Spudlets

December 30, 2003

Gawrsh - surfed today but nothing worth posting on. One of "those" days, stuck in the office and not enough people around to keep things "lively".

Suppose I should comment on my beloved Bears. I thought that they would give Jauron one more year and make him get a new offensive coordinator, but they're flushing the whole system out. Glad to see him go - he was a good guy but below average coach. I have heard different accounts of whether or not money is no object for the new head coach, and just how much they will spend. There's even rumors about Mike Singletary coming in, but for now I have a hunch it will be Saban at LSU.

For those of you who read the movie review below and got bogged down, SORRY! I wrote it from the perspective of someone who has already seen it, even though I was advocating not seeing it. Make sense? Non-sense, just like the movie.

We are anticipating 19 in the house for the Annual New Years Eve Kids Party (ANYEKP), 8 adults and 11 kids. It should be interesting in the TaterBed. If nobody gets (seriously) injured then it will be a success.

Posted by MarcV, 3:07 PM link

December 29, 2003

Movie Review

Went to see the somewhat "family friendly" film Cheaper By The Dozen. Unfortunately it was not entertainment friendly. Towards the inevitable conclusion, you start thinking about how they screwed this up so badly to the point that you don't care what happens to the family at the end. Save your money and wait until it hits the cheap rental (or on cable). I'm tempted to point out some obvious problems, but I'm not sure if I want to waste the wear-and-tear on the keyboard. Oh well, here goes:

1. Steve Martin is not believable as a coach or a dad of a large family. He was much better in Parenthood, so maybe he was a victim of the scriptwriters. I kept waiting for him to say: I'm not really a coach or dad, I just play one in this movie.
2. The mom spends years writing a book but then can't wait a few months, after football season, to go on her book tour.
3. The dad waits for several days before calling for help, and then can't find anybody in the yellow pages. He works on the campus of a big university and can't find part time help for the kids? Give me a break.
4. The large families I know rely heavily on the older kids, teenagers, as surrogate parents to help with the everyday problems. The two numbskull teenagers in this film are wrapped up in their own little worlds and stay in their rooms.
5. A coach of a small division III school would have less time for family as compared to a coach of a major program, who would have a much larger staff of assistants to delegate responsibilities.
6. A head coach would not be running drills, either at the practice field or the back yard, or give detailed chalk talk. That's what the assistant coaches are for.

There's more, but that should do for now. Despite the logic gaps and non-sense, there were some amusing scenes in the film, particularly before the family move. With that big of a family they did not have to send the mom off for a good story. They could have come up with plenty of entertainment from the conflicts present when a family of 13 lives under the same roof. Lady Spud has actually read the book, and said that the only thing the movie has in common with the book is the title.

Posted by MarcV, 4:44 PM link

Yankee Noodle

Catching up with NRO's Corner, and this was posted last Saturday:

DEAN THE CHRISTIAN [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
NRO's Meghan Gurdon e-mails with a rewind on Dean on Christianity:

Ever since I read the news...that Howard Dean is going to sell himself south of the Mason-Dixon line as a "committed Christian," I have been bothered by an appalling thing I heard Dean say...one morning when, as it happened, I was on my way to Mass. He was chattering away about being "spiritual, really," and then said -- drumroll, please -- "I consider myself a Christian in the best sense of the word."

In the BEST sense of the word! Unlike what other sense, Howard? Now he's recasting himself, and it's sickening. He was sneering at Christianity for the with-it crowd, and I would love for every Christian voter -- the very people who will understand exactly how sneering the comment is, unlike, say, TV news hosts -- to hear it.

I did see some news reports where Dean will be trying to win the South over with his "frank" discussion of his faith and how he admires Jesus Christ. In the past Southerners had to contend with carpetbaggers, politicians from the North taking advantage of poor ol' Southerners who couldn't take care of themselves. Now we have a Yankee wanting to get all "religious" with us crazy Christians. What label can we tag him with:

Pew-grabber?
Christ-gabber?
Faith-blabber?
Pious-natterer?

I know, we should be open-minded and give the benefit of the doubt for a "Christian brother", but this smells of foul politics. If he thinks that a somewhat Episcopalian who left his church over a bike path is going to find a receptive audience in the Bible Belt, then he might want to watch out for the buckle to come back around and smack him upside his head. I hope that if he does go through with this and starts exposing his "faith" position that somebody will question him on his stance for abortion.

It's funny (strange) that on the one hand we have groups screaming their heads off if something even smells of faith in the "townsquare", while politicians turn around and try to give the impression that they are firmly yet quietly Christian. Makes you wonder ...

Posted by MarcV, 12:17 PM link

Music Meanderings

I purchased 2 CD's with some "mad" money from Christmas: Nirvana's Nevermind and Lyle Lovett's My Baby Don't Tolerate. The former was an impulse buy, while the latter was on the Santa list but Santa decided differently.

One of the games we have for my youngster's GameCube is 1080 Avalanche, a snowboard racing game. The background music is "grunge". Every once in awhile I will hear "Come As You Are"(Nirvana) on the radio and I'm haunted by the music, as well as his chanting of "I don't have a gun" when we now know that he surely did. Wal-Mart had it for under $12, so it made it home. I did not get "into" the grunge thing when it first came out, since I couldn't get over the torn flannel, sloppy appearance and garbled lyrics.

Musically the album is first-rate. There have only been a few instances in the last several decades that an excellent musician writes great innovative music. This album could be considered one of them. I enjoy it for the music, but the lyrics are either unintelligible, silly or objectionable (rape, suicide). The Nirvana album brings me back to the old struggle of the entertainment "selections" that I make in my life and honoring God.

Just because something is sold over at the Family Christian store does not necessarily make it righteous, just as a "grunge" album is not necessarily bad (wrongous?). I like to listen to all kinds of music, and sometimes I'm in the mood for praise music, and sometimes not. Who knows, maybe if enough old men buy grunge, the kids will move on to something else! In a couple of years the youngster will be buying/selecting his "own" music, so I will have him as cover for listening to the "new stuff". There's not much out on CCM that really grabs my attention, although I gave the recent Crabb Family album, Walk, to Lady Spud for Christmas, and it turned out to be pretty good.

S.T. Karnick's Top 10 Albums of the year over at NRO mentioned two that may not be available at your mega-store Christian outlet, but nonetheless are Christian influenced. I may have to check them out. I have heard others (like JunkYardBlogger Bryan) say that they enjoy Spock's Beard, and this may be even more reason for me to purchase a CD.

After leaving Spock's Beard, the multitalented Neal Morse released, under his own name, the impressive two-disk set Testimony. Telling the story of Morse's conversion to Christianity, Testimony presents the classic Spock's Beard sound — astonishingly appealing pop-music hooks, sophisticated lyrical themes, a strong command of numerous styles of music (notably folk, jazz, classical, prog, and church traditions), virtuosic instrumental work, and Morse's passionate, forceful vocals. The album is divided into five suites of interconnected and continuous songs that dramatize steps that happened in the composer's own life, in which he learns about his own shortcomings and then finds the answer in Christianity (hence the album's title). The sense of triumph at the end is powerful and well earned. The music of Testimony is brilliant, the lyrics are intelligent and uncompromising (and unflinchingly honest), the story is a classic one, the singing is powerful, and the overall result is something very like a masterpiece.

Great as Testimony may be, there was an even better album released at almost the same time: Be, by the unjustly obscure, Tennessee-based band Salem Hill. This brilliantly inventive group of musicians is usually categorized as producing progressive rock, but their music really defies classification. Formed in 1991 and creator of seven albums since then, the band expertly masters sounds ranging from heavy-guitar hard rock to Beatlesque pop to whispery acoustic enchantment, while their lyric content is consistently earnest and intelligent and often savagely satirical. Their 1998 release, The Robbery of Murder, was one of the very best albums of the 1990s.

Posted by MarcV, 12:15 PM link

December 26, 2003

Wasn't that nice of blogger to wish us happy festivus!?! If I find that objectionable, since they are forcing their religion down my internet throat, then can I take them to court? Yeah yeah, I know, just don't look, but it does make me wonder ... [Uh oh, hope they don't happen to "drop" my account - if this is my last post I just want to say how much I've enjoyed this and thanks to all of

Posted by MarcV, 2:46 PM link

Just saw a headline where over 15,000 are believed dead in Iran because of the earthquake. Things seem to be getting messier in that area of the world. I pray for the families that are suffering through loss, and that aid can be sent quickly to that area. I wonder how long it will be until someone tries to bring up something about God's judgement being "felt" in Iran? California just "felt" something a few days ago, too.

Posted by MarcV, 2:42 PM link

Hello?!?

I feel like I could ping the blogosphere right now and have it come back void ...
Show of hands for those who did not have any vacation days left and had to come back in for one day in between two two-day breaks? Kinda silly, but if we're open for business, then business it will be. It'll happen again next week too. Next year will be a Friday/Saturday block, so some businesses may start early and give the extra day off on Thursday. In 2005 Christmas will fall on a Sunday.

Christmas went well at the TaterBed. For Thanksgiving, little things did not go well, not so that the day was ruined but causing it to be "below average". That's OK - they can't all be excellent. This Christmas the little things went well, particularly a whole day just at home relaxing - as much as you can relax when a 5 year old is running around with new toys! I made philly cheese steaks for lunch, and then the youngster had some of his favorites for dinner: noodles, broccoli and hot dogs. I made chili for Lady Spud and me (chili dogs), so it was a regular old-fashioned holiday gourmet meal.

Speaking of gourmet, I am glad to have the Food Channel back on the TV for me. It's nice to watch a channel and not have to worry about seeing offensive and vulgar commercials, although Emeril can be a little too "overboard" for me. BAM! Wednesday night they showed how a few other families celebrated Christmas eve based on their traditions/culture. I miss going to my Grandma's for the family gathering with the obligatory feast, but there's something even better waiting for me when the Lord calls me home (she'll be waiting there too). Yesterday Food Channel showcased various groups having cookie swaps. This inspired Lady Spud so much she's already plotting for next Christmas!

Got my first pair of real Bear's shorts (dark blue mesh) yesterday, just right for a jaunt to the beach. No CD's or DVD's this year, so it looks like I'll have to get them myself. One of the things I got for Lady Spud was a decorative tin filled (or so I thought) with Hershey's mini's. When you open it up, a bag holding the chocolate mini bars is supported by a piece of plastic filling up half of the container. What a scam! In the future I will have to open up the container, take out the plastic filler and replace the space with candy bars purchased separately.

Preparations are in progress for next week. My dad and his wife are visiting (from Chicago) starting Monday night, and then Wednesday night we'll host about 15 (kids and parents) over for a kid's New Years party [countdown is set for 9 pm]. We did it last year and they seemed to have fun, so we're doing it again. Unfortunately, my Dad is not "comfortable" around youngsters (go figure, he had 5 of them, maybe he's burned out) so he will escape to my sister's house that night. His loss.

Posted by MarcV, 2:39 PM link

December 25, 2003

For those who would like a quick and good background on Mad Cow Disease, Newsday has a brief Q&A.

Posted by MarcV, 10:19 AM link

Merry Christmas to all who happen to visit here in the TaterBed! Sharing a Christmas morning with an excited 5 year old (whom you happen to love to death) is a great blessing. He got his GameCube (was not surprised), so we'll see how long it takes for him to get bored with the 4 games he has now. I'm predicting tomorrow at approximately 2 pm.

Posted by MarcV, 10:18 AM link

December 23, 2003

There's a bunch of goodies over at NRO. Go check out the Derb sing-along, Shifflet's take on jury selection, Gurdon's not so silent night, and more! If you only read one, let it be this Christmas message from Michael Novak, one of his best essays.

Posted by MarcV, 3:00 PM link

Scroogie

An article I read in the Sunday paper has helped me to re-evaluate this whole Christmas rigamarole, so bear with me as I try to communicate what my spirit is telling me. The article (by Elisabeth Gruner) dealt with "A Christmas Carol", Dickens' ode to the holiday and now the most (it seems) celebrated Christmas story. In medieval times, Christmas celebrations were mixed with solstice observances and all the pagan rituals associated with that.

The 17th-century Puritan revolution, however, ended all public Christmas celebrations in England. The Puritans objected to the paganism of the solstice celebrations folded into the celebration of the Nativity, preferring to emphasize the life and teachings of Jesus over his birth. By the time of "A Christmas Carol," almost 200 years later, however, a variety of Christmas traditions were being re-established in England: The first Christmas card, for example, was commissioned in the same year that Dickens' story was published. While Puritan objections to Christmas no longer held sway, however, other objections remained.

Like some other Victorian writers and thinkers, Dickens saw utilitarian businessmen as the new puritanical threat to England: The utilitarian's emphasis on facts (often translated into an emphasis on cash) led--like the Puritans' rejection of ornament and celebration--to a joyless suppression of imagination, and finally a dangerous rejection of the life of the spirit. Ebenezer Scrooge offers a caricature of Puritan objections to Christmas as he argues not on religious grounds but on economic ones.

Christmas is "humbug" because he can't convert it into a cash value, can't see the point of a celebration without a profit motive. (Alas, contemporary Scrooges have now found the profit motive in Christmas: How many catalogs have you thrown away this season? How much money have you spent?) Scrooge hates Christmas because he can't figure out how to make money from it. [I'll disagree here and say that the holiday interfered with his money-making and business-as-usual.]

Ironically, by helping to reinvent Christmas as a secular celebration, Dickens may have assisted in commercializing the season as well. Today's Scrooge might still resent giving Christmas off, but he'd make up for it by working his retail clerks until midnight Christmas Eve--enabling last-minute shopping--and bringing them in the day after Christmas to process returns.

Dickens punishes his latter-day Puritan with a vision of his life without love, without imagination, without hope. In three visions of Christmas, Scrooge revisits his past and recalls the importance of family and friends to his happy childhood. He sees, in the present, the warmth and love that infuse the Cratchit household despite their poverty, and the scorn his nephew--son of his beloved deceased sister--feels for Scrooge in his emotional impoverishment.

Finally, in his vision of the future he witnesses his own, unmourned, death, and the death of Tiny Tim, the weakest and most loving of the Cratchits. His spiritual odyssey re-enacts the Christian journey from birth to death and rebirth, without ever mentioning Bethlehem or Mary or the infant Savior. Instead, Scrooge undergoes a secular conversion and establishes Christmas once again: a Christmas of family celebration and feasting, good works and good food.

It's no great revelation that this tale is a secular celebration, but I'm now realizing how much it has influenced the culture today and replaced the "Holy day" into a holiday. Christmas is becoming more characterized by "good works and good food" and not simply celebrating the birth of our Saviour. Scrooge's rebirth is marked afterwards by his generosity, his happiness at just being alive and cherishing his family. The rebirth is hollow, though, because it seems that the only thing that is motivating him is fear: dying alone, his accomplishments forgotten, sent to hell.

My analysis relies just on movie versions, since I have never read the book. John Miller over at NRO encourages us to read the book, and not just see the movie. According to this site, there are over 200 versions of "Christmas Carol" on film, not to mention all of the theatrical productions that spring up every December. They make the case for the "Alastair Sim" version (1951) as the best:

In fact, references to the “Alastair Sim version” do more than distinguish it from the “Seymour Hicks version,” the “Reginald Owen version,” or any other version. For most Carol aficionados, Sim is the definitive, transcendent Scrooge, and reference to the “Alastair Sim version” implies a kind of metaphysical certitude associated with no other version.

I still prefer the musical produced in 1970 starring Albert Finney. I also enjoyed a production at a church in Ohio a few years ago, where they took the basic story and made Scrooge's conversion a true born-again experience, with much praising of God and worshipping Him. The continuing effort by the world to turn a Christian celebration into worldly consumption continues. From FoxNews today:

Burning the flag is considered free speech; erecting crosses as roadside memorials is not. The FCC allows the "F-word" on television, but thanking God at a high school graduation is a no-no. And some schools freely dispense condoms to kids, but pencils that read "Jesus loves little children" were confiscated from a first-grade class in Virginia.
...
Still, the number of bans on public displays of Christianity continue to grow. And while those symbols may have little value alone, many Christians fear that taken as a whole, that kind of intolerance will wind up creating not freedom of religion but freedom from religion in this country.

I'm not sure how to counter this, because I am compassionate to the feelings of my lost brother and do not want to be another screaming evangelist in his face, yet I support the decorations and other attempts at praising God and lifting His name. Do we force someone to follow a "religion" when we put a creche scene in front of a townhall, or the Ten Commandments are reproduced in a painting or statue? The "non-faithful" seem to be hypersensitive, and the courts have been giving them more victories lately.

Freedom works both ways, and I can continue to pray that those who are not Christian will feel secure that their freedom will not be infringed in a Christian majority. I'll conclude with this excellent defense of free will tied in with a Christmas message from Michael Novak over at NRO:

Moreover, there is this to say about the religions of the Lord celebrated on Christmas — the feast of lights, the feast of candles, the feast of the stars, the feast of blazing Christmas lights even in the city streets. Both Judaism and Christianity are religions that give honor and praise to a Creator who knew what he was doing and chose to do it (a God of reason and love). Afterwards, He saw that His was a good piece of work, and spoke of His love for it. In a word, Judaism and Christianity hold before us a God of the intellect, one of whose proper names is Truth — in the sense of "intelligent infuser of the truth into all things."
...
It is, truly, a choice — not a certainty: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not... He was in the world: and the world was made by him: and the world knew him not."

In Christmas, then, lies our decision to answer to the Creator, and thus our inalienable right to make that decision, all by ourselves. Neither mother nor father nor brother nor sister can fulfill this duty for us. It is nontransferable.

I pray that hearts will be touched this Christmas season and that the birth of a Saviour will be exalted, so that sinners know there is a place they can go to humble themselves and find forgiveness from the One who gave His all for us.

Posted by MarcV, 2:57 PM link

For those of you who have boys and are trying to survive the holiday whirlwind, which includes the requisite performance in the church Christmas pageant, you'll be sure to get a few chuckles from Michael Graham on Sons on National Review Online. He hits the nail squarely on the head when he relates the root cause to his "angst":

But I think the primary cause of my child-related misery is that one, universal cause of nearly all misery in the world, love. I look up at the children's choir and I see this boy who is slowly, imperceptibly growing into a young man, and I ache for him. Yes I'm obsessive about loose thread and minor stumble, but it's because I know he lives in a world that can be so very cruel, even at Christmas.

As he stands there in his holiday best, making this childhood memory under my (laughable) adult supervision, I want to see some cherub from a Hallmark card, a perfect little boy with an angel's beaming face.

Instead, I see a nine-year-old kid who is just...just...just.... Well, he's just like me.

Earlier in the article, he related something to which I posted on yesterday concerning my Li'l Tater: "Why won't he look at the music? Doesn't he see the crowd of people watching him...oh, no! Not the finger! And not the NOSE!" Now that my precious son is old enough to know about Christmas and the "gift-rush", like many parents I'm torn between wanting to spoil him rotten versus teaching him some "life lessons", i.e. you don't always get what you want. Like most, we end up somewhere in the middle, hoping to reach a point of happiness without excess.

It's difficult to tell if "he's just like me" when I was that age, since my childhood seems to be a blur at this point in my life. Actually, most of my life before him is a blur. I will thank God for His grace of the youngster He has blessed me with and pray that I can be the kind of father He wants me to be. That's my Christmas wish.

Posted by MarcV, 10:58 AM link

December 22, 2003

Christmas Stuff

- Lileks' Bleat is back early from his self-imposed exile, because ... well, he's Lileks and he can do whatever he wants. Besides the Bleat, his Strib column tries to dissect the Rudolph TV show classic for yucks, and he may have scored a few chuckles. I will contest him on this point:

King Moonracer. He's the ruler of the Island of Misfit Toys, a winged lion who flies around the planet every night looking for busted merchandise. They get to live on his island. I accepted this totally as a child, but now I wonder: Why doesn't Moonracer deliver the busted toys himself? Does Santa have the toy-distribution racket sewn up? Seems to me Moonracer could deliver the merch, kick back 20 percent to Claus out of respect, and everyone's happy, bada bing bada boom.

Hmmm, let's see ... if I'm King Moonracer I don't have Santa's list, so I wouldn't know where to deliver them. Even if Santa were to fax me a copy I would still need his ability to go down the chimney. Even if I had the ability to get down the chimney I wonder what would happen if I "surprised" anyone? Santa gets the cheerful greeting as well as the milk and cookies. Moonracer would get the business end of a Smith&Wesson, and end up mounted over the fireplace. King Moonracer is better off letting others do the dirty work.

- Li'l Tater played the sheep part very well this past weekend for the church Christmas play. Much to our relief, he pretty much stayed in one spot, kept his hands to himself and was generally well-behaved for both performances. There was one problem where it seemed something crawled up his nostril and he spent a good deal of effort with a "digital" investigation. Lady Spud was a little red-faced during that episode, but I figured you don't get very many passes for that in life, so if you're going to be a 5 year old you might as well enjoy it.

- Finished the Christmas shopping Saturday. First at WalMart, I indulged myself and participated in the venerable tradition of impulse shopping. Wasn't all that much, but it was fun while it lasted. I decided to head to the big city (Greensboro) for something that I was not finding locally. I was lucky to find a parking spot, but when I went into the store there did not seem to be that many people. It was when I went to checkout that I discovered a line which took about 20 minutes - just for 2 items.
I'm not giving details just on the wild chance that Lady Spud is reading this. Probably not, but you can't be too careful this time of year. This gift is one I am taking a chance on. She didn't ask for it, and it may "bomb", but it could go over well. I usually take a chance every year, but this year was a little more difficult since we spent on each other half of what we had budgeted last year.

Posted by MarcV, 3:54 PM link

Happy second blogiversary to PossumPapa! All that talent to just one guy - I'm almost jealous, and I would be if he just weren't so doggone humble. I like his "hint" at the urge of not blogging anymore and just giving up. That's the beauty of blogs, you just never know when someone will do something crazy like that. Gives the blogosphere a little edge, doncha think?!?

Anyhow, if anybody has stumbled onto this site, still reading this post and does not have their own blog, read what he has to say about blogging and why he blogs. It's one of the better explanations that I have ever read. So if you're on the fence to start one, read his post and decide if it's something for you.

Posted by MarcV, 10:46 AM link

TV Stuff

- Looks like the older married couple Cindy and Bill won on "House Rules", rather than the just-engaged Joey and Rebecca. Speaking for most of the men in the audience, Rebecca will be missed. In the words of George (and Jane) Jetson, she's "oooba dooba dooba", and I mean that in a nice way - really, I do!

- The movie "Mary Christmas" was shown last night, and it just was not as good as the first viewing. Once you know the surprise ending, the ending is not as dramatic. No, I'm not going to give it away.

- ACC college basketball should be a goodie this season. Wake Forest took UNC to triple overtime at the Dean Dome before finally prevailing. I did not get to see it but heard about it later. Many of the games will be on ESPN/cable, but hopefully there will be a few on the local stations that I can catch.

Posted by MarcV, 10:45 AM link

December 19, 2003

Just in case Santa does not get you that big screen TV you've been desperately seeking, check out PCWorld.com - Really Big Shows for background on the differences between plasma, LCD, DLP and HDTV capabilities. This article gives pretty good information, helpful when you're contemplating putting down the big $$ for a TV. If you're like me and people ask you for advice on technical stuff (since you blog and are SO knowledgeable about computers and high-tech), just give them this link.

Posted by MarcV, 1:29 PM link

TV Stuff

House Rules airs on TBS tonight at 8 EST, with the big wrap-up and awarding of the house to the most popular couple. This is almost like one of those "Survivor" or "Joe Millionaire" big finishes. Almost. I predict it will be the just-engaged couple over the older couple in a squeaker, with the just-marrieds a distant third. The older couple got a nice plug from the show judges (they didn't really laud the other 2 couples) and their house probably looks the best, but the just-engaged couple should garner the most votes due to their popularity and the timing of their engagement announcement. Never did get around to voting - oh well.

Our cable company (Time-Warner) jumbled the channels on us last night and never gave us an "authoritative" warning. I had heard about the changes from a second-hand source, but thought it was supposed to be on the 15th. The overall reception/picture is better now (hopefully that won't degrade) and we seemed to have gained some channels but lost a few. [Gained: Disney, SpikeTV, Food, UPN (last two back from fuzzy picture despair - yea!) ][ Lost: VH-1, Bravo, TVLand.] The last one comes in as a fuzzy picture and it's loss will be felt the most, while the other two - eh.

I have heard that SpikeTV is a "guys" channel, but if it gets too raunchy I'll have to take it off the listing. I checked their listings, and at least they have Star Trek Next Gen, although some of their movie choices swing towards "R". I'm looking forward to clear reception of the Food Channel and Iron Chef! We still get Outdoor Life Network, so more Killer Instinct with Rob Breddle, bullriding and Outdoor Outtakes. I almost horked out a lung from laughing the last time I watched that outtakes show. [WARNING: The episode at 9:30 pm EST Sunday (12/28) will feature "A possum who won't play dead". Scandalous!]

The cable switcheroo happened while I was snoozing around Scooby-Do Christmas Special (TV) and My Summer Story (tape). I vaguely remember seeing this Scooby Doodoo crap before, but don't remember it being this awful. Stink, stank, stunk. The movie My Summer Story is a sequel to A Christmas Story, where this time Ralphie has to deal with a new bully and gets to go fishing with the "Old Man". This version has more Bumpuses and scenes centered on Mom, less swearing and Ralphie's obsession with something. It has a few amusing moments, but L'il Tater joined me in losing interest in about the last half hour.

Posted by MarcV, 11:48 AM link

Referral Log Fun

- I will occasionally have visitors looking for the Krispy Kreme donuts recipe (#10 Google). Folks, it ain't just the ingredients, it's also the equipment and attention to process settings/details. My brother-in-law used to work for one, so if you really really want to know, drop me an e-mail and we can "negotiate".
- I'm #2 (out of 2) returned by Google for financial implications of BigLots. My shadow has darkened their doorway only a few times, so my "implication" has been minimal (mostly junk there). According to Jerry Van Dyke, I can't live without it, but you'd have to ask other more "rabid" shoppers about their take on BL.
- Someone went all the way to #61 returned for chicago cubs comforter. I feel your pain, so here goes:
There, there, it'll be OK, just wait 'til next season, we almost made the World Series so that's pretty good!?!
- Something that I have mentioned before landed me on Google's top ten for Saddam as Jerry Garcia. To the tune of "Casey Jones":

Hiding in the
Dark spider hole,
Infidel you better look for lice (in my hair)
Trouble ahead, trouble behind,
and you know that notion (that I'm still president of Iraq) just crossed my mind!

Posted by MarcV, 9:16 AM link

December 18, 2003

Unaffirmative Action

Just found a website that is pursuing something near to my heart, the end of affirmative action and the classification of people based on ethnicity. NoRace.org is encouraging students encouraging them to "... protest affirmative action admissions policies by entering incorrect racial information in your college entrance application." You gotta like a little civil disobedience to make a point about a horrible policy. The site also gives links to related articles in the struggle for dignity and fairness in a race-obsessed society.

Posted by MarcV, 4:11 PM link

Good rundown on the effect of Saddam's capture on the Arab world and in Iraq itself today over at OpinionJournal. The author talks about the not surprising reaction in some quarters of the Mideast that this was not real:

Our troubles are not over, not by a long shot. But the message has been received in Araby. The man who'd strutted around the region, who for all practical purposes dominated inter-Arab politics for nearly a generation, was found at the bottom of an eight-foot hole. Legends die hard. The crowd is, of course, what it is, and its capacity for self-delusion is bottomless. In the hours that followed the dictator's capture, and in the shadow of that image of him meekly undergoing a medical examination, the legend spread, in Ramallah and Cairo, and as far away as the Muslim suburbs of France, that it was all a trick, that the man had been drugged, that it had all been an American hoax.

Posted by MarcV, 4:10 PM link

December 17, 2003

If you happen to be blogging while hungry, step on over to a "Tolkien Themed Restaurant" for a treat. It's lip-smackin' good! And plenty of protein for you "Atkins Diet" people.

Posted by MarcV, 1:18 PM link

This short story from DeadMule really bugged me, but you might like it, particularly if you have a soft spot for Texans. WARNING: Contains graphic descriptions of violence to armadillos (the ones that walk on all fours).
And if you like a good mule story, here's one to chew on.

Posted by MarcV, 1:17 PM link

Just Desserts

What to do with Saddam? President Bush weighed in on his opinion for SH's "ultimate" fate:

"Let's just see what penalty he gets, but I think he ought to receive the ultimate penalty ... for what he has done to his people," Bush said in a TV interview broadcast Tuesday. "I mean, he is a torturer, a murderer, they had rape rooms. This is a disgusting tyrant who deserves justice, the ultimate justice."

Bush said Saddam's punishment "will be decided not by the president of the United States but by the citizens of Iraq in one form or another."

He seems firm in his intention of letting the Iraqi people decide. I have not heard this brought up previously, but I wonder if one option would include stoning. Would the US government have the nerve to let the Iraqis perform this "penalty" if it got to that point? It would probably be perceived as taking a step back on the Iraqi march to the 21st century, employing this "barbaric" instrument of justice. The people who we would most want to influence, the citizens of the Mideast, would get the message loud and clear.

Just as a thought exercise, since I am not in favor of stoning or the death penalty, how would they handle the logistics of a stoning penalty? Perhaps the Iraqi government could hold a lottery and select a couple hundred, where people who lost family members due to Saddam's tyranny would be eligible. Could American, Kuwaiti or Iranian families who lost loved ones from the various wars also be eligible? Probably not. Should the body under the pile of stones be left as a "monument"? Again, probably not, but I would not want to be the guy who had to dig him up to gather the remains.

Finally, whatever death penalty may be handed out, what should be done with the corpse? Any public burial site will be trashed as soon as its location is known. I tried to remember what happened with the corpses of other notorious criminals, but there is typically an element of mystery. The body should be given to the immediate family and then let them decide how to deal with it. As in life, I suppose they could arrange for burial "doubles" for Saddam.

If he does not get the death penalty, then what? If it was up to me I would put him in a cage in Gitmo along with some of the other war criminals. While gathering the case against him, it would allow time for an Iraqi government and judicial system to be established. The Iraqi officials could then throw him in a jail cell and let him live out his days in a Charles Manson-like existence.

Posted by MarcV, 1:16 PM link

December 16, 2003

Larry Miller over at Weekly Standard weighs in on Saddam's capture with "And It's Just That Easy". Others have compared Saddam's grizzled appearance to Marx or some bum, but I agreed with Mr. M. that he looks like Jerry Garcia after a show, only I think that Jerry would need some "Only For Men" to get to Saddam's black head of hair. More funny stuff from Mr. M!

Posted by MarcV, 10:48 AM link

Christmas Movies - The Angel Doll

Last year I listed my top 5 Christmas movies:

1. The Christmas Wish (Neal Patrick Harris, Debbie Reynolds)
2. White Christmas (Bing, Danny, Rosemary, Vera)
3. Scrooge (Albert Finney, Alec Guiness)
4. Mary Christmas (John Schneider)
5. Grinch (Boris Karloff)

#3 and 5 are taken care of this year, #2 should be soon, and #4 will be this Sunday (on PAX-TV, don't miss it!). The Christmas Wish has not come out on video, and it may not even be broadcast this year, though it should since it's a great film. I hesitate to keep the Grinch on the list, since it is more of a long cartoon than a movie. I saw a movie over the weekend that could take its place on the list: Angel Doll. An independent film made about 3 years ago, it has not been widely seen, but should be. It's set in Thomasville, NC, not too far from the TaterBed.

An interesting choice for a Christmas movie, but one that gives a little different message than others. It starts out as a buddy film set in the '50's, and it will be a nice trip down nostalgia lane for older baby boomers. The plot thickens to more of a crisis, as one of the boy's sister is sick from polio and fading fast, and the boy wants to make her Christmas special.

The girl loves angels and the book The Angel Doll, so he struggles to find (and afford) an angel doll for her. The message at the end of the book has a small angel asking the question: what can I give to the Christ child? It's something that all Christians should ask themselves each year during the holidays, and not just thinking about buying gifts and making out our own lists. While there may not necessarily be a "Hollywood" happy ending to this film, it's a well-told tale about a chapter in a boy's life. Be sure to see the extra clip on the DVD.

Posted by MarcV, 10:37 AM link

December 15, 2003

Clip Clip

This transcript of a pirated tape was secretly recorded during Saddam's turn in the barber's chair yesterday:

Barber(B): You want the usual high-and-tight marine butch?
Saddam(S): No, just a trim, my lion's mane makes me look regal.
B: Yea, whatever. [Combing through tangles] Whew, I don't think this hair has seen a comb for awhile! It looks like a rat's nest.
S: Gimme a break, they just hosed me down and deloused me an hour ago. And what would you know about a rat's nest?
B: I'm supposed to shave the beard but keep the moustache, so hold still ... [brings razor to his neck]
S: Ahhhh, infidel, get away from me!!
B: Relax, it's just a shave, and from the looks of things you haven't seen a razor in awhile either.
S: All right, but be careful, I bleed easy.
B: This beard will definitely plug the sink - better use the shears first. [Idle whistling as Saddam thumbs through issue of Readers Digest] So how about those Redskins - think Spurrier will get the boot?
S: Redskins?
B: Yeah, they're playing the Cowboys today.
S: All I know is that a cowboy blitzed me over and over, but I almost escaped a sack.
B: I heard about your "escape" - in a rathole!
S: The greatest military force on the planet took over 8 months to capture me, and I would still be free if not for that treacherous ...
B: Oh, your days were numbered, Saddam. [Finishes with shears, starts with razor] Wonder how many Iraqis would like the chance to hold this razor right about now?
S: (Gulp!)
B: Wassamatter, rat got your tongue? Just as well, keep quiet and maybe I can get you to look at least half-human again ... [END OF TRANSCRIPT]

Posted by MarcV, 12:01 PM link

December 14, 2003

The news of Saddam's capture should bring some life to the blogosphere for the next few days. I have somewhat mixed feelings. Many people are joyful, and I am glad that his shadow is no longer felt in Iraq, yet he is just one man. The atrocities and repression in Iraq took many people to enforce. Special tribunals have been arranged to try Saddam for the hundreds of thousands of deaths he was "responsible" for over the last few decades. While he may have ordered them, his hand was not at the handle of the knife or gun.

It will be a long and messy process to purge Iraq of the Baath loyalists and fedayeen who enforced the reign of terror. Iraqis will not know freedom until the tools of Saddam are brought to justice, and not just Saddam himself. I hope that with his capture more Iraqis will step forward and purge their country of the evil that Saddam allowed.

Posted by MarcV, 8:51 AM link

December 12, 2003

Friday Five

It's been awhile, but here we go again with Friday's five:

1. Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays?
- For Christmas day it would be nice to have a covering of snow, but I moved to NC in order to get away from Northern/Midwestern winters. So it's no big deal if it snows or not.

2. What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect?
- Like every Christmas this century, ensconced with Li'l Tater and Lady Spud in the TaterBed, rising up from our own pillows, exchanging gifts and enjoying the day together, praising God for the gift He has given us. Hallelujah!

3. Do you have any holiday traditions?
- Seems like I'm usually traveling to visit family on Christmas eve, but fortunately we have it down to a day trip.

4. Do you do anything to help the needy?
- Yes.

5. What one gift would you like for yourself?
- A Chicago Bears championship (or at least a nice Bears shirt!)

Posted by MarcV, 10:50 AM link

MNF

Here's a quote from last night:

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue floated the idea in the second of a two-part interview aired Thursday night on HBO's Inside the NFL.

"We'd like to look to see if we could put more than one game in the prime-time window," he said. "The one that is more attractive would be telecast nationally; the other could be telecast regionally."

As poorly as the Bears play on Monday night (was their last win on MNF when Clinton was still a governor?), this does not sound good. What will people with NFL Gameday Ticket satellite plans do? It's hard enough to stay awake past the half here in the eastern time zone.

I had heard about a possiblity of swapping Sunday night and Monday night games, but that would ultimately hurt fans who have to make travel arrangements. Let ABC continue to choke on bad games at the end of the year, as long as they have exclusive rights to Monday night.

Posted by MarcV, 10:50 AM link

The doctor is in the house - Victor Davis Hanson on National Review Online. The master historian has a long but good post on various wars throughout history and how he believes we are at a critical turning point in Iraq. Good read - go check it out!

Posted by MarcV, 10:36 AM link

December 11, 2003

Patent Mess

The Washington Post has weighed in on something that I have been harping on for quite some time: the broken US Patent system. According to the article, there is a backlog of 450,000 applications, and that the number of patents has doubled since 1990. I wonder how much hand-waving goes on just so patent officers can clear their desk at the end of the week, or at least be able to see over them.

They argue that an overwhelmed U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is simply approving too many dubious and overly broad patents, especially in the software and Internet realms. The potential result: a digital world carved up into so many pieces that it loses its power to easily link people, communities and ideas. The country "needs to revamp not just the patent system, but the entire system of intellectual property law," said Andrew S. Grove, chairman of Intel Corp. "It needs to redefine it for an era that is the information age as compared to the industrial age."

Mr. Grove is a guy who has a vested interest in patents, since his company's chips would be imitated if at all possible. To work off the backlog and get better review of patents, it's estimated that "... the agency would need to hire 650 to 750 additional examiners each year for the next several years to its current roster of roughly 3,600 just to reverse the growing backlog of applications." People with the expertise to competently review patent applications don't just come out of the woodwork - they need to get experienced people in many different fields to handle the patent applications. Patent infringements have come to the forefront of the companies involved with the Internet:

Internet method patents, meanwhile, allow companies to protect broad ways of doing business on the Internet, rather than a specific product or its underlying technology. These controversial patents include Amazon.com's method of "one-click" shopping and the use of online shopping carts.

The two forms of patents have sparked an escalating patent war as companies use patents to extend and defend their turf. Small firms have an increasingly difficult time breaking through patent "thickets" amassed by large firms. International Business Machines Corp., the world's patent leader, received 22,357 from 1993 to 2002 and earned roughly $10 billion in licensing fees from them.

Instead of companies innovating and contributing to the US productivity, they're sitting back and raking in the $$. There has been some movement to challenge these broad patents and have them overturned, but courts are hesitant to rule on patent "worthiness" if they have already been approved. This mess could cause a serious crimp in our economy and for improvements to the Internet and computing.

Gregory Aharonian, publisher of a widely read patents newsletter, said that companies could have pushed long ago for improvement at the patent office. Instead, they tend to benefit more from low-quality patents than the occasional entrepreneur who might come along and shut them down. Aharonian thinks software and Internet patents are legitimate. The problem, he said, is that most of those that are granted shouldn't be. What's needed is much more rigorous research into prior art, and higher standards. [Critics hope that the impending departure of patent office Director James E. Rogan, whose resignation for personal reasons was announced Tuesday, might lead to consideration of a new approach.]

Posted by MarcV, 3:54 PM link

Saw this blurb over at Jay Nordlinger's Impromptus on National Review Online and wanted to share it with anyone who may not read his stuff:

Dear Jay, when evaluating Jermaine Jackson's statement that his brother, Michael, is not eccentric, bear in mind that Jermaine has a son named 'Jermajesty.' In the land of Jermajesties, the one-gloved freak is not eccentric.

Fabulous.

What kind of nickname would you give the boy? You couldn't call him "Jermajesty" all the time, too many syllables. Jerm, Jerma, Maj (like the Palmolive lady)? Wonder if the youngster is spoiled? So many questions, so few answers ...

Posted by MarcV, 9:29 AM link

Waaah

The European babies want a pacifier, and Papa George is not letting them have it. As can be expected, the wailing has begun from France, Germany and Russia over their freeze-out from consideration of bidding on reconstruction projects.

Reacting to the international outcry against the decision, the White House said it was not up for reconsideration. The only consolation offered to angry allies was that the Bush administration "will welcome the opportunity to talk to them and explain to them about why this decision was made," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

The White House says countries wanting a share of the $18.6 billion in reconstruction contracts in the 2004 U.S. budget must participate militarily in the postwar effort.

The EU bureaucrats are naturally raising their hackles.

In Brussels, Arancha Gonzalez, trade spokeswoman at the European Commission, said the EU was asking the United States "to provide us with information so we can see whether or not their commitments" under the World Trade Organization "have been respected." The Pentagon directive said restricting contract bids was necessary to protect essential security interests. WTO rules allow for exemptions based on national security.

Does it seem like the WTO could be the "economic police/enforcers" for the EU? The Bush administration will need to be vigilant on attempts of taking away US sovereignty for particular US interests, like Iraq. We also get the typical Democratic Senator response (Joe Biden, Del.) that this "... does nothing to protect our security interests and everything to alienate countries we need with us in Iraq." Who alienated who? Who told us to take a hike when we asked for help in a situation that also had UN approval for intervention? We don't need these countries like we don't need a case of poison ivy. Like poision ivy we may experience some discomfort and irritation, but the rash will eventually go away.

Am I being "simplisme" on these complex foreign relations? Perhaps, but I support the President and his decision, not forgetting how these countries, our supposed allies, turned their back on us and even supplied weapons and materials to Iraq up to the start of the invasion last spring. Besides, there's not too many takers on the offer of going into dangerous Iraq right now:

Despite the criticism, it was unclear how many major foreign companies were prepared to launch major reconstruction projects in Iraq as long as the security situation remains volatile. Many international organizations, including the United Nations and the international Red Cross, have withdrawn foreign staff from Iraq because of the violence... Hochtief AG, a German construction giant, said it was not interested in projects in Iraq "as long as the situation remains so dangerous."

Posted by MarcV, 8:33 AM link

December 10, 2003

Jonah over at NRO's Corner linked to this, and it's too funny not to link again. For those of you who are familiar with the Catholic side of things, there's some good chucklers in this "avazon" list. As a matter of fact, The Curt Jester has a pretty funny site, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times.

Posted by MarcV, 9:31 AM link

For you last-minute "scrambling to get something for someone who has everything" shopper, you may want to check this out - a site that offers ties, scarves, hats, t-shirts and boxers printed with designs of infectious and other microscopic "goodies", such as malaria, SARS, neurons and anthrax. The Wired article (where I got this from) suggested the "testerone" tie as an ice breaker for picking up chicks, as opposed to the chlamydia or herpes tie that might turn them off. The Wired article also linked to some other interesting gift items for that special nerd in your life (or maybe just for yourself if you happen to be a special nerd). The James Watson bobble head doll looked too much like James Carville for my tastes.

Posted by MarcV, 9:28 AM link

Where's Inflation Going?

About once a week I treat myself for breakfast to a bacon-eggs-grit-biscuit platter from a local biscuit place here in town, taking a break from the usual bowl of cereal. Since starting this in 2002, they've always charged $2.50. This morning I found out that they bumped the price up by 10 cents! Must be those egg prices - they've really gone up up up. Could they be the trigger for inflation next year? Other raw materials have had significant price increases. The company I work for has had record sales, but profit is poor due to the cost of raw materials going up and the tight supply of some materials (we have had to use inferior replacements that affect quality/output).

The Asian gorilla, China, has experienced great economic growth this past year. Their manufacturing plants have a voracious appetite for raw materials, which in turn has tightened supplies for the rest of the world. As more Chinese make the jump from low to middle income, and their "consumerism" increases, look for the American economy to help supply them with those decadent Western items and our economic activity to increase (and hopefully create more jobs).

After the Christmas sales are over and companies feel more confident (some may not have a choice) of making price increases stick, you'll start to feel your paycheck shrinking as your buying power decreases. If you can lock in on a loan (house, car) now, do it, since Greenspan will put an end to easy money early next year. It has been a long time since people have had to plan around inflation, but I think it's coming back. After years of poking along at around 2% with help from strong US productivity, things will heat up next year especially considering the weak dollar, so my economic prognostication (drum roll please):

2004 Inflation = 5.2% [oooh, that's gonna hurt]

Posted by MarcV, 9:27 AM link

December 09, 2003

House Rules

I wasn't sure whether or not to admit this, but the family has been enjoying the battle of the remodelers on Friday nights in House Rules. We started at about episode 7, and just saw #11 last Friday, so we missed the first 2/3's (they'll probably rebroacast them next year). Three couples compete for renovating rooms in a house that the show provides, with the "winners" owning their home at the end of the series. The three couples include an older (40's) married couple, a newlywed (early 20's) couple, and a pair (mid-20's) that ... are not.

That's the problem that I've had on posting about this. By watching and commenting on it, do I somehow condone this arrangement of unmarrieds living together? Some men and women "shack up" before deciding to marry, but it is not God's intention that marriage should start that way. I suppose "It's only adultery if they plan to get married" applies, since they announced their engagement on the last show. I also suppose that I could be viewed as strict, or a conservative "fuddy duddy" for even bringing this up.

It's one of those grey areas. We would not watch the show if they had decided to include a homosexual couple. But watching it is OK if they include an unmarried couple? All of the people they selected are attractive and look good on TV, and have some skill at home remodeling project. I enjoy seeing the progress on their individual projects and the things they go through to get to the finished room. I'd like to watch the show for the redesigning "fun" and not have to worry about the politics or social implications. It's no secret about the junk that passes for sitcoms and amusement on TV nowadays, where homosexuality is glorified, free and open sex is given a wink and a nudge, and moral relativism rules.

Rather than continue to use the same judges to decide the winner, the show this Friday will give an extended tour of each of the three houses and let the viewers vote for the winner. Determining the quality of work on a "TV tour" is difficult at best. The winners will probably be chosen based on popularity rather than remodeling skill, so I expect the "just-engaged" couple to win, considering their judicious use of waiting until near the series end to make their big announcement. The newlyweds have been portrayed as bumbling and whiners, while the older couple has been portrayed as vindictive and know-it-all's (as only 40-somethings can be!).

I have a cousin that lives in Katy, TX (where the houses are located), so I'll have to find out how much extra local attention that the show gets there. Wonder if the houses are a tourist stop now?

Posted by MarcV, 4:03 PM link

OnLine Photos

While this humble site has gone image-less during its 20 month existence, I have been tempted to occasionally post pictures. Like other infamous bloggers, forking out the cold cash for this "hobby" is a difficult hurdle to overcome. If I start paying for premium services, then next thing you know I'd have to get my own domain name, find a hosting service, and maybe even pay for one of those fancy blogger services.

The Sunday paper had an AP article about online photo services, where places like Shutterfly or Ofoto or Snapfish, for example, will process your digital pictures and charge you for prints that they mail to you. They offer online photo albums, but I could not tell if they expect you to have "X" amount of prints made before giving you storage space or just what arrangements are made for online photos. One site, PBase, offers 100 MB of storage for $23 per year. They seem to have alot of Asian customers, and it's interesting to view the pictures. You can get lost on that site and kill several hours looking at pictures if you're not careful.

The article also gave a link for photo sharing through DMOZ an Open Directory sharing project. They provide a list of various sites that offer photo sharing, some free and some for a fee. I found this site (sponsored by ArcSoft), PhotoIsland, where you get 10 MB free storage space. Here's another free offering, Grove Street, that has potential as well. I may check both out and who knows, you could someday see a link to pictures of the TaterBed with all of the Spuds. Hopefully by giving the link instead of reproducing the actual picture on Spudlets, I can avoid scaring away too many people.

Posted by MarcV, 10:09 AM link

Holiday Music

It's about 2 weeks before Christmas, time for the obligatory "why does Christmas music start so early and it's everywhere and I'm tired of it already" story.

Even several Penn State University students in New York to perform in the "Tuba Christmas" holiday music festival at Rockefeller Center say they've had enough already. "Right after Thanksgiving every station started playing Christmas music all the time," said 18-year-old Amanda Jones of Larksville, Pa. "I really like Christmas music, but by like the third day after Thanksgiving I was like 'Somebody please shut it off.'" Starting the music early is a tease, said Sharon Bullard, 18. "Christmas music starts earlier, so you feel like Christmas should come sooner, but it's just a longer wait."

Kids ... no wonder you're tired of it, you've probably been practicing it since October! More stations seem to go continuous Christmas music after Thanksgiving now, but there's one station out of Charlotte, WSSS, that went to Christmas music just after Halloween. Yikes!! I can get WSSS (104.7) at the TaterBed, and they play the standards: Nat King Cole, Elvis, Burl Ives, etc. Lady Spud wondered if they would run out of things to play by starting that early - ha, just keep the tape in continuous play.

To the best of my rusty recollection, it seemed like 5 to 8 years ago the stores were going overboard with Christmas sales/specials well before Thanksgiving. The public reaction was fairly negative, so most of them have gone back to the Friday after Thanksgiving to start the Christmas "rush". They still fill the shelves with Christmas stuff as they take out the Halloween items, though, and don't mind selling it if you have the money. They just don't go overboard advertising it.

Posted by MarcV, 10:08 AM link

December 08, 2003

Talley's

My church sponsored a free concert of the Talley Trio on Saturday night, so Lady Spud and I went on a date night for that. They are excellent singers, and it was a great concert. Lauren Talley can really belt out some songs, although I was disappointed she did not do that little head bob/snap thing she'll do when she's "feeling" a peppy song (you'll see that sometimes in the Gaither videos).

It was also disappointing that the turnout only filled the sanctuary about halfway (~800 capacity). It was billed as a gift to the community, and it was a nice change that they did not stop to take up an offering. They did have a table set up outside the sanctuary to sell CD's and stuff, and they seemed to be moving some product after the show. They stayed for service Sunday morning and performed, but Lady Spud and I had been scheduled for nursery duty with 2-3 year olds, so we missed out.

Their new album, The Message, has a song which they performed titled "I Love the Cross". I have been wrestling with this since I have heard it. My head tells me that I should love the cross, but there is something holding back in my heart. Up until Saturday I had never thought of loving the cross, but I understand why intellectually. I love the Lord and try to love Him more each day. I hate that things got to the point where the cross was/is needed. I hate that my stupidity/selfishness contributed to His pain.

This "flinty" part of my heart has been difficult to understand and deal with. It's not one of those "hand-waving, just get over it" things. The only thing I know to do is pray and pray again, asking for His help. God knows I need it.

Posted by MarcV, 10:49 AM link

More Lonesome Dove

Last Wednesday Li'l Tater got up early, but not early enough, since he wanted to go with me to walk the dog. Thursday morning he was definitely up early enough, but wanted to shower first. We had to wait for our hair to dry, so we watched a good chunk of The Road to El Dorado (a Dreamworks animated adventure that's mildly amusing) while munching down our breakfast bowl of cereal. We finally get out to walk the dog, and after about 100 yards down the street the youngster complains that it's too cold, let's go home! We stayed out long enough for the dog to do his "business", and then took the short walk back home.

I bring this up to lay the groundwork for Thursday night. Since he got up so early, the youngster conked out at 6:30 pm and did not wake up until 7:30 am (13 hours, the little booger!). Since we had an open night, Lady Spud and I finally took the plunge and watched Lonesome Dove on DVD (one of our all-time favorites). I had bought the package in the spring (get it - only $36 for three movies and they threw in a CD of the soundtrack), but wanted to watch the original in one sitting. We struggled through the butt-sores to 11:30, but called it a night even though we still had about 2 hours left (they are getting ready to leave Clara Allen's farm for Montana). We still have not finished it, but may have time tonight.

There's a part of me that wants to watch the movie with Li'l Tater, but he won't be ready for it for probably another 5 years. Lonesome Dove gives a real portrayal of life back then and what it took to survive. With all of the "whining" that people do nowadays for their "hardships", it amazes me how people were able to not only survive but prosper and build this nation. There are plenty of life lessons and truths that I would like to discuss with the youngster when we watch the film, but not until he is mature enough to handle some of the things in the movie. Sometimes wonder if I'm mature enough ...

[Various quotes from the movie]

Gus McCrae: Well, I'm glad I ain't scared to be lazy.

Woodrow Call: I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it.

Gus McCrae: I'm just tryin' to keep everything in balance, Woodrow. You do more work than you got to, so it's my obligation to do less.

Gus McCrae: It's not dying I'm talking about, it's living.

Posted by MarcV, 10:46 AM link

December 05, 2003

Get Outta Here

OpinionJournal has a good post on short-term missions, where you go for a week or two living with and helping folks in other countries. Been there, done that and was blessed many many times over. We may not have the calling or the time to commit to a one or two year mission trip, but there are plenty of opportunities for one to two week missions.

"Short-term missions are the key to mobilizing millions of people who sit in churches each week doing, basically, absolutely nothing," says the Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical Protestant congregation in Lake Forest, Calif., that has sent out more than 4,500 members on such trips this year. Mr. Warren also has boosted the practice by recommending it to readers of his current best-selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life."

While some may view this as an "extended" vacation, with the proper planning the trip can be focused on the mission and not being a tourist, although there's nothing wrong with an occasional break to explore the countryside. While traditionally short mission trips have focused on building projects or medical clinics, others can simply be meeting with various churches, praying for each other and beginning/continuing the process of relationship building.

But most of them require so much pre-trip orientation and training--as much as 20 hours for a trip sponsored by Dallas-based Global Missions Fellowship, for example--that it weeds out slackers. "We beat the drum through a series of meetings that this is hard work," says Mark Danzey, youth minister at First United Methodist Church, in Duluth, Ga. "Chances are as a family that these people have never poured concrete at home, but they're going to be doing that in the Blue Mountains in Jamaica, with no running water. They'll get no showers and one meal a day and walk wherever they go and experience what poverty is like."

In this season of gift giving, Christians need to take stock of the gifts they are giving their fellow man. While gifts of money and goods is helpful for missions, giving yourself and your time reap rewards not only for those you visit but for yourself as well.

If you have the chance, go outside of your comfort zone, live and break bread with your neighbor in another country, and you will be blessed. Help people in other parts of the world to find out about the real people of the U.S.A., and not just the ones they see on TV programs or movies.

Posted by MarcV, 12:55 PM link

Wild Suburbandom

Just when you thought it was safe to go out, the animals are reclaiming their turf. Another interesting post from OpinionJournal details the fight against bears and other critters in the Garden State:

Consider New Jersey, where, if things go according to plan, some 7,000 hunters will take to the woods next week and kill up to 500 bears. The rationale for the state's first bear hunt in more than 30 years is simple enough--too many bears. In 1995, there were 285 complaints about bears plundering birdfeeders, getting into the garbage, menacing pets and generally behaving like bears in territory claimed by humans. Last year, there were some 1,175 such complaints.

Fifty-seven bears entered homes. Two attacked people, including a two-year-old. In some parts of Jersey, kids are told not to put school lunches in their backpacks but to carry them in their hands instead. That way, if they encounter a bear, they can throw a sandwich on the ground to distract the animal and make a getaway.

This ain't Yogi and Boo-Boo we're talking about here! You've probably also heard about the rising deer (rats with antlers) population. They are now responsible for "... almost two million collisions with automobiles annually, with damages averaging about $2,000 and about 100 of them killing the driver. Deer also help spread Lyme disease." The critters seem to have adapted to suburbia.

There are thriving moose populations in Maine and Vermont where the animals are hunted but not vigorously enough to keep them off the roads. Cougars are making a robust comeback, which is understandable, since their primary prey is deer. Cougar attacks on humans--some fatal--are on the rise. There are suburbs in Colorado where it is considered risky to jog. Alligators, once endangered, are now a nuisance in Florida, where they routinely attack and kill pets. They also go after the occasional human. Coyotes survived a sustained campaign by the federal government to wipe them out and are now everywhere, and they have a distinct fondness for house cats [here kitty kitty kitty]. And, then, there are the bears. More grizzlies in Yellowstone and spreading out of the park. More black bears all over the place, it seems. One killed a five-month-old child, a little over a year ago, less than 70 miles from New York.

What would our forefathers say about this, after all of the hard work they did to virtually eliminate the threat of an animal attack? Back about a hundred or so years ago, when bears, cougars and other dangerous animals were still roaming freely, there was no "season" for them, just shoot to kill before they hurt you. I hope hunters and hunting can be looked upon favorably by everyone, and not something that is looked down upon by the "city-slickers".

... but I don't have a problem with the New Jersey hunt. The many people who do may well possess an ethical refinement that simply escapes me, but I fear that some may possess instead a de-natured sense of nature. They build into nature, they live nearby it, they thrill at its beauty and diversity and consider themselves sensitive environmentalists who want to shield nature from the harm that humans do. But they do not know it. They have only a distanced, sentimentalized sense of nature, very much the product of city-centered, suburban modern life, so far from rural realities that earlier generations knew so well. There was a time that you'd be considered a complete fool not to kill the bears that are invading your backyard. Maybe you still are.

Posted by MarcV, 12:53 PM link

December 04, 2003

No big posts today. I spent most of my surfing time leaving comments on other sites. Wonder if I should have posted them here as well? When you leave a lengthy comment on another blog, you can be tempted to put it on your own site. Maybe I could look at it as "spreading the wealth" (or spreading something!). Gotta go - Lonesome Dove - may post on it later.

Posted by MarcV, 6:49 PM link

December 03, 2003

TheSpoke

Have you heard anyone speak on TheSpoke? This just in at PCWorld.com - Microsoft Goes Blogging. Yes, the big boys in Redmond are setting up a service, but it seems to be geared towards tech-savvy teens:

TheSpoke looks to be more of a mass-market effort. The first members, dubbed Hubbers, for the site were recruited with postings on Web sites for gamers. In one such recruitment posting, apparently from the team setting up TheSpoke, the call to join goes out to any opinionated young person wanting to blog about technology and gaming.

"TheSpoke is an online community for young leaders that are tech savvy and opinionated. TheSpoke provides tools to collaborate, discuss and debate the future of technology," said the recruitment posting, published November 8 on an Xbox enthusiast Web site.

This is not supposed to be competition for Blogspot or other blogging host services, but rather it's "a tool for Microsoft to win support from young software developers who might otherwise choose to work on projects that compete with Microsoft." So if you're not a programmer, they won't be speaking in a language you can understand.[END SQL]

I wonder why I'm suspicious about all of this? It's another possible market segment for M$ to divide and conquer, if we let them. So far Google has resisted the urge to "join" the M$ family, but you never know where the Gate's gazillion$$ will go.

Posted by MarcV, 10:35 AM link

Same Old, Same Old

As the end of the year draws nigh, we are coming into the season of listing 2003 "best of" whatever. Over at OpinionJournal, the familiar cry of "where's all the new music" has been sounded:

A recent page-one story in the New York Times noted that 11 of the top 50 albums on Billboard's charts that week were recorded by artists over age 40, and that shoppers who'd already celebrated that birthday are buying more than 35% of all albums sold. The implication: Middle-aged people prefer to buy albums by middle-aged people. "Adults like music too," Columbia Records' president was quoted as saying. "And they're starting to get served."

Forgive me if I don't consider this act by Columbia and its recording-industry brethren a public service. I'm past 40, and about the last thing I want is music by people coaxed into catering to me. What usually results is what the middle-age set is contributing to the current charts: bland, uninspired recordings and stuff you've heard many, many times before.

I'll wait a minute as you dab that tear away from the corner of your eye ...

Dontcha just love it when the "critics" complain about the lack of "art" available in the marketplace, and how much "crud" is out there making big sales? The youths know where to go if they want new music, and it ain't the WalMart bins either. It's the Napster-like sites where the price is too good to pass up. The record companies are trying to scare them away, but they will always find a way around the law if they have a mind to download.

What was the last innovative rock music to have big sales? I would say that "new" rock died with Kurt Cobain, and since his death all we have had yielding major sales is boy-band or underage-girl pop and "dangerous" rap. If someone was to come out with something truly innovative and catchy, you'll see that take over the Billboard charts. Otherwise record companies will continue to provide whatever happens to sell, and for now it's the baby boomers and their long-term habit of buying albums. The record companies continue to profit from their historic catalogs as technology offers new recording mediums: LP-tape-CD-DVD. Same music, more sales!

Instead of congratulating themselves on finding ways to sell the same old same old, record execs should realize there are thousands, maybe millions, of us who want it rough, raw and risky, brash, bold and beautiful, as exciting as New Year's Eve.

Will this mythical "us" be willing to plunk down $15 for a new CD, or will those thousands maybe millions continue to rip and burn their own CD's? One more gripe: the author gives the impression that the over 40 crowd just can't produce that "exciting" new music. I would offer three "older" artists who have recently come out with some good music that may not make the Billboard charts, yet can offer some solid listening enjoyment: Lyle Lovett, Elvis Costello, Al Green.

Posted by MarcV, 9:33 AM link

December 02, 2003

Yesterday I had to eat lunch out, since the lovely and talented Lady Spud gave away most of the leftovers from Thursday and she had not shopped lately. I went for the heartburn (yet cheap!) special over at the Wendy's: small chili, jr. cheeseburger, side caesar salad - at $3.16 a bargain. Whilst partaking of these delicacies at my desk, I made sure to rotate my cracker supply, crumbling the old from-the-desk crackers onto the chili and putting the fresh-from-Wendy's crackers in the desk. Those crackers can come in handy during those times when you've worked past 2 pm and not stopped for a break, but then get a bad headache/hunger pang and start feeling desperate. Or is that just me?

Posted by MarcV, 3:24 PM link

Bloggers Cookbook

I mentioned over at Possumblog something about a Bloggers Cookbook, and Terry thought it was a "bright idea". What recipes would bloggers be interested in? Someone would have to get this typed up and ready soon, before blogging loses its "hot" status and becomes "passe" (probably in another few months). I propose the following criteria for blogger eats (please add to it as you see fit):

1. Be able to eat with one hand (need one hand free for mouse).
2. Nothing drippy or powdery-coated.
3. Combinations of snacks are acceptable.
4. Microwavable if possible, but don't rule out the Fry Daddy!

Sections could be devoted to: sandwiches, anything wrapped with a flour tortilla or pita, foods on a stick or "kabob", loose items that can be grasped with thumb and fore/middle fingers, and pizzas (no goat cheese!). I'll let Little Debbie take care of desserts, since nobody does it better (she's 47 now and probably filthy rich!).

Now all I have to do is come up with the recipes, then come up with some slick packaging for the cookbook, print it, market it, and then watch the money truck come rolling in. Aaaah, who said there's no money to be made in the blogosphere?

Posted by MarcV, 3:23 PM link

If you're thinking of making the TiVo plunge for Christmas this year, check out this article from Yahoo! News - Tune in to the new TV religion. We, the TaterBed, don't get regular cable, just basic-basic, so we would not have a huge selection of programming choices even if we did own a DVR. I have heard of people surrendering their lives to the DVR as they continue to record more hours of shows than they have time to watch. Some religion!

It would come in handy for ballgames to watch later, as most pro sports can be whittled down to over half by just cutting out the commercials and breaks in the game. With a DVD recorder you can build your own library, I suppose, but there's just not that much on TV that I would want to actually spend the time and money to save. Hollywood is making big $$ on the packaged TV shows, such as different seasons of the Simpsons or Alias or Star Trek, but with DVD recorder prices continuing to fall expect that profit center to dry up.

Posted by MarcV, 2:41 PM link

Saw this at SI.com - Writers - Peter King's MMQB, and wanted to pass along part of his interview with Jon Kitna, QB of the formerly hapless (now much more ept) Cincinnati Bengals:

... With resurgent Cincinnati quarterback Jon Kitna, who, thanks to his terrific play this season, has relegated Carson Palmer to the bench for the rest of the year.

MMQB: After you threw the clinching touchdown pass to beat previously undefeated Kansas City two weeks ago, you pointed repeatedly at your wristband. Why?

Kitna: A lot of people are trying to give me credit for being a changed quarterback. What I had on my wristband was a cross. The thing that has sustained me in the NFL is knowing that Jesus Christ is in total control. He has asked me to try to do things right, and right things will happen to me. So all of this is not about me.

Amen!


Posted by MarcV, 9:02 AM link

December 01, 2003

The well connected Ms. B. over at Indigo Insights passes along some funnies and other assorted stories, for those who may not have gone there and checked them out lately. Watch out for the medical "rib-ticklers", especially about the dedicated doctors who have to examine the lower parts of the intestinal passage.

Posted by MarcV, 4:27 PM link

Turkey Talk

I'm torn for the answer to "How was your Thanksgiving?" Should I be truthful and say "Ehh, not so good" or put on the happy Christian face and say "Well bless God, it was great, thanks!"? I keep going back to the stock result of 'nobody wants to hear whining/crabbing', and it is a poor witness when I don't express gratitude for all that He has blessed me with, considering how much people are suffering while I sit in the lap of luxury. So never mind.

I will say that we sat 15 total at the TaterBed on Thursday, and the turkey and dressing (that I, Spud Q. Tater, cooked) came out very nicely, as did the spiral ham. Unfortunately, we had over an hour between people showing up and the main feast. Since it was after 1 pm and nobody ate lunch (in anticipation of the big meal), many folks filled up on appetizers, so that only two people (me and my nephew) got up for seconds. Maybe it's the "attempt at not overdoing it and appearing to make an attempt at losing weight" scenario. There were some pies also, but they were not all that good. [Uh oh, did somebody say something about not whining ...]

*****

God bless President Bush and the US leadership in Iraq. When I first heard about his surprise visit to Baghdad Intl. Airport, it reminded me of the time when he threw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium just after 9/11 and the uneasy feeling that something bad could happen to him. I'm seeing the usual comments from the political pundits about the great politics involved, how he could use this to his advantage, and his "upstaging" of Hillary. Nobody has gotten to the heart of the matter, and what I think was his main reason for going.

President Bush has a heart of compassion for the men and women that he is sending out to harm's way. It has to hurt him to hear the criticism from the "other side", that we should bring our troops back, that too many Americans are being killed. As Commander In Chief, the buck stops at his desk for every military casualty in Iraq. His appearance in Baghdad was a morale boost for the troops, as well as a message that we are there for the long haul, continuing the process of making Iraq a free Arab country. It's the difficult times that show the character of leaders, and ours are doing just fine, thank you.

Posted by MarcV, 12:19 PM link

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