Our 21st Anniversary Video

Two Hearts, One Life....

July 1 is our 21st Anniversary.

God has blessed us more than we can even imagine.

We thank God for all that He has given us over the past 21 years of married life.

Below is a video capturing some of the times of our life:

Book Reviews and Bad Poetry Collide

I found a way to combine my love for literature with my penchant for really bad poetry, in particular that poetry form which was perfected by Basho.

I speak of the beloved Haiku.

Inspired by Basho as well as Amanda McKittrick Ros, and wanting to give some review of the books I read, and not having a lot of time, I present you with the first installment of something I shall call Haiku Review.

Today's blog entry will consist of reviews of:

1. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

2. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

3. Anesthesia For Patients Too Sick For Anesthesia(Anesthesiology Clinics), edited by Benjamin Kohl, M.D.

Here is the review of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice:

Haiku Review:

Rich guy named Darcy

snobbish and shy around girls

gets favorite daughter

SMD

6.30.2010

A brief review of Mr. Philbrick's book:

Haiku review:

Whale kicks human butt

forcing them to row for land

crew provides the meal

SMD

6.29.2010

The medical review:

Haiku Review:

My first guess

of contents would be

cancel, cancel, cancel!

SMD

6.29.2010

These reviews can be seen on LibraryThing.

What Did The Pope Really Say?

A confluence of events prompt this note.

First, I recently was 'friended' on facebook by Fr. John T. Zuhlsdorf, author of the blog site What Does The Prayer Really Say?

Second, I just got around to reading an article from the February 2010 edition of the Linacre Quarterly which discussed some comments Pope Benedict XVI made to the press while traveling to Africa in March, 2009. If you recall, Pope Benedict asserted that behavioral changes, such as abstinence and monogamy, were far superior to other means in reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS, etc. The article in question - see the abstract HERE - supports the Pope's argument by referring to a host of peer-reviewed articles which essentially agree with what he said: staying out of the rain keeps you dryer longer than wearing a raincoat while playing in mud puddles in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Take that metaphor and meditate on it.

Third, I glanced at the latest edition of The Wanderer(June 17, 2010) and saw the following title of an article: "Benedict XVI Affirms That The World Needs The Cross."

Fourth, I saw a video on YouTube of a mama deer taking out a dog and a cat which were too close to little Bambi.

I started thinking how the world - and the news media in particular - often misunderstands what the Church in general and the Holy Father in particular are saying. I thought about how the news media and popular opinion ignored what the Holy Father said about HIV/AIDS in Africa, and how he was criticized by the public. I thought a bit more, and naturally I saw some humor in this topic and came up with a new, mainstream media headline to replace the Wanderer's example above. Finally, I thought of a play on the words of Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog to come up with the title of this blog entry.

So here are some of the titles of articles from The Wanderer(June 17, 2010) as interpreted by the mainstream media. The actual titles will follow in parentheses:






Pope Wants Us To Suffer
He's Only Happy When We're Unhappy

(Benedict XVI Affirms That The World Needs The Cross)




Pope Finally Visits Cyprus
2,000 Years Too Late For Some

(Translation of general audience given June 9 where Pope Benedict XVI reflected on his trip to Cyprus)





Pope Wants Bridge to Cyprus
Going East and West

(Pope Benedict XVI Calls Church in Cyprus A "Bridge Between East and West")






That does it for last week's edition of The Wanderer. Perhaps if I get ambitious I shall look for real examples of bad media coverage of the Holy Father and the Vatican.

By the way the Fourth Fact is not really relevant to this discussion, but is brought up to remind all people that deer are not gentle critters when they feel threatened.

Actions Have Consequences

I have had several online conversations with some young people about certain things posted on websites such as facebook. These conversations typically start with me reading something objectionable, such as foul language. Rather than ignoring the words, I have written to the person requesting that they desist from posting such offensive material.

The typical response from youth is to 'mind my own business' and 'I'm an adult now,' etc. I have commented in my replies that one day they may regret what they have done because it will come back to haunt them. Anything put on the Internet is available for retrieval.

That brings me to this little video, but I think the end result will be beneficial to this singer rather than detrimental. Back in 1978, a Mr. Hill(the English translation of his name) sang this song on Russian TV. Apparently this song means something to someone, and this style of singing is actually a real singing style. I don't know. All I know is that this music is different, unique. Now, 32 years after the fact, the video of Mr. Hill singing has come back to even greater popularity on YouTube, with an international audience now able to appreciate his particular talent. I predict that he will see a resurgence in his career.

Consider that even this music is more pleasing to God than vulgar and offensive language ever would be.

I Repeat A Joke I Heard

I live in Dallas, Texas, and recently asked my friends' little girl what she wants to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?'

She replied, 'I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people.' Her parents beamed with pride.

'Wow...what a worthy goal,' I told her, 'But you don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house.'

She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?'

I said, 'Welcome to the Republican Party.' Her parents still aren't speaking to me.


True. True.