In case there's a change in the weather, part 2

After the wedding, we came home and I took a nice long nap. The cat, having Izzy to herself, came over, yelled at him a bit, and then led him towards the back door. Izzy opened the door, and Caligula looked out at the damp, overcast, wet yard. This would not do at all.

Expressing her disapproval loudly, she then led Izzy towards the front door, which he obligingly opened. Sadly and shockingly, the front door opened on exactly the same weather as the back door. Who could have imagined that?!

More yelling, and disapproval. Izzy then picked her up, set her on the front porch and shut the door. After a bit more complaining, she took advantage of the chance to eat some wet grass.

She's now sitting on a pile of pillows, turned away from me, as if she knows I'm blogging about her. She'll soon enough disapprove of the delay in her dinner time, then of several other things before we leave for Mass in the AM.

In case there's a change in the weather, part 1

Izzy rode to New Orleans last weekend to see our goddaughter "Idabeck" (middle) perform as a mouse and a baker in the Nutcracker with the N.O. Ballet.

At dinner one evening, IdaBeck was describing an outfit.

IdaBeck: The top is pink and the skirt is brown.
Izzy: (sung) The dashboard's genuine leather.*

All the grown-ups gaffawed, and Idabeck, figuring out that she'd done something to amuse the adults, joined in the laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*All together now:
"With isinglass curtains y' can roll right down,
in case there's a change in the weather."

Yes sir, that's my baby

Smile
Originally uploaded by Dogwood Dell

Taken by Dogwood (thanks!) at this morning's wedding.

Eerie timing

A couple of days ago, while looking at the paper, Izzy and I decided to go to the movies tonight to see Charlie Wilson's War. The main reason for picking today (Thursday, 12/27) is that I would be free of the pager.

So, already distressed by the assassination of Frmr Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto today, we headed off to see a movie that explains how the US came to arm the mujaheddin (unwittingly arming the future Taliban) , changing the future of the entire area, even as we finally helped someone defeat our perennial enemy, the Soviet Union. I cannot help but wonder if some of today's events were also set in motion back in the early 1980's, but also cannot imagine another way that things could have possibly worked out.


In eerie timing, the movie actually includes references to the death of Bhutto's father.

Overall, I'd recommend it. Direction by Mike Nichols, Aaron Sorkin screenplay & dialogue, convincing lead by Tom Hanks, good support from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Julia Roberts, and nice jobs done by a couple of Barry Levinson regulars: Ned Beatty and Peter Gerety (I'm a big fan of Homicide: Life on the Street, as anyone who has been with me to Baltimore would recall.)

For those of a certain age, helicopter battle scenes don't seem right without a soundtrack, usually Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. This movie did an interesting take, showing battle and attack scenes in Afghan villages and mountainsides played to Handel's "And He Shall Purify."

Lyrics, simplified:
And He shall purify the sons of Levi that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (from Malachi 3:3)

Watching these villagers defeat an enemy, clearing the way for "holy warriors" was all the more eerie with that oratorio playing over and over.

Nothing in movies happens by accident. It will be interesting to hear why that piece of music was chosen. Because, movie music choices have reasons. I don't think the rest of today can or will ever be adequately explained.

Christmas Blog, part 6: Reindeer

So, after three weeks, I'm finally posting pics of the reindeer graveyard in the front yard.



and



Dead Tree, still in situ.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before shots, for those who've only seen the HCC at night.



and

Christmas Blog, part 5: Kid stuff

Bicycles seen on the street today: 1.
Kids living on this block: not too many.
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Site to remember for next year: http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.htm




Status says Mission Complete. If you got nothing so far, you ain't gettin' nothin'.
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Finally, not so much related to little kids, but to being progeny, ourselves. Izzy's Christmas compilation just played one his absolute faves. Phil Madeira's "3 Horse Shoes" CD has a great song, which I think Izzy has taken as a personal anthem. Others might relate to the sentiment, as well.

Christmas This Year

Every December, like moths to a flame
we used to drive North
every year just the same.
But we're sick of the traffic
and we're staying right her
and WE AIN'T COMING HOME FOR
CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR.

Packages, sweaters,
ski-boots, and gloves.
Packed to the gills 'til the
car door won't shut.
By the time we've gassed up, we've got
no Yuletide cheer, so WE AIN'T DOMING
HOME FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR.

Okay, I admit it, it ain't just the drive,
but by the time we get back
here we''re barely alive.
'Cause sometimes vacations can
summon old tears,
and WE AIN'T COMING HOME FOR
CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR.

Don't worry. We'll call you.
We'll put the kids on.
Whatever it takes to
strengthen our bonds.
And in that sweet moment,
we'll wish we were there,
but WE AIN'T COMING HOME FOR
CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR.

Tell Santa to forward
the gifts to our house.
And maybe once in a decade
you oughtta drive South.
Just give us some notice,
God knows we'll be here,
'cause WE AIN'T COMING HOME FOR
CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR.

Now don't be offended
and don't be upset.
I never intended to make you regret
those wonderful moments
so special and dear.
But WE AIN'T COMING HOME FOR
CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR.

From a review of the CD by Steve Stockman, Rhythms of Redemption:

The songs are about meeting God in everyday mysterious ways. If American writer Frederick Buechner wrote songs, these would be they. God in the down to earth. Miracles, love and prayer without cliche. Not defined as contemporary Christian music but more Christian than most of what is described as that.

Christmas Blog, part 4: Stuff from the Radio

Christmas is usually a slow news day. NPR, addition to summarizing B16's message and telling us that greetings were given in 60 (or so) languages, added the following to Carl Kassell's top of the hour news summary:

• Tourists flocked to Bethlehem.
• All 5000 hotel rooms in Bethlehem were full.

Glad to see someone there has read/heard St. Luke's account.

In other, non-holiday radio stuff, I've heard several times an ad for some service or other. The ad ends: This offer is not available in all states, including South Carolina.

Doesn't that sound like "not available in any states"? Shouldn't they say it's not available in "some" states?

I'm certainly glad to see that people are aware that SC has been re-admitted to the Union, but if the service isn't available in SC, why run the ad on a station that only reaches the middle of SC? Are there enough people transiting the state who will chance upon this ad, thing "aha, this could be solution to my own particular problem!" and then recall the company and contact info once they reach their home in one of the states (if any) where the offer applies?

Christmas Blog, part 3: Cradle Catholics

We went to the later, less crowded Christmas Eve Mass last night. Due to a mix-up in arrangements, our Padre had discovered late Saturday that no one was planning to provide music for this particular Mass. Izzy was already scheduled to read, and now our 9 AM Mass duo got asked to do music.

So, Christmas Eve involved a bit of running around.

• music practice
• food shopping for spinach salad and Christmas breakfast ingredients
• assembling salad & dressing
• over to Mom's
• socialize-eat-take pics with loaner camera
• drive to church
• warm-up (with an "audience")
• Mass
• drive back to Mom's
• eat-socialize-sing-more pics
• clean up after 31 people with Mom while Izzy and Pops troubleshoot and install a wireless network
• home after one AM, without ever going to Midnight Mass.

All of that above is to say that I was a distracted at times yesterday. It's often hard to be a full, conscious, active participant in Mass when there has been and will be lots of activity outside of Mass on a particular day.

So, to remind me of the helpless baby that Christ allowed Himself to become, God sent one to our 7:30 PM Mass. Great vocal cords on that kid. Perhaps there should always be noisy babies at Christmas Eve Mass --- we are, after all, celebrating the birth of a baby.

There was also a young lady (around 8 or 9?) seated across that Chapel from the micro-choir. Obviously a cradle Catholic, but I don't believe from this Parish, she felt (IMHO) a need to be sure that everyone knew that she knew all of the vocal and spoken responses, prayers, etc. Loudly. Flatly. Starting just a bit behind, finishing up ahead of the rest of us, almost triumphantly. See, I know what to do even better than you do.

Her mom was somewhere in the back...

Between the baby and the little-red-haired-girl, I think few people noticed any mistakes the musicians might have made. Again, there should always be lots of children and a bit of chaos at Christmas Eve Mass.

We were given a noisy baby, who grew into a young man Who impressed adults with His knowledge and understanding of God. He died, in part for that same understanding, when it threatened a system that was supposed to point people to God, but which had become more self-sustaining, rather than anticipatory.

Here's to many opportunities over the next 12 days to remember the wonder, revel in the chaos, and anticipate the next coming.

Christmas Blog, part 2: Shoes

First, some background: Izzy first met my parents when he accompanied me home for Christmas Break back in the Reagan administration. One afternoon, Izzy and Dad found themselves seated at the kitchen table, trying to read the paper despite noise and chaos levels approaching apocalyptic. Dad looked up from a sales insert and said to Izzy: Hey, they've got bras half off at Riches. Wanna go?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I looked through today's sales inserts just a while ago, noting to Izzy that while bras seemed to be half-off, men's underwear was generally only 25% off. Something seems terribly unfair here.

Turning a page, I commented to Izzy:

"They've got knee-high boots 70% off at Penney's. Doesn't that make them 'shoes'?"

His reply: That's your Christmas blog entry, right there.

QED.

Christmas Blog, part 1: Bad Santas

We're here listening to Izzy's iPod montage of Christmas music, and I discovered this bit of video news.

Maruading Band of Drunken Santas Causes Havoc in New Zealand Movie Theater

Pull quote from a seven year old witness: "I thought they were funny at first, but then it got out of hand and I started to get scared."

Christmas Fun: Google maruading santas and marauding santas.

More on Mattheus' Impact on 17 year olds

I was riding an escalator last night and heard a couple of kids behind me mentioning that one of the was "turning the big one-eight" today.

Grandma, to the older one: Have you registered to vote yet?

Almost no longer 17 year old: Yes, we did that a few weeks ago. You
can register as long as you'll be 18 by the election.

Other 17 year old: Yea, we read about it in the paper.

Me (not out loud): I'm so proud of my baby brother.

Re-read the post via the way-back machine:
Leonardo's Notebook By Mattheus Mei: The First Wave.....

Cute photo, which is the whole purpose of the Internet, right?

I'm putting up pics on Flickr this evening, having finally gotten around to editing and labeling shots I took at the St. Nicholas Festival. More on that once the pics are up (it'll be my last set that I set to auto-upload before heading off to sleep. Oversharing??)

Here's one with an excited bday girls who has just gotten the bday loot that Uncle Izzy and Aunt Lizzie bought her at the Air & Space Museum. Folks call her a mini-me. It's loads of fun being an Aunt.



For those who care, I have an itty bitty loaner camera for family Christmas pics. I'm glad I've played with other point & shoots. Expect a few more kid shots next week.

Seasonal Predictability

Update at the bottom...
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Somethings you can count on. Every year, just before Easter, someone discovers or uncovers or invents some bit of evidence that totally undermines everything that has been believed about Christianity since 33 AD or so.

We've all forgotten it by Mother's Day, of course.

Christmas usually goes ignored in the heresy, undermining department. So, I was mildly surprised to follow a link from Drudge to this story at the UK Daily Telegraph:

Archbishop says nativity "a legend"

The Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday that the Christmas story of the Three Wise Men was nothing but a 'legend'.

Dr. Rowan Williams has claimed there was little evidence that the Magi even existed and there was certainly nothing to prove there were three of them or that they were kings.

Dr. Williams argued that the traditional Christmas story was nothing but a 'legend.' He said the only reference to the wise men from the East was in Matthew's gospel and the details were very vague. Dr. Williams said: "Matthew's gospel says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire, that's all we're really told. It works quite well as legend."

The Archbishop went on to dispel other details of the Christmas story, adding that there were probably no asses or oxen in the stable.

He argued that Christmas cards which showed the Virgin Mary cradling the baby Jesus, flanked by shepherds and wise men, were misleading. As for the scenes that depicted snow falling in Bethlehem, the Archbishop said the chance of this was "very unlikely".

In a final blow to the traditional nativity story, Dr Williams concluded that Jesus was probably not born in December at all. He said: "Christmas was when it was because it fitted well with the winter festival."

Comment: G and others have linked to a Mark Shea essay (book chapter?) on the Christmas timing question.

His comments came during an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live with Simon Mayo yesterday. Later on in the show, the Archbishop was challenged by fellow guest Ricky Gervais, the comedian, about the credibility of the Christmas story. ...

Yes, Ricky Gervais, the guy from the original series "The Office." The Christmas special episode was wonderfully grim.

More Daily Telegraph Links:

Transcript: Archbishop's interview with Simon Mayo
Damian Thompson: Another of Rowan Williams' own goals

Granted -- the headline makes it appear that the AB of C disbelieves more than the article says, but I'd expect not one whit less of hyperbole from the British press.

The commentariat makes good points that the Scriptures don't say three wise men, nor kings, etc. Nothing puts the Magi in the stable. No one seems to be noticing (in the few comments I read) that Tradition (big T) may pass along to us things that don't get recorded until much later.
I just wonder what the AB of C believes about other bits of this legendary story. Virgin Birth, no room at the inn, announcement to shepherds, etc.?

I'm sure that, following this story, there will be outraged comments some places, triumphant links in others, and much of the Anglican Communion will continue to be embarrassed by the rest of the communion.

Merry Legendous!

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Update: I've started actually reading the full transcript and have discovered a few answers.

Virgin Birth: Yep, since "that's something I'm committed to as part of what I've inherited."

No room at the Inn:
Simon Mayo: ...the baby Jesus in a manger; historically and factually true?
ABC: I should think so; the Gospel tells us he was born outside the main house, probably because it was overcrowded because it was pilgrimage time or census time; whatever; yes; he's born in poor circumstances, slightly out of the ordinary.

Wise Men: Well Matthew's gospel doesn't tell us that there were three of them, doesn't tell us they were kings, doesn't tell us where they came from, it says they're astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire. That's all we're really told so, yes, 'the three kings with the one from Africa' - that's legend; it works quite well as legend.

Lesson: The full interview isn't nearly as inflammatory as the abbreviated version. Still, I think someone comfortable in academia whould know that the term "legend" shouldn't be used about anythng related to scripture outside densely ivy-covered walls.

Familiar Faces

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Raleigh -- I think this might be only the 2nd time for me. We're here for the college graduation of my eldest niece from NC State. Go Pack, I guess....

I arrived too late for the family dinner, so no Italian. I just a few minutes ago turned on the news, and (this will mean something mainly to Izzy), there were Debra Morgan and Pam Saulsby telling me about local goings-on and Greg Fischel telling me how cold it's going to be tomorrow (very!), with sports by Bob Holiday.

I began the process of leaving the Triangle five years ago. It's nice to see familiar faces -- even if only on a screen. It's not unlike moving back to SC after being away for 23 years and having the same two Senators (Thurmond and Hollings) and Mr. Knozit still doing the weather. We likes us our stability down here, we does.

Just heard another bit of news that will sadden the hearts of true Dukies, baby: Dickie V had surgery today on his vocal chords and won't be able to announce games until at least February, babeee. Who is going to tell me about the Dipsy-doo Dunk-a-roo's done by the All-Windex Team?

We'll see you in February, Dickie, baby.

More Tweaking

Izzy has commented, appropriately, that something at Flickr is making the badge (the randomly changing picture collection) take forever to load lately. This means that other sidebar elements, including the blogroll, are taking forever and ever to load.

Fix: Got rid of the badge. I've put up links to several photo collections, and may occasionally post really spiffy photos on the sidebar or at the top.

Speaking of "at the top," I decided to add a banner pic. It's one we cobbled together from shots taken on a balcony in Little Switzerland in October of 2006. We were using the low-res digital that we'd gotten free with the IMac in 1999 (I believe that's the correct year), but we were pleased enough to be able to record the lovely views.

I've also added, tongue thoroughly in cheek, a "Seasons Greetings" pic.

Other changes include trying to enhance readability for those whose eyes are aging like mine. Yes, this means I'm not doing work typing this afternoon. What were the chances of that happening?

Mr. and Mrs. Michelin hope you and yours are having a wonderful Advent.