Just a Stab in the Dark

2008-03-10T11:31:00.003-05:00

And now it seems that I've lost my entire blog. The information (previous posts, photos, etc.) are still there, but it's not visible. Going to have to take another look at this on my lunch break.

Insert appropriate expletives here!

Editing HTML

2008-03-10T11:18:00.002-05:00

Well, my friend over at Whistling in the Dark has posted a link so non computer types like me can figure out how to shrink post sizes down to a paragraph, with a link that says "read more" just in case the blog viewer does not wish to be tortured with detailed descriptions of mock naval engagements found in a board game.

I followed those instructions to the letter, but, true to my luck in all things computer, it doesn't seem to be working. I've got the "read more" link at the bottom, but every paragraph is viewable. Grrr.

I thought that it would be an easy enough change - insert this line of code here, that line of code over there, save and reload. Nope. Doesn't work that way. And since I'm busy trudging through my application to bigger and better chaplain jobs, I really don't have to the time to fiddle with it, aside from brief mental health breaks.

So if anyone can read this, and tell me what I'm doing wrong, please do!

Back to the grind.

Peace.

Winter Will Not End

2008-03-07T10:57:00.004-06:00

It's been raining all morning, and the weather people are predicting that later this afternoon and tonight we're going to get hit with up to 4" of snow. That, of course, will completely paralyze the area and cause apocalyptic-like events to unfold. You know, runs on basic staples in the grocery stores, car wrecks, and people behaving oddly.

Here it is a full week into March, and we can't seem to get a break. We'll be warm for a few days, and then we'll get hit with another cold snap that will make us burrow under comforters and blankets again. Not that I'm anxious for the 100+ degree heat of summer mind you, but at times the grey skies and mud (the campus of the va has become a series of muddy islands separated by vast seas of oddly smelling ground water. They were working on the septic system a while back - I don't think it's working yet! Blech!) become a bit much to take.

In other news, I'm just about finished with the church stuff, and am working up the momentum to get started on my paperwork. I have assessment appointments all afternoon, so that should keep me occupied for a while. Just so long as the day goes by quickly and I can get out of here. Neither One Ring nor I slept well last night - we're dogsitting her brother's dog again, and she's not too keen on all this nasty weather. I was awoken at 3:30 by a Rat Terrier dancing on my head and licking my face. Yes, the dog survived, although it was touch and go for a while there!

(By the way, this from the Wikipedia article on the breed: In Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Rat Terriers are called upon to help defeat the infamous vampire after he manifests into a plague of rats). I must have missed that part. : )

Well, there's some more that I'd like to write about, but for the moment there is a paycheck that needs to be earned. More later.

Peace.

Games and Memories

2008-03-06T12:37:00.006-06:00

Okay, I'm on my lunch break now, and finally having a moment to catch my breath. My spirituality class went so-so today, although one of the new patients - an old guy with a beard that made him look like a decades older version of the guitarist from ZZ Top - told me that I wasn't funny. Actually, he said, "You're no Red Skelton." I let that slide, though he repeated it again as he was going out the door. Too bad that I find myself in a similar situation to when I worked in churches. Namely that idiots can say whatever they want to you, but you can't blast them out of the water like they deserve.

Anyway, now I have to do more paperwork and have at least one meeting this afternoon. Oh, the stuff of life. And somehow find the time to work on the church service.

But before I do that, I need to pass on one bit of news - something no doubt everyone has already heard. The creator of Dungeons and Dragons, E. Gary Gygax, died Tuesday Morning. Here's an article about him, his game, and his death.

I started playing D&D when I was in the 6th grade, and, depending on whom you ask, it either stunted my emotional and psychological growth or helped develop my love of reading and my imagination. And let's not forget my obsession for odd shaped dice! Over the years, I would spend hundreds of dollars on D related stuff - although much of this was buying duplicate materials since my mother often went through periods where she would attack my collection with the angst of a zealot, claiming that it would lead me to devil worship, insanity, or attempts the kill my sister. I tried to tell her that I wanted to do the latter for other reasons, but, alas, she never listened. So much of my afterschool job money went towards replacing the Monster Manual, the Dungeon Master's Guide, or the Player's Handbook. Probably could have gotten a much better car when I turned 16 if she had just left my stuff alone!

I don't play D anymore - I stopped soon after high school. But every so often I wonder what it would be like to pick it up again. In this day of computer role playing games like World of Warcraft and Everquest, there's something to be said for a game that takes place entirely in one's own imagination, aside from the aforementioned dice, books, and such. Ah, well, at least I have the memories - and the knowledge that in giving it up my social skills improved dramatically! : )

In other game news, here are the pics from the Pirates game that Sharkbait, his friend, and I played Saturday evening in Virginia:

In this shot, Sharkbait's ship is in the foreground, aflame and about to be sunk. I believe my ship is in the rear of the picture, and the middle two ships belong to Sharkbait's friend. You can see the cardboard discs on some of the islands; those represent treasure, and that's what we were fighting over. As I mentioned earlier, I lost by one meager treasure point, though I need to ask Sharkbait a rules question because I think I should have been awarded additional points for the following:

Now in this shot, one of my ships, The Black Pearl of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, is towing Sharkbait's ship back to my island. He had decided to go against me one on one (next time, listen to me when I propose an alliance!), and I demasted, boarded him, and left him derelict. Now I have to see if I should have received points for the crew he had on board. Sometimes this happens, and sometimes not, depending on the type of crew. And yes, I realize that I'm taking this WAY too seriously, but I hate to lose, especially by one point!

Okay, break's just about over. Time to get back to work. Good news is that my boss went home with the flu. Now I fell less inclined to bust my butt. : )

Peace.

Sorry About the Lack of Posts

2008-03-06T11:34:00.002-06:00

I was out of town last weekend, and found when I returned to work on Tuesday that the office elves had mysteriously increased my workload. So I have spent the last several days buried in paperwork and meetings - I know, one cannot be buried in a meeting, but bear with me; it's been a bad week! - trying to get back on track.

On top of that, I've been selected to lead the worship service at my church this Sunday, so I have to get all that material together.

On top of that, I've found myself grieving the loss of my mentor far more than I had expected. I mean, the man meant the world to me, but I thought after watching his health decline over the years and how hard it was for him to get around, this would actually be easier. But it's not, and the world feels a little bit emptier knowing that he's not around. You can read Rev. Britton's obituary here.

My Goddaughter's baptism went very well, and One Ring and I even got a chance to babysit her on Sunday night, a task for which I was not all that mentally prepared. Still, One Ring says I did an okay job, not dropping the child when holding her or otherwise causing her or my demise. I told them that they owed me, though!

Tigger and Pooh, her parents, have already informed us that Boo's first birthday will be celebrated at - where else - Walt Disney World. Which leaves us to try and scrape together enough money to join the party. We have until October, though, so hopefully that will be enough time. Especially if we keep expenses to a minimum, it should be doable.

Sharkbait, a friend of his, and I managed to squeeze in a game of Pirates, in which I did surprisingly well. I lost by only one point, and sank one ship belonging to the friend (who was reported to be an expert at the game) and captured one of Sharkbait's ships, which was ladened with gold. I have pics from the match, and will post them later. Right now I still have lots of work that needs doing and a bit of lunch to eat. So more later.

Peace.

Oh, It's On!

2008-02-28T08:54:00.002-06:00

Well, it's finally happened. In an election year when the conservative politicians have been practically LIVING in churches trying to get the evangelical vote, the IRS has finally raised it's head and gone after the tax exempt status of churches and denominations for messing in politics.

Trouble is, they went after the wrong folks.

IRS Opens Investigation of Obama Speech To United Church of Christ Meeting

In July of last year, the UCC (which by the way, is my tradition) invited Sen. Barack Obama to speak at its national meeting, the General Synod. During the meeting, according to people I know who attended and news reports, at no time did the denomination call for an endorsement of his candidacy or push its members to vote for him. True, Obama volunteers were trying to drum up support for his run for the White House, but this was done outside the convention area. But still, on come the Feds.

The UCC has sent out letters and emails pleading with its members to help raise funds for legal defense of these charges.

So tell me, where are the investigations of the churches who backed Romney, Huckabee, and Clinton? Are we to understand that not one of the leaders of those churches (or, in the case of Romney, an entire religion) gave an endorsement? Why is it that only the UCC is being investigated? Am I the only person that thinks this is just a tad partisan?

For the UCC side of things, including links to the text of both the IRS letter and Sen. Obama's speech at the General Synod, click here.

Peace.

Movie Stuff

2008-02-26T13:56:00.002-06:00

I was asked the other day what movie I had rented from Netflix, but was worried if One Ring would appreciate it. I thought I had named it, but upon further review, discovered that I had not. Well, the movie was Cashback, a quirky romantic comedy with surreal moments. As I mentioned in the previous post, it's along the lines of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Stranger Than Fiction.

Anyway, it's a great film. The main character is an art student who discovers that he can pause time. He uses this ability to stop and draw the female form in natural poses. So yes, there's a lot of nudity, but as One Ring put it, it's not pornographic. And it's a very, very funny film.

I also had the somewhat misfortune of seeing Cloverfield finally. Think The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla. I just couldn't get that invested in the film. The jerky camera work was irritating, the characters were cardboard cutouts, and there were some problems with the plot - including the simple fact that nothing was explained! We have no idea where the monster came from, why it showed up in New York Harbor, why it dropped those spider-like critters (now known on the fan sites as parasites), or why when they bit people, the victims exploded! Aside from that, the special effects were pretty cool, and there is definitely room for sequel work, so we'll see what the future holds.

Okay, I'm in the midst of my assessments for the day, so I have to go do chart notes. Have a good one!

Peace.

Darwinism In Action

2008-02-26T11:58:00.003-06:00

I realize that the following news story is depicting a tragedy - a man died after being bitten on the leg by a shark. Presumably, that bite severed his femoral artery and he bled out or went into shock, since he died soon after getting to the hospital. But looking at the background of the story, and the events surrounding the shark attack - which the odds are greater that the average person will be struck by lightning than bitten by a shark, by the way - lead me to believe that this whole thing was not only preventable, but a needless, stupid death.

Diver in chummed waters dies after shark bite

So let's look at this. The dive company that charters these trips says on its website that they chum (throw fish parts and blood into) the water in order to attract the sharks to the dive site. Then they send in the tourists without benefit of a shark cage or any other type of protection, so that the divers can get up close and personal with a creature that is so perfect in its design (to hunt, kill, eat and make baby sharks) that it has remained pretty much unchanged since the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Now from what I understand from Sharkbait and the nature and science channels on cable television, your average shark is not out to kill humans. But when there's food in the water - chum, in this case - they're also not the most disciminating of eaters, either. In other words, they're like most animals. Get between them and what they think is dinner, and you're in trouble.

This was dumb. This was tragic. And hopefully this company will either reformat their trips to include shark cages or go out of business altogether. There are plenty of ridiculous ways to die in the world (such as text messenging while driving; the TN state assembly is voting on a law to prevent this due to numerous accidents and deaths), without paying thousands to go and stand in front of a hungry shark while holding a sign that reads, "I'm food!"

It's 3:00 . . .

2008-02-25T15:00:00.003-06:00

. . . do you know where my brain is?

I'm waiting for my last appointment of the day. After that it's data entry time, and perhaps time to start on a presentation I have to give on Wednesday. I'm wiped out, though, so I really don't think I'll be working on that today.

Sharkbait text messenged me earlier today to tell me about a Pirates card game that he wants me to join. Sort of his version of the weekly poker game. It's the physical version of what I've been playing online, so I should stand a pretty good chance of not being cannon fodder. Though that remains a definite possibility, though. The game is set for Saturday night, and after the funeral service for my mentor, I'll need the diversion.

All in all, I'm looking forward to our trip to Virginia. It's only a weekend adventure; we're heading up for the baptism of our Goddaughter. But it'll be nice to get away from here for a while.

In other news, I gave the invocation at a Black History Month celebration event here at the VA. The event went very well, all in all, although the attendance was nothing short of pathetic. I don't know what the main cause is, be it people not being able to get away from their duties and patients from their beds or simple disinterest or even subtle racist boycot by the other non-African American employees. I haven't worked here long enough to get a feel for it. But whatever the reason, the entire audience filled just the first three rows of the small auditorium, with plenty of chairs to spare.

(Continued at 3:33 PM local time) Sorry, just had my last appointment leave. I've completed my chart notes, and there's no way I'm starting my case study now. I'll wait until tomorrow and get it knocked out then. One of my meetings was canceled, so that should free up some extra time to work on things. Hopefully.

One Ring are supposed to watch a movie tonight. I'll post tomorrow how it was. I'm a tad nervous about it. Netflix recommended it because I like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Stranger Than Fiction (and that probably tells you more about me than you wanted to know!), but some of the reviews were mixed. So we'll see. Worse case scenario is that I'm no longer allowed to pick out the "us" movies on Netflix!

As for me, right now, I'm going to get ready to go. Have a great day!

Peace.

I'm Insulted!

2008-02-25T08:33:00.001-06:00

I figured I would have reached the college level, at least!

Movie Reviews

More later. I haven't had breakfast, so it's off to the coffee shop I go.

Peace.

Very Busy Today . . .

2008-02-22T14:40:00.004-06:00

. . . which makes me very happy. I've got three more brief assessments to do and some chart notations before I can head home, though, so there's really no time to post. However, a few days ago i promised to post a picture of one of my candles - a coffee scented 3" pillar that had coffee beans embedded in the bottom. So here it is:

Appropriately, I took this picture in front of my coffee grinder and espresso machine. An addict is never far from his drug of choice! : )

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Peace.

It's Spring, So That Must Mean . . .

2008-02-22T10:50:00.003-06:00

a new religious drama in the news!

It seems that every year starting around this time, there's a story that gets going claiming that there's been some discovery of something from Biblical times. Usually, by the end of spring, that discovery has proven to be of little value, misrepresented, or an outright hoax (as in the case of the now infamous "Ossuary of James, the brother of Jesus"). A couple of years ago, there was the discovery of the Gospel of Judas, which was supposed to shed light on what really happened between Jesus and Judas, his betrayer. It turned out that the work was from the late third century and had little or no connection to the people portrayed within. It is, rather, a Gnostic text that managed, upon its release to the public, to catch the tail end of the interest raised by the novel and movie The DaVinci Code.

This sort of thing has been going on since Crusaders began bringing back bones from the Holy Land and claiming that they were religious artifacts. One Ring and I, during a trip to France, saw many Catholic churches that had virtual museums of body parts that supposedly belonged to this saint or that saint, or a piece of the cross, or whatever. A few years ago, there was a guy who said that he had found the Lost Ark of Noah up on some mountain in the Middle East. Here's what happened when CBS aired a special on it:

In 1993 CBS aired a highly sensationalized special entitled "The Incredible
Discovery of Noah's Ark,", which contained a long section devoted to the
claims of George Jammal, who showed what he called "sacred wood from the
ark". Jammal's story of a dramatic mountain expedition which allegedly took
the life of "his Polish friend Vladimir" was actually a deliberate hoax, and
Jammal - who was really an actor - later revealed that his "sacred wood" was
wood taken from railroad tracks in Long Beach, California, and hardened by
cooking with various sauces in an oven.

George Jammal, Hoaxing The Hoaxers: or, The Incredible (phony)
Discovery of Noah's Ark

So, it's Spring, it's Lent, and Easter is on its way. And that must mean it's time for a new discovery! Just try not to get caught up in the craze.

A Lead on the Ark of the Covenant

As for me, I'm just shrugging and getting back to work.

Peace.

Over 3,000 hits!

2008-02-22T10:37:00.002-06:00

Another milestone! Thanks to everyone who reads these often mindless ramblings. : )

Time for more data entry fun, so I'll post more later.

Peace.

I Was Not Here. You Did Not See Me.

2008-02-22T08:32:00.003-06:00

No, I haven't become a spy, nor is this some esoteric Buddhist notion. Rather, it's a summation of why yesterday was pretty lousy.

As you may or may not know, every Thursday I teach a class on basic spirituality for people in the drug and alcohol recovery program. Usually, while I am taking the roll call, I remind the patients when there appointments with me are for their assessments. Every patient who enters the hospital for any reason has an assessment; it's just one of the rules. The purpose of this is to make sure we do not violate the patient's civil rights by doing something to them that would conflict with their religious tradition - for example, giving a heart valve from a pig (a very common surgery) to an Orthodox Jew or Muslim patient.

So yesterday I'm doing my thing, and when I get to this one guy, I say, "And your appointment is for 1400 tomorrow."

"I'd rather not," he says.

"Say what?" say I, rather surprised.

This starts a day-long conflict and policy discussion between me and the patient. On the one hand, the patient needs to be assessed. On the other hand, he's screaming about the separation of church and state and saying that I'm trying to convert him to something - after, mind you, I had already said that I haven't the slightest desire to do so, this assessment is for them, not for me. Also, there's the additional issue of what would happen if others started refusing to be assessed, and what would happen if we had one of the review boards look at our charts and see that assessments weren't being done. Fun, fun.

The kicker was when I caught up with him after class and asked him why he didn't want to meet with me. He said, "I don't believe in the middle man."

"Say what?" I said again. This would be my refrain of sorts all day long.

"Oh, I'm a Christian. I believe in God, and Jesus. I just don't believe in the church, and I don't believe in you."

So the running joke yesterday was that I don't exist, because this guy doesn't believe in me.

Oh, no! Existential meltdown! : )

And that, my friends, is why yesterday was a pain in my butt. It did get much better after that, and the patient has been put in his place by the staff. Sometimes, working for an organization that is obsessive-compulsive regarding rules and regs is a good thing!

Okay, more later.

Peace.

Did You See It?

2008-02-21T12:07:00.003-06:00

Last night I had the opportunity to see the spectacular lunar eclipse that was visible all over North America. It's the last one that will be seen here until 2010. Anyway, I didn't have a camera with me, so here's a pic that I swiped off the internet. Almost makes me wish I lived out in the country again, where I had a much better view of the sky with very little light polution.

Today has been a little irritating. I'll blog more about it after lunch.

Peace.

Glad I Saw This AFTER My Coffee Break!

2008-02-21T10:38:00.001-06:00

On my way to teach a class. More later.

Avast, Ye Scurvy Bilge Rats!

2008-02-19T13:12:00.003-06:00

(or, more plainly, "ARRRRRRR!")

I've gone on the offensive (finally) on the issue of people skipping their appointments. Aside from my usual nasty gram emails fired off to social workers and case managers, I've taken the issue up with my boss, the director of the program, and several of the program subordinates. I also got some space on the agenda of the 2:00 meeting today to let the staff know, as diplomatically as possible, that I am now keeping records, taking names, and will no longer be putting up with people wasting my time.

Seriously, though, all these peaceful, diplomatic nicey-nicey solutions just wear on my nerves. Everyone I work with is an adult, and adults are supposed to know better. I know there's an easier way than running to meetings and begging staff to get on board with this issue. I mean, sollutions are all over the place here. Look at the building I'm in. It's been under remodling since the early fall. And since there is scaffolding all over this building, walking the plank will should now become an option. Hang 'em in gibbets from th' yardarm!

Hmmm, there's a lake around here, too. Maybe I can keelhaul somebody to let it be known that I'm serious! Now there's an idea! : )

Of course, I could simply flog them. But then again, I hate to work up a sweat . . .

Deep breath . . . Think happy Chaplain thoughts . . . Suppress the Pirate within . . . Ohm . . .

Back to work. More later.

Peace.

I Made It to Work on Time!

2008-02-19T08:13:00.003-06:00

After getting up late, and despite the snow that is falling, I wasn't late to work!

Now I just have to survive all the meetings I have to attend today.

More later.

Peace.

Holy Cow!

2008-02-18T14:53:00.001-06:00

I just looked at my counter and noticed that I'm only 17 hits away from the magic 3,000! Thanks for reading this page, people!

Peace.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

2008-02-18T14:33:00.003-06:00

Well, not really. I mean, I'm here, and trying to work, but there's not a lot of work to be done. In fact, there's not a lot of people here doing work. It's President's Day, or George Washington's Birthday, or something to that effect, which means that every federal employee who can is taking the day off - supposedly so we can meditate on how great presidents are. And of course you know that all your federal employees are doing just that! I know I would if I had the day off!

I could be working on my application from hell today (it occurs to me that there are a number of people - ex's, people at my former parishes, and so forth - who would be quite amused that I'm filling out an application from hell!), but I can't seem to get my energy level sufficiently up to the point where that seems to be a good idea. I did work on it a little over the weekend, when One Ring and I had a study date at the local coffee shop. Made some progress, and I think if I finish one job a week (ten questions and roughly six pages per job) in the essay section, that should get me to the finish line on time. I told One Ring that my reluctance could stem from the fact that all this effort could be futile if there are no openings come April through August. She, ever the optimist, pointed out that if I don't fill it out, I can be certain that my efforts will be futile. Did I mention that I can't stand optimists? : )

In other news, I've been working my candle making magic in the garage. One Ring passed along a commission from a friend, and then she asked for eight votives. The commission was for a 3" hazelnut coffee scented pillar, and the votives were scented cucumber-melon and pina colada. I spent about four hours working on those yesterday. It was pretty fun, though I confess that I wasn't all that impressed with the way the votives came out. For some reason I don't have much luck making votives. Other candles come out fine. Votives? Not so much. I'll post pics as soon as I get home and take some.

I'm still playing the Pirates of the Spanish Main Online game, which - as the name suggests - is the online version of the tabletop strategy game that Sharkbait introduced me to during my Christmas trip to Virginia. Much to One Ring's dismay, I'm fairly heavily addicted, and most nights find me online trying to build fleets of tall ships of sufficient strength and manpower to sink my opponents - most of whom are probably young enough to be my children! Of course, at this point I'm losing more than I win, but occasionally I have bouts of good luck. It's fun, at any rate.

A neighbor of my mom's passed away over the weekend, and that's brought us all down a bit. She was sort of a surrogate grandmother, and would often stop by my mother's house in the morning for coffee when I was growing up. She's been in the neighborhood as long as anyone can remember, and was married to her husband for an unheard of 78 years (she was 94). She had been suffering though, and lost one of her legs to diabetes. That doesn't make us miss her any less, though.

Well, that's all from here. I'm going to try and stay awake (there's no one else in my building, and no appointments to keep for the rest of the day). I'm tempted to run off to the nearest bookstore, but I must resist temptation!

Peace.

When the North Wind Blows

2008-02-15T15:07:00.002-06:00

Last night One Ring and I watched Chocolat (go out and see it. Now!) on DVD. I won't bore you with the details (because you must see it. Now!), but there was one subplot that caught my attention. And on that detail, I will bore you considerably. : )

The main character is a sort of wandering soul who, along with her daughter, travels from town to town and sets up a chocolatiere - I have no idea how to spell it, and it's French, anyway. But whenever a season passes, and the wind starts to blow out of the north, it's time for her to pack up and move again, no matter how attached she's become to the town, the townsfolk, or how much her daughter wants to stay.

So when this subplot established itself in the film, I found myself thinking, "Yeah, I can relate." It seems that every so often I find myself developing a kind of wanderlust, and want to pack up and explore new places and meet new people. Granted, this is more the case on days like today, when I'm bored out of my skull and patients are skipping their appointments (I can only imagine what Monday is going to be like, since it's a Federal holiday and no one will be here except for me and those who want overtime or comp time!).

Anyway, let's just say that the weather is warmer today, the north wind is blowing, and I'm feeling its tug on my sleeve.

I mean no disrespect to One Ring, either. After all, I know that we're going to be here in TN a while. She has one more year or so of coursework, followed by her writing a 500 page masterpiece that I will never be able to understand - I'm told that she's not going to include pictures. So we're staying put, and I'm working on my application (well, I didn't today, but it's in process. I overheard my boss telling someone that's it's a 4-8 week process from submission of an application to being hired. I find that depressing) for jobs in the area. No big deal. But that still doesn't mean I don't dream of wandering off somewhere.

Sigh. Being mature and grown up means that I have to restrain those feelings. But I don't wanna!

End of Day. What Else Can Go Wrong?

2008-02-14T16:15:00.002-06:00

See you tomorrow!

Peace.

More Reasons Not To Wear My Patriots Hat

2008-02-14T14:32:00.002-06:00

I used to be a New England Patriots fan. Followed them since I was a little kid, spending the first years of my life outside of Boston. When I moved to Virginia, I started following the Washington Redskins, but kept my love of the Patriots. Through thick (their massive loss to the Bears in Super Bowl XX) and thin (their three wins), I followed their ups and downs.

Until now.

Following this last Super Bowl, I posted that I was giving up my Patriots ball cap and fan status due to coach Bill Belichick's behavior at the end. In case you missed it, Bill had the ball, 1 second on the clock, and one down remaining. Instead of running a play, he walked onto the field, shook the N.Y. Giant's coach's hand, and left for the locker room. In other words, he did the equivalent of picking up his bat and ball and went home.

So that got me ticked off. Now it's come out that he's been cheating for the last 8 years, ever since he took over the team. I hope they fire Belichick and any other staff member who participated in this mess. I realize that there's a ton of money involved for winning players, teams and coaches, and that the temptation to cheat is huge. That's why there's all the trouble with HGH and steroids, after all. But to cheat on this scale is to ruin the entire game. The basic idea behind the game is that there is a level playing field, and that the only variables are the skills of the players and coaches (and the weather, and home field advantage, etc.). In other words, it's a fair game.

At least, it's supposed to be. Maybe some day it will be again.

Here's the article:

Belichick has been taping since 2000, Goodell tells Specter

Peace.

Ugh.

2008-02-14T08:41:00.003-06:00

Morning. I'm beat. One Ring, her brother, and I went to see Spamalot last night. Great production and very funny. Thing is, we got home late, and by the time I got to sleep it was after midnight. So now I'm here at work, 3/4 asleep, and in desperate need of caffeine!

Just saw this in the news, and figured I'd pass it on. I just hope that Lucas isn't writing the script. In the last 4 movies (ever since Empire Strikes Back, really), the dialogue has been painful! Great imagery and special effects, but really, really bad writing!

Coming soon: Animated 'Star Wars' film, TV show

Well, I have an appointment coming in 10 minutes or so. Better wake up. This guy has bailed on me two other times, so he BETTER show up!

More later.

Peace.

He Did It!

2008-02-13T12:37:00.002-06:00

Uno won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (or whatever it's called) Best in Show! It's the first time a Beagle has ever won the award in the 100+ years that the show has been held, despite being one of the most popular breeds. Ah-rooo!

Way to go, Underdog!

So, How's Your Day Going?

2008-02-12T15:02:00.001-06:00

Be careful what you wish for. I'm serious. Yesterday I was grumpy because no one showed up for their appointments. Today, everyone showed up. And then some. People just wandering in off the streets wanting to check in. Usually they would say something like, "You wanted to see me?" As if they were doing me a favor. Then would follow comments about how they really didn't see how a chaplain could help them, since they didn't believe in organized religion.

Fortunately, my internal censor is working. Otherwise I might have responded. "No, not really" and then leveled a broadside at their apparently enlarged ego. Don't need a chaplain? Well, let's look at this. You're in rehab. Your life's a mess. Your family won't talk to you. I'd say a chaplain would be a pretty good ally right about now!

Deep breath. Happy thoughts. Look at pictures of puppies.

Okay, much better. Sorry about that. I had to take a walk and have a coffee break. It's raining, but right now it's pretty nice out. Not at all nasty like it was this morning.

One Ring asked me yesterday where I got the pic of the puppy drinking the Pepsi. I found it at I Can Has A Cheezburger, which is linked over on the right. They are constantly creating new pictures just like that one, and have a page where you can make and submit your own. Pretty cool, no? It's worth a look, if only for a laugh.

Hmmm. Looks like my 3:00 skipped out on me, too. Grrr. Have to fire off a nasty gram to his case worker.

I should be working on my application nightmare, but I can't bring myself to do it. Boss told me today that it'll be at least a month before the position comes open. Plenty of time. I also got to talk with a rep from the denomination office, so One Ring and I can get official "standing" in this region. As usual, it requires a bunch of paperwork and meetings. The older I get, the less I feel like jumping through hoops. But it's necessary, and endurable.

Okay, more data entry for the next 45 minutes, and then I'm going home. Woohoo!

Peace.

Now They'll Be Asking ME to Do This!

2008-02-12T11:16:00.001-06:00

I have a running joke up on the psych ward - No exorcisms for staff or patients before 3 pm. As with all jokes, there's a miniscule portion of truth in that statement. First off, I don't believe in demonic possession, so don't even ask me to do that sort of thing. When I worked in a public hospital, not one of the cases in which people asked me to drive out their demons was actually caused by demons. Schizophrenia, drug reactions, bad narcotic trips, etc. and so forth were all to blame, and once those situations were addressed - surprise , surprise! - the "demons" went away. I discovered that those people who told me that they were "under attack" or had "Satan getting after them" were, more often than not, suffering not from some sort of supernatural attack by the source of all that is evil in the universe, but rather from personal problems that they could not, or would not, address. It is simply far easier to blame our troubles on something "out there" than address the issues that exist deep within our psyches and our interpersonal relationships.

Unfortunately, though, every so often the topic of exorcism gets back into the news or the movies, and the weirdness begins anew. Take this article, for example. Mind you, this is something the Catholic church is doing in Poland. I'm not Catholic, nor am I in Poland. So why am I worried?

I'm concerned because people often take religious beliefs that appeal to them, and adapt them to their own concepts. Oh, sure we may say that Christianity doesn't believe in reincarnation, for example. But I've lost count of the number of Christians I've met who believe that they are coming back in another life. Plenty of Christians bought The Secret, even though the ideas that it puts forward are very close to heresy (like the idea that we can bend the universe to our will by thinking good thoughts). And, I must confess, I fell hook, line and sinker for What the bleep do we know? before it came out that the scientists' comments were taken out of context and the whole movie was sponsored by a group / cult led by a woman who channels a 100,000 year old spirit named Ramtha (she runs the "Ramtha School of Enlightenment").

Anyway, the point is that oftentimes we take what we like and apply it to our beliefs, even if the new belief does not agree with our other beliefs. And thus we come full circle to exorcism. It doesn't exist in much of Protestant Christianity, except on the fringes. It really doesn't exist in much of Catholicism, either. But put some stuff in the news and throw out some horror movies and watch the fun begin.

I'm just hoping the patients don't catch wind of this. Because the first guy to launch pea soup my way is going to get whacked!

Peace.

Beagles Rule!

2008-02-12T10:57:00.000-06:00

Just got the news this morning. Uno, a 15 inch Beagle, won the Best in Breed award at the Westminster Dog Show. He is now up for the Best in Show award in the most prestigious dog show in the world. Here's the article, and here's his pic:

Does any of this really matter? Not really. It's a dog show, after all, and I personally don't think the dogs care all that much about it. Still, being a dog person, and being especially fond of the Beagle breed, I had to post this. So here's to Uno.

Ah-Rooooooooo! : )

Peace.

I'm Out, Peeps

2008-02-11T16:15:00.000-06:00

Got to head to a Doctor appt. Have a good one.

New Rule

2008-02-11T15:26:00.000-06:00

If the patients don't show for their appointments, I go home early.

At least, that's the way it should be. Here it is, 45 minutes to quitting time, and I'm bored out of my skull. Why? Because the people who told me that they would be here are not here. They're grown-ups, they're patients, and they're pissin' me off! So now I'm trying to entertain myself with an internet connection that blocks all but the most rudimentary of sites. Fortunately, it hasn't found this one yet!

I would like to go over to their housing unit - yes, they live here, at the hospital, so there's no such thing as a travel related excuse with this bunch - and hit them with a cattle prod while doing an impersonation of a Marine Corps drill instructor. But the powers that be keep talking some trash about patient rights and some sort of "do no harm" clause that medical types swore. Personally, I don't recall making such a promise. So that should mean that I can beat them into shape, right? Grrr.

Yep, I'm really feeling compassionate today!

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

2008-02-11T11:38:00.000-06:00

I just found this on Cafepress.com. Figures someone would beat me to the punch! : )

Now I just need to find it on a polo shirt so I can wear it to work!

Peace.

Weekend Fun, Bad News, and other Stuff

2008-02-11T11:03:00.001-06:00

I'm finally getting a moment to catch my breath and drink a coke (yes, I need to reduce my caffeine intake, but hey, I'm an addict). We had a bit of drama this morning at the substance abuse section. That reminds me, I need to have a shirt made that says, "I don't do drama."

Anyway, what happened was that we were supposed to get a patient in from another VA today, except the dude failed his psych eval. So we can't take him. Doctor told him that he couldn't come over here, but he said, "Well, maybe I'll just go down there and make them take me!" Which immediately put us on alert. So about 8:30 the head of the program comes into my office and tells me that I'll be the only one in the building at around the time that this guy was going to arrive. Fortunately, the time came and went, and he didn't show. Fun Fun.

What a way to start off the week. At least the weekend was good. One Ring and I went to the Savannah Tea Company for a Valentine's date. Very good food, and wonderful tea. We picked up some tea to take home. Mine was a Key Lime tea - sounds weird, but trust me, it tastes great - while One Ring had a Pomegranate Rose Hip blend. She liked hers as well.

Sunday we did the church thing, and I did my usual Sunday afternoon thing - nap. I heard One Ring say, "Oh, no!" from the living room and at first I thought that Barney the dog of destruction had struck again. A few minutes later, she came into the bed room to tell me that my friend and mentor, Rev. Thomas Britton, of Virginia Beach, VA, had died sometime Saturday night.

While his health had been failing for many years, this still came as a blow. One Ring and I made a point to visit him and his wife at the retirement home where they lived whenever we could. When we lived in VA, we would often see him at clergy meetings. I jokingly referred to him as "my personal Yoda," as he was (barely) five feet tall and always available for advice and wisdom. While One Ring and I were fighting for gay rights in Virginia, Tom was helpful in contextualizing the struggle, saying that it resembled the same fight that he had been involved in during the civil rights movement - people argued, churches left the denomination, evil things were said, and everyone quoted scripture. He said that they were sorry that people felt they had to leave, and that people were hurt, but at the end of the day, the work of the church went on. It was something we needed to hear, at a time when we really wondered if there was a place for progressive minded people in the religious world.

I'm going to miss him. Although it sounds corny, I can truthfully say that it was he who inspired me to enter this insane profession. I went to Vanderbilt Divinity School solely on his recommendation and although I regretted that decision for my first year or so, I now see it as one of the best decisions I have ever made (and there are very few of those!). I saw myself as his protege. I can only hope that I live up to that role somehow.

Well, that's all from here. Just about time for lunch. More later.

Peace.

Cloverfield Monster

2008-02-11T08:33:00.000-06:00

If you caught my earlier posts on the subject, you know that I was interested in the Cloverfield film. Actually, I confess that I got caught up in the hype and viral marketing campaign that sent me from website to website, picking up clues as to what was going on. Well, when the movie came out, I hesitated to see it, mainly because I had heard reports of "Blair Witch Syndrome," namely nausea and motion sickness caused by jerky camera movements (the entire movie, in case you haven't heard, is supposed to be shot on a hand held camera and told from the point of view of one person). I've seen Blair Witch - and was unimpressed - and didn't want to repeat the experience.

Anyway, Cloverfield Clues was nice enough to post a shot of the monster, taken from an HD ad for the movie that aired during the Super Bowl. So, for those of you who don't want to spend the $8 for the movie and then get sick while eating $10 popcorn, here's what the critter looks like:

My day's shaping up to be just peachy. I'll tell you more about it and my weekend later. Right now I just want caffeine.

Peace.

One Last Moment of Silliness

2008-02-08T16:00:00.000-06:00

Before I call it a day.

My pirate name is:

Mad Morty Bonney

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Don't know why this isn't lining up right. Oh, well. It's the weekend, I'm over it, and I'm out of here.

Peace out folks.

My Brain Hurts!

2008-02-08T14:46:00.000-06:00

I've just finished the first draft of my application material for the VA chaplain position. Following the wisdom of my supervisor, who told me to make it lengthy, detailed, and redundant - apparently government types love redundancy - the section where I answer their questions and tell exactly what I do is now six pages long. And that, mind you, is for my current job. I still have three more positions to describe! If I add in my volunteer work, such as the time I spent in Russia as a missionary (a very bad missionary, mind you, but still a missionary), the finished product will be roughly 36 pages long. And that's not including the additional forms they want me to fill out!

I've been told to have it ready by next month. Yikes.

Well, at least it's kept me busy today. I haven't been able to dwell on that rejection letter I received yesterday, or how the nearest chaplain job I could find seems to be either Birmingham, Alabama or somewhere in Louisiana. Not exactly commuting distance! So I'm holding on to the hope of landing a career here. Time will tell.

I still have two more assessments to do, one starting in about ten minutes. I'm hoping that these will be the fastest assessments on record, because I plan on being out the door in about an hour and a half!

Have a great weekend.

Peace.

Gut Check

2008-02-08T08:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, after work, I went to the mailbox. Amongst all the junk mail, bills, and assorted scraps of paper was a letter from the church to which I had applied. As with college applications, small envelope = bad news. Sure enough, it was a rejection letter.

Granted, I wasn't that thrilled about having to work 2 1/2 hours from home, nor was I thrilled about working in a church after my experiences in the last two churches. But it was a steady gig, and the opportunity to make enough so that One Ring could continue her studies without worrying about not going beyond the time limits on her financial aid. Not to mention the fact that I didn't look for this job - they found me, though indirectly - made me think that perhaps there was perhaps meaning in all of this. Apparently, not so much.

So today I'm reassessing. I've got paperwork to do, then I'm going to throw myself into the morass that is the application for a VA chaplain position. My boss is adament that there are going to be 4 spots opening here, though we've seen the numbers go from 3 to 1 to 0 in the last few weeks. But getting the paperwork done, and all the chaos behind me, will at least open me up to the possibility of finding a chaplain job somewhere in the country. Oh, there are hospital jobs right now. It's just that the thought of living in Iowa or Alaska is less than appealing at the moment.

In other news, I made One Ring a study candle for her many writing assignments. I poured white wax 1/2 way up the mold, waited for it to soft set, then poured out the wax that was still in liquid form. That left a hollow shell on the top portion of the candle. I then dyed the remaining wax turquoise and poured it in the shell and the remaining portion of the mold. I was hoping for a blue fade to white, resembling the crest of a wave (the candle is scented "Ocean Breeze"). However, it came out more of a two-tone, though you can still see the blue underneath the white in some areas, which is kinda cool.

So that's the news from here. I spent the evening brooding and upset, and am gradually getting out of that funk. Hopefully I'll be able to be productive today and get some more of this application insanity done and also clear up some red tape with the home denominational office; the way they want to do things is not the way the VA wants to do them. Figures.

Oh, in case you're interested, the pictures behind the candle are of my niece and nephew. The woman holding the baby is a friend of ours - Pooh - and her daughter, Boo. Boo is our Goddaughter. We're going back to Virginia at the end of the month for her baptism. Can't wait to love on her! : )

Peace.

I Think We've Heard This Before

2008-02-07T14:16:00.001-06:00

(a.k.a. "Tools of the World")

Well, I just saw that Mitt Romney has dropped out, leaving McCain, Huckabee (who, it's been suggested, might be in the hunt for the V.P. slot on the ballot), and Paul. But despite all the promise for change by ALL the candidates, including the Republicans, Romney had this to say:

"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or (Barack) Obama would win," he said. "And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror." (courtesy of NPR)

Back in '04, Bush and Cheney both said the same thing. Vote for us, or the terrorists are going to come to your front door and blow up your children. Okay, maybe they weren't that specific, but the message was clear.

Now it's four years later, the war has all but ruined the economy - anyone remember the surplus we had under Clinton? Well, remember it well, for we won't see another anytime soon! - but the message is the same. Be afraid and vote for us. The boogeyman could be anywhere and everywhere. We're the only ones who have kept him from your neighborhood. Those Democrats are just going to get you killed.

Please, America, don't fall for this again. The Republican rule in the White House and in Congress hasn't kept us any safer. In fact, the terrorists are more active now following the war than they were before we invaded Iraq. Don't sacrifice our nation, our freedom, our civil rights, and above all, don't let our emotions be manipulated by unfounded rhetoric.

Because I really don't want to have to move to Canada, England, or the Caribbean (okay, maybe I do want to move there, but that's beside the point!) if this nation becomes a police state of paranoid and power hungry nutjobs.

Peace.

Message in a Bottle, Origami, and the Space Station

2008-02-07T11:50:00.000-06:00

What do these three have in common? Check this out:

Japan to launch origami planes into outer space

Glad I don't have to fold them!

Oh, the Drama!

2008-02-07T11:30:00.000-06:00

One Ring's brother came down sick a couple of days ago, to the point where he couldn't work and couldn't care for his dog. So we took in Roxy the Rat Terrier, or as I now call her, Roxy the amazing barfing Rat Terrier. She's been sick twice now, though she acts fine immediately after she loses her lunch. It's probably that she's eating Barney's food and it's disagreeing with her.

Barney loves Roxy. He spends every waking moment chasing her, barking at her, and play-bowing before her with his tail wagging. Roxy, however, hates Barney, and wants to be left alone. She'll chase him (which he then interprets as her willingness to play) nip at his rear, and bark like mad at him. Does he care? Nope. Like some lovesick high school geek, as long as he gets attention from her, he's happy. I tell ya, it's embarrassing to watch!

But when she ignores him, Barney reverts back to his usual role as the dog of destruction. I hope he grows up soon. I'm getting older, and it's getting harder and harder to keep up with his energy level! Plus he's big, so when he slams into me at a full tilt run, it's a little intense.

In other news, I'm almost done for the day. I still have to be here for another 3 1/2 hours or so, but the work is just about done. Two of my meetings were cancelled, and I just finished my spirituality class. Now I just have two assessments, and some chart notations to do, and I'm free to go home and clean up the chaos caused by two spastic dogs. Woohoo!

Keeping up with the pirate obsession, I watched Cutthroat Island with Geena Davis and Matthew Modine (with Frank Langella as the villain). I just found out that it was nominated by the Razzies in 1996 for worst director. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Special effects were kinda cool, but the plot was ridiculous, the acting stilted and the dialogue extremely poor. It was a good mindless time waster, but that was pretty much it. I've got a couple of old swashbuckler films on my Netflix que still to watch, so I'm hoping that they're better. We'll see.

Other than that, it's just same old, same old. So more later.

Peace.

Happy Year of the Rat!

2008-02-07T08:28:00.000-06:00

Today's the Chinese New Year, ushering in the Year of the Rat. People born during this year (in the 12 year cycle) are supposedly

". . . charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust." (from the Wikipedia article)

I was born in the Year of the Dog - 1970 to be exact. I read that if the time of my birth is factored in, I fall under the heading of "Iron Dog" (which sounds like a song by Black Sabbath. All together now! "I am Iron Dog!") So what does this mean for me? Well, according to a free Chinese Astrology site that I randomly selected from Google, this year will look like this:

Dog Ratings: 58% (8 favorable and 4 unfavorable months) This year may be a bit more challenging than the last, but it still has the potential to be very favorable. The Dog is more comfortable with the Pig, which symbolizes endings, rather than the Rat, which is associated with new beginnings. If you are willing to leave your comfort zone, you can make significant progress towards your objectives and also achieve one or more notable successes. As with most things, your attitude is likely to determine just how well you do.

Dog Career:
If you have been considering a change in occupation, this could be the year to try something different. This is a time for action, not delay, so be decisive whether it is change you seek, or simply advancement in your current role. Spend time promoting yourself and your skills and make sure that those above you on the company ladder are able to recognize the good things you are doing this year. Your coworkers will be more valuable than ever this year, so pay close attention to what they have to say to you.

Mind you, I don't really believe in any of this. If you take a look at how the predictions are written, you'll see that they are so broad and vague that they could be interpreted in a myriad of ways. Still, it's interesting in a cultural sort of way.

Well, I'm off to the meetings o' the day. More later.

Peace.

A Reduction, But Still A Good Smacking!

2008-02-05T11:11:00.001-06:00

I just heard here that a Maryland Federal District judge yesterday reduced the punitive damages that were levied at Fred Phelps, nutcase extraordinaire, and his ilk back in November. In the original case, Phelps was fined $2.9 million compensatory damages and a whopping $8 million in punitive damages. Well, yesterday the judge threw out defence claims that their protest of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder's funeral was above board because he had become a public figure when his father posted his obituary in the local newspaper. The judge also threw out claims that they were exempted from the lawsuit due to the Free Exercise clause.

I don't know if this hit will be enough to shut down Westboro Baptist Church (Phelps' pulpit) and his group of funeral protest happy followers, but it's a step in the right direction. It's one thing to say you're against homosexuality. It's quite another to try and protest funerals (supposedly including an attempt to get to Heath Ledger's funeral - he wasn't gay, he merely played a conflicted gay man in Brokeback Mountain) and cause emotional pain and suffering in the families and communities of the deceased. And for that, they need to pay the price.

On the other hand, someone told me that he was glad that Phelps and others like him are around. He said that sometimes we need to be confronted with evil to know when people have gone too far. Phelps's actions cause people who would normally sit back and allow hate speech to sit up and become active themselves. So Phelps can, in a wildly ironic way, be doing more to help those who are being discriminated against than his own insane cause.

Just food for thought.

Peace.

New Blog By A Friend

2008-02-05T08:13:00.001-06:00

One Ring informed me last night that a mutual friend of ours had just started a new blog. Figured I'd give him some link love. He's a great guy, so go check out his site!

Whistling in the Dark

More later.

Peace.

Paperwork Day

2008-02-04T14:44:00.001-06:00

This Wednesday marks the end of the quarter for my residency, and that means a mountain of paperwork. In addition, I'm still chipping away at the monstrosity that is the VA chaplain application. Since today has been raining, and this morning my pants got soaked as I was making my way across the campus, I decided that I would stay in my office and do paperwork.

Not a bad decision. I finished the residency mess, and answered two questions for the application procedure. That makes four out of ten questions answered for my current job, with only three more jobs (ten questions each) to go. At this rate, I should be finished by August, with a full ream of paper used up in the process!

Still no word from the church. I plan on calling them this week to see how the process is going. Hopefully I'll at least get an interview out of it. Rumors are swirling around here about government cutbacks due to the economy tanking and the Iraq war consuming everything in sight. Chaplain positions, according to common wisdom, are usually the first to go since we do not create a visible product or turn a profit. We're just here, walking around and talking to people. So while my boss says there will be four positions opening up, just two weeks ago we were told there would not be any. Forgive me if I'm not too confident.

I'm still working on the application, but I confess that my enthusiasm isn't what it once was.

In other news, I'm fully recovered from my disgust at the New England Patriots. In fact, I may never consider myself a fan of theirs again. The reason? Not the poor performance, although that was definitely in evidence. I had even forgiven the coach of the cheating scandal in the beginning of the season. Rather what got me was the arrogance of the players and what happened at the very end of the game.

In case you missed it, Bill Belichick ran onto the field while there was still 1 second remaining on the clock. The Patriots had the ball, and it was fourth down. In other words, there was still a game going on. But the coach ran out there, shook hands with the Giant's coach, and left. His staff told Belichick that he was in error, the refs told him there was still a game going on, and cleared the field for the players. But Belichick headed to the locker room without saying a word to anyone. It was if he was saying that if he couldn't have his perfect season, he didn't care what was happening on the field.

Now I may have missed something, but that struck me as extremely poor sportsmanship. And that's enough for me to stop supporting a team, no matter how good they are. I'm over the endzone showboating, the pre-game hype, and idolization of the atheletes anyway. Frankly, I'm glad they didn't win. They didn't deserve it. Let the '72 Miami Dolphins keep their perfect season. Coach Shula was nothing like Belichick.

Now I just need to pick up a Nashville Predators ballcap to replace my Patriots one!

Peace.

That'll Teach 'em to Mess With The Youtube Community!

2008-02-04T10:13:00.000-06:00

Admittedly, I'm no fan of Scientology. Personally, I find it to be a cultish group that hides under the blanket of world religions while claiming tax exempt status from the U.S. government. They have a long standing habit of suing opposing groups and viewpoints out of existence, as well as courting the rich and famous - they just received a $10 million donation from Nancy Cartwright, who does the voice of Bart Simpson. Let's face it, any religion that charges money for its teachings and calls its worship sites "Celebrity Centers" is worthy of scrutiny.

Well, recently Tom Cruise was filmed acting strange (nothing new there) and talking up the faith. The short interview segments showed up on Youtube, where they created much hype and humor. Amongst other statements, Cruise stated that it would be great when SPs are a thing of the past, occurring only in History books. By the way, SP stands for Supressive Persons, which are essentially you and me.

Anyway, Scientology's head office attacked Youtube, demanding that the site remove the clips of Cruise. This has set off a war, of sorts . . .

Hackers declare war on Scientologists amid claims of heavy-handed Cruise control

Things should get pretty interesting! :)

Peace.

Figured They'd Be the Ones To Do It

2008-02-04T08:53:00.000-06:00

The Japanese are officially the first people to genetically create the (formerly) mythical - and never occurring in nature - "Blue Rose." Although they are unavailable for this Valentine's Day, they should be on the market by next year. I have no idea what they'll come to represent ("Hi, I'm chronically depressed, but I like you!"). Here's the article.

And the picture:

I'm off to a meeting. More later.

Peace.

Thought This Deserved to be Passed On

2008-02-01T12:10:00.000-06:00

Today is boring. Really, really boring. I'm not complaining, mind you, just stating a fact. Turns out I did all of the work for today yesterday, when most of yesterday's meetings and my class were cancelled due to lack of interest (I guess). So now I'm just sitting and watching the world go by.

So I ended up somehow on a website called Overheard in New York, which, obviously, is simply a collection of conversations overheard in public places in and around NYC. I copied the following from their site:

And, by the Way, 'Grammatically Correctly' Is Needlessly Redundant

Belligerent white woman: Could you get of the way?
Black teen: I be trying!
Belligerent white woman: You should speak gramatically correctly!
Smartass: "I be trying" isn't ungrammatical. It's standard usage in African-American vernacular English.
Belligerent white woman: Oh, what would you know?
Smartass: I have a Ph.D. in linguistics from MIT.

--A train

Some of the conversations are funny, some just make you shake your head and wonder about people. I look at it and wonder why One Ring thinks it so odd that I refuse to go to New York!

And before I let you go, here's one more:

Young man: I think you should have put LIFE and not LIVE on your sign.
Jesus freak, holding sign reading THROUGH JESUS WILL YOU FIND ETERNAL LIVE: Oh, thank you. Have you accepted Jesus as your savior?
Young man: No, I'm a dirty Jew. I'm going to hell.

--42nd & 7th

Have a great day. : )

More Religious Craziness

2008-01-31T14:17:00.000-06:00

When I was a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, struggling through my courses and attempting to get things all in order so I could be ordained after receiving a call (read as: get hired) to my first church, an undergraduate student from Vanderbilt who was a member of my fraternity came up to me and said, "I beat you!"

Being that I hadn't been playing cards, video games, or was on the fencing team with him, I asked, "What do you mean?"

To which he replied, "I got ordained before you did!" Then he told me about this website where you could mail in $5 and get a certificate saying that you were an ordained minister, able to perform weddings, funerals, baptisms, and so forth. This was the first time I had heard of the Universal Life Church. Oh, how I loathe them!

See, the problem isn't with people being ordained. I couldn't care less who has what certificate granting them standing as grand pooh-bah in the great faith of whatchamacallit (I think they worship candy bars). I don't care if someone is a Zen master, an Imam, a Rabbi, a minister, or a Sufi mystic - even if he or she is all of the above at the same time! What matters is education. Or, in this case, there lack thereof.

I worked my tail off for my education. With the ULF, you don't need one. All you need is enough cash, answer some questions, and whammo, you can get a doctorate in all sorts of subjects. A doctorate, mind you. The same thing that One Ring is going to be spending 5 or more years on can be done (on parchment, at least) in minutes. The big difference, of course, is the value of the work involved and the education received.

When I was at my second parish, I replaced a minister who had been fired by the deacon board. The decision had nearly torn the church in half. Part of the reason for the dismissal was that the minister was not educated. He had been ordained by a church that didn't see the need for education, the idea being that the Spirit would tell him all he needed to know. Well, those of us who have done this for more than a week and a half will quickly tell you that the job doesn't work that way. So out he went, and in I came. And I was quickly confronted with angry parishoners who didn't think I was all that just because I "had papers and he didn't." Again, it's not the "papers" that matter. It's the education behind them.

So what's got me all up in arms over the ULF and organizations like it? Well, this article in a Knoxville, TN newspaper is a good start. It tells of how a cult leader, who gained a degree of legitimacy by waving around a ULF ordination, gathered a group of people together and had them live with him in one house. One of the teenage daughters of a member fell ill, but the leader (I can't call him "minister" and keep my lunch down, sorry) convinced her that prayer would cure the girl; getting medical attention was a bad idea. The teenager died, and now he's on trial. So's her mother.

But is anyone questioning the wisdom of the ULF in passing out ordinations like they were Halloween candy? Apparently not. But maybe they should. Most legitimate ministries have psychological evaluations designed to weed out crackpots like this. Helping careers like the ministry, social work, and psychology tend to attract people who are mentally unhealthy. I've met my fair share, and it's sad. But without the testing, people would get hurt and potentially lose their lives, just like this young woman did. That's why we do it.

My only hope is that this case raises awareness of the ULF and puts an end to their insanity. You want to be a minister? Great. Get your tail to a seminary or divinity school just like everyone else and do the work. It'll be good for you, and it'll be good for the people you'll serve.

Okay, rant over. More peaceful posts to come.

Peace.

Application Insanity

2008-01-28T15:35:00.000-06:00

Due to the computer outage at work today (all of the patient records and inter-office work is unavailable due to the mixture of water and servers over at the Nashville site), I've instead been doing paperwork related to my future applications to VA chaplain positions.

One of the more irritating aspects of this is that I have to list, in absurd detail, every aspect of my duties. These aspects are broken down into categories such as "list your ability to communicate orally," "list your ability to communicate in writing" and so forth. I have to do this, not just for my current position, but for every position I have ever held that can be construed as relating to a chaplain job. That means I have to dredge up every experience I have ever had working with minorities, people with disabilities, people who are suffering with addictions, and people of other religions throughout my working career and list them in chronological order. Already I'm at 3 pages and am not anywhere near finished for my current residency, never mind my three other ministry related jobs and my missionary experience! This thing is going to be the size of a phone book when I'm finished!

Why so much detail? My boss tells me that the way they select candidates is to assign number scores to the applicants based on how often they use certain words and phrases such as Substance Abuse, Iraqi Veteran, Geriatrics, Hospice, and so forth. The more times I put down my experience and training, the better my score, and the more likely I am to beat out the other 5 million candidates who are going to be putting in for the position offered.

Yes, you read that right. All of this for one position. There were three that were opening up, with promises of vast gobs of money for chaplains to do our jobs. No more begging for materials and office space, no more being understaffed; all of our hopes and dreams were to be realized. Nope. Now all we're getting is one position opened and possibly one more opening up should another chaplain decide to retire.

I joked with another chaplain resident today that all of this is making church work look more and more appealing! He agreed, and that terrified the both of us.

Speaking of which, the church east of here stops taking applications on the 31st. So far I haven't heard anything, which isn't surprising. I also haven't heard anything from the children's hospital at Vanderbilt, which no long has their chaplain position listed. I figure it must have been an internal hire. I'm seeing a lot of those lately.

To add insult to injury, I received an email offering Caribbean cruises at ridiculous rates. Arrrgh! To quote The Princess Bride, "Life is pain. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something!"

Oh, well. I've just been informed that today is the 50th anniversary of the Lego building block. So go take a walk down memory lane and remember all the joys of childhood. : )

Peace.

My Day Thus Far . . .

2008-01-28T08:27:00.000-06:00

I've been here for 28 minutes. Here's what's happened.

I left the house ON TIME. Figured it was a miracle, and that I was going to arrive at work on time with a smile on my face.

Got stuck between not one, but a series of FIVE slow moving cars that held up traffic on every road I travel between my house and work. I arrived at work just in time to see the car in front of me pull into the last decent employee parking place. I had to park out in a muddy (frozen mud, but it won't be by the end of the day) field.

Got into work and found that a fire sprinkler had ruptured in the main computer network room in the Nashville office. All network functions are down for the foreseeable future. So I can't get to my patient records, check for new admissions, or follow up on chaplain requests.

Oh, well. I'm here. We'll see what the day holds.

More later.

Peace.

As If Religion Was Not Weird Enough Already . . .

2008-01-25T13:28:00.000-06:00

. . . now we have people following the teachings of a muppet (and later CGI animation)!

A Gospel According to Yoda (from NPR)

Even funnier, a blog connected with NPR has requested that people post ideas for Yoda's Ten Commandments. Some of the suggestions are:

Thou shalt not worship images from Star Trek or other false sci/fi.
Do not steal light sabers. Those things are expensive.
Do not covet thy neighbors midiclorian count.
Jedi robes shall be removed before passing through revolving doors.
Cleanliness of thy parents basement is next to Jediness.
Do not commit adulthood.
Do not cook meat using energy binders.
Thou shalt not use wheels on land transports. They are an abomination.
the new commandment:Speak with bad syntax you must.

I have to say, I howled when I saw the "Do not commit adulthood" suggestion! But at the same time, I feel more than a little sad, because this story shows that people - especially young people, it seems - are in fact looking for a source of spirituality. It's no wonder this started in Europe, where religious affiliation and participation are steadily decreasing. People want to believe in something, anything, that will connect them with that which is greater than themselves. They are not finding their answers in the church or synagogue, or mosque, or temple, so ultimately it falls to them to make up their religion based on that to which they have access: pop culture. So here we have the new Jedi faith.

And apparently some believers take it seriously enough. One posted his Ten Commandments on the same blog where I took the above suggestions. He signed the post as "Jedi Padawan AJ."

1. Believe in the Force and miracles it will work
2. Let the Force flow through you to gain strength
3. Use the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack
4. Weapons are not needed, only the Force
5. Protect all lifeforms
6. Treat all with compassion
7. Do not give in to fear
8. Teach others the way of the Force
9. Do not stop learning about the living Force
10. Use the Force to build, never to destroy

And there you go. Let's hope the fans of Heroes don't get any ideas!

Peace.

Saw This and Had to Post It Here

2008-01-25T12:14:00.001-06:00

Being that I love coffee and all!

Remember, the first rule is never, ever finish the coffee before I've had my cup!

I Know This Shouldn't Make Me Feel Better, But . . .

2008-01-25T09:29:00.000-06:00

I once had a chaplain supervisor who complained that so much of comedy is making fun of other people, and that we often make ourselves feel better by saying things like, "At least I'm not as bad off as that slob!" I tend to agree with him, given the fact that every day I see people far worse off - in many, many ways - than I am. I doubt they would like to hear me say, "You know, I was feeling pretty depressed until I came in and talked to you. Now I see that my life doesn't suck half as much as yours!"

Still, though, there are times when I hear of someone doing something odd, and that's the kind of thought that goes through my head. Like this guy, who apparently is an obsessive collector. Over a million items are strewn about his apartment, ranging from Chinese take out menus to neckties. And he's happy. And here I was worried about my obsessive interests that come and go like the seasons.

Of course, Sharkbait just received a shipment of those pirate ship game pieces that I've been collecting. $40 worth, ordered from this company. They're cheaper than I can get them in stores, so I have to admit, like him, I was tempted. Of course, I play the game online now, as there is no one around here who wants to play the table top version. Still, at least now I can turn to One Ring and say, "See, at least I didn't drop $40! on them! I only spent $7 or $8!"

There's a lot going on around here that is simultaneously irritating and working to make me feel better about my situation. One is the heavy smoking. With the weather being so blasted cold here (13 degrees this morning), people are smoking where they shouldn't be - offices, stairwells, etc.. As a result, smoke is billowing up into the hallways (and my office). Very annoying, but it also reminds me of how much money would be flying out my window if I were a nicotine addict. Same with alcohol. I'm working with addicts who sold their homes, cars, and moved into trailers - or out into the streets - all for their drug of choice. Me? I like a good bottle of wine every now and then, but I have a roof that keeps me dry and a warm bed in which to sleep. Things could be so much worse.

So while the applications are written, the resumes sent out, and the job search continues, guess I need to remind myself that even though things are uncertain and chaotic, I'm not that bad off at the moment. And if you're reading this, neither are you.

Peace.

More Reasons Not to Fly to Nashville

2008-01-25T08:55:00.000-06:00

Just heard about this incident this morning. Apparently, the kid wanted to crash the plane - and by doing so, commit suicide - into an arena that was hosting a Hannah Montana concert. The concert was to be held on Friday in Lafayette, LA. Trouble was, this incident happened on Tuesday!

Here's the article that appeared in this morning's Tennessean:

FBI says teen passenger planned to hijack Nashville-bound flight

By the way, I also just discovered that Miley Cyrus, daughter of Billy Ray and the actress who portrays Hannah Montana, is from Franklin, Tennessee. If my niece only knew how close we were to her idol!

Meeting Day and Musings, Part 2

2008-01-22T14:34:00.000-06:00

Well, the meeting with the boss went well. I aired my grumpiness regarding a particular population of patients, and he agreed and suggested strategies to avoid being burned out. I had a brief assessment with one patient since then whom I'm convinced was lying in many of his statements. No big deal, though it is irritating at times. At least tomorrow is my half day and I don't have to deal with this group until Thursday. I'm going to head back over to the hospice unit later to check up on some of the people over there. Psych tends to get weirder in the late afternoons, so I visit them in the mornings, when possible.

Okay, back to my previous topic. I think the main reason I jump from interest to interest, and attack each (really, attack is probably the best term I can come up with at the moment) with such zeal is twofold. One, I have A.D.D., among other things, and while absent-minded like behavior is common, and feeling like the inside of my head has eighteen televisions all tuned to different channels, there is a secondary effect, which one of my colleagues once termed a laser-like focus. In other words, once my concentration gets locked in on something, that's it. The wife could be yelling, the dog barking, and the house burning down around my ears, but I'm not going to be noticing it. Why? Because I'm busy playing a game, or building a model, or folding an origami chipmunk. And folding an origami chipmunk is, at that moment, the totality of my universe. Sounds almost Zen, doesn't it? Okay, maybe it doesn't, but anyway. . .

And the second reason for such obsessive behavior is escapism. I noticed that I get locked into things especially during times of stress or frustration or anxiety. In other words, I want out, and the best way to do it (for me, at least) is to throw my time, attention, and money into something completely unrelated to the world around me. For example: I'm in Tennessee, life is uncertain, it's cold, rainy, and I've been feeling occasionally grumpy with work. So I am now obsessed with getting to the sunny Caribbean, sailing on a ship, and fantasizing about leaving the normalcy of a 40 hour week for a lifetime of plunder, privateering, and sacking towns. It's the same as three or four months ago, when I got caught up with the supernatural, loving the show Ghosthunters and wanting to go on ghost walks and stay in Bed and Breakfasts that were supposedly haunted. Same stresses, different seasons, different obsessions.

Don't know why I felt compelled to write this. Maybe it was simply a way for me to figure out why I occasionally get into weird things. Like the pirate ship game that I'm now playing online (it's the same game as the one I played with my brother on Christmas day, only online). Small wonder that One Ring shakes her head and sighs every now and then!

Got to run. I've just found a great font and several examples of Letters of Marque. Looks like I'm getting one to hang in my office after all! : ) Obsession! Not just by Calvin Kline!

Peace.

Meeting Day

2008-01-22T12:18:00.000-06:00

I almost didn't post anything today, due to the fact that I've been sitting in meetings pretty much since 8:30 this morning, pausing only for lunch, and I'm about to head to another one in ten minutes. Still, as I sit here finishing my coke and some crackers, I figured that I'd say, "Hello," and muse about a few things.

As you've undoubtedly noticed, I'm changed obsessions recently. I've gone from the "Halloween's not over yet, dammit!" Haunted Mansion obsession to the "I'm cold and wet today - I wish I was sailing in the Caribbean!" pirate and 18th century historical novel kick. Weird, perhaps, but not out of character.

Last night I listed about a half dozen of my past obsessions to One Ring, starting at the time we were married and ending with the pirate thing. Several of them repeated throughout the years - candle making, origami, Disney pins, kung fu, fencing, and - the weirdest, I think - ultralight aircraft. Never did get around to buying a parachute with a lawnmower engine strapped on, but I sure wanted one for a while. Even subscribed to the "official" ultralight magazine, if memory serves! Very, very weird.

I guess for me getting sucked into a subject or interest is a lot like falling in love with someone. Just like when I was dating (note to One Ring: and of course, just like every day!), I would focus all of my attention on that person, imagine living the rest of my life, imagining all sorts of events, trips, and adventures. And then things would not go so well (note to One Ring: except for now!) and I'd be single again until I started stalki- I mean dating someone else.

So when I get into a subject, I want to know everything about it. If I can't figure it out, I want to know why I can't figure it out, and throw just about everything I have into solving the puzzles. I buy books (lots and lots and lots of books!), go to classes (such as candlemaking, fencing, and kung fu), and do a ton of internet research. All until I burn myself out or the seasons change and my interests fade. Then it's the blahs until the next thing catches my eye, or I go back to whatever it was that I was into last season.

Well, I'm about to be late for a meeting, but there's more to add to this. So back in a bit.

Peace.

An Interesting Discovery

2008-01-21T14:05:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I've already told you that today's a dull one, what with it being a federal holiday and all. My chaplain colleague and I took a trip to a nearby coffee shop for caffeine intake, due to the shop here being closed. When we returned, I wolfed down some lunch, did some more work, and then paused for a break. Like I said, about as exciting as dirt.

So I was reading about one of the books in the Master and Commander series by Patrick O'Brian. And yes, these are the same books upon which the movie with Russell Crow is based. Anyway, one of the books is called Letter of Marque, and involves an out of work and dishonored British Naval captain who is offered a chance at redemption after receiving the document for which the book is named.

What is a Letter of Marque? Well, it's a permission slip, essentially, by which a government gives authority to the captain of a privately owned vessel to go out and capture ships belonging to an enemy state. Many of your famous pirates, such as Henry Morgan had Letters of Marque and Reprisal at one time or another. Even John Paul Jones, the famous American (though he was really Scottish, leaving England after killing a sailor who was trying to mutiny) and father of the United States Navy, started out as a privateer with a Letter of Marque.

Anyway, while I was roaming through the internet I found two interesting things. The first was this company, which offers reproductions of a Revolutionary War Letter of Marque from the Continental Congress. Not sure what other people use them for, but printed on the right type of paper, it would look pretty cool hanging on my office wall! "I'm takin' yer ship and I've got me permission slip right 'ere!"

The other interesting thing is actually quite scary. Ron Paul, fading fast libertarian / republican presidential candidate, said twice - once in 2001 and again in 2007 - that congress should once again issue Letters of Marque to companies and individuals willing to go over and fight the war on terror! As if we didn't have enough trouble already with mercenary firms such as Blackwater giving the United States a bad image in the world. It's still unclear whether the Blackwater employees have any legal obligation to the Iraqis (or anyone else, it seems) for the shooting of civillians a few months ago. Could you imagine the chaos caused by random groups of people committing what in essence is sanctioned piracy? Scary!

Of course the very surprising thing is that the United States, unlike other countries such as England and France, did not abolish the practice of Letters of Marque. Congress still has the right, as found in the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8), to issue them.

And that's your random bit of trivia for the day!

Peace.

Dreaming of Warmer Places

2008-01-21T08:41:00.001-06:00

Well, it was about 18 degrees when I drove in to work this morning. Cold, yes, but I've felt colder air on my skin. When I was in Russia, experiencing a Siberian Winter, it got down to -40 degrees F. Now that was painful!

Not that this is a picnic, mind you. I was going to make some candles for a coworker last night, as One Ring had some reading to finish for a class. Thing was, it was already in the teens in the garage, and there was no way I was going to sit out there waiting for wax to melt. So I have to work on that tonight. Wednesday is my deadline, and I have six pillars to make. They take longer, as two pourings are needed, as opposed to only one for container candles.

Instead I spent last night bundled up in our living room watching the Packers play the Giants. -1 at the start of the game, -4 by the end, and a windchill of -24. And the game was sold out! And - if you were watching - did you see the three women wearing bikini tops? They were either drunk or insane, by our reckoning. I can't imagine paying hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dollars for seats there (Green Bay games, the announcer said, have been sold out since the '60s) so I can freeze my tail off. I just don't understand the die hard fan thing.

So I've been fantasizing about a trip to the Caribbean. Hopefully this time next year, I'll be able to leave this weather and head down to warmer climates and once again see water that beautiful shade of blue and crystal clear straight down a hundred feet or more. We'll see. I told One Ring that we needed to do something along those lines (she absolutely hates the cold, and the Caribbean is the one place where we both can agree we wouldn't mind living!), and she quickly agreed. Hopefully a job opportunity will open up and this will become possible.

Well, that's all that's going on at the moment. I'm at work, though no one else is due to the holiday. I figure I'll see the other chaplain for our informal coffee meeting, then check out what's going on with the patients. Should be a quiet one.

More later.

Peace.

Pirate Day, Spent Alone (Sniff!)

2008-01-19T22:33:00.000-06:00

One Ring left this morning to visit her folks. She got there safely and is now having a good time. I spent a lazy morning until I was called into work to see to a patient in the ICU. Afterwards I decided to head to the mall, where I succumbed to temptation and bought more pirate ships, this time from two different lines. Got some neat ones, too!

Aside from that, it's been movie day. Watched The Black Swan, a 1942 swashbuckler with Tyrone Power and Maureen O'Hara. Amazing how much movies have changed over the years. Even the villians were clean cut and well-mannered! Although it was very, very sexist and had some racial moments that made me cringe! The fencing was wonderful, though, making me long for my old days in the Isle of Wight Fencing Club!

Then I watched one of my favorite movies, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, which is based on the series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. I HIGHLY recommend those books for anyone who has any interest in the naval history of the Napoleanic era. Great film, which never gets old no matter how many times I see it. Very realistic combat, as opposed to the aforementioned swashbuckler.

And now I've got Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl going in the background. Very unrealistic on all counts, but the best of the Pirates trilogy. : )

And that's been my day, in a nutshell. Good news is tomorrow I get paid for that church service I conducted. Definitely could use the extra income to pay the bills.

Have a good weekend!

Peace.

Last Post of the Day

2008-01-18T15:33:00.000-06:00

I just saw mention of this on NPR's website and figured it was worth a post here. The article was about a woman named Erin Davies who drives a VW Beetle. After placing a rainbow sticker on the bumper, Davies became the victim of vandalism. Instead of hauling the car off to the paint shop, she decided to drive it around and film people's reaction to the hate messages spray painted on the side. She's working to finish the film in time for the one year anniversary of the vandal's attack.

You can find her website here. Clips from her documentary can be found here. And this would be her logo:

Well, my 3:30 appointment skipped out on me. This is seriously getting old. Thank goodness I can leave in a half hour!

Hope everyone has a happy weekend!

Peace.

Oh, YES!

2008-01-18T14:46:00.001-06:00

Okay, so this weekend Cloverfield opens. It's received mixed reviews, along with the note that people who occasionally experience motion sickness may become ill. That and it's only 76 minutes long, so I'm thinking of waiting for the DVD and netflix-ing it. Which is a bummer, because I've been following the viral ad campaign on the internet, and find the backstory very interesting. Unfortunately, the movie apparently doesn't discuss this backstory AT ALL!

But just a moment ago, I saw this posted on The Horrors of it All blog, and was very, very excited! Yeah, it's going to be a year or more before it hits the theatres, but Solomon Kane is probably one of the coolest characters to come out of Robert E. Howard's brain (I never was one for Conan the Barbarian or Kull the Conqueror). I recall buying a collection of Solomon Kane stories a couple of years back to read during the Halloween season. I was not disappointed.

For those of you not up on older pulp fantasy lit, Solomon Kane is Puritan adventurer called by God to wander the world fighting evil. While that may not seem original, by making Kane a 17th century Puritan, Howard added a very interesting twist. Hopefully the movie will bring that out rather than making it a simple hack and slash adventure flick.

We'll see!

Peace.

The Eternal Job Search

2008-01-18T14:29:00.000-06:00

For the last three years, I've worked positions that were, at best, temporary. I was a chaplain resident for a year, then I worked a couple of part time jobs for a bookstore (shudder!) and a non-profit agency (SHUDDER!!!!!). And now here I am working at my second chaplain residency.

All during this time, I've been looking for a job where I can finally settle down, a career where I won't have to worry about what I'll be doing in six months (seven, actually, since this job ends in August). The fear, always, is that what will happen then will be what happened last year, namely I'll end up having to settle for low paying, unsatisfying jobs and struggling with depression.

So to combat that, I've been sending out my resume and writing applications for different chaplain positions. Last week I fired off the resume to the church 3 hours away. Today I sent one off to a children's hospital. And I'm working on a massive tome of information that will be sent off to the VA chaplain headquarters so that I may be considered for whatever they'll have open come August.

It's occurred to me that perhaps the title of this post should be the same as the first Counting Crows album: August and Everything After.

Sometimes the anxiety gets to me, and I feel like running to the hills (or ocean, in my case. I've never been a hill-type of person!). And I'm much more willing to take a job away from home now than when I was when I first moved here. It's not the ideal, but I do recognize that it may be necessary. And if it can relieve the economic pressure, at least until One Ring gets to her dissertation section of her Ph.D. program, then so much the better.

In other news today, I had to sit through a rather boring and irritating ethics meeting, and then try and set up appointments with other patients for spiritual counsel. No luck there, and the ethics meeting I'd like to forget. I've one appointment scheduled for 3:30 today, and that's it. I should wander through the halls and talk to patients, but, to be honest, I feel the wind leaving my sails and motivation is falling fast.

One Ring is heading to her parent's home this weekend, so Barney the Dog of Destruction and I will be doing the bachelor thing. I predict a very quiet time, unless he has other plans!

Okay, that's all for now. I've got some chart entries to make.

Peace.

I Think We've Found This Year's Election Loony!

2008-01-17T12:33:00.000-06:00

The other day I walked past a car that had an old bumpersticker that read, "Somewhere in Texas, A Villiage is Missing Its Idiot!" Not a new thought, as we've been living with "The Madness of (Wanna-be) King George" for over seven years now.

But still, seeing the sticker got me to wondering, who's the next weirdo to sprout up in election politics? Dennis Kucinich, who claims he saw a UFO? Ron Paul, who wants to get rid of the IRS and the Federal Reserve Bank? Nope. My friends, we have found our loon, and he has already won a Caucus!

Huckabee Says US Constitution Should Reflect "God's Standards"

Apparently, he wants to rewrite the constitution - a secular document that not once mentions or endorses any religion other than to say that the government should stay out of it - so that the United States essentially becomes a theocracy.

I am terrified. Honest. I am scared beyond belief and considering running for the hills if he makes it much further in this race. Even though I am a religious person who still considers himself a Christian - though that term has long been co-opted by the religious right to the point where it has little or none of its original meaning - I know that the type of world Huckabee would like to create would not welcome me or my views. And of course he couched this idea in terms of an ammendment to the Constitution to ban gay marriage. So, the religious right couldn't convince everyone in America that gay marriage is a bad thing, so now they're going to force their views on the nation by way of the Constitution? Doesn't this make us rather like the nations we are currently occupying used to be (Iraq and Afghanistan)? Then again, it also would make us just like the nations we call our allies (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, etc.).

Maybe what this is all about is that Huckabee thinks that latter group has a really good thing going, and we should be more like them!

Thank goodness McCain is currently running ahead of him in the South Carolina Polls!

Peace.

Busy Days

2008-01-17T11:39:00.000-06:00

The pace has definitely picked up around here, and although that's not necessarily a bad thing - the day does go by faster - it does leave me far less time to post here and focus on some of the things I like to do on the job.

So finally I managed to get to this point - lunch break, after three days of running around like a madman, attending more meetings than ever, and chasing down patients who say that they want to meet with me, but then are virtually unavailable. I'm trying to steer clear of the frustration, but all of this does affect me, and I've had a headache for the last couple of days. I've also been snippy at One Ring from time to time, and that's not good, either. Never thought I'd say this, but it was easier when I would have a migraine, be forced to lie down for three days or so, and then feel much, much better! Of course, my memories may have been skewed by the massive quanitities of pain killers I took during those times.

Of course, in admidst all the chaos of the last few days, I have managed to have some fun. Sharkbait convinced me to run to Target and pick up a "collector's tin" (that was on sale) of those pirate ships that I seem to be addicted to nowadays. All were from the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Of course, as anyone who has ever picked up a pack of baseball cards knows (though I had forgotten, as it's been about 30 years since I picked up a pack of any kind of cards - if I recall, I was into Star Wars cards back in '77), you end up with duplicates. So that brought on a call to Sharkbait and a proposal for a trade. I'm sending him some of my duplicates, and he's sending me cards from other series that I don't have. I did end up with a 5 mast dreadnought that looks pretty cool. And then there's the kraken model that came in the tin. Turns out that "Caleb" model that I had previously identified as a kraken-like critter was really simply a giant squid. The Kraken looks much different - all tentacles emerging from the water with no visible body.

Side note: Yes, I've completely lost my mind. Occasionally I realize this as I ramble on about completely meaningless topics, but most of the time I ignore this realization and keep going anyway.

Sharkbait later invited me to participate in a tournament of sorts with his friends when One Ring and I fly out to VA for our goddaughter's baptism in March. Been a long, long time since I've done something like that!

We went to a lecture last night on the theological topic of Revelation (not the book, but the means by which we know anything about God). Very interesting, and I may post some of the ideas should I get any more free time here today. Tonight, though, we have a Christian Education meeting that hopefully won't last too long. Yep, after all these years, I finally ended up on a church committee. Scary, huh? Hope I can stay awake!

Okay, lunch time. More later.

Peace.

O Day, How Can I Waste Thee?

2008-01-14T15:28:00.000-06:00

Today was a Monday, that's for sure.

I had to interview several patients today for their spiritual assessments. Normally that's not a big deal. I say, "Hi. I'm your chaplain." and they tell me to get the hell out. Works for me. I put down that I visited them, and go back to my office and hang out until the next emergency arises. Sometimes they want to talk, and I'm more than happy to listen. But mostly it's a sort of ambivalent staring contest in which I try to figure out whether or not the patient is competent to answer the questions. My favorite interview thus far was when I asked a patient what his religion is and the guy answered, "Republican." Oooooookay. I suppose there are worse things to believe in (like this one), but not too many! : )

Well, today I had one family warn me not to ask the patient any questions about religion. They assured me that yes, he's a spiritual man, and yes, I had to leave him alone. I said I understood, and would not talk about anything religious unless he brought it up. Then I went over to another patient, where I listened for 30 minutes while she compared chaplains she had met during her various hospitalizations. In particular, she went off on a United Church of Christ minister who was "nice but one of those liberals. Do you know what I mean? Just a kind of weird left wing type." I let her go on for a while before letting her know that I, too, was one of those "weird liberal types." of the UCC. I confess I took some enjoyment from her discomfort!

I received an email from one of the people at that church where I sent my resume. She seemed pretty excited that it's on the way. I find that scary. You should really meet me before you decide you want me in your church, lady! I also have to swim through a Sargasso sea of paperwork in trying to apply for the VA chaplain positions that are opening up. I'm in a kind of catch 22 situation. The VA requires a denomination to officially endorse someone before they can be considered for a position. The UCC requires that I be hired before they'll give me any kind of endorsement! Nice, huh? So I'm trying to work that out on top of my daily duties.

But for now, it's almost 4, which means about 15 more minutes of looking at a computer screen. After that, freedom for the night.

Peace.

Catch-up Post

2008-01-14T11:31:00.000-06:00

Well, the weekend went well. I spent most of Saturday in a coma following a week of caring for our friend. He made it home in one piece, by the way, and is now enjoying a life of passing kidney stone fragments. Poor guy. At least he's on the road to recovery.

On Sunday I led the worship service at our church. Much to my surprise, it went well. Lightning did not rain down from the heavens, I did not burst into flame, nor did the ground crack and swallow me up! So I lost a bet on that one. Actually, things went well, so well, in fact, that I had a moment of reflection where I wondered if I was ready to work within a church setting again. Then I hit myself on the head with a heavy object and immediately felt better.

One Ring is beginning her Spring semester work and is becoming one with a large pile of books. If there is one thing that her Ph.D work has taught me, it's that I do not want to enter Ph.D. work! Which is weird, because for years I swore up and down that was what I wanted to do. But no longer. I want to work, and the idea of studying more so I might (key word here) someday get a job that pays well does not excite me. So hopefully the next career move I make will be my last for a good long while.

Having said that, I did mail out my resume to a church about 3 hours from here, despite my ambivolent feelings described above. Hopefully further discussion with them will help me figure out if it's a good move or not. I'm hoping that I can land one of the 3 chaplain positions that are supposed to be opening up in this area, but I can't bank on that. I'd rather have multiple offers than have the one I'm counting on fall through. So we'll see.

Other than that, the weekend was quiet, and today is boring. Which is fine with me. Oh, and today marks the 50th anniversary of the Smurfs! I used to own about a hundred of the little critters!

More later.

Peace.

Whew!

2008-01-11T15:25:00.000-06:00

Well, the good news is that the depression and low energy that I felt yesterday has lifted (Hence the reason for the lack of posts - I may talk about why I was feeling that way at some later time). The bad news was that I needed every bit of that energy to get through the day! Rather frustrating at points, this day was, as I had to chase down several patients who were ordered to come to my office for an assessment, but then never showed up. I saw them yesterday, so I knew they weren't mortally wounded or dying of the plague, so I was not up for any excuses. Not that they offered any. Not even a "sorry!" Then they wonder why I beat them so soundly with the nearest heavy Bible. Heathen!

Anyway, my friend finally felt well enough to drive home today. He left around 9:30 this morning, One Ring tells me, so that should put him in his driveway anytime now. The kidney stone was broken up, but the pieces that remained were still giving him fits. I hope he's not in too much pain. He has some really good drugs to help him through, but none of which are too conducive with driving.

So that leaves One Ring, me, and Barney the Dog of Destruction home alone this weekend. I have to say that I'm really looking forward to some rest and relaxation, although extensive cleaning will also be required around the house. That and I may be working on some candles, if there's time. And then there's the church service on Sunday that I've signed up to conduct.

I think I feel a migraine coming on. : )

Anyway, the day is over in 45 minutes, and I'm in a good mood. Hopefully I can maintain that!

More later.

Peace.

Repel Boarders!

2008-01-08T14:51:00.000-06:00

I just found out that I will be keeping my office, and thus will not beginning a nomadic trek across the campus looking for a place to put my stuff. Woohoo! I was really getting worried there for a moment.

Right now I'm waiting for an appointment to arrive for an assessment. Yesterday, everyone was early. Too bad that can't happen everyday!

Oh, and I bought more pirate ships. : )

More later.

Peace.

A Better Morning

2008-01-08T08:50:00.003-06:00

Well, I actually slept last night, which is definitely a welcomed thing! My friend is scheduled for his ultrasound procedure to break up the kidney stone and his wife may be flying out here to drive him back home. So that's pretty much taken care of, barring complications.

This morning Barney the Dog of Destruction decided to give another shot at being a hunting dog. We have a shed in our back yard, and back when Peanut the Dachshund was still alive, a family of rabbits moved in under the shed. Peanut didn't care, so the rabbits were loving life. Well, this morning Barney was very excited. I noticed that he kept sticking his nose under the shed and barking - well, trying to bark, anyway. Soon a rabbit came racing out, and Barney took off in pursuit. Of course the rabbit got away, but Barney was very happy with his efforts. He stayed outside for a while, then came in, greeted One Ring and me, and fell asleep on the couch.

Work has started in the usual way. I have to write up a case study for tomorrow, and I've meetings all day long. Fortunately, it looks like two of them have been cancelled. I also have only one spiritual assessment to do for a patient today. Should be able to get everything done with time to spare. Which is good, because there's a store right by work that sells those pirate ships I like! : )

Okay, back to the grind.

Peace.

P.S. A special thanks to the person who posted a comment yesterday to tell me that yes, people actually read this!

Seems Like I Write A Lot of These

2008-01-07T15:47:00.001-06:00

"30 minutes left" posts, I mean. Somehow I end the day with time to spare, at which point I'm too tired to do anything productive (does that excuse carry for the entire day?). So I write here. Mostly meaningless drivel, about how the day went, or how tired I am, or whatever.

So here's what's going on in my mind this time around:

1) Is anyone still reading this blog? Silver Blue has stopped posting altogether (yeah, I know, for something like the fifth time) and now he's saying that he's only going to post music mixes and DJ related items. At least, that's what I think he said when I checked in with him a while back. So I wonder if the trend that he's noticed - namely that blogs not tied to a single topic are a dying breed - is real or not. And if it is, and I keep writing, will anyone read this stuff?

2) When am I going to get off my lazy butt and submit my resume and profile and other stuff to potential job sites? The deadline for one is coming up, and I need to get into gear.

3) Where is my office going to be located this time next week, and should I start packing now? The people in this building say "yes." My boss says, "No." And here I am, stuck in the middle with boxes!

4) Running away to Key West sounds really good right now. I just found out that they have a pirate museum down there! Not to mention that Caribbean life always sounds good, even if it is an unseasonable 70 degrees or so here. Never mind that the cheapest house I see that's for less than $250,000!

5) Why does my mind have such odd thoughts? I was talking with a patient in the substance abuse program - an alcoholic - and I kept thinking, "You know, a glass of wine would be wonderful right about now!" That's even worse than when I worked at the Virginia Aquarium and found myself craving seafood! Sheesh, I need help.

6) (Written 15 minutes later, after someone came by my office to ask a theological question) And finally, why is it that I get asked the most difficult questions, the ones that I really need to be awake and on the ball, when I'm feeling like I'm at my worst?

Anyway, that's what's going on in my head. Now I'm getting it and the rest of me home for the night.

Peace.

This is Not How It Was Supposed to Be

2008-01-07T10:38:00.000-06:00

Saturday a good friend of mine arrived from North Carolina. He's writing his disseratation proposal, and needed a quiet place to work and relax after having a very hard and stressful year. For some reason, he chose our house as a place to try and get all that done.

Well, the first night went well. We went out to dinner, caught up on news, and talked about future plans for our careers (what's that?) and lives. Then all hell broke loose.

At 3 AM Sunday morning, our friend awoke with excrutiating pain in his lower back. By 8, it was so bad that I had to drive him to the local doc in a box, who thought it was a kidney stone. Several drugs and copays later, we were back at the house, where the patient got progressively worse. At 10 PM, we were on the way to the emergency room, where we found that he not only has a kidney stone, apparently he somehow got the Rock of Gibraltar lodged in there.

One Ring stayed with him in the ER throughout the evening (she has the day off - I don't, so I could only stay with them until midnight or so), and got home with him around 3. We moved him to a more comfortable bed and then we all finally got to sleep around 3:45. I was up at 6.

Today they're off to the urologist for what will hopefully be a solution for his agony. I've heard that kidney stones are the closest thing a man can come to in terms of levels of pain to childbirth. Seeing what my friend is going through, I believe it.

So we're all exhausted today. I'm trying to get everything done that needs to be done, although I'm still irritated at work enough to be tempted to wander off base for a while. Today my boss called me and said to unpack what I've packed for the office move; someone didn't fill out the right paperwork, so now I'm not being evicted. All of which has torqued off the people who asked me to move, and put me in a very delicate situation. As my boss said, "You might want to keep your head down for a while!" Wonderful.

All in all, though, I'm glad that we were able to get our friend medical attention fairly quickly. He was in the ER and seen by a nurse within 15 minutes (the national average is something like an 8 hour wait!). The IV with saline and pain killers were running within 45 minutes. And to get an appointment with a specialist the very next day is unheard of! Things could definitely be worse today.

So that's my weekend report. Now I'm cranking up REM (Automatic for the People, if you are curious) and thinking about what I'm going to write for a presentation that I'm presentation on Wednesday. Thinking is not coming easy today.

Peace.

New Year's Temptations

2008-01-03T12:40:00.000-06:00

So it's 2008 now, and as I've rolled around the blogoverse I've seen a lot of the usual lists of resolutions, as well as the funnier lists of resolutions that have already been broken. Well, being that I'd forgotten to make a list of resolutions (never mind break them!), I thought that I'd come up with a semi-serious list of things I'd like to do over the coming year or years. Keep in mind that part of this is coming from the fact that my day is not going well at work and that it's been colder than all get out here over the last couple of days! These are also in no particular order.

1) Move to someplace near a coastline.

2) Learn to play the guitar

3) Get a career going after a three year hiatus

4) Decorate my office (assuming I get one) in a pirate / nautical motif

5) Become a pirate if #3 falls through. Things to procure: ship, crew, pirate outfit, parrot, and assorted saucy wenches. Also, places to stay in various Caribbean ports. Any volunteers for any of these positions?

6) Find someone with whom to play this pirate ship game:

and yes, I've added more ships. The one on the far left being attacked by the Kraken (in the game the squid is called Caleb, for some unknown reason) is indeed the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean. The mast on the ship in the middle rear fell broke, tragically, during construction this morning. Not sure how I'm going to fix it.

7) Get help with my addiction to #6, as well as my seasonal obsessions with pirates, the Haunted Mansion, and odd religious interests.

8) Get a tad more serious on working on my own issues. I promise to stop biting fundamentalists - upon orders from my attorney, therapist, and family.

Well, that's enough for now. I've kept away from work for far too long today. Time to show my face again.

Peace. I mean . . . Arrrrr! P )

A Sign Your Day is About to Get Worse

2008-01-03T12:07:00.001-06:00

And here I was complaining about MY day!

Eviction Notice

2008-01-03T11:38:00.001-06:00

Well, the day's gotten a tad more interesting. This morning, while drinking much needed tea, my boss dropped by and informed me that I will have to move out of my office. No biggie, I told him. Where am I moving to?

He said he didn't have a clue.

So one week from today, I will be vacating my current location for points unknown. More than likely, I'll be sharing an office with another chaplain. Thing is, I LIKE my privacy! Plus, aside from one chaplain, all are rather conservative. If you've read this for any length of time, you know that I'm decidedly a left winger. I'm just concerned that the next 8 months are going to be painfully long.

Well, back to the grind.

Peace.

Happy New Year! and Other Dire Predictions

2008-01-03T08:40:00.000-06:00

Or "Where Has All the Good News Gone?"

So I got up early today, mostly because between my cold and fighting for bed space with my dog, I couldn't sleep much past 5:30. Also, because I was feeling lousy, I figured I needed the extra time to get ready.

It was actually quite nice, having time to eat a leisurely breakfast and sip hot tea while watching CNN and BBC America. Or, it would have been nice, had every image plastered on the screen not been one that seemed to depict the downfall of Western Civilization.

So let's recap what I saw today: first, oil broke the $100 / barrel landmark. That means gas prices will supposedly top $3.50 or more per gallon in the US before too long. Then the stock market took a huge plunge. There's more rioting in Kenya after their attempt at Democracy fell flat on its face. Pakistan seems to have quieted down some, though people are thinking that if anything else goes wrong with the elections, all hell is going to break loose. And, finally, I had to sit through tons of political news pieces because (brace yourself!) today is the Iowa primary! Of course, the subtitle for this should be "where most sensible people stay home because it's too dang cold to go outside and vote!" Only 11 more months until the election. Sigh!

Oh, and on top of all that silliness, CNN showed a clip of my neighbor (I grew up in the same city where Regent University and CBN are based) Pat Robertson making his yearly predictions. This year he really stretched himself: high gas prices, more conflict, and a recession in the U.S. Thankfully, CNN did say that his predictions for last year, which included a terrorist attack on American soil, did not come true.

Okay, I just got a call from my coworker inviting me over for tea. I could use a cup. Thank goodness for friends in this crazy world!

Plodding Through and New Addictions

2007-12-31T15:54:00.001-06:00

Sharkbait was right - that Pirate ship game is addictive. I picked up a couple of packs the other day at a local game store (1 pack each of Pirates of the Crimson Coast and Pirates of Davey Jones' Curse). Today I took the ships in to work and put them up as a little display on my desk:

Of course, once I got through, I thought, "You know, this needs something . . . I know! More ships!" Fortunately, the hobby stores near my work were all closed due to the holiday, otherwise I may have gone AWOL and picked up a couple of more packs.

Which doesn't make any sense at all since 1) there's no one here with whom to play the game, and 2) the packs are about $4.00 a piece. But still, I had fun opening them up and seeing which ships I would find, which crewmen, and so forth. And there was the added bonus of finding a Kraken like squid in the Davey Jones' Curse pack. Sharkbait tells me that they're coming out with models based on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Now that should be interesting. He was heading out today to buy more packs for a big game that is coming up sometime soon. A buddy of his was going to put together a tournament. Probably a good thing that he's a 12 hour drive away from me. Otherwise I'd probably want to get into that. There's an online version, but I can't tell whether or not it's fee based. I'd rather not get into something that could be that addictive.

Well, work ends in about 10 minutes. I'm beat. I felt pretty good for most of the day, thanks to caffeine and keeping active. But now I'm really slowing down. One Ring's brother is coming over tonight to ring in the New Year. I hope I'm not a party pooper, but the way I'm feeling, I'll probably be in bed by 10!

I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year!

Peace.

I Have a Cold. : (

2007-12-31T07:58:00.000-06:00

One of my patients passed his head cold on to me on Friday, leaving me sniffing, coughing, and feeling lousy all weekend. One Ring's parents came up from Alabama to celebrate Christmas with us, and unfortunately I didn't do much more than stare off into space and try to be interested in the goings on. Hopefully no one noticed too much!

So I'm at work now, after not sleeping too well last night (breathing is not as easy as it used to be!). I'm tempted to just shut my door and collapse on the floor, on my desk, or in my chair, but I've got papers to write, schedules to make, patients to visit, and all that jazz.

I'll post more later, but in the meantime, I hope most of you are enjoying your day off, and are planning a safe and happy New Year's Eve experience!

Peace.

45 Minute Countdown

2007-12-28T15:30:00.000-06:00

My long and boring day is finally grinding to a halt. It's been raining all day, and the energy level around here has been negligible at best. In fact, now that the sun has started to dip low in the horizon, the darkness is adding to the sense that it's much later in the day than it really is. One Ring called me earlier to say that we may go out with her brother to see Sweeney Todd, but I confess that I'm more in the mood to curl up under a blanket and watch a DVD while sipping hot chocolate!

All of my appointments arrived early - I'll have to check if that's a sign of the Apocalypse, because that NEVER happens! - so now I'm just killing time until around 4:15, when I can start packing up to leave. In the meantime, I've been trying to get around the computer network blocks that won't let me see anything related to games of any kind. The reason, you ask? Well, there's this tabletop game that my brother introduced me to while I was on vacation in Virginia.

Pirates of the Spanish Main is put out by Wiz Kids and has a relatively simple premise: blow the crud out of your competitors and loot the islands for treasure. There's an online version, but, like my brother Sharkbait, I prefer tabletop to computer versions of games like this.

We played only one game, which I won by one point, but I could tell that if I had someone to play with locally, this could be a very expensive addiction. The cards only cost something like $3.50 a pack, but of course I'd want to get as many ships and bonus cards (crews, monsters, and the like) as possible. In a way, it reminded me of Sid Meier's Pirates in the way that you can board and take over ships, capture crew and put them to work for you, and have ships grow less and less effective as you take damage. The main difference between Meier's computer game and POTSM though is that it's not character driven, and there's no overriding theme - just a ton of expansion packs dealing with different eras and locations of piracy (Vikings, Asian, Mediterranean Corsairs, "cursed" ships, and so on). Meier's Pirates is locked into the Caribbean.

Wonder if they'll come out with a solo version? I'd hate to have to resort to the online edition. Seems like every time I play an online game, cheating is rife and I end up getting annihilated by 12-year-olds! : )

Okay, 25 minutes. More later.

Peace.

Hello, My Name's Scott . . .

2007-12-28T09:52:00.001-06:00

. . . and I have a problem.

There, I've said it. Satisfied? I'm a coffee junkie. The coffee shop is closed - AGAIN! - forcing me to buy coffee from a machine! Somebody is going to pay for this!

So now I'm really grouchy. Never mind the fact that I left home today without my work ID, or cell phone charger. My phone just died, and while I've completed some of my paperwork that needs to be done before lunch, I'm not so sure whether or not I can resist the temptation to leave campus and take a long lunch. A reeeeeaaaaaalllly long lunch!

Okay, just called One Ring. She's meeting me for lunch. Day's starting to look up. Now I just have to get a little more productive. Nah, that would be aiming too high!

Peace.

News Blues

2007-12-28T08:45:00.000-06:00

I really need to stop paying so much attention to the news. Not that I wish to remain blissfully ignorant about important events, but rather I've noticed that watching CNN and BBC this morning - as well as listening to NPR on the drive to work - has seriously darkened my mood. What with the former Prime Minister being assassinated in Pakistan, the couple killing an entire family in Washington on Christmas Eve, and the tiger mauling in San Francisco, I'm filled almost to capacity with horrible news.

I want to hear something good, something happy, that is going on in the world. I searched the news feeds, but all I could come up with was a student in China who won the lottery and left school (whoopee), and something about how one day we will be able to blog via our cell phones (Yea, even more ways to waste time at work!).

Plus it's raining buckets today. I'm heading over to the coffee shop today to see if they opened. Yesterday they were closed due to staffing problems. Probably one of the baristas had an eggnog overdose! I'm praying they're open today. I need help to get going. I think I'm the only chaplain on site. Which is very, very scary!

Okay, caffeine hunt is in progress. I've got a mountain of paperwork to get done before the day is through.

Peace.

All is Calm, All is Bright

2007-12-27T10:32:00.001-06:00

Except for the holiest spot in Orthodox Christianity, it seems!

Priests brawl at Jesus' birthplace

Now, if religious leaders can't keep their cool and behave like civilized adults, why are we surprised when the laity goes nuts?

You know, maybe this is the start of something big. What with the writer's strike and the need for television programming, perhaps we're looking at the next trend of reality programming! Cross The Ultimate Fighter with religious conflict, and I think you've got a guaranteed hit! : )

Peace.

Identity Crisis (of sorts)

2007-12-27T10:01:00.000-06:00

Every so often, especially during boring moments of my day, I try to google the names of friends, exes (okay, just how do you write the plural of "ex"?), people I haven't talked to in years. You get the idea. Every so often, I google my own name, just to see what comes up.

When I was young, I thought that no one else had a name similar to my own. I think there was one kid that had the same first name as me in the fifth grade, but that was it. For years. Then when I entered graduate school, there was a guy who almost ruined my reputation because he had the same first and last name as me. I never met him, but I ended up with his playboy subscription and a lot of calls from angry exes (again, that word!) when he left campus. Seems everyone wanted to kill him. Fortunately, no attempts were made on my life!

So what did I get today, when I googled my name? Nothing related to me, that's for sure. Seems there's a rally car driver, a Harley-Davidson salesman, and a bunch of sport fishermen who all share my name. A couple of wealthy real-estate guys, too. In a surreal way, it's almost like seeing what my life might be like if I had made different choices. Not that I mind too much where I am, but it might be nice to drive a rally car now and then!

Hmm, wonder what would happen if I google names I go by online?

Peace.

Back to the Grind

2007-12-27T09:23:00.001-06:00

I'm back. Home from the holidays. At work. How quickly time goes by!

One Ring and I spent five days with my family and our friends, seeing our godchild for the first time, taking care of my sister (who had her tonsils removed), and playing with our niece and nephew. In short, we had a whirlwind of activity. Christmas Eve was hectic, Christmas day was exhausting, but over all, we had a very good time. Now if we can only get over the colds we seem to have contracted while travelling!

I feel a little grumpy today, because one of One Ring's presents for me was a nice little fountain for my office. I was looking forward to getting it running, only to find that it's broken. So we need to take that back. Hopefully that's the only return that needs to be done this season. Also, I discovered, much to my horror, that the coffee shop here on campus is closed. No sign, no reason given. Just closed. So I'm resorting to downing sodas and hoping that enough caffeine hits my system before I have to teach a class in about an hour.

So things are starting to speed up again after the holiday. I need to update my resume and get it out to the church that may be interested in me. Then I need to get my applications done for the VA system. I realize that I still have 7 or 8 months left of my residency, but I don't want to waste time and be caught without a job at the end of the year. I really don't want to go back to the bookstore!

Well, that's all from here at the moment. I need to get ready for my class and wake up a little bit more. Then comes the usual barrage of meetings, visits, and counseling sessions. The day should pass quickly.

I hope everyone out there had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Yule, or whatever holiday you were celebrating this month!

Peace.

Just a Thought

2007-12-20T12:57:00.000-06:00

Before I return to the chaos that is my work and life.

As most of you know from previous posts and communications, I'm now working at a VA hospital. As such, I'm seeing first hand the results of the wars that we are fighting and the wars that we have fought. And while political, economic, and social goals may or may not have been reached in each of our nation's conflicts, there is always a price to be paid. Even those fortunate enough to return alive still come home wounded in one way or another. The effects of combat experience are often not recognized for months, or even years, after the return. The price that service men and women pay is very high, indeed.

So, in the spirit of the holidays, and in my hope that one day there will be no need for places like my workplace, I give you the following:

Happy Christmas (War is Over)
by JOHN LENNON and YOKO ONO

So this is Xmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Xmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Xmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong

And so happy Xmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fights

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Xmas
And what have we done
Another year over
A new one just begun

And so happy Xmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over, if you want it
War is over now
Happy Xmas

Morning Craziness

2007-12-20T10:02:00.000-06:00

Woke up late today. Not just a few minutes late, mind you, but late as in, "Huh, I should be going out the door right about now!" kinda of late. Showered, shaved, got dressed and got to the car in record time, only to find that my gas tank was empty. Got to work, and discovered that I had left my lunch at home. Yep, looking to be one of those days.

I'm trying to be in a Christmas kind of mood. Honest. I even brought One Ring's presents to work so I could wrap them on my lunch break. We're opening gifts tonight since we're flying to Virginia at dawn tomorrow. I also have two candles to make as gifts. That will have to be done as soon as I get home, so the wax has time to cool before we pack. How is it that I always end up with too much to do and not enough time to do it? As usual, it seems that I need at least a week or two more in order to get ready for Christmas. For some reason, it seems that the holiday snuck up on me again.

Since I won't be blogging until I return on the 26th (though I may post more stuff today, depending on how the rest of the day goes), I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Already Hannukah and the Buddha's Birthday have passed. The Winter Solstice is tomorrow, so I guess Yule is right about now. That leaves Kwanzaa (though I confess I don't know when that is this year), Christmas and New Year's. And, of course, all the traditions and parties that these days create. No wonder everyone is stressed and exhausted!

Yesterday a group of us chaplains were joking around about the true meaning of Christmas. My supervisor and one of the instructors laughed and said, "About 80 billion dollars!" Which, sadly, seems to be what all the holidays have come to mean to people. Buy stuff we can't afford, and give gifts to people who already have too much.

I feel a soapbox speech coming on, and I'm sure we've all heard it before, so I'll spare you my opinions. I just think ours would be a far better world in which to live if we would just donate the vast amount of food we overeat to the hungry, the clothes we don't need to the needy, and use the money we spend on trinkets to fund non-profit organizations throughout the year.

'nuff said. I've got work to do.

Peace.

Christmas is Coming . . . Way Too Fast

2007-12-18T11:20:00.000-06:00

As usual, I am way behind the eight ball in term of getting ready for the holiday or even feeling 'in the spirit,' whatever that means. One Ring and I finally got the tree up, and we have lights and garland, but still no ornaments. Part of the reason for the slowdown is because of Barney the Dog of Destruction, who is still in his puppy "chew everything that looks like a toy" stage.

Just got a call. We'll continue this when I get back from a lunch meeting. I'm enjoying this laid back holiday vibe that seems to be going on around here. : )

(insert intermission music here)

I'm back. Had lunch at a Chinese take out place near a bookstore. Wasn't bad, though the chaplain with whom I dined pointed out that they had placed family pictures over the health department rating sheet. So if I should die of food poisoning in the near future, we know why!

However, having gorged myself, I'm now very sleepy. Which is not good because I have to write a case study for tomorrow, do some visits, and have three office visits coming in about 1 1/2 hours. Nope, definitely not good!

Tonight is the office Christmas Party, followed by me trying to get Christmas presents wrapped and under the tree while One Ring finishes up another paper. It's her last before vacation begins. Woohoo!

Okay, first job - get that paper written. Then visits - if there's time - followed by appointments. Must . . . stay . . . awake!

Continuing with the Guitar Hero Theme

2007-12-17T18:19:00.000-06:00

I don't know if any of you saw this, but it's been the running joke between me and my brother-in-law. Enjoy.

Peace.

Dude, I Can Shred! Honest!

2007-12-17T12:09:00.000-06:00

Okay, time for a little confession. Even though I have a picture on my profile here showing me holding Jimi Hendrix's guitar left handed, I cannot, nor have I ever been able to, play the guitar. My grandfather offered me the opportunity to learn back when I was 16 or so - he even volunteered both the guitar and to pay for the lessons! However, due to a significant amount of stupidity on my part (I recall asking, "Is it electric?" My mother replied, "No, it's a Spanish guitar."), I refused ("If it's not electric, I don't want to learn.").

So I've been regretting that decision for the last, oh, twenty-one years. Off and on I've been wanting to take up the guitar, but either have never had the money or the guitar, or never had the opportunity to find a teacher. Usually all of the above.

Cut to last year. Out of the blue, One Ring's parents get me Guitar Hero II for my PS2. I stayed up until 3 AM that night playing. Not just playing, mind you, but going nuts as if I was suddenly transformed into a teen again reliving an adolescent fantasy. The next morning, I couldn't move my left wrist (unlike the aforementioned Jimi Hendrix, I'm right handed). One Ring simply laughed and said, as she often does, "You're so silly!"

Then came Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s. Now I'm jamming to songs that I would have been playing had I said yes to my grandfather back in the day. I worked my way through that game, managing to avoid the carpal tunnel like pains that came the first time around. All I was missing was the skinny tie and A Flock of Seagulls hair. And yes, I Ran (So Far Away) is one of the songs in that game.

Now move to this weekend. One Ring's brother works as a high school choral teacher. Some of his students asked him to form a Guitar Hero club. Not being able to come up with a good reason quick enough, he agreed. For a couple of weeks we heard how odd the children were, and how when he saw how talented they were at the game, he wondered why they didn't just learn how to play a real guitar. And then, Saturday night . . . he buys a copy of Guitar Hero III and the guitar controller. Thing is, he doesn't even own a game system.

So now the game, and the controller are at my house. And I'm exhausted. I stayed up way too late every night this weekend, apparently trying to recapture a dream from my youth. By Mid-day Sunday my wrist started hurting again. By this morning, I was realizing a simple fact:

I really need to get a life and learn to play the guitar.

More on this adventure as it continues.

Peace.

I'm Back at Work

2007-12-14T11:14:00.000-06:00

and trying to get back into the swing of things. Kind of a weird day, being Friday and a payday, and right before the holidays. And no, we still haven't decorated. Supposed to be tonight, but we'll see. Depends on how much Barney the dog of destruction allows us to get breakables out. I'm worried about the tree, too. I can just imagine what it would look like after he attacks it. Hopefully he'll leave it alone like Peanut did. I miss her; she would never attack anything. Housetraining was an ongoing struggle, but after her puppy days, nothing was chewed up or ended up missing. Barney is still in the puppy "chew anything that looks good - or doesn't" mode, so it's an ongoing drama.

Today the gang from work is supposed to get together at "The Slick Pig," a local institution. Given the name, and the fact that it's a local institution, you can guess a lot about the locale in which I work! Supposedly the food is good, though, so I'm hoping for the best. I may post something more if anything interesting happens.

Got a headache at the moment. Hopefully the drugs I took will take the edge off.

Okay, more later.

Peace.

The Best Laid Plans . . .

2007-12-14T11:09:00.000-06:00

Well, it seemed a good idea at the time. Microsoft put up an AI on it's instant messaging program so children could talk to Santa. Well, due to a glitch in the programming, Santa got caught talking dirty to the kiddies. Here's the article.

Truth be told, it wasn't intentional, nor do I believe that any programmer was out to play grinch. Still, though, it's sad that something so nice could go so wrong.

Peace.

All I Want For Christmas

2007-12-13T22:49:00.000-06:00

is this!

Spent the day at home not feeling well, so there's nothing really to report from my world. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel better - I'm going to work regardless - and will have more to say.

Peace.

It's a Frustrating Thing . . .

2007-12-11T15:53:00.000-06:00

. . . to be doing what you feel like you're meant to do in life, and not be able to make a career out of it.

Okay, so maybe it's a little premature to be making that kind of statement. After all, I have 8 months to get my foot in the door somewhere. But it's definitely looking to be an uphill fight, whether it's here at the VA or elsewhere. In the post-modern culture, it's hard to sell the need for spiritual care to a materialistic culture. In private hospitals and public, whenever there's a budget cut, chaplains are the first to go. There's no profit in it.

So as I deal with this latest bump, and a few other crises that have reared their ugly heads today - mythologically speaking, life is a hydra - I realize that I am tired, grumpy, and want to go home. I'm not sure I'm even in the mood to decorate for Christmas (no, we still haven't done that - and we're only 14 days out!). I'm tempted to suggest that we just put the kabosh on the whole thing and try again next year, once all of this craziness has ended. But then, who knows what next year will bring.

Fifteen minutes, and then I get to walk to the satillite parking area. Yea. Any day you can walk away from is a good day, I guess (Sort of like landings that way!).

Peace.

Mixed Bag Kinda Day

2007-12-11T12:24:00.000-06:00

Last week I heard that there was going to be an opening at the VA hospital in Nashville for a job in my line of work. Needless to say, I was psyched, pumped, and doing backflips, because it would mean that I wouldn't have to worry about life after August (when my current residency comes to a screeching halt). Also, I figured that since the VA already knows who I am - at least, I assume they know who I am, since I've been here a while - I should be a shoe-in for the job. Alas, no such luck.

Due to the fact that I'm in a residency, I have to apply as if I were an outsider. In other words, I have to jockey for position amongst the hoi polloi. Like most careers in the religious world, for some reason it attracts applicants who are, shall we say, odd. This muddies up the works, causing delays and, in many cases, the wrong person being chosen for the job. Plus, preference in the VA system is given to vets, especially disabled vets. I think that's a great thing, except that I'm a civillian, unable to serve due to various and sundry medical problems (an allergy to authority figures being one of them!). So what looked last week to be a sure thing has now gone to the "snowball's chance in the August sun" type of situation.

There is a church that might be interested in me, but they're three hours away north of Knoxville. That would be a mess to negotiate, too. Plus I'm very gun shy when it comes to working around churches after my last two attempts. 'nuff said, there.

So it's two weeks before Christmas and it's 75 degrees outside. Instead of Christmas music, I've got Curve cranked up in my office. Doesn't feel at all like the holidays today. I'm off to visit the wife of someone in the hospice unit in a few minutes. Hopefully that will take my mind off of things.

On the good side, though, I at least have options for the future. I talked with a patient yesterday who had lived out of his truck for months after losing his job. We're putting him back together and trying to get him back on his feet. Things like that makes me appreciative of what I already have, and the possibilities that exist in the future.

Peace.

Debates Ensue

2007-12-10T16:07:00.000-06:00

Well, the guy across the hall just came running up to me, saying "I knew it! I knew it!" What did he know? Why that Nobel Prize winner Al Gore was going to run for president, of course.

For the record, Al Gore has not thrown his hat into the ring yet, all he said was that if he were to seek public office, it would be the White House or bust. Or something to that effect. Here's the article.

My co-worker (who's a Huckabee supporter, apparently) also believes that the U.S. would never elect a woman or an African-American. He said that I'm not old enough to remember the anti-Catholic furvor when JFK ran, and used his assassination to imply that would be what would happen to Clinton or Obama if she or he won the White House. While I would like to believe that our country has progressed far enough since the turbulent days of the '50s, '60s, and '70s, I also know that all it takes is one racist, sexist, or religious nutcase to cause all kinds of harm.

I just pray that I'm wrong, and that we can rise above the silliness that seems to confront us at every turn and elect the best candidate for the office. Just so long as it's not this guy. : )

Peace.

Things That Do Not Bode Well

2007-12-10T08:20:00.000-06:00

Just got to my office about 20 minutes ago, and found that the temperature here feels like it's in the 80s. It's going to be warm here this week - 70s tomorrow and upper 60s today - but for some reason the heat here got stuck in the on position. And since this is a government installation, we do not have a thermostat to keep things comfortable. Everything is centrally controlled. So it's December, 8:30 in the morning, and I'm perspiring! Grrr.

Other than that, though, the day looks pretty good. I got here on time, found a good parking space, and my boss isn't here! Just as long as I don't spend time in my office, I'll be fine.

One Ring and I were watching CNN this morning before I left (I was too lazy to turn it over to the BBC). Aside from overplaying a story in which some guy created a new groin protector ("anatomically correct for better protection!") and then proceeded to film himself standing in front of a baseball pitching machine as it threw fastballs into his privates, there wasn't much in the way of useful news. There was however, this interesting footnote about celebrity endorsements for the Presidential candidates:

So by now we've all heard that Oprah is backing Barak Obama, Striestand is behind Hillary Clinton, and the Osmond family is stumping for Mitt Romney. And who can forget that Mike Huckabee has Chuck Norris in his corner? Well, today I found out that Tennessee's favorite son, Fred Thompson, star of both the big screen and small, is receiving support from no other than . . .

wait for it . . .

Pat Sajak!

I'm not sure things can get much worse for his campaign, when the biggest star they can get on board is the host of Wheel of Fortune.

There comes a time when a candidate has to know that he or she is finished. That time is now, Fred. Give it up and come back home. You were much better on Law and Order.

Peace.

Just Wonderful (Heavy on the Sarcasm)

2007-12-07T12:17:00.000-06:00

I'm waiting for my boss to finish a meeting, so I've been spending the last 45 minutes or so eating lunch and Christmas shopping. Being that I do not have lists at the moment, this is being done pretty much by memory. Scary thought, and who knows what people will end up getting!

So I'm celebrating the fact that I have four hours until the weekend, when I noticed that the computer security guys have once again moved in and locked down some of the sites I like to frequent. Even NPR's live news feed was closed down. So while grumbling and considering possible responses (read as: grumble some more, as there's really nothing I can do), I went over to Beliefnet.com

And there, lo and behold, I find that Beliefnet has been bought out by News Corp! The owners of Fox News, several conservative Religious publishing houses, and Rupert Murdoch's insane desire to take over the world (okay, maybe I'm making that last one up, but he's buying up media outlets like they're going out of style - and his idea of "fair and balanced" is neither fair or balanced. Discuss.) have now taken over one of the better locations of religious discussion and interfaith dialogue. Here's the official announcement letter from the head of Beliefnet.

Needless to say, I'm sad, disgusted, angry, and frustrated. I realize that running a site like Beliefnet almost certainly requires a corporate sponsor. But surely there were better foundations, non-profits, and think-tanks that could have done a better job.

I don't even want to think about what Beliefnet is going to become. Guess I'm going to have to try to find a new place on the web to hang out. Any ideas?

Peace.

Fun, Fun, Fun

2007-12-06T11:39:00.000-06:00

Just finished teaching my morning class, and I'm currently waiting to meet a coworker for lunch. It's been an interesting morning, and by "interesting" I mean that old Chinese curse that says, "May you live in interesting times." Yeah, they really knew how to stick it to ya!

Had a guy in my class today who loudly proclaimed that the wealthy didn't need God, since it was the poor people who prayed for things they needed, and the wealthy lack for nothing. I've heard that idea before, and was prepared for it. I pointed out the wealthy stars who are being treated for addiction, the rock legends who have committed suicide, and the general misery of people the world over. He wasn't convinced, and basically exhibited a great deal of anger towards the notion that anyone, be it God or anyone else, cares. All of which struck me as profoundly sad. It also hit me because from time to time I've had the same thoughts. The only difference is that when I had those notions, the additional burden of substance addiction wasn't wrapped up in the situation and playing with my head - as it is with this individual.

Do I have anything profound to say about this? No, not really. Only that I hope that every leaves open even the slightest crack for the idea that there is good in the world to get through. Once you begin to believe that there is no one out there, be it God or humanity, that is willing to help you out of whatever it is you are going through, your chances for recovery and health drop dramatically. Granted, we all have our reasons for closing ourselves off - having loved ones die, being betrayed by friends, family, and sources of authority, and injuries caused by strangers or what we may term fate. These are valid reasons, but at some point we need to decide that there is still reason enough to take the bold step and make ourselves vulnerable. It's a paradox, but by leaving ourselves vulnerable to additional hurt, we create an opportunity for healing. Yes, the people we meet may do us harm if we're open, but they may also bring us comfort and peace. And it is through the love of others and the Divine that we find our healing.

Just had to get that off my chest after running in circles with a guy who can't yet see that; he's experienced too much pain for realization right now. Hopefully he'll work with me and let me help him. We'll see.

Peace.

Happy International Day of the Ninja!

2007-12-05T16:20:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not making this up.

One Ring came home from school today and showed me this. I felt obligated to pass it on. Enjoy!

Peace.

Time for Me to Exit!

2007-12-04T16:05:00.000-06:00

Yep, 1o minutes on the clock. Woohoo! Today has been a morass of meetings, patient visits, and plotting my next move once this residency ends in August. I received some good news today, the promise of something big on the horizon. I'll post more about it tomorrow or Thursday, depending on how tomorrow shapes up. I have to drive out to Nashville and present a case study. No biggie, but it means that I won't have access to a computer in a quiet enough space to blog.

I'm exhausted at the moment. Just the residual stress of talking to a lot of people with problems and anxieties, real and imagined. Hopefully walking from the office to the car will do a bit to rejuvenate me so I don't collapse the minute I hit my front door. One Ring called me and said that Barney was going crazy. Guess I'll be his playmate / chew toy for the evening. I'll be glad when he's past his puppy stage!

Well, everyone, have a good night. I'll post more if anything interesting happens.

Peace.

The Day Drags On . . .And On . . . And On . . .

2007-12-03T12:18:00.000-06:00

So now I'm surfing the web, looking up some of my weirder interests and seeing what gets by the barriers that the local web gurus have set up. And, for the record, these interests do NOT involve anything that requires minds to be in the gutter. Come on people!

Sharkbait, my brother, works at the Virginia Aquarium. Some time ago they put on an exhibit dedicated to the Giant Squid (Architeuthis - ask for it by name!). Very cool exhibit, especially considering it contained some of the first pictures ever taken of a live giant squid. Ever since seeing that exhibit, I was hooked. Those things are so odd, so scary, and so intelligent (octopi and squid are some of the most intelligent creatures in the ocean), that I try to catch every show that airs on the nature programs. There is something about monsters living in the dark depths of the oceans that grabs hold of my imagination; the idea that something is out there that we can't see (but could possibly see us), is positively terrifying. No wonder these myths persist in various forms!

So naturally I jumped at the chance to see a new series on the History Channel called Monster Quest. Every week (or whenever it airs), they look at a new cryptozoological mystery and attempt to capture the critter on film. Mostly they end in failure, as one would expect, since if they succeeded, it would make news the world over - just like the photos the Japanese scientists took of Architeuthis did back in 2005. At any rate, one episode was on the Kraken, a favorite mythological sea monster of mine. And naturally, I tuned in.

I immediately noticed, that instead of being in the Pacific, where Architeuthis is found, they were in the Sea of Cortez, home to the Humboldt Squid, a particular nasty critter, but one that grows to a maximum of 7 feet. Not exactly a ship attacking Kraken. So what gives?

Well, the plan they had was to catch a squid, attach a camera to its mantle, and let it swim down to the depths and see if it would hook up with a monster. So they sent a guy from sea wolves down to catch a Humboldt and hook him up. I found their website this afternoon while looking for a particular picture from the show.

Although the show said that this squid was 8 feet long and weighed in at 200 pounds, the diver in his report said that it was about half that length and weighed maybe 50 pounds. Already you can see the problem here with exaggeration. But I digress. Still, he hooked a biggun', and it was a nasty brute.

Squidcam went down, and at the end of the show we were shown a brief glimpse of a massive squid swimming along 1,000 feet beneath the surface. It was only visible for a moment before disappearing into the inky depths, but it looked huge and very scary. I've been looking online for a picture of it - you'd think someone would have vid-captured it from the special and posted it - but so far no luck.

Well, here's where the great squid debate begins. The show said it was at least 60 feet long if it was a Humboldt, and could be up to 120 feet long if it was Architeuthis. The reason for the extra 60 feet was an estimation of the two feeding tentacles that Architeuthis uses for snatching prey. This would have made it the largest squid ever caught on film - or anywhere else for that matter, since even the dead ones that have washed ashore have only been a maximum of 40 feet or so long.

I admit, though, I was hooked. Seeing that ghostly image of a tentacled collossal monster was incredible. I ate it up, even calling over to One Ring to show her how scary it was. Then this morning I found the Sea Wolves site, with the actual diver, who pointed out the errors in the estimation of its length. He believes that it's at least 25 feet and is probably Architeuthis, not a Humboldt Squid. That in itself is worth saying "wow" over, but for the producers of the show to claim 60-120 feet long on very shaky evidence was, to me, very disappointing.

So there you go. I start out the day looking for a picture of a 120 foot squid, and find out that it may have been 25 feet long and not even what they thought it was. Sad, really, because what I really wanted them to find was this:

Now that would have been way cool! : )

Okay, got to run to a meeting. Lunch breaks end way too soon!

Peace.

Three Hours and I'm Ready to Go Home! : )

2007-12-03T10:51:00.000-06:00

Yep, it's that kind of day. Nothing bad has happened; it's just that nothing at all has happened! Feels like I'm working a Sunday shift. And, despite having a tea break with a coworker, I'm still tired!

Made some candles over the weekend. That took some doing, since I was feeling very lethargic on Sunday. But I was able to use up the last of my Christmas Tree (aka "Hanukkah Shrub") scent to make a jar candle for One Ring and a small one for me to take to work. There are smokers in this building - smoking is prohibited, but try telling the union reps who smoke one floor below me that! - and when I walked in here the place reeked. So now I'm gradually getting the office to smell of pine. Very nice. I also made a jar candle for the couple that had us over for dinner Friday night. The wife mentioned that she missed the smell of coffee since her husband didn't drink it much anymore, so I made a coffee / hazelnut blend. Hopefully they'll like it.

Speaking of crafts, One Ring and I were cleaning on Saturday and came across a box of various half-completed cross stitch patterns, hook-rugs, and other projects. I found it somewhat depressing to look at all the things I had started but never finished. Some wouldn't take but half a day to complete, but for some reason I never got around to it. One Ring says that I should take some time to work on them; that I would feel better if I had more of my works hanging on the walls or on the floor. Hopefully at some point I'll have the drive to get to them, but right now, I seem to be lethargic when I'm at home, especially at work. At since Barney is at the stage where everything seems to taste good to him, I'm somewhat frightened to bring that stuff out!

Actually, that's probably only an excuse. Lord only knows why I don't dive into the craft box when I'm bored.

Okay, I've got some paper work to finish up on. More (interesting) stuff later.

Peace.