For Those Away

Last night my wife and I went to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Besides having an awesome time with her and it being the romantic night of the season, I cannot say enough about this group so I won't even try. Check their website and go see them. Spend the money and thank me later. It has redefined the Christmas season for me in a great way. I could say we saw them perform but it would be more appropriate to say we beheld this explosion of Yuletide cheer with lights and lasers and a ensemble that showed their passion for excellence in every note and movement.

When we were standing for one of the many standing ovations they said we should applaud and pray for the troops abroad. Very true. Along those lines I bring you the following...
http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/

The link above is a web log of an unembedded journalist in Iraq named Dahr Jamail. As the story goes, he was fed up with the total lack of coverage by the U.S. media and went there on his own to cover the "real" story.

These are not pretty, polished reports. They are gritty and sometimes bloody but never gratuitous. The slant is leftist. Although I don't agree with the reporters slant on things sometimes, I wanted to recommend this out to everyone. In a war, the lines between right and wrong are not always so clear for those involved in it let alone those outside of it.

Blood for oil? Blood for government contracts? Liberators and valiant warriors?

Regardless, it is another reason to pray.

My Life Is A Dog

Perhaps you have heard the saying before: "I want to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am."

I think I have already achieved this.

There is no reason to believe that my dog thinks that I am such a great person. Generally speaking, I think he thinks the sole reason for my existence is to feed him, keep him safe and provide him adequate opportunities to go #1 & #2. When I am just passing by the kennel on the way somewhere, he doesn't care how busy I may be or what kind of mood I'm in let alone having any awareness of my wants, needs and interests.

I have also read that the reason dogs lick you is because we humans are salty and in the hopes of soliciting food. That makes me feel real special.

Don't get me wrong about the depth of my affection for the little guy. I would do almost anything for him. But as cute & lovable as he is, he is still a dog with base drives dominating his behavior. Given a choice between me with a good petting and a stranger with a piece of steak I would bet he'd take the steak...and then let the stranger pet him.

When the Past Finds You

Ancient improbabilities can catch up with us in unexpected ways. In this present case the Ten Commandments came to mind the other night. I asked myself if I could recite all of them off the top of my head. Although I am no Bible scholar I assumed the time spent studying the Bible and being in church would pay off. Nope. I got to about six of them before I ran into a wall.

If a cross section of society were polled, I would expect that my experience would be statistically average or maybe even better. Accepting that premise, what is the big deal with them being posted in public places if most people won't remember them anyhow? But that is just a question I asked myself.

Many of them are pretty simple: Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not commit adultery, Don't lie about your neighbor, etc. Sure, some of the remaining ones may transcend secular comforts but there was one command in particular that caught me completely off guard.

Does the name Equus asinus ring any bells? In the English language, Equus asinus is know properly as an ass. Some people started calling them donkeys to avoid the unfortunate association with the old English word "arse"...the human backside region, if you know what I mean.

Nearby our home is a corral that is home to two asses. Cutest little things that you ever have seen! Have you ever stroked those adorable long ears while looking into their deep brown eyes? They are just about irresistible, darn it! My wife and I used to regularly stop and pet them when we first discovered them. Now, I just recently recalled all this but one time in particular months ago I was giving one a good rub between the eyes and I thought to myself, "I would really like to take these cute guys home with me!"

It wasn't until today that I realized I was coveting my neighbor's ass.

Sorry.

All In One Sunday Morning

I think my wife is trying to kill me.

She transferred the breakfast cereal from their perfectly good boxes into plastic containers with the proposed intent that it keeps the cereal fresher and protects it against possible creepy-crawly's. By the grace of God, though, I did notice that the kitten on the counter was unusually intriqued by this morning's serving. If it weren't for the kitten staring at my bowl I would not have noticed the thin, 1 X 2 inch plastic package with the coupon inside that fell into the bowl. Instead of the usual rustling that would have occured from a regular cereal bag, it fell in to my bowl silently.

She knows that I eat really fast and never look at my food. I could have choked to death.

Before all this happened though, I was woken up with a start this morning. Our front yard with it's many bird feeders is home to the Grand Bird Buffet. Now there's an idea: because it is so popular makes me think that I should charge admission?

Of course, for the hawks this is the Prey Buffet featuring the finest avian fare the Sonoran Desert has to offer. All is nice and calm but when one bird catches a glimpse of a hawk, the rest of the flock explodes all at once-fueled by a nice adrenaline rush, I'm sure. The sudden rise of a few dozen wings creates quite a sound in the quiet desert.

Unfortunately, in the mayhem of mass departure a dove sometimes forgets that it is next to a solid object like a house, for example. Sometimes there is a "thunk" on the side of the house. There hasn't been a broken window yet. So, when I find the occasional poor, dead critter I say a small prayer for them and then carry them into the arroyo- the Coyote Drive-Thru. Ah, the Circle of Life!

If you haven't already assumed so, I was just kidding about thinking my wife is trying to kill me. I believe her when she tells me how much she loves me even if she denies all knowledge of how a bear trap got set by my side of the bed.

Just Because...

Some time ago there was a small space capsule that was sent into space with memorabilia from planet Earth. It contained tools and information in the hopes that if it should be discovered by other life, it would convey something about us.

What value would there be in sending a Chuck Berry song into space? What leads us to think that "whatever"might find it actually communicated in images and symbols? Maybe some bugs are smart and are talking to us all the time but as intelligent as I (think) am, I don't understand bug nor do I endeavor to.

The scientists that sent it off were asked these types of questions. Their reply was: "Just because a message may not be received does not mean it is not worth sending."

True.

So, I will try to make this blog more than a diary, more than exercise in HTML self-pleasure. I won't be getting too personal-some things will remain private. You might not like everything I write nor agree with it. That's OK. The saying goes, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. But, most things in kitchens tend to be damned yummy!

More later....