Saturday, April 29, 2006

The "No More Dogs" Dogs

Tuesday night (my wife on the phone to our kids in college): "I know you and McKenzie want another dog. She'll be gone in 4 years. Then we'll have them for another eleven years. I don't want any more pets. I want a clean house for a change. No more dogs."
Wednesday: "OK. I'll go to the pound and look with you."
Thursday at the Dog Pound with the black Lab: "Ohhhhhh...he's so sweet. He really likes McKenzie..."
15 Minutes later with the Australian Shepherd: "Ohhhh...she's so sweet. I REALLY like her...."
5 Minutes later: "Would you think I'm crazy....What do you think about getting them both?"
10 Minutes later with both dogs introduced to each other: "Oh look how well they get along!"
Meet Duke (Black Lab mix) and Maggie (White Australian Shepherd mix) and their pushover new "Mom".





Sunday, April 23, 2006

Random Images of Holy Week at St. John Mission

Keeping vigil.


The newly illumined Elizabeth and Gabriel.

Paschal iconostasis.

Women of the choir at the kliros.

Preparing for baptisms.





All night vigil at the tomb.


The nave and altar of our Mission.

Me with the Cross I made for Holy Thursday.


Holy Friday night prayers before the epitaphios at our Mission.





Friday, April 21, 2006

What I Learned from Pontius Pilate

At the reading of the Gospel this morning this jumped out at me:
Jesus is before Pilate. The Jews tell him He deserves death because He made Himself to be the Son of God. And Pilate becomes even more troubled....

Pilate had the good sense to be fearful of a man who claimed to be God. In this age no one is troubled at the claim of Christ, sometimes not even me. How did it become so easy to dismiss offhand someone who says he is God? It doesn't even occur to people to ask themselves, "What if He really IS....?" If He did the things they said He did, and said the things they claimed He said... Then if we even dare to ask the question we must answer one way or the other and either way face the most outrageous reality the earth has known.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Tom Cruise and Scientology

Since not everyone on earth goes to Grace's blog, I have to put this on mine....

Tom Cruise's new wife, contrary to Scientology's spiritual disciplines, will get to make noise during childbirth, thanks to his magnanimousity.

Personally, I think someone should take a copy of "Dianetics" and push it through Tom Cruise's penis and see if he can keep quiet. Sheesh....

Monday, April 17, 2006

What's a Nice...

What's a nice turtle like you doing in a place like this? I went out to feed my fish this morning and found our turtle (which shows up about twice a year) shmoozing the plaster turtle next to our pond. Must be mating season. Just goes to show that even turtles are like human beings who are "on the make": Bad breath is better than no breath at all...

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

A Best Friend Dies

Ray Ray was nearly 15 we suspect. We got her from the pound, my wife instantly connected with her because my wife instantly connects with things and people that have been abused and neglected. She eventually became comfortable and wouldn't cower and pee when someone made a sudden move or raised a voice or told her to get off the couch. Her guilty concience never went away, however. We would come home and we could tell by the way she greeted us if she had eaten the bread off the counter, been in the trash or slept on the couch.

She was a beautiful dog and so gentle and intuitive, but also very protective and even aggressive if someone threatened a family member. She once fought off a neighbor dog that attacked my father in law in our driveway while they were on a walk.

She was lying on the dining room floor in front of my daughter's room like she often was when I left for work. She wagged her tail, but didn't get up. She had arthritis, so we knew she wasn't going to be much longer able to walk, it was a matter of time before we'd have to put her to sleep. My wife called a couple hours later, she had something seriously wrong. I came home and .... well, my daughter says it better than I can on her blog.

I miss my dogs.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

FOB

...that's Fall Out Boy to you who don't have a young teenager in your house. I took my daughter and her friend to her first "rock concert" last week. FOB, All American Rejects, Hawthorne Heights and First to Last. And yes, 25 year old band lead singers are still saying "mother-f---er" every other word, and junior high kids still think it is cool and shriek with glee. My daughter asked if it bothered me, because it didn't bother her because she hears that all day long in 7th grade. I told her it didn't bother me...if 25 year old men think its cool to talk like 7th graders, that's a personal problem,.... but it did bother me that 55 year old men like Ozzy Osborne think it is still cool (I took our Japanese exchange student to the Ozzfest a few years ago... it was his opportunity of a lifetime: $9.79 lawn seats or 125.00US to see him in Japan). Anyway, SOME ancient rock stars have aged gracefully.... and actually the kiddos put on a decent show. I told my daughter that the Hawthorne Heights guitarist needs to go back to Jack Black's School of Rock and learn some new poses. She said "NO KIDDING! He did the SAME POSE SOOOO many times!!!"

I just have to wonder what parents let their 12 year old daughters out of the house looking hotter than an East Van Buren hooker. Sad.