Sheri has recently shifted over to night shifts...which means I am alone three nights a week.
And while this fact has brought some interesting truths to light (I have not actually evolved all that much from college bachelorhood, apparently...left to my own devices, my nights are fairly boring, and generally involve unhealthy food and a grungy appearance I somehow manage to avoid whenever Sheri is around...oh, and I talk to myself more...) it has also afforded me the opportunity to reflect on some realities I would not otherwise have considere...
Also I lose more sleep. My hours become much more irregular...in part because I am the only one who cares if I am awake...but also because there's nobody to hold at night...and, as sentimental as it sounds (and I know it does, but I don't care) I don't sleep well when Sheri's not in bed. I'm not a cuddler...but having her there lets me sleep in peace. She's my security blanket...on her side of the bed. Because I really am NOT a cuddler.
Our dog gets the brunt of the loneliness...I have allowed him to sleep on our bed once or twice, and have even pulled him up on the couch with me as I passed out one night, just to feel as if I wasn't completely alone. Who knew I'd turn out to be such a pansy?
Of course, Aiden is upstairs...but he's in bed by 8.
One of the interesting realities of this restless waking that I suffer from on these nights is that I am awake while mostly everyone I know and love is asleep (except, oddly, Sheri...who, we all hope, is not asleep, as she is administering medical care...).
It is both remarkably lonely and also bizarrely serene to be the only one up. On the one hand...well, I've already covered the being lonely part...though I didn't mention also the new found creepiness of our house when it's dark and I am alone...sometimes I think I can't sleep because I have to keep watch over the house until light comes.
Then there's the odd peacefulness of being the watchman. It is just me, the (sleeping!) dog, my computer, and my iGoggle, whose theme is currently on "Earth-Light" which allows me to track the progression of the sun over the continents. Imagine the lives spent in blissful sleep...reflect on the souls just waking to the dawn...consider the multitudes already in the very midst of their day...
Sleep peacefully friends. I am, maddeningly, awake...and watching over the entire Hemisphere...at least until I pass out from exhaustion.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Some of My Better Thoughts
I was recently having a discussion online with some other regular commentators on the agenda of the new administration. The main proponent of the ideas I was challenging had suggested frequently that Liberals, and the Obama administration in particular are dangerous, even objectively evil, synonymous with the Nazis and Gestapo (their choice of words). While responding to this person, I articulated some thoughts that have been on my heart and mind for the past few weeks as power has shifted in our nation, and people are digesting exactly what it means to them and to the country as a whole. I read my thoughts to my wife, as I so often do (poor woman...if I was one to worry about purgatory, I would be convinced she would be all taken care of...) and she suggested that I should post these thoughts to my blog.
Thus, here are my thoughts on the fundamental difference between Liberals and Conservatives, and the way forward.
I cannot really accept this understanding of the "enemy" as accurate, unfortunately. I will agree that within the Liberal ideology there are radically anti-Christian voices. However, I do not accept your suggestion that to be liberal at all is to be part of a false religion, or that it makes you an enemy of God and the Church, or the heirs of the Nazi legacy. That is simply a lie.
The key to understanding Liberals, IMHO, is to understand that they allow for the Christian haters. But then, they allow for pretty much anything. I do not find all of their arguments for the equal treatment of all ideas reasonable, or convincing. However, and I cannot stress this enough, I do think it is important that we Christian Conservatives stop shadow boxing and engage in the reality of the situation. There is no reason to put ourselves at violent odds with all of Liberalism because Liberalism allows for evil voices and thoughts. Liberal ideology is more than one long move against the Church and Christ. Strategically, the sooner we grasp this, the sooner we can avoid marginalizing ourselves out of the great debate. America is not Israel of the Old Testament. We are a gentile nation in the age of the church. Our government, though founded on distinctly Christian values, is not a Christian organization, and there's nothing wrong with asserting or recognizing that fact.
Liberals disagree with Conservatives about one very central issue; the role of the government in our lives. Within that disagreement there is room for all sorts of sub-arguments. I believe the mistake that is being made by the statements above is they confuse sub-arguments for the ideology itself.
Conservatives argue that Liberals want a government so large it removes the freedom of the individual under the auspices of protecting individuals from other, stronger individuals, while allowing those same individuals to be morally whatever they individually deem worthwhile. Liberals argue that Conservatives remove all protection from the state, thus allowing individuals to be tyrannical, and that hypocritically we want no government interference except in areas of personal morality.
Both sides have merit, which is why neither side has disappeared, even after losing major elections in the past few decades. This Republic, if it will continue to prosper, must see the two sides find a peaceful middle ground...which means compromise on both sides. Neither side will ever be completely satisfied...but such is the nature of a government of the people. I cannot get a room of 18 thirteen year olds to co-operate and agree...what hope is there of getting unified consensus amongst 300 million? So we have to be content with compromise, and stop trying to paint each other as demons or puritanical Salem Witch Hunters.
Thus, here are my thoughts on the fundamental difference between Liberals and Conservatives, and the way forward.
I cannot really accept this understanding of the "enemy" as accurate, unfortunately. I will agree that within the Liberal ideology there are radically anti-Christian voices. However, I do not accept your suggestion that to be liberal at all is to be part of a false religion, or that it makes you an enemy of God and the Church, or the heirs of the Nazi legacy. That is simply a lie.
The key to understanding Liberals, IMHO, is to understand that they allow for the Christian haters. But then, they allow for pretty much anything. I do not find all of their arguments for the equal treatment of all ideas reasonable, or convincing. However, and I cannot stress this enough, I do think it is important that we Christian Conservatives stop shadow boxing and engage in the reality of the situation. There is no reason to put ourselves at violent odds with all of Liberalism because Liberalism allows for evil voices and thoughts. Liberal ideology is more than one long move against the Church and Christ. Strategically, the sooner we grasp this, the sooner we can avoid marginalizing ourselves out of the great debate. America is not Israel of the Old Testament. We are a gentile nation in the age of the church. Our government, though founded on distinctly Christian values, is not a Christian organization, and there's nothing wrong with asserting or recognizing that fact.
Liberals disagree with Conservatives about one very central issue; the role of the government in our lives. Within that disagreement there is room for all sorts of sub-arguments. I believe the mistake that is being made by the statements above is they confuse sub-arguments for the ideology itself.
Conservatives argue that Liberals want a government so large it removes the freedom of the individual under the auspices of protecting individuals from other, stronger individuals, while allowing those same individuals to be morally whatever they individually deem worthwhile. Liberals argue that Conservatives remove all protection from the state, thus allowing individuals to be tyrannical, and that hypocritically we want no government interference except in areas of personal morality.
Both sides have merit, which is why neither side has disappeared, even after losing major elections in the past few decades. This Republic, if it will continue to prosper, must see the two sides find a peaceful middle ground...which means compromise on both sides. Neither side will ever be completely satisfied...but such is the nature of a government of the people. I cannot get a room of 18 thirteen year olds to co-operate and agree...what hope is there of getting unified consensus amongst 300 million? So we have to be content with compromise, and stop trying to paint each other as demons or puritanical Salem Witch Hunters.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
President Obama: Be Our Themistocles!
In the wake of their staggering victory at Marathon in 490 B.C. (the Athenians traded roughly 200 lives for Persian casualties somewhere in the vicinity of 6500) the Greek world was afforded a rare reprieve from war, and for a decade they had the opportunity to prepare themselves for the might of the Persian hammer that they knew was coming.
During this time of relative peace, Athens also discovered a rich vein of silver, and had to decide how to use the wealth. Since the fortune was discovered by the city, and since the city was ruled by Democracy, the money belonged to the people. Of course, there were many who wanted the profits of the find to be distributed amongst the people; after all, who wouldn't want more money in their pockets?
However, the new leader of the democratic party of Athens, Themistocles, suggested something very different. He insisted that the money be used to fund the building of triremes, ships of war, keeping in mind the reality that the Persians would return, and with a far larger army this time than they had brought to Marathon.
In order to see his plan implimented in the absolute democracy of Athens, Themistocles had to convince the majority of the populace that it was better the deny themselves wealth, to work for the future while sacrificing today. His success, apart from the positive results on the behalf of the Greeks in 480 B.C. at Salamis, is also a testament to the importance of a leader with vision.
President Obama has amazing potential. I disagree with much of his social agenda...or at least, what I fear his social agenda will turn out to be. But the reality is, he has a unique opportunity. He could be one of the greats of all time. Never is the potential for greatness so real as in times of trial and challenge. We are experiencing difficult times...not the least of which in the area of our economy. Most of us don't even really know what we want to see happen to solve this problem...we just know something MUST happen. Should we have a bail-out? Should we give the money to the people, the banks, to corporations? How do we avoid deepening the crisis? How do we pull ourselves out of the mire? How do we get back on top?
President Obama must lead. He must give us a vision that will provide for more than merely tomorrow, but that will ensure our success (or at least the best chance for it) in the net decade, and the decades after that.
Themistocles was right. His arguments contributed to Greek victory over Persia, which allowed for the Golden Age of Greece...which produced some of the greatest art, philosophy, drama, and culture ever. Invest in what will preserve our future rather than what will keep us in comfort today.
During this time of relative peace, Athens also discovered a rich vein of silver, and had to decide how to use the wealth. Since the fortune was discovered by the city, and since the city was ruled by Democracy, the money belonged to the people. Of course, there were many who wanted the profits of the find to be distributed amongst the people; after all, who wouldn't want more money in their pockets?
However, the new leader of the democratic party of Athens, Themistocles, suggested something very different. He insisted that the money be used to fund the building of triremes, ships of war, keeping in mind the reality that the Persians would return, and with a far larger army this time than they had brought to Marathon.
In order to see his plan implimented in the absolute democracy of Athens, Themistocles had to convince the majority of the populace that it was better the deny themselves wealth, to work for the future while sacrificing today. His success, apart from the positive results on the behalf of the Greeks in 480 B.C. at Salamis, is also a testament to the importance of a leader with vision.
President Obama has amazing potential. I disagree with much of his social agenda...or at least, what I fear his social agenda will turn out to be. But the reality is, he has a unique opportunity. He could be one of the greats of all time. Never is the potential for greatness so real as in times of trial and challenge. We are experiencing difficult times...not the least of which in the area of our economy. Most of us don't even really know what we want to see happen to solve this problem...we just know something MUST happen. Should we have a bail-out? Should we give the money to the people, the banks, to corporations? How do we avoid deepening the crisis? How do we pull ourselves out of the mire? How do we get back on top?
President Obama must lead. He must give us a vision that will provide for more than merely tomorrow, but that will ensure our success (or at least the best chance for it) in the net decade, and the decades after that.
Themistocles was right. His arguments contributed to Greek victory over Persia, which allowed for the Golden Age of Greece...which produced some of the greatest art, philosophy, drama, and culture ever. Invest in what will preserve our future rather than what will keep us in comfort today.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Gas Bag
Memo to Chris "Verbal Flatulance" Matthews:
The election is over. Have some respect for a man that served his nation for 8 years and stop trying to be clever by mocking President Bush. Your politician of choice carried the day (in an election against someone entirely different from the out-going President) and has called for an era where partisanship is cast aside in favor of a united nation. The fact that you insist on mocking those people who still support Bush, who still favor his policies, and for mocking the man himself as you blithly cover the inauguation of President Obama only reflects how very little the division of the nation had anything to do with President Bush.
You're probably too distracted by the thrills Mr. Obama delivers to your nervous system to listen to what he's been saying...
The election is over. Have some respect for a man that served his nation for 8 years and stop trying to be clever by mocking President Bush. Your politician of choice carried the day (in an election against someone entirely different from the out-going President) and has called for an era where partisanship is cast aside in favor of a united nation. The fact that you insist on mocking those people who still support Bush, who still favor his policies, and for mocking the man himself as you blithly cover the inauguation of President Obama only reflects how very little the division of the nation had anything to do with President Bush.
You're probably too distracted by the thrills Mr. Obama delivers to your nervous system to listen to what he's been saying...
=
Inauguration 2009
We have a new President.Today is a day of some significance, as evident from the massive amount of press and attention, spanning the world, that is being paid to the official proceedings of our government.
Today is a good day, and we should all be celebrating our citizenship, and the government that has stood the test of time and the transfer of power, to thrive today as it ever has.
Pray for our new President, pray for our nation.
I have to admit...I hope that he succeeds. That sounds odd, as if it were a guilty pleasure. Let me put it this way: I am willing even to hope I am wrong and that he is right, with regard to his social and political agenda. I cannot hope to be persuaded that his moral ambivalence with regard to the unborn, but I can hope that in a matter as trivial as our economy or our national defense that he is more successful than I believed he would be at the time of the election.
I hope we manage to move past mere partisan politics and strive as a nation to be something more than merely prosperous (although, of course, I do hope we're prosperous). I hope we can live up to our great aspirations on this historic day. It gives me joy to recognize that the full reality of today is itself a culmination of the ambition and ideals of our nation and government.
It is tempting to hope that the world will actually receed from the brink as the result of one man. Certainly the media would have us believe it will be enough...I cannot believe our problems will cease, but I do hope and pray that under his leadership we will see positive progress on some of the fronts that currently trouble us.
I must also say that the sight of the hope this man inspires is, well, inspiring. I am optimistic as a result of the radical enthusiasm of those in the midst of the celebrations, much more from that than from the highest rhetoric; let us pray that this renewed sense of opportunity and potential sows a great harvest. I am not sure why so many have lost faith in their Republic; I do not believe that much has changed in any way so significantly that it warrants the doubt and fear that has plagued the news for so long, but let that be as it may; let us revive the belief that a nation centered the defense and perservation of God-given rights will prosper and flourish; let us show the world what liberty accomplishes in the City of Man.
God save the President of the United States and may God be gracious to our nation.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Drama?
I have searched far and wide for more online lessons...and recalled Rowan Atkinson's survey of Shakespearean Drama...
As a mild warning...there's a reason actors were often associated with the dregs of society...mostly it's clean, but if you have zero tolerance for inappropriate humor, spare yourself this lesson. You get a pass.
Otherwise...school is back in session:
As a mild warning...there's a reason actors were often associated with the dregs of society...mostly it's clean, but if you have zero tolerance for inappropriate humor, spare yourself this lesson. You get a pass.
Otherwise...school is back in session:
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Sheri's Mix
Odd as it might sound, I am 26, have been married over half a decade, have one 4 year old and another on the way. I am young, comparatively speaking, for the stage of life that I am in...most of my friends, if they are married, are still in the glorified dating stage...and many are still working towards the marriage stage.
As a result of being an early arrival at the Matrimonial Gates, I have had the opportunity to hear about the "love languages" many, many times.
Many times.
That's not really a complaint, since the longer you're married the more you need to reflect on how you love your spouse, and work to ensure that you are showing them affection in effective ways. I know that Sheri and I have missed each other from time to time, but I'd like to think that for the most part we connect; our marriage is better now than last year, or the year before, or the year before that.
I give gifts. Sheri wants my time and thoughts.
One of the obvious ways to combine the two was through making her a mix tape.
In the old days (when a mix tape was actually a tape...as opposed to the CD that it is now...) I would make her music using my handed-down boom-box, a gift I received once my parents got a better system for the house. I would cue up my original tapes or CD's, and press record and have to sit and wait an average of 3.5 minutes until the song was over, and then stop the recording, to cue up the next song I had meticulously chosen. Frequently the mixes would serve a duel purpose; it was to send her a message of my affection for her, and to educate her musical experience. The girl hadn't even really listened to the Beatles by the time she was a senior in high school...the situation was dire.
Still, first and foremost, I was trying to send a message. The music expressed in a different way the emotions that i felt, and I wanted to share those with her.
Once she was mine...well, my music library was hers. She listened to whatever I had, and I stopped making mixes for her...there hardly seemed a point.
Except that, she needs to hear and know how I care for her.
I made her the first mix I have made in years today. A disclaimer: if the song seems lyrically inappropriate for a mix for my beloved, I probably chose it for the music, not the lyrics. Here are my selections:
That's How You Know: Amy Adams, Enchanted (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
The Way I Am: Ingrid Michaelson, Girls and Boys
Here Comes the Sun: Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill, Together Live!
My Brilliant Feat: Colin Hay, Going Somewhere
He Came to Meet Me: Hem, Funnel Cloud
The Fire Thief: Hem, Eveningland
Hooch: Everything, In the Juju Underworld
Love Story: Taylor Swift, Fearless
Overkill: Colin Hay, Man @ Work
Bolero: InsideOut A cappella, Sharing Time
Lost Cause: Beck, Sea Change
Fresh Feeling: Eels, Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996 - 2006 Vol. 1
Fighting for My Love: Nil Lara, Nil Lara
Falling Slowly: Frames, The Cost
I Want You To Be My Love: Over the Rhine, Drunkard's Prayer
In the Sun: Joseph Arthur, Come to Where I'm From
Coming Back Soon: Randy Stonehill, Can't But a Miracle
How Bizarre (Mix): OMC, How Bizarre
As a result of being an early arrival at the Matrimonial Gates, I have had the opportunity to hear about the "love languages" many, many times.
Many times.
That's not really a complaint, since the longer you're married the more you need to reflect on how you love your spouse, and work to ensure that you are showing them affection in effective ways. I know that Sheri and I have missed each other from time to time, but I'd like to think that for the most part we connect; our marriage is better now than last year, or the year before, or the year before that.
I give gifts. Sheri wants my time and thoughts.
One of the obvious ways to combine the two was through making her a mix tape.
In the old days (when a mix tape was actually a tape...as opposed to the CD that it is now...) I would make her music using my handed-down boom-box, a gift I received once my parents got a better system for the house. I would cue up my original tapes or CD's, and press record and have to sit and wait an average of 3.5 minutes until the song was over, and then stop the recording, to cue up the next song I had meticulously chosen. Frequently the mixes would serve a duel purpose; it was to send her a message of my affection for her, and to educate her musical experience. The girl hadn't even really listened to the Beatles by the time she was a senior in high school...the situation was dire.
Still, first and foremost, I was trying to send a message. The music expressed in a different way the emotions that i felt, and I wanted to share those with her.
Once she was mine...well, my music library was hers. She listened to whatever I had, and I stopped making mixes for her...there hardly seemed a point.
Except that, she needs to hear and know how I care for her.
I made her the first mix I have made in years today. A disclaimer: if the song seems lyrically inappropriate for a mix for my beloved, I probably chose it for the music, not the lyrics. Here are my selections:
That's How You Know: Amy Adams, Enchanted (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
The Way I Am: Ingrid Michaelson, Girls and Boys
Here Comes the Sun: Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill, Together Live!
My Brilliant Feat: Colin Hay, Going Somewhere
He Came to Meet Me: Hem, Funnel Cloud
The Fire Thief: Hem, Eveningland
Hooch: Everything, In the Juju Underworld
Love Story: Taylor Swift, Fearless
Overkill: Colin Hay, Man @ Work
Bolero: InsideOut A cappella, Sharing Time
Lost Cause: Beck, Sea Change
Fresh Feeling: Eels, Meet the Eels: Essential Eels 1996 - 2006 Vol. 1
Fighting for My Love: Nil Lara, Nil Lara
Falling Slowly: Frames, The Cost
I Want You To Be My Love: Over the Rhine, Drunkard's Prayer
In the Sun: Joseph Arthur, Come to Where I'm From
Coming Back Soon: Randy Stonehill, Can't But a Miracle
How Bizarre (Mix): OMC, How Bizarre
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Count Every Vote...For ME...
Al Franken is a one of those smarmy pseudo-smarties that really bugs me.
I'll be up front about that. I generally find the way he presents his arguments to be offensive and deliberately demeaning to those he opposes. He uses the excuse of being a comedian to pardon him for when he is truly repulsive. It is fitting that he was the premier face of Air America, the home of the offensively dismissive liberal talk-show hosts; he set the tone for a group of people who have done their best to ensure that, in the national debate for the future of our nation, one side of the debate is perceived as completely preposterous. The Left has managed, with the help of people like Franken and his ilk, to paint the Right as so ridiculously criminal, stupid, superstitious, greedy, etc, that I find it hard to see how we can hope to have a civil discourse in the high halls of leadership.
I say all that, fully recognizing that the Republicans have done their level best to fail the nation too. We have our gas bags, our own versions of Franken. Our vices are different, but they do exist.
However...the hypocrisy of a man who spent most of the last 8 years whining about a "stolen" election, whose campaign mantra was that every vote be counted so that every vote would count, and now who wants to see the very questionable recount stand and to push through his own personal victory amidst controversy at least comparable to the circumstances of 8 years ago...well, if he turns out to be the next Democrat Senator, all I can say is that the outlook just got a little dimmer for reasonable debate in our nation.
Democrats should denounce Franken's pre-emptive claims to victory. If they really believed all the crap they spewed over Bush's victory in 2000, they should insist on a better process and a slow, meticulous recount, with real accountability. But they won't...because it's always been a political game.
I'll be up front about that. I generally find the way he presents his arguments to be offensive and deliberately demeaning to those he opposes. He uses the excuse of being a comedian to pardon him for when he is truly repulsive. It is fitting that he was the premier face of Air America, the home of the offensively dismissive liberal talk-show hosts; he set the tone for a group of people who have done their best to ensure that, in the national debate for the future of our nation, one side of the debate is perceived as completely preposterous. The Left has managed, with the help of people like Franken and his ilk, to paint the Right as so ridiculously criminal, stupid, superstitious, greedy, etc, that I find it hard to see how we can hope to have a civil discourse in the high halls of leadership.
I say all that, fully recognizing that the Republicans have done their level best to fail the nation too. We have our gas bags, our own versions of Franken. Our vices are different, but they do exist.
However...the hypocrisy of a man who spent most of the last 8 years whining about a "stolen" election, whose campaign mantra was that every vote be counted so that every vote would count, and now who wants to see the very questionable recount stand and to push through his own personal victory amidst controversy at least comparable to the circumstances of 8 years ago...well, if he turns out to be the next Democrat Senator, all I can say is that the outlook just got a little dimmer for reasonable debate in our nation.
Democrats should denounce Franken's pre-emptive claims to victory. If they really believed all the crap they spewed over Bush's victory in 2000, they should insist on a better process and a slow, meticulous recount, with real accountability. But they won't...because it's always been a political game.
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