"Going Home"

Today a friend of ours, Becky Monson, died quietly in her room at the hospice. As Karla put it:

"Becky Monson received her crown of glory this morning around 5:30 A.M. She fought the good fight, kept the faith, and WON the race and for that we say, 'Congratulations, Becky! And, thank you, Jesus!'"

We will miss her, of course. The longing to see our departed loved ones feels like a hole that we can never fill. Yet completion and reunion await. This is our Hope. This is our Faith.

Becky and her husband Todd were in our church choir until they moved away a few years back. While she was still here, and long before she got sick, Becky told us that she wanted "Going Home" sung at her funeral. Tonight, we will rehearse it in choir, and we will honor that request at the funeral service on Sunday.

Tears are certain. Sadness at loss, at separation, at mortality. Yet, in the midst of that, the beauty of the music will remind us of the joy of Glory, of Forgiveness, of Eternity.

Goodbye, Becky, for now.

Supreme Matters?

Mike and his coworkers have been very interested to know whether the Supreme Court would decide to hear the (final) appeal by Exxon regarding the damages assessed for the Valdez incident. According to yesterday's news, the High Court has decided to hear the case.

I do not pretend to be a legal expert. Having said that, it's strange to think that the S.C. should find something worthy of reviewing here. As portrayed in the media, the case seems to be about whether Exxon should have to pay punitive damages, and if so, how much. As a layperson, it's hard to see how this is a question of constitutional law.

One of the points Exxon's spokespeople mention is this:
"It is also important for the Supreme Court to uphold long-standing maritime law that provides that ship-owners are not liable for punitive damages based upon conduct by the ship-master who disregarded the owner's rules and policies."
So, court after court found reason not to uphold this law, because they were soft-hearted? I'm not buying it.

Yet, now that it has reached this level, there is a chance that the business-friendly court could actually overturn the ruling, and/or reduce the damages. It's weird that the court, which is im place to protect "inalienable" rights, should be thought of as "business-friendly." Again, as a lay person, it seems like the "rights" should be constant.

This is hardly the most sensitive issue the court will face this term, but since I know Mike, and Mike has a stake in it, it's one I will watch.

Latest Micro-Reviews - Edition 6

It was a movie-watching weekend. Once we had seen "Snow Angel" again on Friday night, and had a chance to hang out with family, we watched the standard Friday night fare ("Stargate: Atlantis" [weak episode], and "What Not To Wear" [very frustrating 'contributor']) and decided we really needed some movies for our Saturday and Sunday. And that's what being "MVP" subscribers at Hollywood Video gets us -- a chance to get lots of movies on the spur of the moment.

So, here's the latest batch. The only great film in the bunch is "Raiders ..." which we watched as we started putting together a very hard Grand Canyon puzzle.

Over the Hedge	73	Pretty fun. I laughed a few times. Not quite as edgy as the comic strip, but fun characters that were similar enough for a fan.
Perfect Stranger	78	This was a nice mystery/drama/suspense story. They built the plot well, and the characters made sense in it.
Raiders of the Lost Ark	93	Seriously fun! Never stops moving. An achievement and a classic from the day it was released.
Pan’s Labyrinth	79	I didn’t know anything about this movie, other than not to expect a fun fantasy. So I didn’t know it was foreign (Spanish). Moving story, more fantasy than I expected, intense. Worth it, if you want some serious fare.
Little Children	75	Reminiscent of “American Beauty” with its look at the lives of disconnected suburban “adults.” You could picture every plot point happening, but it still wasn’t predictable, because life isn’t. This is not for everyone.

To be fair: I gave "American Beauty" a 79 rating. I know, it's supposed to be this great film. And I completely understand that the performances were outstanding. I just don't react well to movies that are trying hard to fill me with despair, unless they give me a chance for hope. So, looking back on a few of the movies we've seen recently, it's far more unusual that I gave "The Hours" a 90 than that I gave "Little Children" or "Pan's Labyrinth" a 70-something. If I'm depressed after seeing a film, it's not likely to get a high rating. But that's just me. Your mileage may vary.

As I mentioned when I first started reviewing movies in my blog, ratings between 70-79 usually mean I would give them conditional recommendations.

If you like high-angst drama, bump "Little Children" up on the list. If you can't stand watching people who have "perfect lives" wishing they had more, don't see it.

If you can suspend disbelief, or you remember what it was like to be a child, and you don't mind some harsh reality mixed with your fantasy, see "Pan's Labyrinth."

If you haven't ever read the comic strip, and you like funny, light humor with great animation, "Over the Hedge" is better than many. If you're a fan of the strip, and think RJ should be more like Raymond Barone with a hint of George Carlin, then you might be disappointed.

Next up for viewing: "Wild Hogs" and "Night at the Museum." I'll bet neither of those tries to depress me. But with motorcycles in one and Ben Stiller in the other, it might happen anyway.

My daughter, the actress

Last night was opening night for "Snow Angel." I knew almost nothing about the plot ahead of seeing it. Leah has the role of "Eva" -- a mysterious girl who shows up during an extended snow storm.

We've known for some months that Leah's plan is to be an actress. This is the first significant role she's had since then. I watched the show last night with that in mind, and I can really see it. "Eva" has many different sides, so Leah gets to show some range, and I think she handled it beautifully. Quiet, funny, angry, understanding, melancholy, wistful -- she gets to do all of these.

I've known Sarah was going to be a teacher for years, and I've been able to picture that quite easily. She's always had a teacher's demeanor, and she'll be great. I won't get to see her teach, but I can imagine it, and so I'm preemptively proud of her and the work she'll do. I've seen Lucas in action at work, and I've heard him talk with excitement about programming projects, so it has been clear he'll make a good programmer. Adam's grown into a very empathetic and calm young man, and though I haven't seen him with his autistic charges, I can certainly picture him doing that job well, and we've been told he's really suited for it.

But while I've seen Leah in plays, I had not had a real chance to see her perform since she told us how serious she was about this career. I can see it now. I'm happy for her. And I'm so proud. I can't take credit for her work, but I will gladly bask in the glow which emanates from her when she does what she loves, and does it well.

Congratulations, daughter! I'll look forward to seeing you perform again, soon!

__________________________________________________________


Reason #12 for having children: The more people you love, the more joy you get to share.

Today, I write an e-mail

This is a strange phenomenon.

My blog is not widely read. Yet I post to it every day, writing as if someone will read it.

At the same time I know some of my friends would read an email if I sent one to them every day. Even if it contained the same content as my blog. In fact, so would my kids, I bet.

So, despite the fact that this medium provides the potential for me to communicate with more people, the reality is that I communicate with fewer.

Yes, I wish I could get my friends & family to develop the habit of looking here daily (or regularly.) But I can't. They use their time, and develop their habits, in ways that suite them. It's not my game, so I need to play by their rules.

So, today, I will e-mail.

But I won't stop posting. This is a good habit. And, incredibly, I see that Russ has actually found my blog somehow! [Welcome, Russ! How are you?] Without the blog, who knows how long it would have been before he and I were in contact again.

It should be easier than this

I decided to buy expansion memory for my Sansa MP3 player today. You know how it should work? I should plug it in, and then my tools for loading songs should be able to load the expansion. The tools don't even see the expansion card. When I look at the player as a device, using Windows Explorer, it can't see the expansion either.

Maybe, just maybe, I bought the wrong expansion. I doubt it.

A quick look at the PDF of the user manual gives no help -- it shows an expansion card (using Explorer) in one picture -- no words, no help. A quick look in the forums provides no help either.

I'll bet iPods are easier. If they are, then the reason for their popularity becomes clearer.

Latest Micro-Reviews - Edition 5

We watched a couple of movies with Mike in Seattle, and a couple more at home. Of course, several of them are re-viewings. I don't think I've reviewed them here before.

Forrest Gump	96	“Original” and “Unique” don’t do it justice. Tender, Sweet, Meaningful and Entertaining. Success without ambition; love without expectation; grace without pretense. Wonderful.
Men In Black	74	Fun, light, action – some neat ideas. I didn’t know it was from a comic book.
The Hours	90	I never knew anything about Virginia Woolf. This movie made me want to learn more. The interweaving stories flowed well. Each woman, living a life she did not feel was meant for her, dealing with the despair in similar, yet different, ways.
Sleepy Hollow	81	Love the atmosphere. So many excellent actors, and such a deep, dark mood. And a fun mystery, too.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	98	The Ents are not silly! The orcs are mean. The slightly lower rating is for confusion they could have worked a bit harder to clear up. But still near perfection!
V for Vendetta	93	Such atmosphere! Such a message! And “V” is one of the most memorable characters ever.

We'll have to see some new movies between now and the end of the year. We have a pretty long list of things we want to see, but we haven't had much time in a couple of weeks. It was good to finally see "The Hours," which I had been wanting to see since Kidman won the Best Actress Oscar.

Sliders, Sights, Starbucks and other Emerald Events

I decided to post something on a vacation day, since the vacation deserves special treatment.

We've just finished our trip to Seattle (the "Emerald City") and we had a wonderful time! We did so many things, there's no way to do justice to them all. Our hotel was just off the corner of the Seattle Center, so we were a couple minutes walk from the Space Needle, the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, the Experience Music Project, the Key Arena, the Seattle Children's Theater, and so much more. Of those, we only did not see anything in the Key Arena, though we passed many people who were in line to attend a metal concert there (I think Ozzie Osbourne.)

Additionally, we took a couple of walks to the Pike Street Market, bought some excellent fruit and baked goods and crafts. Sherry's hat and Leah's wrist gloves are cool and handmade. Also in the "walking" category, we took a tour of the Seattle Underground and we walked several trails in Mt. Rainier National Park. The snow kept us from our planned walk around Paradise, but that was no big deal. We still had a great time.

Mike and Molly were perfect hosts. They shared their apartment with us, let us watch a couple movies and several episodes of "Sliders" (which we had not ever seen before), and generally entertained us in between times of sight-seeing and eating excellent meals.

Yes, I did get to play Magic, too! Mike wanted to break out the decks while Sherry and Leah saw a Harry Potter movie, so I got to try out a couple of recently built decks, as well as a handful of theme decks from recent sets.

I'm exceedingly happy that we got to visit Mike in Seattle before he moves back to Decorah. It was a great trip and we're thankful for the chance, and for the great hosting we got.

I highly recommend a visit to Seattle -- a clean, friendly city with many great things to see, do, and eat!

Competitive Fun

Anyone who knows me well knows that I like to play Magic: the Gathering. Several years ago, I was able to play frequently with my friends, but that just doesn't happen any more. Instead, I play the online version. Usually, I play in leagues -- 4-week long sessions with a limited card pool. I enjoy the challenge of building a deck or two from the cards I get, and facing other players online to match my strategy and tactics against theirs, with a decent amount of luck involved.

I tend to be average. In the 4-week period, each player has the chance to play 20 matches (a match is the best two of three games), with the opportunity to play more matches for "tie-breaker" points. I don't have time for much more than the 5 matches per week, typically. So, I usually win about 10 and lose about 10.

When I start each match, I tell my opponent "Good Luck and Have Fun." And I mean it. I like Magic a lot, but the worst part of the game is when unlucky draws make a game one-sided, in either direction. So I really do want both of us to avoid bad luck. And I play the game for fun. There are a few people online who are poor losers and/or poor winners, and people who seem to take the anonymity of the online environment as permission to be nasty or at least rude. But most of the players like to have fun.

This past few weeks I've found myself with a bit more relaxation time to devote to playing, so I've been in three leagues (each starting a different week.) In the league which will end soonest, I just finished my normal matches and have a record of 15 wins and 5 losses. I am pretty sure this is as well as I've ever done. During that stretch, I've played with a couple of grumps, but for the most part my opponents have been nice and gracious.

I have enjoyed myself greatly, and while I don't doubt that some of the enjoyment comes from having won just a few more matches than I normally do, I also can honestly say that the majority of my satisfaction comes from the experience of getting to play this wonderfully designed strategy game with people who are also playing for the fun of it.






This will be my last entry until I return from visiting Mike in Seattle. To anyone who has been dropping by to read my daily scribbles, they'll resume next Tuesday.

100 and more

This week's column by Mark Rosewater on the Magic: the Gathering website marks his 300th column by reviewing the most recent hundred. That got me to wondering "How many blog entries have I done?"

Well, blogger makes that question easy to answer. According to the count, I have actually gone over 100 since I moved my blog here.

• ▼ 2007 (103)
  • ► October (9)
  • ► September (18)
  • ► August (24)
  • ► July (17)
  • ► June (23)
  • ► May (12)

Don't worry, I won't be reviewing them! I suppose I should go back and see if I've written anything worthy of putting in Echoes since I last posted there, but since I have so few readers, and since most of my entries are short, it's quite unnecessary to review them, I think.

One thing I wonder: I put a "label" (or more than one) on almost every entry. The Angelfire blog had a way to browse entries by labels. Does blogger allow that? I can't see a way. It would be nice, for example, if my kids could easily find the entries I've labeled "father" -- if and when they ever read my blog.

That reminds me of something. Several years back, Sherry gave me a "journal" of sorts. It was designed to be written by a father to pass thoughts down to his children. It had lots of little topics with space next to the topic to be filled in by the father. It had a Christian theme, however, and some of the first items were things I couldn't really fill in - stuff about my faith life as a child and such. Anyway, I never wrote in it, despite liking the general concept.

Anyway, I'm finding my blog serves a similar purpose. I definitely put down in the blog thoughts that I would like to pass on to my kids. Perhaps someday I will collect those thoughts and send them to the intended audience.

Unless, of course, they all start reading my blog.

Nah. I'll have to collect them.

Anyway, here's to my 104th entry, and a hope for many more.

Goodbye, Dancer -- and Simba

Sometime last night, Dancer passed away. Dancer is the calico. Her brother, Simba, preceded her in death last year. Both lived quietly in our home for many years, providing entertainment, purrs, warmth and love to the family, especially to the kids. Dancer was so named because she was so skittish as a kitten that she often seemed to be dancing. She was stand-offish for much of her life, but became more approachable once she was the only cat in the house. Simba was a big, big, heavy, full cat, who never ran from a hug or a pet or a brush. They fit each other well, and they were a good addition to our home.

Kids, you might not believe this, but I liked them a lot more than you thought I did. But I know, you loved them even more. I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope you have pets someday that bring you the joy you had with these two cats.

Goodbye Dancer & Simba.

In the Catacombs

For many minutes, they walked cautiously in complete darkness. Carefully, they tested the stone floor ahead of them to prevent stumbling, to find walls, to prove to themselves that they were still in the catacombs, not some eternally dark level of damnation. Still, they kept walking. Still, the darkness remained complete.

The dank stonework corridors were a maze. They had taken so many turns, there was no chance they would be able to retrace their steps, even if they found illumination.

An hour, maybe two, maybe more passed. They had progressed thirty or forty paces without encountering another wall, when they noticed that the space around them echoed a bit more, and the air felt increasingly damp. The foul odor, present since their arrival, was more pungent with each step; vomit mixed with rotting vegetation and sulfur. Their stomachs turned. They considered turning around, trying to retreat from the stench.

And then, it happened.

Bright green fire flashed from somewhere ahead of them. Their eyes, so long deprived of light, winced in pain at the sudden shine. Their minds were struck in sudden horror as the fire showed them surrounded by a horde of writhing creatures, each being lit by the eerie flames and advancing towards the new victims with intent as certain as the darkness that would enclose them one final time.

Seattle in a week

A week from today I will be getting on a plane to go visit Mike in Seattle. Only once before have I seen that fair city (does it have a nickname, I wonder? "Windy City" = Chicago, that sort of thing.)

This time I will see it with Sherry and Leah. I'm excited already. Almost a week of vacation; a chance to see Mike; sight-seeing and restaurants with Sherry & Leah & Mike. It all sounds so good!

The timing works out such that I will only see Sarah for a day or so of her Fall Break, so that's too bad. But in the end, it's a Good Thing to do.

Space Needle. Sci-Fi museum. Mt. Ranier. A play? What's not to like?

Counting down the days....

Concert

Leah's choir had their first concert of the year last night. There were five groups which sang. Leah was in two of them. Every group did a good job, and they each had at least one song which allowed the singers to demonstrate that they were really having a good time.

It's fun and rewarding to see Leah's growth as a singer, and as a performer in general. Her voice mixed really well with her small group, and was pure and bright. She really seems comfortable on stage, allowing her emotion to show forth and add energy to the piece. I'm glad I'll have so many opportunities to see her perform again this fall -- in plays, in concerts and in pop choir.

Brava!

How COOL is THAT!

Mike & Tracy's new house is big & beautiful. A nice open floor plan, lots of light, much more room than you'd expect, seeing it from the front.

And, to the COOL-ness point, it has a theater room! Overhead projection digital movies, with surround sound. Tiered seating, with two rows of super-cozy, super-sized reclining loungers, plus two swivel rockers at the floor level. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was the demonstration film. We didn't have enough time to see the whole movie, but the opening sequence was simply awesome.

I'll never have a room like that, but it's exceptionally cool knowing someone who has. I hope we get to make use of it when we're next in C.R. for a visit.

Latest Micro-Reviews - Edition 4

Bridge to Terabithia	75	Not what I expected, but well worth the watching. Reminds me of Fifth Grade, Gus Bro, and the tree by the railroad tracks.
Premonition	72	Well constructed time-shifting “mystery” story. The payoff was not quite enough for my sci-fi mind, but really pretty good. Were there inconsistencies? Maybe, but I was not distracted by them.
Breach	80	The story of Robert Hanssen’s capture, and the story of the agent who was right in the middle of it. Believable performances. I hope reality was close to this.

This latest batch really makes me think about revising my rating system. I find very few movies in the 40-59 range. And "The Odd Couple 2" and "The Detonator" are the only 30s. The truly awful "Dr. T and the Women" fell below those.

So are my ratings saying that any film above 50 was worth my time? That leaves too much room at the low end.

Or it shows that I'm pretty good at avoiding movies I would not like....

"I think I better think it out again!"




That is a quote from Fagin's great song in "Oliver!"

Jabberwocky

We all could use a little Jabberwocky in our lives.

Nothing I write today could be as good for you as reading this classic poem by Lewis Carroll.

Read, enjoy, and remember to gaze into the eyes of the illustrated creation of a brilliant and whimsical mind.

Tuesday: Movie night? Book night? We'll see.

The major TV networks have been kind enough to create a weeknight with no interesting television programs. Tuesday.

I'm sure that was not their intent, but that was the result in our household.

That means we now have an evening every week when we can just decide what to do. We might take advantage of our "Hollywood Video MVP membership" (as we did last night) or we might just -- gasp! -- read!

As long as I don't start devoting the evening to working overtime, I'll enjoy the freedom.






And, yes, I completely understand that the above attitude marks me as a drone. But I'm a self-aware drone. So that means I have the potential to rise above my programming. (Which is a pun, and I meant it!)

Latest Micro-Reviews - Edition 3

Here were the films we saw on DVD this weekend. The first three were new to us. And we have three more rented - maybe we'll get to see them, maybe not.

The Fountain	70	Strangely told. Worth the viewing. Hard to follow for the first 10-15 minutes.
The Last Mimsy	80	Very Imaginative! The use of the kids was not just a “kid movie” template. Well done! If you like fantasy, see this film.
The Holiday	82	There were several nice twists that made this unpredictable. I liked all the main characters, and I smiled many times. This was a “comedy” in the classic sense more than the “laughing” sense, and I liked that.
Star Wars Episode 1: the Phantom Menace	81	Very pretty, and the strong female lead is welcome. Jar-Jar was a mistake, as were “midichlorians”. But a fun film.

This raises the "rating" question again. Did I really like "The Holiday" more than "Phantom Menace"? Well, you know, I sorta did. I'd watch "PM" more often, but it really was more predictable than "Holiday" and didn't give its actors as much to do. Anyway, a rating in the 80's is good, for both of them.

And let me expound on my comments on "Mimsy." When I say "If you like fantasy..." I mean "suspending disbelief enough to enjoy weird possibilities," not "swords and sorcery." If you liked "Field of Dreams" or "The Lake House" or "Deja Vu" or "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" or "Time Bandits" or "12 Monkeys" then you like fantasy, in the sense I mean.

All-in-all, a good weekend of viewing.