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Nonsensical Ravings of a Lutheranatic mind
Jul. 10th, 2009
08:48 pm - Back from trip
Well, we got back from our OH/MI/IN/IL run today - the MO portion was cut off, had a parishioner die this morning so we scooted away from the Mackey's in Appleton City quickly. 2700+ miles in 9 and a half days - but a good trip.
More later - my head is fried.
Jun. 30th, 2009
02:59 pm - Snarky Thought of the Day
On the same day where Iran declares Ahmadinejad the winner, the Court in Minnesota declares Franken the winner.
I'm not going to say anything specific. I'm from Chicago, I think politics are dirty. Draw your own snarky comparison.
Jun. 26th, 2009
06:17 am - How long
I'll ask it. How long before there are random Michael Jackson sightings? I believe we have the new Elvis - which is fitting - Elvis is the King, Jackson is the King of Pop.
Jun. 24th, 2009
07:48 pm - A little update
I realized I haven't written in a while, so I figured I would. I am waiting for me bride to return - bar-be-cue and a Jello Sugar Free Strawberry Cheesecake await her arrival (it was the 2nd day of 12 hour clinicals in a row - she should be well fed).
Things are going well here at Church - things have been quiet, too quiet almost. But in general things seem to be going well, more folks are showing up to a few bible studies, and they seem well pleased with what they are learning (okay, there's been quite a few eye opening "that's really cool" moments). I've also got two couples in marriage counselling, and that has been fun - but summer otherwise gets to slow down a bit. This is good.
A week from now, if all goes according to plan, Beetlebush and I will be on the road east of here - we are headed to Toledo and Ohio for the 4th - family shindig. We are going to cut through Fort Wayne so I can show my wife my old stomping grounds - we'll meander our way back home as well. Good good stuff.
And I beat the top challenge on Tiger Woods 10 today after my 5th (frustrating) try. It's all good.
Jun. 14th, 2009
04:23 pm - Hmmm . . .
So Christopher Lee and Alan Cumming are knights now.
I don't really have anything to say. . . just. . . odd.
Jun. 7th, 2009
07:54 pm - Get yo ladies. . .
Get yo ladies a Darth Vader Style Corset
I'm serious. Oh yeah, get one.
Jun. 4th, 2009
06:27 pm - David Eddings reported dead
You can look here for the blog post. . . I know some of you are Eddings fans and might want to know.
Jun. 1st, 2009
08:00 pm - Check out
Check out the new trailer movie for Star Wars: The Old Republic" - which has pretty cool animation.
May. 30th, 2009
04:59 pm - Everything you wanted to know about Theology but were afraid to ask
Alright - here it goes. I am now opening this blog to taking any questions about things theological that you were afraid to ask other random people before. With these questions, you can get:
A) My opinion (i.e. what is X, or what do you think X is?)
B) Historical Explanations (i.e. Why do the Baptists think Y or Rome teach Z?)
C) Explanations to pop religious references (For example - why the Rabbi who wins "What's My Perversion" in the Woody Allen movie getting spanked by gals while his wife sits at his feet and eats pork is really, really funny).
If you have a thought, question, or comment, bounce them off here.
May. 22nd, 2009
11:41 pm - A bit of personal confusion
I think the wood I purchased for my firepit was teenaged wood. It seems to be undergoing a bit of personal confusion right now. I mean, sure, it's out on the patio by the big grill, and I do visit the grill a bit more often. . . but. . .
Tonight, as me bride is down in Frisco, I was left alone. I decided to stoke up a hookah and the firepit - and in the pit I put some nice pecan wood. . . at least I thought my pecan wood was a nice little boy - but. . . it just won't burn right. It doesn't really light. The tinder (oil soaked newsprint and dead sticks from around) all lit really well. . . and there was a nice fire for a bit - but the log - well, it just turned to charcoal - as the other logs before (which I left in) did as well. So, eventually, my firepit became nothing more than an inefficent natural wood charcoal grill.
I made toast. It was tasty. But still, now I have a log that has turned into charcoal. Not combusted (oh, it looked like it would), but no. Charcoal. What do I do? Do I ground it? Be more lenient? I just don't understand how to handle wood at this age.
Ah well. . . it was still a lovely evening - as lovely as it can be when me bride is so far away.
May. 7th, 2009
09:53 pm - I've seen Star Trek Already. . . and golf stuff
Okay, so the crappy theater in Enid got staff cool points. After golfing this afternoon (more to come in a bit) we walked up at 6 thinking we might get midnight tickets for Star Trek. Guy says, "We aren't showing it at Midnight, but we are showing it at 7 and 10.
We bought tickets for the 7 showing - watched it - it was really, really pretty good.
I won't say more right now about the film. I asked the guy afterwards how they were able to show it early - he said they asked Paramount for permission and they gave it - didn't advertise it because they didn't want hordes descending - but just let the Enid folks who ask find out.
We had gone golf today because after Beetlebush finished her last final of the Semester, we went to town to veg and have coffee before I hit my hair appointment. I finished my coffee and wandered over to Golf USA. I have been looking for a new set of irons. Mine are from 1992. Think about what technology has done in the last 17 years. The same thing has happened in golf club tech - I could use some new ones. I had wanted a nice set of Cleveland irons (I hit them really well), but they were $400. Then they were discontinued. I also liked a set of Nike irons, also $400. I pulled back from buying them - have been dithering since last September.
I walked in today and they had these Taylor Made r7 Draw Irons on sale for $300. . . plus, I had just gotten a check for $200 for a funeral from this past week. . . and I was hitting the tar out of these clubs. . . so I bought them.
After the hair cut, we headed home, got the rest of my clubs (like the driver, putter), and we hit the course. Had to search for a course to play (we've been really wet) - hit the one closest to home, paid my $13 for 9 and a cart. . . went out. . . and on the 2nd hole I cracked the shaft on my driver. . . made an awful sound. Guess I'll need to get that fixed.
Hit the irons fairly well. . . although I wore out by hole five (I had hit maybe 50 shots in the practice range. . . and. . . well. . . since March I've only had four days off - I've been busy and beat) and started pulling up on the shots - but they are nice, forgiving clubs. They are harder to work with (in terms of shot shaping) - but I haven't been golfing enough to try and play draws or fades anyway. They work well.
And Star Trek was awesome.
May. 5th, 2009
06:13 am - Really? I never would have guessed. . .
I have not made a big deal of the Swine Flu. Why? Flu bugs happen. And apparently many officials have come to the conclusion that this flu is no more deadly than a normal, seasonal flu bug.
Now, this isn't to say that we should just completely ignore this - especially for the very young and the elderly - but it's a typical strain of the flu. Yes - the flu kills people all the time -- just not all that often at the end of April.
What we had is the perfect media storm. Fox and the right loved it because it was "scary" (ooOOoo people are dying, and down in Mexico - look we can even blame brown people too!) and the left loved it because Super-Obama could use his awesome government powers and save the day (if only the mean Republicans who didn't want pandemic funding tacked on to an economic stimulus bill. . .)
Shoot, even Egypt got the idea to slaughter a bunch of pigs. Take that you minority pig eaters!
The right and the left both agreed that this could be milked. . . and oh look. . . it's okay.
Thus is life in the world. Our media sucks.
Apr. 26th, 2009
05:45 am - Last night's storms
We rode out last night's storms just fine - had to wake up and take shelter at around 12:30-1. Lost power. North Enid got hit - one of my members had somebody's boat blow into his back yard.
Yesterday at convention I was elected Circuit Counselor for the Enid Circuit - basically the pastor to the pastors. It was a surprise. I am quite tired. Conventions, getting in late, and then disrupted sleep will do that to a person.
Apr. 24th, 2009
11:22 am - Labrynth
Do you all remember how, when in the midst of my Bowie faze in College, I threatened to dress as Jareth from Labrynth?
Don't worry, I'm not going to link to a picture of me dressed as Jareth, but rather to Nostalgia Girl's analysis of Labrynth which should serve as a good reminder of why it is good I didn't get that outfit.
Hee hee hee.
Gads. . . now to blow my 4 weekend in a row on work - off to the district convention.
Apr. 22nd, 2009
09:27 am - Marimbnlr is here
So, it's the morning, and I am sitting drinking coffee next to Marimbnlr, who arrived here yesterday. He will be leaving his morning - but we have laptops side by side checking LJ. I showed many Ireland pictures last night - I will get to see his new London photos.
Just so you know my friends - he's laughing at you. . . er, your posts, right now.
Apr. 20th, 2009
09:11 pm - Araquan - is this. . . true?
Friday's Penny Arcade dealt with costumed characters at Disney.
Apr. 19th, 2009
07:32 pm - A sure sign of stress in me
I can tell I am feeling stressed. How?
I was folding laundry and felt the desire to write poems about my T-Shirts, debating as to whether or not I should identify the subject of the poem as being about various T-shirts.
Now, this is not as odd as it might seem. Those of you who have known me a long time and where on the precursor to my friends' list (i.e. Eric's e-mail list of top ten lists, Uncle Eric's Storytimes, and poetic doom) surely understand that a stressed Eric finds wordsmithing a matter of stress relief. Happily for y'all and your aesthetic tastes, I write for a living - 4 or 5 thousand words a week. Plus I teach, pontificate, ramble off the top of my head for a few classes - this normally absorbs the poetic desires and channels them into a productive (i.e. something I get paid for) direction.
However, it's been a busy month, both for me and for me bride, and I can feel the tension in me. An Eric with a lack of time off is an unhappy Eric. Of the 8 days off I should in theory have - I've had three. And that's it for this month. Sure, I've take other bits of time off, but even then there is that twinge of guilt (I admit it, when I call off sick that means I slug through 4 or 5 hours of stuff instead of 10 - I just don't talk to people). And so, folding the massive pile of T-Shirts, I wanted to write about them.
Again, even the subject matter is understandible. T-shirts are my history - I get attached to certain ones. The Bubblegum Crisis shirt that I picked up in the Mall of America in '98. The Jenni's Restaurant Hot Sauce shirt I got on a visit to Houston. The Pimp Stewie shirt that was a Christmas gift. The "Cheat" shirt a friend got me while in Sem. They are bits of history - a story is attached - and some are old favorites, old friends. Who knows, some of you might even have a T-shirt you remember me for. . . Vampire Beer, the handsketched Ryoko that Wicker and Birdy-lady put onto a shirt for me. . . I don't know. Quite a few.
And many are getting old. The aforementioned Bubblegum crisis shirt is sort of a steel grey now. Just sort of made me whimsical, sort of kimagure seeing a bunch of them, jumbled together - different schools, different states, all mixed up together.
Odd.
Ah well, that's it. That could have been turned into a poem. It's this instead. Ah well. Feel free to put down any T-shirt memories you have if you are so inclined.
P.S. I had to retire my 1996 National College Bowl shirt with the Catcus holding the buzzer - it was just getting too worn. That was a few months ago - still, a sad thing.
Apr. 14th, 2009
08:16 pm - Almost to the slow. . .
Holy Week and Easter, with all it's hectic stuff is done. The next two weeks will be busy (I have counseling this Saturday and then next weekend I have a convention in Norman for the Church). In fact, in April, I will have worked on 5 of my scheduled 8 days off. But then. . . then comes the slow.
Things slow down over the Summer - although not as much as they could (I do like to teach and keep busy). Wednesdays won't have any afterschool stuff or confirmation until September. No midweek services until November. I'm looking forward to it. I may even write more then.
Apr. 11th, 2009
11:03 pm - Behold
Behold: A music video where in Natalie Portman plays an Indian Princess in Bollywood fashion, even though the song is in Spanish.
This is bizarre.
Mar. 31st, 2009
08:20 am - The Dogmatism of Science
This NY Times Article deals with well respected Scientist Freeman Dyson, including the negative response to his opposition to a popular scientific idea.
Again, I submit that the scientific community isn't as free as bias as it's ideals would claim - just as the religious community isn't as lily-white and pure as they like to claim they are.
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