Lineup Cards...

I am not sure a more appropriate time than right now to remind you of the most important question you need to find out today.  Who IS on first?

Teams that have gone through spring training and still don't know who is manning the 3 position, should probably find out sooner rather than later.

While I hope my Orioles do well today and Stay Hungry, the twitter handle which they made famous two seasons ago, at least baseball is back.  Go find a game this week to attend and until then, you and Abbott and Costello can figure out Who is on first?

Why Throw The Ball This Time?

Why can't we be friends?  Seriously Mr. President?  Why must our relationship be constantly soured over one policy difference after another?

I understand some of your feelings, but this one makes just absolutely no sense.

No national holiday for Major League Baseball's Opening Day?  Really?  The White House issued a statement full of glowing statements about new beginnings, but ultimately said that national holidays were "outside their strike zone."  (I am tempted to argue so is healthcare policy, foreign policy, and budget making.)

The White House deferred the initiation of a national holiday to Congress.  Curious given they regularly take on whatever role for themselves they want by executive fiat.  Again, you only need to look at the Affordable Care Act - a piece of legislation that wasn't even written when it was passed.  How many times has the executive decided to amend the legislation or change deadline by its own power without Congress, and now on an issue that should be easy will not execute a simple catch and throw play, instead they bunt, passing blame to Congress.

I wish they would just step up and say "Hey, Congress do this" or "Hey, we have more important things to do."  Either way, but this community organizer is so scared of handling basic leadership functions he doesn't even do that.  More than anything I think I am embarrassed for my President.  How did he ever get to this point?

Questioning Education

Sports radio today had a question today: "Is it okay to let your kids skip school to go to Opening Day?"

I was astounded this was even a question.  Why not?

For me, there are lots of lessons at a baseball game.

First, there is the basic math of counting balls and strikes, counting pitches, and runs.  There is the physics of hitters versus pitchers for older kids and the more complex math of ERA, WHIP, OBP, OPS, etc.  If you can find a writer like George Will or a very few others you can find baseball as poetry.

Second, as I noted earlier today, given that education - even in college - and we know in high school will coddle athletes, why should I penalize a good student, by keeping him or her away from the ballpark?

Finally, beyond that, there are how many Opening Days in a lifetime?  Why not enjoy them while you are young?  I take my sons (and eventually daughters) to daytime baseball all the time during the work week so they understand the importance of enjoying our national past time...even during the work week.

We grind and fight our way through school weeks and work weeks and so many other times, it seems an easy decision to take your little ones to go to the ballpark.  What are you waiting for?

More Worthless Paper

So multiple college graduates have been complaining for the past half decade that their college degree is barely worth the paper it is printed on.  Degrees in the humanities just don't pay in the professional world the way they once did, but according to recent news reports, the University of North Carolina has really diluted the value of the paper they issue.

It seems, UNC hired tutors to run classes that did not meet, where student athletes would write a single paper to qualify for grades.  This text is from one athlete in an African American studies program:

On the evening of December Rosa Parks decided that she was going to sit in the  white people section on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. During this time blacks had to give up there seats to whites when more whites got on the bus. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. Her and the bus driver began to talk and the conversation went like this. “Let me have those front seats” said the driver. She didn’t get up and told the driver that she was tired of giving her seat to white people. “I’m going to have you arrested,” said the driver. “You may do that,” Rosa Parks responded. Two white policemen came in and Rosa Parks asked them “why do you all push us around?” The police officer replied and said “I don’t know, but the law is the law and you’re under arrest.

The text illustrates the concern.  This could have been written by a sixth grader, though I would expect more of my fifth grader, yet a college football player shows that he is almost unable to use his own language.  I guess he knew how to block attacking linebackers, but it appears he can barely complete a sentence.

So, I am tempted to ask the NCAA: is this what student athletics is about?  I keep hearing that students on athletic scholarships are students first and this is why college players should not be paid - a premise I tend to agree with - but if the NCAA doesn't come down hard on UNC (and other programs playing the same academic games) they will lose me.  Quickly.

For years, I have said college athletics is either a great time for the player or at worst an internship for the pro level, but if this is the level of academics allowed to go on, no thanks.  My son wants to play baseball for a Division I school, but these type stories worry me completely.

Clean your house up and quickly or you are going to lose your house from players suits to unionize.  The NCAA can say they will take the issue to the Supreme Court, but when you have situations like this what is there to defend?

Dreams Of Our Fathers, Hopes Of Our Egos, Or...

Finally!  The news we have all been waiting for...

Chris Christie still plans to do his 2016 thing.  The Bridgegate story be damned.  After all, he had "nothing to do with it." I don't know if he remembers from his time as a US Attorney or not, but you start low and work your way up.  The investigation that is going on so far hasn't even scratched the surface as near as I can tell, unless you count his own internal document, which shockingly enough cleared him of all wrong doing.

 

I apologize for the sidebar, but it is not clear to me why he feels so entitled, but if he hasn't noticed, Americans first off are pretty quickly getting fed up with bullys who do things the way they want, without regard to what the rest of us want.  Second, the Republican Party has gone moderate with each of its last two nominees.  I would argue longer than that as we are seeing the results of George Bush's term as President where he spent money recklessly to win elections and fight wars that were less than necessary, not to mention the civil liberties questions that continually pop their heads up under Barak Obama, but which clearly started post-9/11.  Nonetheless, the politics are simple.  If the talking heads nominate another moderate, I suspect the Tea Party folks walk and either go third party or sit on their hands.

All of that though flows back into Chris Christie.  Christie has governed as a tough in your face prosecutor, but Democrats are not the accused, they are merely another political party with ideas different than your own.  He talks about building consensus, but it sounds like from the stories on Bridgegate, his staff built consensus through political pain.

I am amazed by the brazenness of his staff, which again, makes me think somewhere along the line he nodded his head.  His Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, did not get to her position by being stupid.  Somewhere along the line she should have realized these emails might end up in the public domain, or did she think her boss was the head of a crime family and simply wouldn't allow these emails to see the light of day?  The same with his old high school buddy David Wildstein.  These two make kid running for high school class President look smart, but if they were this brazen, why not believe they had the authority from Papa Bear?

I know I am blogging a lot about Chris Christie, but the hubris astounds me of some of the brightest GOP "stars."  If this is the best we have, I think we are in serious trouble.

To me, this looks like someone's dreams are going to come crashing down because of the weight of his ego.

Something About The Meek Inheriting The Earth....

I may be presuming, but did we all hear the story this week about the theft at the church?

This is another story about the $25,000 reward being offered for the recovery.

I know, I know....$25,000 to recapture the pittance that would have been stolen from a church.  A theft at the church....it should be unbelievable!  The thieves made away with $600,000 in cash.  Once again, it should be unbelievable.

Am I remembering Matthew 5 correctly?  Something about "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land."

I think I am reading it correctly from the link, but how in the world does any church have $600,000 sitting around...much less, in cash?


The more fundamental question though is how do "holy men" amass such riches?  Isn't the purpose of Christ's kingdom to serve those who are in need?  Isn't the purpose of a tithe not to enrich a pastor, but to enrich the lives of the many?

Blessed Pope John Paul II had a great comment about this issue: "The great danger...in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish."  I wonder where the focus is when you spend as much as I guess Mr. Osteen does on hair care products and $2000 suits.

It frightens me to think of this with all the need out there.  No matter how cheery your disposition, isn't it appropriate to find a way to comfort those with no comfort.  I find solace in my Holy Father.  Here is a man who has stayed away from a magnificent palace he could occupy as a head of state, but instead chooses to live through community service, living close to those who tend the property that is the Vatican.  He doesn't lunch in private dining halls, but in community facilities.

Isn't this the image we want from our holy men?

When I think of this situation, I think of the homeless in the City of Houston.  When I think of this situation, I think of the hungry in Houston.  When I think of this situation, I think of those usually marginalized.  But after realizing that a single church in Houston is grossing $32M from normal Sunday donations, I have to think about who is actually committing the theft.

Haven't We All Been There Before...

Well, who hasn't been here at least once?

Before I go too far, let me say, I don't endorse drinking yourself into oblivion.  First, you are only going to numb yourself to feelings that two, are going to come rushing right back in.  Having said that...country is starting to rock.

This is one of those somebody left somebody songs, but the hurt is still there...until you go out with your friends (and a designated driver) and find yourself a few more than you need.

I got a little drunk last night
There's something 'bout a midnight rain
Staring at the ceiling fan
I couldn't get you off my brain

 

 

Again, I think we may have all had that night laying in bed watching the ceiling fan, rain or not, thinking about the one that would be perfect for us.  You know the one?  The one that probably isn't all that perfect for you anyway, but who nonetheless is in the front of your head.  And the back...both sides, the middle, and somewhere upside down too.

 

And then...the Captain Morgan and Coke come out...just a drink or two...or three...or you get a little drunk last night.  Have a good time, enjoy your music, and have a designated driver.

Your human resources are your most important natural resource

I find myself writing about this regularly it seems, but maybe it is because so many people don't seem to get the lesson.

A few years ago, in the August of 2011, I was invited to the Arkansas EMT Association's annual conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas to present an all day session on leadership.  During this time, I used a lesson I learned from General Colin Powell which was about attention to your people.

The crux of his comments were that you had to pay attention to your people.  In a brain based economy, the most important thing you have is not tools or technology, but your people and their critical thinking ability.  This reminds me of a former boss I had when i was doing natural resources policy in Virginia who said our most important natural resources are our human resources.  I don't know General Powell, but in the latter case, she meant it and it was clear every day that her focus was on her people.  Not just a handshake, cup of coffee, or a hello, but a genuine, "what is going on?"

It brings me to the other point General Powell was making about leadership and people which was when folks don't bring their problems to you it is usually for two reasons.

1. Your people think you are incompetent and can't fix them, or
2. Your people don't think you care...and you can't fix them.

Both are problematic for the leader who needs his or her team to function well in an increasingly competitive environment because at that point the team doesn't think you can lead.

It seems appropriate to remember that the guy with the most cool toys or technology is only the guy with the most cool toys and technology, but if his staff isn't buying into the message otherwise or not "getting it" there should be a siren going off.  Especially when you are in public safety.

We all know of organizations where there are cliques - in the firehouse, in the rescue squad, even the patrol room - but when it negatively affects service delivery, it might be time to look at those apples poisoning the bunch.  Do they pick and choose what rules to follow?  Do they hide assets from other team members?  These are the things that should be raising alarms and demand a response.

Things are usually harder to stop the longer they go, so the question becomes do you handle problems when they are small or wait until they are big?

Stay safe!

Which Fish Is On What Hook?

Didn't I just write about public safety eating their young?  I hate to be a broken record, but really I see it up close sometime.

Okay, so my question is why are there older generation folks who sit back, relax, and refuse to assist the next generation of providers....until.  Until they do something they (the older generation) do not like.

"You can't do it that way."

"You're doing it wrong."

"You do it the way I say it."

Ever thought about offering an explanation?

You see, it isn't I don't want to learn from you, but when I watch you pencil whipping your friend's certifications or coming back to a serious questions with pithy answers like "you don't need to learn that because you can't fix it" I tend to wonder about the other advice you have for me.

Crazy idea here, but if you want me to take you serious, be serious.  Stop with the passive aggressive.  Show up on time and be a positive influence.  In fact, when you get asked to take on a project, take it on.  Don't say no, and then yes, and then no, and then yes to feed your ego.  Others of us are already picking up your slack for those days you don't have time to do the basics of your job.  One more task is no big deal.

It infuriates me because all of this is true and we see it again and again in organizations where we allow people to dominate a conversation simply because they speak louder.  The news flash is yelling is not policy and it certainly doesn't help the workplace dynamic.

If you are looking for a meal, go eat lunch, you've jumped some new people one time too many, and the fish may be in the mood to bite back.

Companies Are People...Or Not.

So, where are all my court watchers?  This Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) term is about to get interesting.

This Tuesday, the justices will hear cases about whether or not the government can mandate a company to provide birth control to its employees via the Affordable Coverage Act, known as Obamacare.  Not being a lawyer, I am not sure which way this case goes.

It would seem that the court has two very distinct directions in could lean on.

One, it just said the ACA was legal and appropriate in one of the worst decisions I think I have ever witnessed.  Chief Justice Roberts basically wrote a defense of the ACA on grounds that weren't argued.  He provided the judicial activism conservatives love to hate.  That decision provides the groundwork that the government can tell you what you will buy and when and how whenever it wants to.  The loss of freedom in that basic decision is appealing.  It is almost as bad as the fact that four justices agreed that the government has the right to tell you to buy Coke or Pespi.  What?

The issue here is that there are companies who do not want to provide birth control to their employees saying it goes against their religious beliefs.  That is a serious fundamental question that will make other things interesting to like can I deny you the right to service at my restaurant if I find anything about you contradicts my religious beliefs.

Meanwhile, the Citizens United opinion was clear that companies could spend money on elections because to do otherwise would deprive them of their right to speech.  What company has a right to political speech?  Well, according to SCOTUS, they all do.  That being the case, it should not that big a jump to say companies like Hobby Lobby should also have the right to religious beliefs as well.

Since the First Amendment covers both the right to speech and religious choice one should not be inclined to believe this would be a big jump, but this will be another interesting one for sure.

Hold onto your seats folks...this one will be interesting.

Public Safety Protection

More bad news.

So I learned yesterday that the DC Fire and "EMS" Trial Board scheduled to convene this week is continuing the lack of transparency and has decided to work...in secret.

Are we really surprised?

The Trial Board stated they were doing so for the safety of the firefighters, but the issue that continues to be elusive for DC Fire EMS apparently is the public's safety.  You know?  The people who you are employed to be protecting.

Once again though, DC Fire seems more interested in trying to taking care of its bottom, than  taking care of the rest of us.

It amazes me that this organization could be THIS out of control.  The internal report which made its way to the public has all sorts of sordid details, but how do you keep an employee who would not respond to a dying man when asked to?  Moreover, how do you keep an employee who chose to lie to investigators "in her initial report"?

Let me say that again, chose to lie.  That is no longer an issue of education.  It's an issue of ethics.  Perhaps after thirty some odd years on the job Lt. Davis had no idea of what to do when someone rings the bell out front.  I get it.  It happens.  That is an issue of education and MAYBE, just MAYBE she wasn't properly trained despite achieving the rank of Lieutenant.  That being said, that is an education issue.  As soon as she decided to mislead investigators though, that was an ethics issue, and that has zero place in my public safety world.

We all make mistakes, but this is supposed to be an honorable profession.  You make a mistake, own up to it.  We all do, but when you dishonor yourself, your crew, and your department because you wanted the easy way out to save your skin...I have to help you find the door and in this case, not through your convenient idea to retire.

I believe in public safety protection, but we risk our hides to say others; we don't cover ours.

The Science of Relationships

I heard a live version of this song a while back...I find the live version will just rip, not tug, at the heart strings if you were in a relationship like Miss Bareilles' clearly was.  It is pretty clear to me she has found the wrong guy and is having all kinds of problem breaking away from Mr. Wrong.

Maybe he wasn't even Mr. Wrong, just not Mr. Right.  She gets involved and she finds he has this problem or that, but she can't pull clear.  He keeps pulling her back in, or maybe even reeling her in.  Who knows?

Maybe, I don't get the song, but the lines below are just wow for me.

 

But you're neither friend nor foe
Though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down.

Talk about juxtaposition.  If you can find the live version on Between The Lines: Live At The Fillmore, her notes when she sings "...keeping me down" aren't down, but up and she just holds it like it was meant to be clear she was yearning for a higher calling, a higher love, but knows this isn't it.

How many of us have held onto that person we knew just wasn't right, for just a little too long?  As for me, I keep coming back to Sara Bareilles because of the incredible song writing.  Enjoy your Friday.

Illness

The sickness continues.

I am not sure how else to describe what I saw earlier in the Washington Times, but depravity and illness.  Mostly mental.

A non-profit group in Washington, D.C. - The DC Abortion Fund (DCAF) - offered a small momento to those who contributed on an ongoing basis to their needs.  A necklace with a small hanger attached.

I guess I am silly enough to first wonder how much difficulty the IRS gave this group in establishing it as a non-profit.  Groups aimed at educating on the Constitution or balanced budgets can't seem to get non-profit status, but I bet it wasn't too hard for this group aimed at removing rights from those waiting to be born.

Part two though is why?  Why would you use a symbol of death as a sign to point to as something positive.  How did your world end up so upside down that you consider ending another life, usually for your own self advancement, a good thing?

At what point to people consider that they are celebrating the taking of an innocent?

With tens of millions killed since Roe v. Wade took over the landscape, why is it we celebrate the coat hanger?  Would we do this with the Nazi swastika?  Would we celebrate Joseph Stalin killing millions of his countrymen as a positive?  Of course not.

I say of course not because NPR would run sad documentaries outlining the carnage of Stalin today, but they remain deafeningly silent on the slaughter committed year after year in the United States.  They wring their hands over the death penalty of convicted criminals, but waste no breath on the death penalty against children.

Where is the ACLU?  They stand ready to defend those incarcerated from the evils of prison wardens who deny prisoners cable television, but do they defend those victims of Kermit Gosnell?

Truly, there is an illness in the land and it can be found in an organization that would solicit and accept donations from citizens to kill their neighbors.  I wonder when we will find a cure.





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Milestones

So almost two weeks ago it was time to celebrate.

Yes, it was a birthday, but due to travel schedules and life, the birthday party was later in the week or was it?  Ash Wednesday, my birthday, was full of presents as was the week.


So...first off, work.  I am required to obtain my certified flight paramedic credential.  I have more than a year to complete it, but it is done already.  I worried when I was told that a small envelope had arrived for me at home the first day I had left for my most recent conference.

A small envelope?  A small envelope is the same thing as college...thanks, but no.  A small means a letter without patches and pins and such, i.e. a "thank you for attempting to pass the test, but your knowledge base is what we call the small size of tiny" letter.  Instead it was a breakdown of my scores with the magic word - passed - on it.  How in the world did this happen?

I'm not sure, but Hallelujah!

Of course if I am being religious I have to note a gift I received as well.  I carry with me a 9/11 rosary when I work.  It is one of those things you do to both remember the past, as well as your own, and an item that provides me hope and determination for the future.  Recently my parish priest joined several other Anglican Ordinariate priests in a pilgrimage to Rome.  My darling girl decided that perhaps our parish priest, Father Timothy, might have the opportunity to have my rosary blessed by Pope Francis.  It was.  To think, the item in which I find my strength, that lies in my breast pocket when I work to ease the suffering of the ill and the injured was blessed by the successor to St. Peter I feel more energized than ever.

Pope Francis has called on us to serve those in need and I always thought I had, but now I find myself wanting to do more...to try more...to anything to succeed.

My birthday came and went without much fanfare - again work and life did not so much get in the way as make it a non-priority - but the milestone birthday was marked by both a personal and professional success that I am not sure I earned.  Even passing the FP-C test I feel was ordered for me as I know I still have so much to learn.  How then can I have had this success laid at my feet?  It still amazes me on so many levels.

However, the next step is I guess the one that matters.  Milestones can show us where we have been, and they may be markers for the future, but only if we enjoy the recent view long enough to start the journey towards the next one.

A Prayer, Not A Drink

I know, I know...stick to drinking and ignore the faith conversations.  Sorry.  I'm not sure that is what it's meant to be.

I will start with the poem associated with St. Patrick's breastplate.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength,
the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation....

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

Today need not only be about enjoying a glass of Guinness or finding yourself some Jameson's.  Today, need not be a day to find yourself barely remembering the day, but can be a day where you remember fighting through whatever personal prisons you might find yourself and keep in mind, it was St. Patrick's faith that saw him through his tribulations, not an alcoholic beverage.  Perhaps a bit of prayer along with a shamrock to remind us of the Trinity would be a good thing.

Love

As BB King noted, U2's Bono is awful young to be writing such deep lyric.  Awful young.

It is an older song, but always resonates with me.

I was a sailor, I was lost in sea
I was under the waves, before love rescued me

 

...

 

I was there when they crucified my lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
I threw the dice when they pierced his side,
But I've seen love conquer the great divide.

What is worse for a sailor than to be lost?  No stars to sail by, no compass?  Surely the waves of life crash over all of us at some time as we try to navigate the waters, but it is Christ that rescues us if only we would pick up the phone, so to speak, and ask him to be our personal 9-1-1.

Of course every day we watch as a broken world takes its shot at Christ.  Remember, it wasn't the mean old Romans or the mean old Jews who crucified Christ.  It was the crowd.  It was us.  We may not have inflicted the direct wounds on Christ, but we helped the soldiers.  We quietly went along with it.

In fact every time we deny Him or don't follow the path he set for us, we really are piercing him, aren't we?  If we look honestly at Christ in a modern light, you would almost have to say He is an abused spouse.  We mistreat his trust, love, and support all the time.

And still, His love conquers.  I hear all the time people will get what is coming to them.  I pray I won't.  I pray that God will be the merciful Lord he has shown himself to be and he won't give me what I deserve, but instead will help guide me back to His path.

This song just always gets turned up whenever I hear it.  I pray the message is received and maybe if I play it a little louder it will be.

Crack's In Allen's Jerry World

I am guessing someone has already mentioned Allen ISD's money going down a sinkhole, right?

I mean how else do you explain spending $60M on a high school football stadium that two years later may have to be demolished due to structural problems with the foundation.

I wish I were joking, but instead of teaching kids how to handle a budget, or build relationships, or hiring qualified energetic teachers or even giving high performing teachers some sort of bonus, Allen ISD was busy building a monument to itself.

Are we surprised it is coming crashing down?

Okay, literally it is not crashing down, but it may need a partial tear down.  Two years later?  Wow.

Already firms are lining up to say they are covered by insurance, but aren't there bigger issues here, like do we need to spend THAT much on a stadium in the first place, and two, if for whatever reason we think that is the right investment of limited education dollars, it ought to be done right...say, the first time?

For me, this is another sign of the same hubris that brought us Jerry World in Arlington.  It is oh so easy to spend other people's money to build a billion dollar stadium, but oh so hard, to actually get a contender.  This is Allen's Tower of Babel and no one should be surprised when everyone starts speaking in tongues blaming someone else.

Entitlement

 

I'm just not sure I can agree with the Duke freshman who was recently outed as porn star Belle Knox when she says she isn't being exploited.  I just don't think I can go that far, but what I can say, is once you remove the moral issues associated with objectifying your body, she is at least trying to better herself to pay for law school.


I can not say the same thing for Rachel Canning, who decided it would be a good idea to sue her parents for college tuition after she decided she would take off with her current boyfriend, two days shy of her eighteenth birthday.  This is the height of self-absorption.

I am amazed.

Perhaps it is the juxtaposition of the two issues so close together, but in one case, you have a spoiled brat, who attends an upper end private school and has mom and dad getting her ready for college, but she feels entitled to ask for even more.  Canning, according to court documents, apparently feels comfortable being busted for underage drinking and being suspended from school.  She feels comfortable enough to move out from mom and dad's house, but then wants them to pick up the tab for college.  Ha!

Meanwhile, we have the student better known as Belle Knox.  I am not sure why one of her classmates decided to out her career choice and again, I don't condone it, but instead of saying pay for me, take care of me, she is actively working to pay for her own college bills and lifestyle.  Again, it is not a lifestyle I would encourage anyone to subscribe to, but unlike others (Sandra Fluke, are you listening?) she didn't ask me to pay for her behavior?  Her actions have their own consequences, but at least she is not running around thinking she is entitled like Miss Canning.

My Week...

All in all, this is what you call one of those really great weeks.  Fundamentally great, earth shattering great even.

I will address more about why and how tomorrow, but beyond just having another birthday and speaking at another conference, it has been one of those weeks where all you can do is realize you are happy.

I knew nothing of Pharrell until Despicable Me and found myself bopping along to the tunes that dominate that movie's soundtrack and certainly my children are a huge part of what makes me happy, but he just rocks - well, without rocking, since that isn't really his genre.  Nonetheless, he can put words and rhythm to music which will make your toes tap and hopefully remind you of how lucky you are this week too.

Paths In The Woods

So I saw this the other day and it really fits these comments which I am both happy and unhappy to make.

At a recent conference I attended it had been the culmination of years of work to get and a personal referral from a friend.  This conference just wasn't happening and wasn't even on the horizon for that matter if it weren't for this great friend.

That being said this person was not attending the conference they had made happen due to a family birthday.  No worries, schedules happen and I will never give another person a hard time for committing to their family.

However, they did show up.  But they showed up after putting down a bottle of wine while driving.  WHAT?!?!

Okay, so I am not Mr. Teetotaler and I realize I don't know all the pain going on in this person's life due to a pending divorce, but the same week I found out some back story on another friend.

This person has been subjected to domestic abuse for more than a day or two.  She has worked through law enforcement, caregivers, etc.  She has been beated, bruised and tattered.  Her answer wasn't the bottle.

In truth, I don't even care about the bottle in my first friend's case that much, but I do care that they let the bottle ease the pain enough to make bad decisions.  Getting behind the wheel or drinking so much that you are unable to stand on your own is not the person I know.  The person I know is ten times stronger and asks for help from their friends.

Please don't destroy yourself because someone else is trying to.  Let the rest of us help.  Like the graphic I saw on another friend's Facebook page, go where the love is.  Find those people that want to help you through tough times and don't make your tough times harder.  Please.

Once is a mistake, but twice is a choice.  Don't run from help, run to it.

Obligations

I was reminded last night of the profound need for ashes in a Christian life....there is none.

The priest who led the Ash Wednesday service I attended noted that ashes are just dust and while Ash Wednesday is a Holy Day of Obligation so are lots of other days, like Sunday, and he waxed poetic about the idea of handing out ash on other church holidays to spike attendance.  An interesting thought if the faithful's goal is only to get their ash.  It was an interesting sales pitch to say the least...it's Ash Wednesday, skip the ashes.

He then talked about prayer, alms giving, and fasting.

Prayer he mentioned from the perspective, now is the time to reflect on your relationship with God.  The priest's comments made me think of a marriage counselor talking about two separated entities...how would God know you love him if you don't talk and how can you talk if you don't pray?  Indeed.

He also mentioned alms giving and fasting as a way to push ourselves not into denial, but to limit ourselves from things we may want more than we should.  How often do we hang onto dollars that might be better spent in the social arm of the church?  How often do we order the second helping of food which we didn't need and don't finish?

Most importantly though, my borrowed priest for the day - since I was out of town - mentioned the idea of giving something up.  He referenced Joel and the accounts of people who would pray aloud or fast so as to be seen.  He said if giving up chocolate or soda makes you irritable and a less Christian person, skip it.  The idea is to avoid the item you like to realize your needs can be filled by your love of God...if you let Him in.  A great homily on a great day.

Not A Prayer...

Maybe it's me.

Maybe I assume when you call yourself fine dining you are always looking to excel and go past where you are.  You don't get to fine dining and quit, but you keep looking, yearning, trying the next step.

It is the old rule, that Chilis is almost always perfect, but it's perfect not because its great, but because you know what you are going to get.  Chili's is the premier home of never a bad meal, never a great meal.  It is what it is.  Moreover, my oldest loves the cheese fries and his little brother is pretty okay with the fire roasted corn and guacamole chips.  Life is easy.

The Parson's Table though seems to have bought into the idea that because it bought a former United Methodist Church and serves okay food with okay service, they are fine dining.  The food is okay, but not spectacular, the service is efficient, but not interesting.  It makes it hard for me to give it more than three stars.  It ends up in that wonderful spot where they are just good enough, but clearly not trying for great.

As I say in other places, God has his Ten Commandments, but my eleventh is don't waste your talent.  This place as nice as it is for a refurbed church, just doesn't have a prayer.  Unfortunate.

Get Swept Up...

For those of you enjoying the annual Bacchanalian holiday known as Mardi Gras, I wish you well.  As most of you know, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for which we consider our lives and pray forgiveness.

I am not sure how Mardi Gras came to be the one last hurrah before all of that, but I do know that the hurricane is a regular drink in the French Quarter for tourists from around the world.

I have had my share over the years including at least one oversized drink from a Copland's restaurant in the DC suburbs decades ago now.  In any case, if you have a hankering to try a bit of New Orleans before you turn your attention inward toward your relationship with Christ and man, drink up.

A Hurricane is best made with equal parts of light run, dark rum, and passion fruit nectar.  Some will encourage a dash (or two) of lime juice and if you feel compelled, I won't tell you no.  I like martini glasses, but the much more common would be the hurricane glass pictured above.

New Heights

I can not claim to be at the tallest place in America or anything.  The closest I have come is Loveland Pass, but I am at an EMS conference enjoying new friends and good conversation somewhat at altitude and that makes me think of an appropriate drink.

I have to suggest an older coffee-based drink called Pike's Peak.

It is made with half pour of Kahlua and peppermint schnapps into a coffee glass, followed by coffee and then a dollop of whipped crème.