his senior season and enter April's NFL draft, a source said.
  
  Tailback Arian Foster was told he likely would be a second-round pick and is still contemplating his decision. Foster is thought to be leaning towards going pro, the source said.

  Hear this, guys. Mayo, if you do get drafted the first day you'll get picked up by the Falcons or the Lions or the Chiefs or something and never heard from again. Get that, you'll never be heard from again. Foster, whoever told you you'd be a second round pick after the year you had was telling you what you wanted to hear. If you leave now, you're screwing yourself out of an NFL future. Both guys need to return for their senior years and get another year of experience. Trust me, the rate of return will be much higher. Look at Robert Meacham - he left early for the draft and did nothing all year on whatever pro team drafted him. Had he stayed around Tennessee not only would it have helped us immensely, he would've been drafted much higher this year and perhaps actually played as a rookie.
  
  Except for the very rare exception, any player going out as a junior is kidding themselves about a real future in the NFL outside of 3rd string obscurity.

Oh, Me Achin' Back...and Neck....and Arm....and....

While visiting my wife's relatives over Christmas, I was exposed to my first real Wii experience. I know, sheltered I am... I have a PC and play World of Warcraft and Civilization III on it. What else do you need??

Anyway, both me and Brainyboy complained for several days afterward of sore right arm muscles. Swinging the controller as if it were a bat/golf club/tennis racket/bowling ball/boxing glove certainly took its toll.

However, while BB's pain eventually subsided, mine evolved into something a little more interesting...

Last Tuesday night the Atomic Horns played a New Year's Eve gig, which using my mad keyboard skillz, didn't help matters.

Thursday I realized the pain in my arm wasn't from the muscle anymore, but centered just under and to the back of my right shoulder. And if I moved a certain way it would send little friendly jolts up and down the arm from the neck to my fingers. By Thursday evening, it was very uncomfortable to even find a place to rest my arm (which made mousing and keyboarding on the computer a nice little adventure). Snarfing Aleve helped eventually, but it was worse on Friday and I vowed to see the doc on Monday (today) if I could. I was sure I had some kind of pinched nerve, because that's just what it felt like.

So I did. When I mentioned my fingers on my right hand would sometimes get a bit numb, she clucked and shook her head (Uh Oh...never good when a doctor does that...) So at the doc's office I had about 426 x-rays taken of my neck area.

The diagnosis? Probable compression of the C6 and C7 vertebrae. They're going to call me tomorrow to schedule an MRI.

Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun....

Meanwhile my prescription is to take two Aleve in the morning and two at night. You guys help remind me....

UPDATE (01/09/08): MRI scheduled for next Tuesday at 11:30.

Does It Count If It's From a C-List Blog?

Interesting post...

Who's the Fifth Cylon?

Warning: Possible Spoilers for 4th Season of Battlestar Galactica

Entertainment Weekly has a new spread about everybody's favorite show of wandering vagabonds vainly in search of meaning to their sad, frustrating lives.... No, I'm not talking about "Celebrity Apprentive", I'm talking about "Battlestar Galactica".

Series Creator Ron Moore mentions some spoilers about who may or may not be the fabled "Fifth Cylon" (and if you don't watch the show or don't understand what that means...well, I'm sure there's a new episode of "American Idol" coming soon). Suffice to say, based on this photo, Moore has confirmed the person who should be in the empty #10 slot is the final Cylon. This tells us that none of the others in the photo we don't already know are Cylons is a Cylon.

So here's the scorecard as I see it:

Are Cylons:
Six/Gina/"Natalie"
D'Anna
Boomer/Sharon/Athena
Cavil
Doral
Leoben
The doctor we saw in the fertility clinic

Anders
Tigh
Chief Tyrol
Tory Foster (these from from last season's finale)

Are not Cylons (based on photo):
Lee Adama
Bill Adama
Kara (Starbuck)
President Roslin
Baltar
Helo

Who's Left Over (alive):
Cally (Chief's wife)
Dualla (Lee's ex-wife)
Gaeta (bridge officer and all-around pest)
Tom Zarek
Doc Cottle

Who's Left Over (dead or fate unknown):
Billy (dead for a couple of years)
Admiral Cain
Kat
Racetrack
Hotdog
Ellen Tigh
Crashdown
Jammer
Socinus
Priest Elosha


Clearly there are a number of options, with of the live ones Doc Cottle being (to me) a clear choice for most shocking yet most logical, and Billy as the dead one who is the best dramatic choice. Really, almost any of the live ones would be decent choices (Dualla/"dual" natured character? Gaeta's always been sneaking around...)

I checked the IMDB cast list and while there are other cast members who could at least be possibilities they were so seldom used as to not be good dramatic choices.

What are your best predictions?


UPDATE: It just occured to me, if the 5th Cylon were still alive (in the fleet) wouldn't they have heard the Bob Dylan siren song and joined the other four? I hope it's not just a case of he/she couldn't get to the Galactica where Tyrol/Anders/Tigh/Tori were - that would be cheap (i.e. Zarek was stuck on his ship with no available transport).

That would rule out any of the rest of the live people in the fleet, leaving only the dead...

The Gauntlet: Should Religious ideas/instructions/philosophies change with the times?

Becky took up my gauntlet to challenge for a post topic, and has thrown it down at my feet. So here it is:

Should religious ideas/instructions/philosophies be timeless or change with the times (keep in mind that my question comes from being raised Catholic)?

I really have no idea what it means to be raised Catholic. Knoxville has its fair share of a Catholic community, but being raised Baptist and now a member of the Methodist church the Protestant faith is all I've ever really been around. None of the churches I ever attended ever had any kind of anti-Catholic bias or teaching that can sometimes crop up from time to time, so there's no negative ingrained feelings at all.

I've known a few people here and there that have been Catholic during my life, but their particular religious practices and beliefs (those that differ from Protestantism) have been pretty nebulous. I know more about Catholicism from popular culture than personal experience.

That said, I can't really comment on that aspect, and I welcome your (or others') input there.

But for the original question: Should religious ideas/instructions/philosophies be timeless or change with the times? Here's what I believe on the subject.

I think mankind, as a social group, has evolved over the centuries. Some people believe we are as barbaric in AD 2008 as we were in 2008 BC or 20,008 BC (if you believe we go back that far). We just dress it up differently. I don't buy that as a universal truth - I believe humanity as a whole has learned to put most of its true barbaric past behind it. I do, however, believe some cultures on Earth today have a harder time putting it behind them than others. I think the evidence is pretty clear the Middle Eastern cultures, especially those grounded in the Islamic faiths, are struggling mightily to even join the 20th century (much less the 21st) in their ways of dealing with each other. Maybe that's an elitist and pro-Western attitude, but I think it's truer than not.

Anyway, humanity's culture evolves and has evolved over time. The way we perceive each other, how we interact with the world and God has changed since the times of Moses, Elijah, David and the Prophets. Even a casual skim through the Old Testament reveals a very, very bloody history - even compared to today's World Wars, pound for pound it was much bloodier and much more common. Thousands and thousands of men killed at the whim of kings, despots and emperors. Enemies beheaded, banished, cities burned and pillaged. This city-state rises up against another city-state because the leader of another city-state was mad at somebody else. Hundred-year exiles, wandering in wildernesses, walls falling down...the works.

Two thousand years ago, things changed.

While no one would paint the Middle Ages and the Dark Ages as cheerful, nor the Inquisition, Puritanism, Nazis and "Islamofascists" as cute and cuddly, still those cultural blights became more and more the aberration than the norm. We have seen the rise of democracy and the rule of the people overtake the culture of the monarchy and totalitarianism as the norm in the world.

Like I said, things change. But what's interesting is that while a New Testament was added, the Old Testament has stayed more or less the same in spirit since the ancients followed its teachings. And the NT, since the final official formation, has stayed more or less the same as well. The words in the two halves of the Bible are the same now as they were two thousand or five thousand years ago.

But should they be interpreted differently now, in today's more "civilized" world? Should the rules people were expected to follow and live by back then be updated to fit today's more "enlightened" society? I think Becky presents an interesting contrast of components: ideas/instructions/philosophies. To me (and apologies to the Book of Numbers), Ideas begat Philosophies and Philosophies begat Instructions.

The Bible presents the ideas of goodness that God (and Jesus) expected us to follow. The Ten Commandments are the obvious place to start, with Christ's reiterating of them into Two Commandments (Love thy neighbor as thyself, etc) plus all of Paul's exhortations in his letters. There are all the ideas necessary to live the life we all should: love one another, be fair, be nice, don't steal, don't murder, remember what's holy, love your enemy, etc. No, those ideas do NOT change over time. They are as true now as the were the first day they were uttered, passed down to later generations as oral tradition and finally put on parchment.

Philosophies are bodies of thinking based on collections of ideas. I think Christianity itself is a philosophy, embodying the teachings of Christ and his ministry. There are other collections of non-religious philosophies such as those bandied about in Ancient Greece between Plato and Socrates. Many more examples exist. Philosophies, being mostly created by man are a bit more malleable as we can see. Christianity in AD 2008 is a good bit different in a lot of ways than how it was practiced in AD 90 - the ideas are the same, but the philosophy has evolved to reflect the changing maturity of human culture. When we understand more about the world and each other, we can adapt of philosophies to better reflect the ideas they were built on.

The real trick comes in the Instruction. That's how people interpret the philosophies and relate them to others. That's where we can get into trouble, because anyone can come to a conclusion and spread their interpretation of what they perceive to be "right". Consider homosexuality: It's not directly addressed in the Ideas, touched on here and there in the Philosophy, but interpreted very differently in several sets of Instructions. Same as questions like, "what is adultery?", "what is killing/murder?", "do I love the enemy who stabs me in the back?" All those questions we deal with on a daily basis.

So yes, Becky, is my answer to you. And, no. :)

No, the Ideas shouldn't change. They are immovable, as solid as the foundations of the Earth and the fabric of the universe. Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. That's never going to change.

No, the basics of the Philosophies shouldn't change but they should bend and adjust as humanity's civilization evolves to the point they can understand more about what the Ideas are saying.

Yes, the Instruction should change when we weed out the human, sinful influence on what we feel are the rules. What We Want!!! should be resisted in conflict with What We Need!!!

Thoughts?

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Seventy Four

Appetizer - When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?

Last week suddenly Netflix has adjusted their shipping schedules, either opening up a new distribution center or something. Anyway, I sent my movie back to them on a Tuesday, got the email receipt notice Wednesday and the next movie on Thursday. A true, 1 business day turnaround from receipt like they promised! Then I sent two movies back Wednesday, got the receipts yesterday and email promise to have the next two ("The Simpsons Movie" and "Meet the Robinsons, btw) today! So I expect a nice surprise when I get home this evening.


Soup - If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?

Somewhere in the Caribbean, preferably St. Maartan or on St. John. In fact, if I had a home there it wouldn't be summer and/or winter home - it would be an all-year home :)


Salad - Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.

Cherry is my favorite flavor, so that one's easy. But I love fruits in general so all of those sound very good


Main Course - Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.

I have a really nice tan flannel-ish buttondown shirt that I wear a lot as a knock-around shirt. It's really warm, really comfortable, and great to wear just wherever. I love it :)


Dessert - If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?

September 11, 2001 springs to mind.

But from a personal side, I can't think of any days I'd like to forget. In fact there are a number of days I'd like to remember more vividly...

Some Football Thoughts Going out of the Bowl Games and into the NFL Playoffs

• I don't see a very bright immediate future for the Tennessee Volunteers. This might seem an odd conclusion based on the evidence:
  
  - We lose a senior QB in Eric Ainge, two good tight ends, a couple of experienced defensive linemen, possibly a middle linebacker if Jerod Mayo turns pro, and a vastly overrated defensive back in Justin Harrel. Those are the main losses.
  
  - We return the entire receiving corps, the entire running back corps, the freshman defensive player of the year in Eric Berry, and two good kickers. The junior backup QB is serviceable and experienced, and some new QB's will compete for the starting job
  
  There are four coaches to replace, including the offensive coordinator, the receiving coach, the running back coach and the tight ends coach. None of them will be easy, and there are very few good, young, innovative OC's out there to be had.
  
  While every unit should improve next year, I don't see the talent in any of them to improve to the point of being an elite unit. The receivers are all very good 2nd and slot receivers without a real go-to deep threat. The RB's are injury prone and nowhere on the level of Travis Henry/Stephens or James Stewart/Aaron Hayden. The offensive line's strength was pass protection which was a huge plus (only 4 sacks allowed all season) but couldn't run block and the defensive line was way, way too porous. The defensive backs will still be very young even with Berry. Daniel Lincoln faded down the stretch at place kicking, and Britton Colquitt was inconsistent at punting and kickoffs, and played injured most of the season.
  
  The few real brights spots are the linebackers, G-Man Gerald Moore (when used efficiently) and punt returner Dennis Rogan.
  
  Still, after losing Peyton Manning in 97, nobody thought the 98 squad would amount to much with a new starting QB. See what happened there :)
  
  Still again, after winning the BCS championship in 98, the 99 team had huge expectations and underachieved in 99. So there's that, too.
  
  To me, it all hinges on who the new Offensive Coordinator is and how he motivates the offense to over-achieve (or at least achieve its potential)
  
  
• Florida Gators? *snicker* So much for the Heisman ;) They won the National Title last year with Chris Leak, right?
  
  
• Tennessee Titans? One and done, unfortunately. They remind me of UT a lot in that they do just enough to squeak by, but not nearly enough talent to really win well. A nice trip to San Diego then home for the offseason. Maybe I'll be surprised. Right.
  
  
• Indianapolis Colts? How horrible can a knee bruise be to keep Marvin Harrison - one of the top 5 receivers in the NFL - out for 45 weeks???. Ok, it wasn't 45 but since he was on my fantasy team it seemed like 45. Closer to 10, but still. And he's again questionable for next week's game. With a thigh bruise???? Why don't they just call it what it is as a big boo-boo and be done with it?
  
  
• New England Patriots? Boring. Brady to Moss. Boring. How dare Brady break Manning and Marino's records?
  
  
• TONIGHT'S BIG ORANGE BOWL MATCHUP: Virginia Tech vsss.. Knaasnasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssatrdaf cawctvuaw
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sorry, feel asleep.

Lack of Updates

Hey folks, all my 2 or 3 regular readers out there - I'm still here. Twittering, commenting, but not a lot of posting.

I would love to get back to more deep, philosophical posts but have found it difficult to string coherent thoughts together. Maybe it was the stress of the month-1/2-long holiday. Maybe it's a hundred other things. I'd love to be able to write prolifically, but every time I want to start a post, I can't think of a thing relevant to discuss.

But I am here, and the site's not going anywhere. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The Atomic Horns performed New Years Eve and I somehow mustered up my best Elvis impression for the celebration. We have two more gigs coming up at the end of January and first of February I'll be posting more info about if people want to come...

UT beat Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl and we didn't screw up too awful much. Go team, go. Titans are also in the playoffs, but will lose to San Diego on Sunday so there's that.

I can't find a single interested cell in my body of the presidential elections. I don't care about any of the candidates. Can they all just go away and let us elect David Palmer? Yeah, yeah, fiction, right. Whatever.

The floor's open - what should I post about?