Nothing In Particular.

Ugh, almost 2 weeks since I've posted anything. So what's been going on? Well, we came home from a cookout at my parents last night to find Fuzzy (our goldfish), aka "the Pig", was dead. We've had him almost 5 years, which I reckon is pretty good for a 37 cent goldfish. Still, we've had him almost as long as we've been married, so it's still sad. I buried him this morning in one of our flower gardens.

So what else? My knee is swollen up like a tennis ball. I woke up Sunday morning in pain (I have a vague memory of me in my dream that night having knee pain). As the day progressed, it got bigger and bigger. But it has seemed to settle on being as big as a tennis ball, very very painful to the touch (and movement), and hot to the touch as well. I spent all yesterday morning, and part of the afternoon, at patient first having x-rays and stuff. The x-rays didn't show anything helpful, so they took some blood (ugh!) and I'm waiting to here the results. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to stay off my feet as much as possibly, and I have too use crutches when I walk. Which I'm trying to limit, because not only are crutches annoying, but walking is intenesly painful on my knee. So we'll see what happens.

But all of this crutch business has reminded me of a quote from Rev. Sloan Coffin that I always liked (btw, this may not be word for word accurate as I am quoting from memory, so just deal with it):

"It has been claimed that religion is a crutch. Well, where did you get the idea that you don't limp?"

Michael Savage is an idiot.

Michael Savage is an idiot.

That's all I have to say.

Good night.

Art Opening

Last Friday (Friday the 13th...mwahaha) my wife had her opening for her latest art show. It was at the Eric Schindler Gallery in Richmond. And what a wonderful opening it was. So many people came out. It always surprises me to see how nervous she get's before an opening, wondering "what if no one comes?". Well, there hasn't been a time where that happened yet. And this past one was no exception. It was supposed to go from 7pm - 9pm, but people were still coming it as late as 9:30. The gallery was nice -- it's a converted old house -- and it's always so awesome to see her work up on walls in big (relatively) rooms where they can breathe. Anyway, here's a little blurb (with a not-so-good black and white picture of a very colorful piece) about the show from a local paper. If you're in richmond and you want to go see it, it'll be up until June 17 (then she's got another opening for another show up in New York at the Agora Gallery in Chelsea). The Schindler Gallery is on 23rd and East Broad St.

One of may favorite pieces sold Friday night too. Which is good and bad. It's good cause, well, we need the money. But it's bad because I really really liked that piece.

Anywho, her work is awesome. She never ceases to amaze me. I love you sweetie.

The Amazing Race

Last night I watched the end of the last episode of the Amazing Race. I'd seen parts of a couple of episodes from various seasons, never really getting into the show. It was kind of exciting to watch the last few teams race to the finish line, I guess. But more than that, what kept me watching for about 45 minutes last night (yes, I watched for a while...I never said I was proud of myself) was not too unlike turning and looking at a car wreck on the side of the road as you drive past. All I can say is that I think this show sheds some light on "why they hate us". I'm not saying "they" hate us because of this show, or even because of shows like it. What I am saying is that this show, or more specifically the actions of the participants, is a symptom of at least one of the reasons why "they hate us."

The show, for you blessed souls you have never stooped to watch it (indeed, you are a better person than I) is one big race around the world for the teams of two. Each team must collect clues, which tells them where in the world they must go to get the next clue or challenge. Ultimately, they race around the world, with teams being eliminated at various points for being the last to arrive at specific destinations. The winning team gets 1 million dollars.

Heres the problem: The show has released Americans onto the world, who are doing anything to get to their next destination as fast as they can. This means that teams are rude, insulting, demeaning, etc. to people all over the world, berating the likes of cab drivers for not going fast enough. Taking cabs from one end of a city to the other and back again and not having enough money to pay the fare (then begging the driver to let it slide - essentially trying to cheat the driver out of his/her due money so the contestants can get their 1 million dollars!). Disrespecting the people who work at ticket counters at airports the world over for not holding a plane an extra 15 minutes so the can gain an advantage over the other teams, etc., etc. So essentially what we have are Americans running all over the world, being obnoxious and completely self absorbed with their desire to win 1 million dollars, completely ignoring the fact that many of the people they are counting on to help them will probably never see anywhere close to a million bucks their whole life, and all the while they are being rude and insulting to these people. One team last night, nearing the finish line, didn't have enough money to cover their cab fare at the end of the race. To their credit (a little anyway), the team didn't run the last bit of the race to the finish line until they had panhandled enough cash to pay the driver. But, while they were doing this, the driver was left in limbo, having driven this couple all over the city and now he was sitting wondering if he would get his due payment. Imagine how he was feeling, after driving these people all over and then having them say, "i'm sorry, we don't have enough money to cover the fare." But the did manage to beg enough in the end to cover the fare. Of course, this meant begging $10's and $20's off other people (again people who will most likely never see anywhere close to a million bucks). Egocentrism at it's worst. Taking money from others in order to win money for yourself.

And that is the mindset that, I think, leads "them" to hate us. We are completely self-absorbed. We trample on those who allow us to live our self-absorbed life-style without a thought. Our interests are more important than being decent and respectful to others.

Disgusting.

Afropunk

I just found out this documentary is playing here in Richmond tonight at the Nancy Raygun. It's a film about "race identity within the punk scene." Anyway, I'm kind of bummed that I can't make it to the screening (have a couple of meetings at church this evening). Oh well. Hopefully I'll be able to see it sometime. It looks pretty interesting.

Lions, Witches, and Wardrobes...Oh my!

I just watched the trailer for the upcoming movie The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It looks pretty sweet. Infinitely better than the old BBC version. Can't wait for December.

Oh, and I'm still sick. I have a cough that won't quit, I'm all achey feeling, and I'm walking around (ok, not much walking per se, more of sitting and laying down) in a fog. Yuck.

too long...

So it's been a while since I've posted anything. Slacker? You bet. So what have I been up to? Last week the wife and I ran down to Buxton NC (on the outer banks, near Hatteras Island) for a few days. A woman my wife works with owns a house on Pamlico Sound down there and let us use it for a few days. Awesome. Nothing but quality time with the woman I love. We got to spend some time walking on the beach, sitting on the beach, going to small little art galleries, reading...all kinds of good stuff. Plus we were near where Blackbeard the Pirate roamed. I got a Piratey T-Shirt, and a car air freshener that looks like the Jolly Roger pirate symbol. I am sooooooooo cool. (Speaking of the Jolly Roger, that's the name of a little place on Ocracoke Island that has the best hush puppies in the world, if you care.) We came back Thursday because....

....my baby sister was graduating from college this past weekend. CONGRATULATIONS TERRY!!!! We went up on Friday for a cookout with her, her boyfriend, and his family. She won an award ("it's a major award!") for her community service leadership with COAR (Community Outreach and Resources) and Habitat for Humanity, among other things. I'm so proud of her. Then Saturday was graduation. They called all the students by name up to cross the podium and get there diploma. All of the students. That took a while, but it was still cool. I didn't think they did that anymore. When I graduated, they just had all of us in the same college (College of Humanities and Sciences in my case) stand. Then they said congratulations, you are graduated. No names, and no diplomas (we got those later). But it's cool to see your baby sister walk across the stage and get here diploma. Way to go, sis. Big Brother is proud.

So that's what I've been up to. Oh, and I'm sick. Yuck. Bad cold/flu thingy. Didn't make it to church yesterday (we were supposed to be recognized as new members during the service too) because I was sick. Thought I was doing better today, went in to work (Blue Ridge Mtn. Sports), but that was not a good move. Came home a little early and have already told them that I won't be in tomorrow. Being sick sucks. Thankfully I can do a lot of my youth director stuff from home.

So that's it. I know it's what you huddled masses were waiting for -- an update on this ubercool guy's life.

Peace.