I'm back! The suitcase is emptied, the laundry is started and the sleepy time train is approaching the station. This was one of the most awesome weeks of my life. God was working big time in the hearts of all the Convo participants - youth and adults alike. I'm exhausted, but wanted to whet your appetite for the full report by giving you just one highlight.
The Wednesday night talent show ended with our own Father Mark breaking the Guiness Book record for grape spitting. Fortunately (especially for those of us near the front) it was a distance record as opposed to a quantity record. He topped the record by a couple of feet. The paperwork and evidence will be on its way to Guiness next week. As soon as I hear any more about this I'll pass it along.
I have so much to say about the Convo, but I want to do it right. Meaning I must first make up for the lack of sleep by crawling into my own bed and staying there as long as I possibly can. Actually, don't expect another entry until Sunday night (got something to do tomorrow).
Nighty night, my friends. And a special goodnight to my buds Eric, Steve, Alex, Chelsea, Alissa, Adam, Nick, Stephen, Katie and Lauren. Discussion Group #3 RULES!
Friday, July 30, 2004
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Out of touch
So just as I'm getting back into blogging regularly, I'm going out of town. I doubt I will have internet access, but if I do I will try to report every day. I will be chaperoning our Youth Convention. That's always a fun time, except for the sleep deprivation. There's nothing like hanging out with a bunch of young people to make you feel young again, and yet old at the same time.
Bye for now.
Bye for now.
Do what you love
The other day as I was driving to work I saw something most people don't see every day. A horse! An absolutely beautiful honey-colored horse with a cropped mane. The horse was ridden by a woman decked out in riding apparel - helmet, breeches, boots...the works. Both the woman and the horse looked quite happy.
Last week one of my co-workers was on vacation pursuing his passion for sailing. He drove 1800 miles (one way) to race his 17-foot Hobie catamaran in Monterey Bay, California. He told me recently that he "works to sail, but would rather sail to work".
While it's possible that the woman riding the horse was working (maybe horse walking is her job), it's more likely that, like my co-worker, she has incorporated her passion into her life even if she cannot make a living at it.
If you can find a way to make a living doing what you love, that's great. But don't give up what you love even if you can only do it part time. That's some advice I should take myself.
Last week one of my co-workers was on vacation pursuing his passion for sailing. He drove 1800 miles (one way) to race his 17-foot Hobie catamaran in Monterey Bay, California. He told me recently that he "works to sail, but would rather sail to work".
While it's possible that the woman riding the horse was working (maybe horse walking is her job), it's more likely that, like my co-worker, she has incorporated her passion into her life even if she cannot make a living at it.
If you can find a way to make a living doing what you love, that's great. But don't give up what you love even if you can only do it part time. That's some advice I should take myself.
Friday, July 23, 2004
Two goodbyes and one hello
Goodbye to Marzano's Miami Bowl, which is closing next month after almost 50 years. I spent several years bowling at Miami on Monday nights. It was a church-related league, and the bowling alley was about 25 miles away. Most Mondays I got home around midnight after hours of fun with my friends - three games and a late dinner at the Red Barrell (now also gone). I came home with a smile on my face, a burger in my tummy and smelling like (second-hand) cigarette smoke. It was on Lane 43 (or so) that I bowled my all-time high score of 197.
Miami Bowl was 80 lanes of good times!
Goodbye to Pat, my friend and co-worker, who retired yesterday and is moving with her husband to her dream house in southern Illinois. Pat has given me some sage advice about life, men and work over the years. I'll miss seeing her smiling face every day. But we will still see each other once in a while. She has invited me to visit her new home once they get settled in. She's also always on the lookout for a good man for me (the one she got was not the last one, I hope).
Hello to the brand-spankin'-new Super Target...one mile away and 218,000+ square feet of everything from books to underwear to Dom Perignon Champagne ($127 a bottle) . The bakery sells yummies from Krispy Kreme and The Cheesecake Factory. There's also a Starbucks Coffee, so you don't have to bring it in from the Starbucks store right across the parking lot.
While the hello doesn't exactly make up for the goodbyes, I'll bet there are some good times ahead at the Super Target.
Miami Bowl was 80 lanes of good times!
Goodbye to Pat, my friend and co-worker, who retired yesterday and is moving with her husband to her dream house in southern Illinois. Pat has given me some sage advice about life, men and work over the years. I'll miss seeing her smiling face every day. But we will still see each other once in a while. She has invited me to visit her new home once they get settled in. She's also always on the lookout for a good man for me (the one she got was not the last one, I hope).
Hello to the brand-spankin'-new Super Target...one mile away and 218,000+ square feet of everything from books to underwear to Dom Perignon Champagne ($127 a bottle) . The bakery sells yummies from Krispy Kreme and The Cheesecake Factory. There's also a Starbucks Coffee, so you don't have to bring it in from the Starbucks store right across the parking lot.
While the hello doesn't exactly make up for the goodbyes, I'll bet there are some good times ahead at the Super Target.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
LOTR Update
I borrowed The Return of the King from the library instead of listening on tapes. I enjoyed it, but was very pleasantly surprised to find myself finished 2/3 of the way through the book. The last 1/3 was filled with Appendices. All that is left is to see the last movie, which I expect to do this weekend.
Then I'll write my final post on the subject.
Then I'll write my final post on the subject.
I've seen the Bean
Yesterday I worked in our downtown office, which is always a real treat for me. I LOVE downtown Chicago, and even lived there for a couple of years before I was married.
Downtown is a different world. I saw hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people throughout the day, just walking from the parking garage to the office, then out to lunch, then while I drove around after work looking at the sites. Of course driving is not the ideal way to see downtown Chicago. But it was rainy and very hot, so my plans for a walk after work were dashed.
When you drive downtown you have to be extra cautious. With all those people and cars it would be very easy to hit something or someone if you aren't paying attention. Then again walking can be kinda dangerous too. Right outside the office in the morning I stepped badly on the edge of a depression in the street caused by an ancient sewer cover, twisted my ankle and almost fell over. Luckily I recovered and the twist was one of those that you can "walk out" before it swells.
During my drive around in the evening I caught a glimpse of Chicago's newest attraction, Millennium Park. Finally opened years behind schedule and millions over budget (typical Chicago), the park is getting rave reviews. From the car I could see the bigger structures on the Michigan Avenue side, including the Cloud Gate sculpture which has already been nicknamed "the Bean". I'll have to visit the park someday soon, if for no other reason to get the full view of another sculpture which looked like some kind of aircraft wreckage. To me most modern art is like electricity - I don't understand it, but can certainly appreciate it.
Your next visit to downtown Chicago should include time for Millennium Park. And my next visit will be on foot (I'll be sure to watch where I'm walking).
Downtown is a different world. I saw hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people throughout the day, just walking from the parking garage to the office, then out to lunch, then while I drove around after work looking at the sites. Of course driving is not the ideal way to see downtown Chicago. But it was rainy and very hot, so my plans for a walk after work were dashed.
When you drive downtown you have to be extra cautious. With all those people and cars it would be very easy to hit something or someone if you aren't paying attention. Then again walking can be kinda dangerous too. Right outside the office in the morning I stepped badly on the edge of a depression in the street caused by an ancient sewer cover, twisted my ankle and almost fell over. Luckily I recovered and the twist was one of those that you can "walk out" before it swells.
During my drive around in the evening I caught a glimpse of Chicago's newest attraction, Millennium Park. Finally opened years behind schedule and millions over budget (typical Chicago), the park is getting rave reviews. From the car I could see the bigger structures on the Michigan Avenue side, including the Cloud Gate sculpture which has already been nicknamed "the Bean". I'll have to visit the park someday soon, if for no other reason to get the full view of another sculpture which looked like some kind of aircraft wreckage. To me most modern art is like electricity - I don't understand it, but can certainly appreciate it.
Your next visit to downtown Chicago should include time for Millennium Park. And my next visit will be on foot (I'll be sure to watch where I'm walking).
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Bumper sticker wisdom
Saw this one on my way to work yesterday:
We live in the land of the FREE
because of the BRAVE
Freedom is not free. It only comes at a very high cost - paid for by brave men and women in uniform, and by leaders who do the right thing even when it isn't the popular thing.
We live in the land of the FREE
because of the BRAVE
Freedom is not free. It only comes at a very high cost - paid for by brave men and women in uniform, and by leaders who do the right thing even when it isn't the popular thing.
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Feels like home for a reason
I've written before about my second home. Well, I'm here for another visit and having a wonderful time.
Sunday was the annual church picnic which this year was especially enjoyable. The parish celebrated its 75th anniversary. We had a beautiful outdoor mass followed by a picnic complete with all the usual salads and side dishes, but this time headlined by roast pig on a spit stuffed with smoked Polish sausage. That was a new one for me! It was delicious! But the best part, as usual, was spending time with dear friends.
People come into your life with whom you bond in a special way. As you get older and go your separate ways, you may only see each other every couple of years. But the bond makes it seem like no time goes by in between visits. The only evidence that some of my friends and I have been apart is the growth of their kids, who are just about the age now that we were when we became friends (wow)! This place is full of such friends.
Every time I visit here, my mind wanders to the first time my friends from Chicago came here for a youth meeting or something and slept over at P's house. There were visiting kids all over that house, sleeping on floors and couches. I remember waking up early and looking around. I somehow knew then that these would be life-long friendships (although I had no way of knowing that I would one day marry P's cousin).
God bless those parents who suffered us kids invading their homes for sleepovers. And God bless those friends who still let me sleep over even though I'm in my forties!
How cool is that?
Sunday was the annual church picnic which this year was especially enjoyable. The parish celebrated its 75th anniversary. We had a beautiful outdoor mass followed by a picnic complete with all the usual salads and side dishes, but this time headlined by roast pig on a spit stuffed with smoked Polish sausage. That was a new one for me! It was delicious! But the best part, as usual, was spending time with dear friends.
People come into your life with whom you bond in a special way. As you get older and go your separate ways, you may only see each other every couple of years. But the bond makes it seem like no time goes by in between visits. The only evidence that some of my friends and I have been apart is the growth of their kids, who are just about the age now that we were when we became friends (wow)! This place is full of such friends.
Every time I visit here, my mind wanders to the first time my friends from Chicago came here for a youth meeting or something and slept over at P's house. There were visiting kids all over that house, sleeping on floors and couches. I remember waking up early and looking around. I somehow knew then that these would be life-long friendships (although I had no way of knowing that I would one day marry P's cousin).
God bless those parents who suffered us kids invading their homes for sleepovers. And God bless those friends who still let me sleep over even though I'm in my forties!
How cool is that?
Friday, July 09, 2004
My kingdom for some decent slacks
I have a beef with somebody I whose name I do not know, who I have never met, and who might be a man or a woman. This person wrote a style book of some sort used by clothing stores, or at least one of the clothing store chains I frequent, that defines what is currently "in" and "out" in the world of fashion.
All I want is to buy some slacks for work. Some cotton blend, crisp, new slacks with pleats in the front. I've been looking in the usual stores for large women, and in the department stores which all now seem to carry large sizes (although, alas, not quite large enough for me when it comes to slacks).
Despite being overweight for a very long time, there remains in my mind a degree of hope (delusion?) that the right style of clothes will disguise my true bulk. Reality comes crashing in one minute after walking through the fitting room door. But there is still such a thing as comfort. Not just the physical comfort of clothes that fit. There is an emotional comfort of knowing that you look the best you can, despite your flaws. You know what it is like. It's that feeling you get when you are dressed up for the prom, or a wedding, or any other occasion when you are likely to get your picture taken.
All I want is to look decent and professional for work. But no! According to the style book at the clothing store, slacks with pleats are a "big no for large women". So said the gal I finally asked out of frustration at not finding what I wanted. Apparently what is a "big yes" is "flat panel" slacks in stretch material. Combine that with the fact that none of these stores is carrying long shirts either, and the look is akin to a stuffed sausage with every lump, bump and curve well defined for the world to see.
There is one thing I know for sure about the person who wrote that stupid style book. That person is NOT overweight.
Maybe it's time for me to go back to dresses for work. Which means pantyhose every day. No, wait. Hose are "out" as well. Don't even get me started on that one!
All I want is to buy some slacks for work. Some cotton blend, crisp, new slacks with pleats in the front. I've been looking in the usual stores for large women, and in the department stores which all now seem to carry large sizes (although, alas, not quite large enough for me when it comes to slacks).
Despite being overweight for a very long time, there remains in my mind a degree of hope (delusion?) that the right style of clothes will disguise my true bulk. Reality comes crashing in one minute after walking through the fitting room door. But there is still such a thing as comfort. Not just the physical comfort of clothes that fit. There is an emotional comfort of knowing that you look the best you can, despite your flaws. You know what it is like. It's that feeling you get when you are dressed up for the prom, or a wedding, or any other occasion when you are likely to get your picture taken.
All I want is to look decent and professional for work. But no! According to the style book at the clothing store, slacks with pleats are a "big no for large women". So said the gal I finally asked out of frustration at not finding what I wanted. Apparently what is a "big yes" is "flat panel" slacks in stretch material. Combine that with the fact that none of these stores is carrying long shirts either, and the look is akin to a stuffed sausage with every lump, bump and curve well defined for the world to see.
There is one thing I know for sure about the person who wrote that stupid style book. That person is NOT overweight.
Maybe it's time for me to go back to dresses for work. Which means pantyhose every day. No, wait. Hose are "out" as well. Don't even get me started on that one!
Sunday, July 04, 2004
THIS should be our National Anthem
Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!
Oh beautiful for pilgrim feet, whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness!
Oh beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
Oh beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!
Amen.
For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!
Oh beautiful for pilgrim feet, whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness!
Oh beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
Oh beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!
Amen.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
Book Suggestion - Seabiscuit, An American Legend
"Seabiscuit was an unlikely champion. He was a rough-hewn, undersize horse with a sad little tail and knees that wouldn't straighten all the way."
From all outward appearances, Seabiscuit just didn't have the right stuff. But there is a lot more to Thoroughbred horse racing than physical build. It is a sport of strategy, psychology and athleticism. A trainer's job is to know the horse's moods, its likes and dislikes, and the conditions that are best for the horse's success in a race. The jockey has a similar relationship with the horse. And a jockey is a world-class athlete:
"The extraordinary athleticism of the jockey is unparalleled: A study of the elements of athleticism conducted by Los Angeles exercise physiologists and physicians found that of all major sport competitors, jockeys may be, pound for pound, the best overall athletes. They have to be."
You need to read the book to understand how the combination of knowledge, hard work, and a desire to win made the Seabiscuit team one of the most winning in sports history.
From all outward appearances, Seabiscuit just didn't have the right stuff. But there is a lot more to Thoroughbred horse racing than physical build. It is a sport of strategy, psychology and athleticism. A trainer's job is to know the horse's moods, its likes and dislikes, and the conditions that are best for the horse's success in a race. The jockey has a similar relationship with the horse. And a jockey is a world-class athlete:
"The extraordinary athleticism of the jockey is unparalleled: A study of the elements of athleticism conducted by Los Angeles exercise physiologists and physicians found that of all major sport competitors, jockeys may be, pound for pound, the best overall athletes. They have to be."
You need to read the book to understand how the combination of knowledge, hard work, and a desire to win made the Seabiscuit team one of the most winning in sports history.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Life isn't a love-in
I recently rented an old movie that I just love, "Yours, Mine and Ours". It's a funny but touching film about a widow and a widower who start dating before they know that together they have 18 children. Yes, they fall in love and end up married, despite the initial cold reception from each other's kids. And, as the title suggests, they end up expecting their own child.
But my favorite part is the night they head to the hospital for the birth. The oldest daughter is desperate for advice about the boy who is pressuring her to have sex. The boy has told her that she is ridiculous and old-fashioned, and that "all the girls are doing it".
The father's advice is right-on:
The same idiots were passing the same rumors when I was your age. But if all the girls did it how come I always ended up with the girls who didn't?
I've got a message for him...you tell him THIS is what it's all about...THIS is the real happening. If you want to know what love is all about, take a look around you...take a good look at your mother. It's giving life that counts. Until you're ready for it, all the rest is just a big fraud.
Life isn't a love-in - it's the dishes, and the orthodontist, and the shoe repairman, and ground round instead of roast beef. And I'll tell you something else - it isn't going to bed with a man that proves you're in love with him. It's getting up in the morning and facing the drab, miserable, wonderful, everyday world with him that counts.
And that's the truth.
But my favorite part is the night they head to the hospital for the birth. The oldest daughter is desperate for advice about the boy who is pressuring her to have sex. The boy has told her that she is ridiculous and old-fashioned, and that "all the girls are doing it".
The father's advice is right-on:
The same idiots were passing the same rumors when I was your age. But if all the girls did it how come I always ended up with the girls who didn't?
I've got a message for him...you tell him THIS is what it's all about...THIS is the real happening. If you want to know what love is all about, take a look around you...take a good look at your mother. It's giving life that counts. Until you're ready for it, all the rest is just a big fraud.
Life isn't a love-in - it's the dishes, and the orthodontist, and the shoe repairman, and ground round instead of roast beef. And I'll tell you something else - it isn't going to bed with a man that proves you're in love with him. It's getting up in the morning and facing the drab, miserable, wonderful, everyday world with him that counts.
And that's the truth.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Live and learn
Hello from sunny Orange County, California!
I'm here on a business trip. And I'm proud to say that I did the packing thing correctly this time, unlike my last trip - small bag with just the clothes and accessories I need, only two pairs of shoes (including the ones I wore on the plane). I even have enough room in that small bag to bring home any items I happen to buy at one of the fabulous malls in the area. My suitcase is actually lighter than my laptop bag!
The only thing I would change about what I brought on this trip is my shoes. I forgot that the airport inspectors are still paying very close attention to shoes. The inspector managing my line yesterday suggested since my shoes had heels I should probably take them off. Well, mine were lace-up boots so that was a challenge.
So next time I'll wear shoes that are easy to slip off and back on. Um, and socks that you cannot see my toes through.
I'm here on a business trip. And I'm proud to say that I did the packing thing correctly this time, unlike my last trip - small bag with just the clothes and accessories I need, only two pairs of shoes (including the ones I wore on the plane). I even have enough room in that small bag to bring home any items I happen to buy at one of the fabulous malls in the area. My suitcase is actually lighter than my laptop bag!
The only thing I would change about what I brought on this trip is my shoes. I forgot that the airport inspectors are still paying very close attention to shoes. The inspector managing my line yesterday suggested since my shoes had heels I should probably take them off. Well, mine were lace-up boots so that was a challenge.
So next time I'll wear shoes that are easy to slip off and back on. Um, and socks that you cannot see my toes through.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Hot Topic - Embryonic Stem Cell Research
You will hear a lot about "stem cell research" between now and the presidential election, because President Bush has refused to allow federal funds to pay for it.
As with many political hot topics, you have to read wide and deep to get beyond the spin to actual facts. Consider this - how often do you hear this topic referred to as "embryonic" stem cell research? Almost never. That's because its proponents want you to ignore the one fact that makes this such a hotly-debated issue - in order to obtain embryonic stem cells an unborn child must be destroyed.
Dr. Kelly Hollowell of Science Ministries makes some excellent points in her Commentary "The Exploitation of Nancy Reagan".
As with many political hot topics, you have to read wide and deep to get beyond the spin to actual facts. Consider this - how often do you hear this topic referred to as "embryonic" stem cell research? Almost never. That's because its proponents want you to ignore the one fact that makes this such a hotly-debated issue - in order to obtain embryonic stem cells an unborn child must be destroyed.
Dr. Kelly Hollowell of Science Ministries makes some excellent points in her Commentary "The Exploitation of Nancy Reagan".
Friday, June 18, 2004
LOTR Update
Fifteen hours on cassette tape, listening in the car during every five minute commute to/from the office, plus the occasional longer trip. Took two weeks to finish.
And where are we? Frodo and Sam in a boat, continuing their journey...which will take two more books! I have it on good authority that the ring is finally destroyed in the third book, so I was tempted to skip the second.
But no, I went to the library and got "The Two Towers" on tape. Only 12 tapes this time.
I'm not enthralled, just committed to finishing what I started.
And where are we? Frodo and Sam in a boat, continuing their journey...which will take two more books! I have it on good authority that the ring is finally destroyed in the third book, so I was tempted to skip the second.
But no, I went to the library and got "The Two Towers" on tape. Only 12 tapes this time.
I'm not enthralled, just committed to finishing what I started.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Tonight's insomnia is brought to you by...
...crickets.
I have a sleep mask for when I want to stay in bed past sunrise. But what I really need right now is a pair of earplugs.
It seems like they are right outside my window. And I'm on the second floor!
Wait...did it stop? Ahhhh.
Nitey nite.
I have a sleep mask for when I want to stay in bed past sunrise. But what I really need right now is a pair of earplugs.
It seems like they are right outside my window. And I'm on the second floor!
Wait...did it stop? Ahhhh.
Nitey nite.
Monday, June 14, 2004
Marriage advice from someone who made it
Over the past week I have heard former President Ronald Reagan described as everything from a saint who saved the world to a demon murderer from hell. Where does the truth lie? Where it does for all of us human beings - somewhere in between. I could give you my opinion on Reagan, but it would be biased because I am a conservative Republican who believes that the world would be a much different (and worse) place had Reagan not been elected president (there I go giving you my opinion...oops).
The opinion of Reagan as a politician may be diverse, but there was one thing about him that appeared to be universally accepted and even (by those of us who believe in marriage) admired. After 52 years of marriage, his wife was still thoroughly in love with and devoted to him.
What makes a marriage stand the test of time? Here's part of the answer. This is some of the advice Reagan gave to his son Michael on the occasion of his marriage (from the book "Reagan, A Life in Letters"):
"Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till three a.m., a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears."
"Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn't take all that much manhood. It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear."
"There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps."
And there is no greater happiness for a woman than to be loved, honored and cherished by a such a man.
Poor Jennifer Lopez. She may have fame and beauty and riches, but she will never be one-tenth as happy as Nancy Reagan was (even if she does stay married for more than a year this time around).
The opinion of Reagan as a politician may be diverse, but there was one thing about him that appeared to be universally accepted and even (by those of us who believe in marriage) admired. After 52 years of marriage, his wife was still thoroughly in love with and devoted to him.
What makes a marriage stand the test of time? Here's part of the answer. This is some of the advice Reagan gave to his son Michael on the occasion of his marriage (from the book "Reagan, A Life in Letters"):
"Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till three a.m., a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears."
"Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn't take all that much manhood. It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear."
"There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps."
And there is no greater happiness for a woman than to be loved, honored and cherished by a such a man.
Poor Jennifer Lopez. She may have fame and beauty and riches, but she will never be one-tenth as happy as Nancy Reagan was (even if she does stay married for more than a year this time around).
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
LOTR Update
So I found the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy on tape at the library. Fifteen tapes to be exact. I just started tape 9, which is amazing since I am only listening in the car. But I've had to make several longer car trips than usual in the last week.
To listen to a book on tape or CD may or may not be a pleasure. It has to be an interesting book, PLUS it has to be read by someone whose voice you enjoy. And yet there is something more. A couple months ago I listened to the latest Sean Hannity book ("Deliver Us From Evil"). The book was interesting, but I did not enjoy the tape. Sean is a radio host with a nice voice, but he's not an actor, and the reading seemed dull and almost monotone.
But the actor reading "The Fellowship of the Ring" is great. Very British, and he does all manner of voices (which he has to since there seem to be hundreds of characters in this book). So far I haven't been bored listening, except during the very long descriptions of the journey Frodo and his friends are taking. When they are not being chased by black riders, that is.
Frodo has just recovered from the attack where he was stabbed by the black rider, and he found his friends Gandolf and Bilbo again. And they have met the Elf queen. The black riders seem to have perished in the raging river, so they are safe for the moment.
Where do they go next?
To listen to a book on tape or CD may or may not be a pleasure. It has to be an interesting book, PLUS it has to be read by someone whose voice you enjoy. And yet there is something more. A couple months ago I listened to the latest Sean Hannity book ("Deliver Us From Evil"). The book was interesting, but I did not enjoy the tape. Sean is a radio host with a nice voice, but he's not an actor, and the reading seemed dull and almost monotone.
But the actor reading "The Fellowship of the Ring" is great. Very British, and he does all manner of voices (which he has to since there seem to be hundreds of characters in this book). So far I haven't been bored listening, except during the very long descriptions of the journey Frodo and his friends are taking. When they are not being chased by black riders, that is.
Frodo has just recovered from the attack where he was stabbed by the black rider, and he found his friends Gandolf and Bilbo again. And they have met the Elf queen. The black riders seem to have perished in the raging river, so they are safe for the moment.
Where do they go next?
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Sorry, you stupid cat
It was too big to be a squirrel, too fast to be a possum, too orange to be anything but a cat. A fat orange cat, sort of like Garfield.
And it darted onto a busy street at twilight, at the exact moment and speed to make it half way across before it met my front tire (and my back tire a second later). I braked but couldn't stop in time.
I have been driving for 28 years, so it was bound to happen sometime. I thought I hit a little squirrel once, but I saw it running into the woods from my rear view mirror. That squirrel must have had the best timing ever.
Poor family will miss their cat. I wish I had. Stupid cat.
(A note to you new drivers out there. When this happens there is nothing to do but hit the brakes. If you swerve instead you might save the cat but lose control and hit a tree or another car or a person.)
And it darted onto a busy street at twilight, at the exact moment and speed to make it half way across before it met my front tire (and my back tire a second later). I braked but couldn't stop in time.
I have been driving for 28 years, so it was bound to happen sometime. I thought I hit a little squirrel once, but I saw it running into the woods from my rear view mirror. That squirrel must have had the best timing ever.
Poor family will miss their cat. I wish I had. Stupid cat.
(A note to you new drivers out there. When this happens there is nothing to do but hit the brakes. If you swerve instead you might save the cat but lose control and hit a tree or another car or a person.)
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Gotta Get the Led (Zeppelin) Out
Despite my depressing entry of yesterday, I did have quite a few laughs over the weekend.
I bought "School of Rock" on DVD, having never seen it. I usually don't purchase a movie unless I've seen it and know I will enjoy watching it multiple times. I learned that lesson the hard way when I bought "Dumb and Dumber" on VHS several years ago.
But I had heard nothing but good things about "School of Rock", and I wasn't disappointed. What a funny movie! Jack Black is hysterical...like a cross between John Belushi and Jack Nicholson. Jack Black proves that God has a special purpose for everyone. If a fat loser with body odor can make it to leading man status in Hollywood, there's hope for us all.
And even though I was never into hard rock, I am thinking of buying the soundtrack. Actually, I'm hoping that playing "Math is a Wonderful Thing" will finally get "Immigrant Song" out of my head.
I bought "School of Rock" on DVD, having never seen it. I usually don't purchase a movie unless I've seen it and know I will enjoy watching it multiple times. I learned that lesson the hard way when I bought "Dumb and Dumber" on VHS several years ago.
But I had heard nothing but good things about "School of Rock", and I wasn't disappointed. What a funny movie! Jack Black is hysterical...like a cross between John Belushi and Jack Nicholson. Jack Black proves that God has a special purpose for everyone. If a fat loser with body odor can make it to leading man status in Hollywood, there's hope for us all.
And even though I was never into hard rock, I am thinking of buying the soundtrack. Actually, I'm hoping that playing "Math is a Wonderful Thing" will finally get "Immigrant Song" out of my head.
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