Granted, I have no fashion sense. But I think I have pretty good common sense. When I was 100 lbs heavier, I tried not to wear clothes that were too revealing. OK, I just don't wear clothes that are too revealing.
So maybe I'm biased. Last weekend I was out in Times Square. I saw a couple of young ladies and probably stared at them, because for the life of me I couldn't figure out if they were girls trying to dress up for a special occasion or if they were hookers. Their clothing was no longer sexy or seductive; it was downright trampy.
So this afternoon on the bus I see a woman who has to be north of 300 lbs, possibly closer to 400. She has on these Daisy Dukes, and her cleavage was spilling out of her bra, like everything about her was spilling out. Who tells these people this stuff looks good? Don't (or didn't) they have parents? And why do I have to be grossed out because you have a need to show everything you have? Honey, just because something fits does NOT mean you need to wear it. Poor thing. She had on these huge oversized earrings with something like "Princess" written in them. Yeah, OK....
On a different note, I'm happy to report that the CME church has some new bishops. We have James Walker, from CT; Sylvester Williams from Carter Temple in CH (I visited there); W. Ed Lockett from Texas (we're FB friends); and Teresa Snorton, the first female bishop of the CME Church!!! I may work with her to organize a CME trip to Israel. Congratulations to all the Bishops! A special note of congratulations to the Senior Bishop of the CME Church, the Rt. Rev. Thomas Lanier Hoyt, Jr.
Sleepy now. Perhaps more later.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 28
Don't really have a lot to write today, but the exercise is to write something every day. Started the day out by getting the last of three sets of shots in my knees. I know that over time these shots improve knee lubrication and mobility, but when I left the doctor's office, I could barely walk. Have decided not to bother with the "numbing" spray they use before doing the shot, though. A shot is a shot; it hurts a little bit going in and then the pressure as the fluid goes into the knee is uncomfortable. But the numbing spray is so cold it's almost painful, it runs down my leg, and it does absolutely nothing to mitigate the pain of the shots. So why bother with it?
Tomorrow I officiate the funeral of one of the rocks of the church, Mr. Marion Ellis. He was a wonderful man who, even while suffering from dementia, expressed a desire to come to church. And even when his mind appeared not to be present during services, his spirit certainly was. When he didn't seem to recognize me, he still allowed me to pray with him. I liked Mr. Ellis, both when he was in possession of his faculties and when he wasn't. I'll miss him.
Since I didn't manage to get to bed early tonight, I'm watching the news. I see that another teenager has drowned. Read an article today that says people don't look like they're drowning when they're drowning. I don't know -- I usually swim at least a couple of times a week, and I don't do much ocean swimming because I don't understand the currents enough to navigate them. Not sure why teens and tweens are out there trying to do ocean swimming. May God rest their souls.
Also see that another coyote has attacked a child, this time a 3-year old in Rye. on a more positive note, the news is showing kids running through sprinklers. Unless I'm mistaken, the patterns on the ground, the background, and the fact that the park is in Harlem, all taken together, indicate that this is the park across the street from me.
Watching a story on medical marijuana. I remember a time in my life when the only thing I wanted to do was to be a commodities trader specializing in marijuana. I used to love it, just as much as this person apparently does. God bless the people who need it to live; I'm just grateful that I'm no longer one of them.
People are talking about the Russian spies. Am I crazy to think that perhaps the US is too lax in its immigration policies? I'm not talking about emulating Arizona, I'm talking about having some kind of standards -- you know, requiring people who want to come into this country to speak the Official (if you don't like official, go with Historically dominant) language of the country, which is English. Not to impose cultural superiority, just to establish a base upon which everyone can conduct business. It seems to me that the issue is the very thing that makes America great: our freedom and our independence. People whose minds and spirits are neither free nor independent come here and, because their spirits are enslaved, they attempt to exploit, thwart, divert. and otherwise derail That Which Is America. The attempt is made ideologically, by planting seeds of dissension without a proper grounding in history; the attempt is made physically, by acts of terror or by planting sleeper agents; the attempt is made spiritually, by attempting to erode the spiritual principles which undergird this country. Despite all these attempts to derail That Which Is America, we survive, we thrive, and we will continue to do so.
I'm more than a little concerned about the future of my church. There's one guy, a bishop, who was accused of some sexual immorality, who was sued, and who offered an affirmative defense. There was another who cannot account for over $300,000 that was entrusted to him. Both these guys have their character passed, which means the church has no formal charges against them. I find it incredible -- what sort of authority or credibility does the church have when it fails to acknowledge that its "leaders" are exhibiting behaviors contrary to what we say we believe? And what kind of message does that send to present and future members? Except, of course. there won't be any future members. Who in the world wants to go to a corrupt church?
Christ, have mercy.
Tomorrow I officiate the funeral of one of the rocks of the church, Mr. Marion Ellis. He was a wonderful man who, even while suffering from dementia, expressed a desire to come to church. And even when his mind appeared not to be present during services, his spirit certainly was. When he didn't seem to recognize me, he still allowed me to pray with him. I liked Mr. Ellis, both when he was in possession of his faculties and when he wasn't. I'll miss him.
Since I didn't manage to get to bed early tonight, I'm watching the news. I see that another teenager has drowned. Read an article today that says people don't look like they're drowning when they're drowning. I don't know -- I usually swim at least a couple of times a week, and I don't do much ocean swimming because I don't understand the currents enough to navigate them. Not sure why teens and tweens are out there trying to do ocean swimming. May God rest their souls.
Also see that another coyote has attacked a child, this time a 3-year old in Rye. on a more positive note, the news is showing kids running through sprinklers. Unless I'm mistaken, the patterns on the ground, the background, and the fact that the park is in Harlem, all taken together, indicate that this is the park across the street from me.
Watching a story on medical marijuana. I remember a time in my life when the only thing I wanted to do was to be a commodities trader specializing in marijuana. I used to love it, just as much as this person apparently does. God bless the people who need it to live; I'm just grateful that I'm no longer one of them.
People are talking about the Russian spies. Am I crazy to think that perhaps the US is too lax in its immigration policies? I'm not talking about emulating Arizona, I'm talking about having some kind of standards -- you know, requiring people who want to come into this country to speak the Official (if you don't like official, go with Historically dominant) language of the country, which is English. Not to impose cultural superiority, just to establish a base upon which everyone can conduct business. It seems to me that the issue is the very thing that makes America great: our freedom and our independence. People whose minds and spirits are neither free nor independent come here and, because their spirits are enslaved, they attempt to exploit, thwart, divert. and otherwise derail That Which Is America. The attempt is made ideologically, by planting seeds of dissension without a proper grounding in history; the attempt is made physically, by acts of terror or by planting sleeper agents; the attempt is made spiritually, by attempting to erode the spiritual principles which undergird this country. Despite all these attempts to derail That Which Is America, we survive, we thrive, and we will continue to do so.
I'm more than a little concerned about the future of my church. There's one guy, a bishop, who was accused of some sexual immorality, who was sued, and who offered an affirmative defense. There was another who cannot account for over $300,000 that was entrusted to him. Both these guys have their character passed, which means the church has no formal charges against them. I find it incredible -- what sort of authority or credibility does the church have when it fails to acknowledge that its "leaders" are exhibiting behaviors contrary to what we say we believe? And what kind of message does that send to present and future members? Except, of course. there won't be any future members. Who in the world wants to go to a corrupt church?
Christ, have mercy.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Government makes you stupid
Nah, I'm not crazy. But I watched a guy this morning. He was already unsteady on his feet, and then he chose to stand up in the middle of the bus aisle to try and but on a fanny pack. The bus jostled him to and fro, and it occurred to me that the guy had never developed any self-preservation skills.
Here's my thought: When I've observed people in countries that have no social safety net, while there is sometimes a good deal of poverty, there are also a good number of resourceful people. I'm reminded of the women in Ghana who spend their days pounding cassava to make fufu flour and then attempt to sell it to tourists, or the women in Senegal who dry shrimp to cook and sell or the people in Senegal who harvest scrap metal and make bracelets from it. I've seen people make shelter from all sorts of ingenious materials, ranging from cardboard and leaves to cinderblocks to leftover sheetrock, and have seen all sorts of contraptions for people who lacked both limbs and wheelchairs to attain mobility (modified bicycles, wheeled chairs, etc.). It reminds me that necessity is the mother of invention.
It seems to me that in this country, where we have a social safety net, and a culture of entitlement, that people are less self-sufficient. It often appears to me that people lack common sense, especially when it comes to caring for themselves, and my thought is that it's because they've always been able to depend on the government to take care of them. If someone's providing for my every need, then what motivation do I have to become self-sufficient? That's why I think the government makes people stupid. It provides essentials for people in need (it gives them a fish), but does not equip them with skills necessary to provide essentials for themselves (teach them to fish). That's my perception. It's a very generalized perception and could be way off, but that's my perception.
Lately I've begun to think that America would be stronger, and our youth would be more directed, if we required either military service or college after high school. I see so many young people just hanging out, apparently lacking both discipline and direction. Can't help but think that if we spent money to put them into some sort of boot camp situation that we'd develop some sort of structure / discipline for their bodies, minds, and spirits. I wouldn't want this service to make everyone automatically eligible to fight in a war, though -- I just think if we were proactive about training our young people, that it would probably cost less than incarcerating them later.
OK, off the soapbox. On Friday night, I joined a group of people at a place called Tillman's downtown (165 W. 26th Street, www.tillmansnyc.com). We celebrated Pam's 54th birthday. While I generally don't like going out to eat, and definitely don't like bars (I don't drink alcohol and am no longer amused by watching people get drunk), I actually had a very good time. Like at any of Pam's gatherings, we just sat around and talked. No one overindulged, although three of the guys got together and were very loud. But that was probably more about testosterone than alcohol. No one was rude or disrespectful to the waitstaff, although there was some disarray, it seemed, when it came to splitting the check. If you have the food bill separate, and you have a dozen people minus the honoree, and the tip is included, why wouldn't you just divide the amount of the check by the number of people, tell them that's the minimum contribution per person, and leave it at that?
Yesterday, I went to see the Liberty play the CT Sun. The Sun scored 11 points before the Liberty even got on the boards. The game was a real snoozer, and I found it hard to stay awake -- the Liberty's shooting was off, and they kept trying, but they couldn't find their sweet spot. The Sun were outplaying them terribly, and I started to leave at halftime. Instead, I went into the Double Teamed store and bought a shirt with a 20% discount and got the little hanging monkey I liked, using my $5.00 off coupon. I wandered back to my seat and saw the Liberty were slowly closing the gap. Long story short, the Ladies of the Liberty ended up winning the game, 77-68. A group of really annoying guys sat near me. As the game ended, the one who sat closest to me asked about my jersey. Was it new? No, I told him. With a frown I said, "the new ones have Foxwood across the front." Yeah, he said, "I'm one of the owners of Foxwood."
Yesterday, NYC celebrated Gay Pride Day. It marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The article below touched my heart and, sadly, reflects what I consider to be an unfortunate reality of the Gay Rights movement -- it used to be a struggle for civil rights, and it still is in many places. But in big urban centers, the young people have forgotten the beginnings of the movement, that it came about not as a means for them to express their individuality so much as it was a vehicle through which all people should have the right to live equally as Americans. And while it perhaps doesn't set out to do so, it also brings up the question of older gays and lesbians, especially those who are estranged from their families of origin: we're all living longer now. What happens as people age, with no family to care for you and all your friends of the same age and therefore likely in the same or similar physical condition? This doesn't apply only to gay people, but to anyone who does not have traditional family support structures. Years ago, when AIDS was epidemic, you found familial support structures inside the gay and lesbian community. I don't think those exist in the same way any more, and in its comments about the younger generation, the article confirms that suspicion.
I started this blog talking about how government making you stupid, because it provided for people and did not empower people to develop the skills to provide for themselves. This situation is a bit different: this woman apparently provided for herself, but eventually lost the ability to continue to do so... There is a larger issue, one that is very close to my heart, which is: "what happens to the elderly when they have no family to care for them?" "I think they started already. They're probably wondering where I am." Bless her heart.
Can't get the code to post properly, but you can cut and paste the following into your browser to see the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/nyregion/28storme.html?scp=1&sq=stonewall,%20nursing%20home&st=cse
Here's my thought: When I've observed people in countries that have no social safety net, while there is sometimes a good deal of poverty, there are also a good number of resourceful people. I'm reminded of the women in Ghana who spend their days pounding cassava to make fufu flour and then attempt to sell it to tourists, or the women in Senegal who dry shrimp to cook and sell or the people in Senegal who harvest scrap metal and make bracelets from it. I've seen people make shelter from all sorts of ingenious materials, ranging from cardboard and leaves to cinderblocks to leftover sheetrock, and have seen all sorts of contraptions for people who lacked both limbs and wheelchairs to attain mobility (modified bicycles, wheeled chairs, etc.). It reminds me that necessity is the mother of invention.
It seems to me that in this country, where we have a social safety net, and a culture of entitlement, that people are less self-sufficient. It often appears to me that people lack common sense, especially when it comes to caring for themselves, and my thought is that it's because they've always been able to depend on the government to take care of them. If someone's providing for my every need, then what motivation do I have to become self-sufficient? That's why I think the government makes people stupid. It provides essentials for people in need (it gives them a fish), but does not equip them with skills necessary to provide essentials for themselves (teach them to fish). That's my perception. It's a very generalized perception and could be way off, but that's my perception.
Lately I've begun to think that America would be stronger, and our youth would be more directed, if we required either military service or college after high school. I see so many young people just hanging out, apparently lacking both discipline and direction. Can't help but think that if we spent money to put them into some sort of boot camp situation that we'd develop some sort of structure / discipline for their bodies, minds, and spirits. I wouldn't want this service to make everyone automatically eligible to fight in a war, though -- I just think if we were proactive about training our young people, that it would probably cost less than incarcerating them later.
OK, off the soapbox. On Friday night, I joined a group of people at a place called Tillman's downtown (165 W. 26th Street, www.tillmansnyc.com). We celebrated Pam's 54th birthday. While I generally don't like going out to eat, and definitely don't like bars (I don't drink alcohol and am no longer amused by watching people get drunk), I actually had a very good time. Like at any of Pam's gatherings, we just sat around and talked. No one overindulged, although three of the guys got together and were very loud. But that was probably more about testosterone than alcohol. No one was rude or disrespectful to the waitstaff, although there was some disarray, it seemed, when it came to splitting the check. If you have the food bill separate, and you have a dozen people minus the honoree, and the tip is included, why wouldn't you just divide the amount of the check by the number of people, tell them that's the minimum contribution per person, and leave it at that?
Yesterday, I went to see the Liberty play the CT Sun. The Sun scored 11 points before the Liberty even got on the boards. The game was a real snoozer, and I found it hard to stay awake -- the Liberty's shooting was off, and they kept trying, but they couldn't find their sweet spot. The Sun were outplaying them terribly, and I started to leave at halftime. Instead, I went into the Double Teamed store and bought a shirt with a 20% discount and got the little hanging monkey I liked, using my $5.00 off coupon. I wandered back to my seat and saw the Liberty were slowly closing the gap. Long story short, the Ladies of the Liberty ended up winning the game, 77-68. A group of really annoying guys sat near me. As the game ended, the one who sat closest to me asked about my jersey. Was it new? No, I told him. With a frown I said, "the new ones have Foxwood across the front." Yeah, he said, "I'm one of the owners of Foxwood."
Yesterday, NYC celebrated Gay Pride Day. It marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. The article below touched my heart and, sadly, reflects what I consider to be an unfortunate reality of the Gay Rights movement -- it used to be a struggle for civil rights, and it still is in many places. But in big urban centers, the young people have forgotten the beginnings of the movement, that it came about not as a means for them to express their individuality so much as it was a vehicle through which all people should have the right to live equally as Americans. And while it perhaps doesn't set out to do so, it also brings up the question of older gays and lesbians, especially those who are estranged from their families of origin: we're all living longer now. What happens as people age, with no family to care for you and all your friends of the same age and therefore likely in the same or similar physical condition? This doesn't apply only to gay people, but to anyone who does not have traditional family support structures. Years ago, when AIDS was epidemic, you found familial support structures inside the gay and lesbian community. I don't think those exist in the same way any more, and in its comments about the younger generation, the article confirms that suspicion.
I started this blog talking about how government making you stupid, because it provided for people and did not empower people to develop the skills to provide for themselves. This situation is a bit different: this woman apparently provided for herself, but eventually lost the ability to continue to do so... There is a larger issue, one that is very close to my heart, which is: "what happens to the elderly when they have no family to care for them?" "I think they started already. They're probably wondering where I am." Bless her heart.
Can't get the code to post properly, but you can cut and paste the following into your browser to see the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/nyregion/28storme.html?scp=1&sq=stonewall,%20nursing%20home&st=cse
Thursday, June 24, 2010
somebody help ...
We're in the midst of an audit of our entire agency. Additionally, one program had a 5 million dollar budget that hasn't been reconciled, so I need to find documentation and give an accounting. The task wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that our records have been shredded and/or thrown into complete disarray. But it's all good, I'm stepping up to the plate, and slowly but surely we're making progress.
This afternoon, while I'm on a call with a funder, I see one of our staffpeople calling me. She later called our finance head, who transferred the call to me. The issue: one person went out in the rain, got soaked, and didn't want the AC on. The person who called me wanted the AC on. At this point, I'm ready to can everyone in the program. I love it that they got me a cute little pig and I love it that they were willing to pitch in when I asked, but I can't tolerate the fact that they're behaving like 4-year olds. No, wait. Four-year olds learn how to share and how to cooperate. These people are acting like two-year olds. NO!! ME!! NO!! ME!!
It makes me wonder -- about their leadership, about their judgement, and about their ability to effectively provide services to our clients. If this is the level at which they cope with one another, how can they possibly help people in legitimate life crises? Once we wade through the financial spaghetti that is this organization, I'm going to have to bring in someone to evaluate my programs and my directors. I'm just not feeling the things I've seen so far. Again, for lack of vision, the people perish.
On a more positive note, I have received an email, and Fedex tracking shows that my iphone 4 was delivered at 1:45 this afternoon. Interestingly, as soon as I saw it had been delivered, I lost interest. I used to say, "it's not the prey, it's the play." Appears the same is true, just in different contexts.
I love my job. It's challenging, but at the end of the day, there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that you're trying to help people. My mother used to say that she thought I just liked helping people. Even though my spiritual gifts inventories never show the gift of helps, but it's something I enjoy.
Until, of course, the reality that is humans starts to piss me off.
This afternoon, while I'm on a call with a funder, I see one of our staffpeople calling me. She later called our finance head, who transferred the call to me. The issue: one person went out in the rain, got soaked, and didn't want the AC on. The person who called me wanted the AC on. At this point, I'm ready to can everyone in the program. I love it that they got me a cute little pig and I love it that they were willing to pitch in when I asked, but I can't tolerate the fact that they're behaving like 4-year olds. No, wait. Four-year olds learn how to share and how to cooperate. These people are acting like two-year olds. NO!! ME!! NO!! ME!!
It makes me wonder -- about their leadership, about their judgement, and about their ability to effectively provide services to our clients. If this is the level at which they cope with one another, how can they possibly help people in legitimate life crises? Once we wade through the financial spaghetti that is this organization, I'm going to have to bring in someone to evaluate my programs and my directors. I'm just not feeling the things I've seen so far. Again, for lack of vision, the people perish.
On a more positive note, I have received an email, and Fedex tracking shows that my iphone 4 was delivered at 1:45 this afternoon. Interestingly, as soon as I saw it had been delivered, I lost interest. I used to say, "it's not the prey, it's the play." Appears the same is true, just in different contexts.
I love my job. It's challenging, but at the end of the day, there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that you're trying to help people. My mother used to say that she thought I just liked helping people. Even though my spiritual gifts inventories never show the gift of helps, but it's something I enjoy.
Until, of course, the reality that is humans starts to piss me off.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday, June 23
So finally the Fedex info is populated on my iphone delivery. It's somewhere between here and Houston. I talked to a friend this morning who received both of his today. I then called the front desk to discover I had a package and thought it was my iphone. Unfortunately, when I got home I found it was just my willmaker software.
So I resisted the impulse to rush home. Because I have to get the shot in my knee tomorrow and my doctor doesn't allow me to work out for at least 24 hours after the shot, I decided to go ahead and do a double tonight. I actually need to move to doing more doubles: I'm increasing my weights, though staying at 4 sets of 20 reps for most of them, but I'm getting through them more quickly. My weights workout used to take me a little north of an hour; today I warmed up with a mile on the elliptical and still finished everything in 45 minutes. My form isn't perfect, but one wall of the room is lined with mirrors, which I sorta find irresistible. After the 45 minute workout, I swam for 30 minutes -- 10 minutes freestyle, 10 alternating kicking and pulling, and 10 working the fly. Not a full double, but a nice workout, nonetheless. "Working the fly" sounds like i'm fairly adept at it, right? Not really. I manage not to be too embarassed, but swimming is kinda like playing the piano -- with enough practice, even people who aren't good can develop technique, but nothing makes up for a natural sense of timing.
Every day I struggle to go to the gym, and evey day I'm tempted to skip it. We joke in the locker room that the hardest part of the workout is getting to the gym. I was especially tempted today since I thought the iphone would be home, but am really glad I didn't ditch the workout. As I walked from the train to the gym, I saw all these people whose ability to even walk was hampered by the great weight they carry around. I could never see it when I was carrying around 100 extra pounds, and though I'm 50 lbs heavier than the BMI charts say I should be, I'm only about 30 lbs heavier than my best fighting weight. Even so, I feel all my extra weight, and I feel so bad for all the people who are still carrying around 100+ pounds of extra weight.
Watching the news tonight, there's lots of talk about the little girl who drowned while at the beach with her class. Please don't let it be true that the adults taking them didn't have permission to do so. I understand the beach was closed. Do we really have people charged with caring for our children who lack the common sense to realize that you ahve to get the parents' permission to take kids to the beach, and that you can't let kids swim in the ocean without lifeguards? I swim in a 20 yeard pool with a maximum depth of 10 feet. I've been swimming there so long I could probably do laps with my eyes closed, without counting strokes. I would never even go on deck without the guard being there. How do you take kids to the beach without their parents' permission? And how do you let them get into the ocean without a lifeguard?
So I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to get the shot in my knee. I get six shots, one in each knee, once a week for three weeks. I've always used OrthoVisc before, and that's what the doctor ordered. The pharmacy, which is contracted by BC/BS, will only ship SynVisc. They may be the same thing, but this is the first time in all my treatments that I've had pain on the other side of the knee (opposite to the side where the shots were administered). Don't know if it's related to the new med or not, but how does insurance get to decide which meds you get? If insurance companies are making the calls, what do we need doctors for? If doctors prescribe something, why doesn't insurance pay for it?
Then I see a story on the news about a ham sandwich. It's made from some kind of Spanish ham. In the picture, it looked like a bacon hero to me. But who pays $40.00 for a ham sandwich? Granted, my palate isn't very refined, but $40.00 for a sandwich?
Here's a word to acknowledge John Isner from the US and Nicholas Mahut from France. They're playing at Wimbledon, and so far have played the longest game in tennis history. They've served up a total of 193 aces: 98 for Isner and 95 for Mahut. both numbers are records. Before the match was suspended because of darkness, the score was tied 59-59 in the fifth set. The fifth set alone was longer than any other pro tennis game recorded so far. At the time the game was suspended, they had been playing for 9 hrs and 58 minutes.
THAT'S perseverance. Somebody give those guys a hand!!
So I resisted the impulse to rush home. Because I have to get the shot in my knee tomorrow and my doctor doesn't allow me to work out for at least 24 hours after the shot, I decided to go ahead and do a double tonight. I actually need to move to doing more doubles: I'm increasing my weights, though staying at 4 sets of 20 reps for most of them, but I'm getting through them more quickly. My weights workout used to take me a little north of an hour; today I warmed up with a mile on the elliptical and still finished everything in 45 minutes. My form isn't perfect, but one wall of the room is lined with mirrors, which I sorta find irresistible. After the 45 minute workout, I swam for 30 minutes -- 10 minutes freestyle, 10 alternating kicking and pulling, and 10 working the fly. Not a full double, but a nice workout, nonetheless. "Working the fly" sounds like i'm fairly adept at it, right? Not really. I manage not to be too embarassed, but swimming is kinda like playing the piano -- with enough practice, even people who aren't good can develop technique, but nothing makes up for a natural sense of timing.
Every day I struggle to go to the gym, and evey day I'm tempted to skip it. We joke in the locker room that the hardest part of the workout is getting to the gym. I was especially tempted today since I thought the iphone would be home, but am really glad I didn't ditch the workout. As I walked from the train to the gym, I saw all these people whose ability to even walk was hampered by the great weight they carry around. I could never see it when I was carrying around 100 extra pounds, and though I'm 50 lbs heavier than the BMI charts say I should be, I'm only about 30 lbs heavier than my best fighting weight. Even so, I feel all my extra weight, and I feel so bad for all the people who are still carrying around 100+ pounds of extra weight.
Watching the news tonight, there's lots of talk about the little girl who drowned while at the beach with her class. Please don't let it be true that the adults taking them didn't have permission to do so. I understand the beach was closed. Do we really have people charged with caring for our children who lack the common sense to realize that you ahve to get the parents' permission to take kids to the beach, and that you can't let kids swim in the ocean without lifeguards? I swim in a 20 yeard pool with a maximum depth of 10 feet. I've been swimming there so long I could probably do laps with my eyes closed, without counting strokes. I would never even go on deck without the guard being there. How do you take kids to the beach without their parents' permission? And how do you let them get into the ocean without a lifeguard?
So I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to get the shot in my knee. I get six shots, one in each knee, once a week for three weeks. I've always used OrthoVisc before, and that's what the doctor ordered. The pharmacy, which is contracted by BC/BS, will only ship SynVisc. They may be the same thing, but this is the first time in all my treatments that I've had pain on the other side of the knee (opposite to the side where the shots were administered). Don't know if it's related to the new med or not, but how does insurance get to decide which meds you get? If insurance companies are making the calls, what do we need doctors for? If doctors prescribe something, why doesn't insurance pay for it?
Then I see a story on the news about a ham sandwich. It's made from some kind of Spanish ham. In the picture, it looked like a bacon hero to me. But who pays $40.00 for a ham sandwich? Granted, my palate isn't very refined, but $40.00 for a sandwich?
Here's a word to acknowledge John Isner from the US and Nicholas Mahut from France. They're playing at Wimbledon, and so far have played the longest game in tennis history. They've served up a total of 193 aces: 98 for Isner and 95 for Mahut. both numbers are records. Before the match was suspended because of darkness, the score was tied 59-59 in the fifth set. The fifth set alone was longer than any other pro tennis game recorded so far. At the time the game was suspended, they had been playing for 9 hrs and 58 minutes.
THAT'S perseverance. Somebody give those guys a hand!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
waiting...
So the ATT website says my iPhone has shipped. Actually, it says it shipped on June 17. There's a Fedex tracking number and everything, but there's no tracking info. It's probably somewhere between here and China. In all the tech blogs I've read, I haven't seen anyone express the least bit of concern that these phones are made in China. My last iPhone was the regular 3G, and after a year or so the side volume button fell off. Fortunately, you can control the volume with the rocker button and didn't need the slider, but still ....
So I'm waiting on the iPhone. I'll go to the Liberty game tonite and wait on them to show up as the outstanding team I believe they can be. I'm waiting on our church to step up and assert the leadership I believe is within them. And I'm waiting on this organization to turn around.
Except that's not right. I'm not waiting on this organization. As I've previously posted, I walked into a nonprofit that had suffered from years of mismanagement and no financial oversight. In addition to the lack of financial processes and procedures (and accountability and cash), there appears to be an attitude of resignation in the organization. As the new ED, I can't afford to wait on anything -- I have to get help to get our finances in order. I have to get a Board together that has the ability to monitor organizational finances. I have to coach and train my people, giving them cause for their spirits to be lifted. My primary responsibility, though, is to develop the vision and forward the mission for the organization. It receives a lot of government money and as such I'm prevented from introducing any overtly Christian elements into the ethos. But as I told the Board, my faith walk governs my life and as such, is a part of everything I do. So the challenge here is to be a Godly ED, remembering that it is my privilege to serve here as we collectively serve our clients: people living with HIV/AIDS, people with substance abuse issues, and people with mental health issues. I think in church vernacular we refer to them as "the least, the last, and the lost," or the "them, the they, and the those."
Those are the people I serve, and I owe it to them to give them the best I can. I can't help but think about Esther. My predecessor, though not a female, was a Vashti of sorts. He refused to follow proper fiscal and organizational processes and procedures, and was subsequently dismissed. I came in, and one of the first instructions I got from one of my Board members was to be a bit less corporate in my approach. I declined, and I'm glad I did. This organization needs a little of the structure and formality often found in the corporate world. It certainly needs the sorts of fiscal controls and accountability found in (most) corporate environments. If I didn't come here, I don't know whether the agency would have survived; if it didn't, the people who are served would have been transferred to other programs. But I would have perished -- somewhere inside I wasn't happy being a computer jockey to attorneys, and my spirit was drying up. So, like Mordecai said to Esther, who knows but that I was sent here for just such a time as this?
When I start writing, I always have all these thoughts, but the thoughts race faster than the fingers can, and I inevitably lose them. Plus, I never really have time to sit and write like I want. I need to work on clearing off my desk now so I can get out of here and go to the game. I've finally put a link on my FB page to my site and my blog, so maybe now more people will start to read it.
Before I forget, my friends Brian and Elizabeth celebrated the birth of their second child and first girl, Katherine. She was born at 2:02 this afternoon, weighs in at 7 lbs, 12 oz and is 21 inches long. Aside from welcoming a new life into the world, this is very special for me: B and E were coworkers. I was friends with both of them, and each confided to me that they liked the other. I was able to keep their confidences, but I was also there to watch the romance blossom. On September 22, 2001, I got on a plane from LGA and flew to ATL where I had the honor of participating in their wedding (they were married by the same priest who had united E's mom and dad in Holy Matrimony). Four years later, in a surprise on the Top of the Rock in NYC, I was the officiant as they renewed their matrimonial vows. I was the first person outside the family to hold their son Luke, who was born on October 12(?) 13(?) 2005. My Dad met them when he came to NYC (E was preggers with Luke then), and he still asks about them. So it gives me immense pleasure to watch them add to their family. Brian is the quintessential American success story. Time and time again, I've seen him assess his present situation, decide where he wanted to be, figure out the steps necessary to get there, and then I've watched him methodically approach (and usually attain) his goal. I'm not going to put their personal business all over the internet, but he's done quite well. Congratulations, B, E, and L! Welcome, K! --- And together we have that bastion of Southern shopping: BELK's. Way to go, y'all!!!!
So I'm waiting on the iPhone. I'll go to the Liberty game tonite and wait on them to show up as the outstanding team I believe they can be. I'm waiting on our church to step up and assert the leadership I believe is within them. And I'm waiting on this organization to turn around.
Except that's not right. I'm not waiting on this organization. As I've previously posted, I walked into a nonprofit that had suffered from years of mismanagement and no financial oversight. In addition to the lack of financial processes and procedures (and accountability and cash), there appears to be an attitude of resignation in the organization. As the new ED, I can't afford to wait on anything -- I have to get help to get our finances in order. I have to get a Board together that has the ability to monitor organizational finances. I have to coach and train my people, giving them cause for their spirits to be lifted. My primary responsibility, though, is to develop the vision and forward the mission for the organization. It receives a lot of government money and as such I'm prevented from introducing any overtly Christian elements into the ethos. But as I told the Board, my faith walk governs my life and as such, is a part of everything I do. So the challenge here is to be a Godly ED, remembering that it is my privilege to serve here as we collectively serve our clients: people living with HIV/AIDS, people with substance abuse issues, and people with mental health issues. I think in church vernacular we refer to them as "the least, the last, and the lost," or the "them, the they, and the those."
Those are the people I serve, and I owe it to them to give them the best I can. I can't help but think about Esther. My predecessor, though not a female, was a Vashti of sorts. He refused to follow proper fiscal and organizational processes and procedures, and was subsequently dismissed. I came in, and one of the first instructions I got from one of my Board members was to be a bit less corporate in my approach. I declined, and I'm glad I did. This organization needs a little of the structure and formality often found in the corporate world. It certainly needs the sorts of fiscal controls and accountability found in (most) corporate environments. If I didn't come here, I don't know whether the agency would have survived; if it didn't, the people who are served would have been transferred to other programs. But I would have perished -- somewhere inside I wasn't happy being a computer jockey to attorneys, and my spirit was drying up. So, like Mordecai said to Esther, who knows but that I was sent here for just such a time as this?
When I start writing, I always have all these thoughts, but the thoughts race faster than the fingers can, and I inevitably lose them. Plus, I never really have time to sit and write like I want. I need to work on clearing off my desk now so I can get out of here and go to the game. I've finally put a link on my FB page to my site and my blog, so maybe now more people will start to read it.
Before I forget, my friends Brian and Elizabeth celebrated the birth of their second child and first girl, Katherine. She was born at 2:02 this afternoon, weighs in at 7 lbs, 12 oz and is 21 inches long. Aside from welcoming a new life into the world, this is very special for me: B and E were coworkers. I was friends with both of them, and each confided to me that they liked the other. I was able to keep their confidences, but I was also there to watch the romance blossom. On September 22, 2001, I got on a plane from LGA and flew to ATL where I had the honor of participating in their wedding (they were married by the same priest who had united E's mom and dad in Holy Matrimony). Four years later, in a surprise on the Top of the Rock in NYC, I was the officiant as they renewed their matrimonial vows. I was the first person outside the family to hold their son Luke, who was born on October 12(?) 13(?) 2005. My Dad met them when he came to NYC (E was preggers with Luke then), and he still asks about them. So it gives me immense pleasure to watch them add to their family. Brian is the quintessential American success story. Time and time again, I've seen him assess his present situation, decide where he wanted to be, figure out the steps necessary to get there, and then I've watched him methodically approach (and usually attain) his goal. I'm not going to put their personal business all over the internet, but he's done quite well. Congratulations, B, E, and L! Welcome, K! --- And together we have that bastion of Southern shopping: BELK's. Way to go, y'all!!!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! If you are a father, have a father, or know a father, then here's to celebrating your special day!
Today was a great day at church. Worship service is always what you make it, and I enjoy bopping around the pulpit, singing with the choirs, playing on my congas when the spirit strikes me, and generally trying to bring a bit of life to the worship experience. I was feeling energetic this morning (there were lots of visitors, and the service was so dead that I felt sorry for them), so I was tapping out a beat, which I just played louder as the visitors announced themselves. A young man in the back stood up and was speaking, and I heard the Pastor say North Carolina. Long story short, HE WAS FROM ST. JOSEPH CME CHURCH, My Home Church!!!! I got a big kick out of that -- I always get a kick out of it when people from home visit. And he brought his dad with him. His Dad is a Baptist, and from Winston-Salem, but the young man,Rob, is a member of the CME Church, is Ms. Marion Jackson's godson, and actually works in the Marion Jackson Center in St. Joseph (for context here, Ms. Marion Jackson is one of the people listed in my baby book as giving me gifts when I was born. She gave me a dress). Rob is part of my connectional family, but he's also part of my home church family. I texted Rev. Harrison so he could tell the St. Joseph family. Rev. Harrison called me back later, and invited me to preach when I come to St. Joseph in August.
And while it has nothing to do with my joy, I will mention that Rob is a white guy, and ours is a traditionally African-American church. I look at him in the church (which, traditionally, epitomizes and perpetuates entrenched and lingering American segregationist tendencies) -- I look at this young white man in a traditionally African-American denomination, and it's like things have come full circle from when I was a little kid who was always one of only two or three black kids in a white environment.
So that was cool. Then I went back down to the Korean chicken place and got enough chicken to last all week.
I want to say a bit here about one of our CME bishops. I posted before about how people are so condemning of him. While I don't believe people are justified in condemning the guy, I do think that, as a leader in the church, he would at some point examine himself and acknowledge the impact of his actions. My issue is not with him having sex with a man, but with him having sex outside his marriage. It's not our place to judge or condemn him, but I think we have a reasonable expectation that our leaders will, at the very least, uphold the rules they put forth for the rest of us, and I think that, as leaders, they should be held accountable for their actions. My thought would be that the College of Bishops would hold each other accountable. He's about to be elected Chair of the College of Bishops. While I think it's a good thing the Church is sending a gay-affirming message (although I'm fairly sure that's not their intent), I don't think it's a good thing that the Church is sending a message that it's ok to trash the vows you take as part of your covenant with God, and never acknowledge that you've trashed those vows.
I think that by not addressing the issue, our College of Bishops sends the message that our relationship with God is not important, or is only ritually important, but its importance does not treanslate into the rest of our lives. In general, I think that's the problem with our church -- there appears to be a good deal of disconnect between what we say and what we do. We abstractly preach "Christ and Him Crucified," we have ecstatic experiences for the 90 or 120 minutes that we're inside the four walls of the church, but we are not transformed. Generally speaking, our preachers don't give us any evidence that they've spoken with God and don't relay God's prophetic message for our lives. Our preachers simply holler and shout about how good God is. Duh, we know that already. Tell us something new. We don't go away from these supposed encounters with God any different than we came into them. I say "supposed" encounters with God, because I believe that if we had true encounters with God, there would be some transformation. In general, what I see in our denomination is a desire to perpetuate the status quo -- we want to keep doing things as usual without questioning what we're doing or understanding why we're doing it. We want some abstract concept of change, but we also want to keep doing things the same way we've always done them. There's an old saying that "if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got." There's another saying that defines insanity as "repeating the same behavior and expecting different results." IMHO, either adage would apply to our church.
I don't for a moment think this peculiarity is limited to our denomination; I actually think it's the result of people not understanding what they believe or why they believe it. I think it's the result of people clinging to tradition rather than delving into a relationship with God, plumbing the heights and depths of that relationship, and actively exploring God's word with an open heart and mind.
That's not what I intended to write when I started, but i think this is enough for one night.
Today was a great day at church. Worship service is always what you make it, and I enjoy bopping around the pulpit, singing with the choirs, playing on my congas when the spirit strikes me, and generally trying to bring a bit of life to the worship experience. I was feeling energetic this morning (there were lots of visitors, and the service was so dead that I felt sorry for them), so I was tapping out a beat, which I just played louder as the visitors announced themselves. A young man in the back stood up and was speaking, and I heard the Pastor say North Carolina. Long story short, HE WAS FROM ST. JOSEPH CME CHURCH, My Home Church!!!! I got a big kick out of that -- I always get a kick out of it when people from home visit. And he brought his dad with him. His Dad is a Baptist, and from Winston-Salem, but the young man,Rob, is a member of the CME Church, is Ms. Marion Jackson's godson, and actually works in the Marion Jackson Center in St. Joseph (for context here, Ms. Marion Jackson is one of the people listed in my baby book as giving me gifts when I was born. She gave me a dress). Rob is part of my connectional family, but he's also part of my home church family. I texted Rev. Harrison so he could tell the St. Joseph family. Rev. Harrison called me back later, and invited me to preach when I come to St. Joseph in August.
And while it has nothing to do with my joy, I will mention that Rob is a white guy, and ours is a traditionally African-American church. I look at him in the church (which, traditionally, epitomizes and perpetuates entrenched and lingering American segregationist tendencies) -- I look at this young white man in a traditionally African-American denomination, and it's like things have come full circle from when I was a little kid who was always one of only two or three black kids in a white environment.
So that was cool. Then I went back down to the Korean chicken place and got enough chicken to last all week.
I want to say a bit here about one of our CME bishops. I posted before about how people are so condemning of him. While I don't believe people are justified in condemning the guy, I do think that, as a leader in the church, he would at some point examine himself and acknowledge the impact of his actions. My issue is not with him having sex with a man, but with him having sex outside his marriage. It's not our place to judge or condemn him, but I think we have a reasonable expectation that our leaders will, at the very least, uphold the rules they put forth for the rest of us, and I think that, as leaders, they should be held accountable for their actions. My thought would be that the College of Bishops would hold each other accountable. He's about to be elected Chair of the College of Bishops. While I think it's a good thing the Church is sending a gay-affirming message (although I'm fairly sure that's not their intent), I don't think it's a good thing that the Church is sending a message that it's ok to trash the vows you take as part of your covenant with God, and never acknowledge that you've trashed those vows.
I think that by not addressing the issue, our College of Bishops sends the message that our relationship with God is not important, or is only ritually important, but its importance does not treanslate into the rest of our lives. In general, I think that's the problem with our church -- there appears to be a good deal of disconnect between what we say and what we do. We abstractly preach "Christ and Him Crucified," we have ecstatic experiences for the 90 or 120 minutes that we're inside the four walls of the church, but we are not transformed. Generally speaking, our preachers don't give us any evidence that they've spoken with God and don't relay God's prophetic message for our lives. Our preachers simply holler and shout about how good God is. Duh, we know that already. Tell us something new. We don't go away from these supposed encounters with God any different than we came into them. I say "supposed" encounters with God, because I believe that if we had true encounters with God, there would be some transformation. In general, what I see in our denomination is a desire to perpetuate the status quo -- we want to keep doing things as usual without questioning what we're doing or understanding why we're doing it. We want some abstract concept of change, but we also want to keep doing things the same way we've always done them. There's an old saying that "if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got." There's another saying that defines insanity as "repeating the same behavior and expecting different results." IMHO, either adage would apply to our church.
I don't for a moment think this peculiarity is limited to our denomination; I actually think it's the result of people not understanding what they believe or why they believe it. I think it's the result of people clinging to tradition rather than delving into a relationship with God, plumbing the heights and depths of that relationship, and actively exploring God's word with an open heart and mind.
That's not what I intended to write when I started, but i think this is enough for one night.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Tonight the Liberty lost to the Seattle Storm. Losing the game wasn't so bad, it was the playing badly that hurt. The Liberty have skills, and they work well together with old or new teammates. But it seems like their issue is mental -- sometimes if they lose focus or if they fail to execute a few plays or to make a few shots, it's like it stays with them and snowballs into disaster. It is not as pronounced this season as it was last season, but that seemed to be the case last year, and it seems to be the case this year.
This morning I saw an ad for some place that advertised it had the "best fried chicken in NYC" or something. It was on 38th Street, so I decided to check it out after the game. WOW. It's called Bon Chon Chicken (or Chicken Bon Chone, I'm not sure). It's a bar-restaurant and, quite frankly, the service leaves a lot to be desired. There seem to be a lot of people, not a lot of staff, and the staff, while cordial and amiable enough, don't seem particularly attentive to customers. Plus, they were incredibly slow; it took about half an hour for me to get what amounted to 6 chicken nuggets and about a quarter cup of kimchee coleslaw (which seemed to be a vinaigrette based cole slaw with some hot pepper added in).
Oh. My. Goodness. My palate isn't terribly refined, but I'd definitely go back to this place. I got chicken with the hot garlic sauce, and it was soooo spicy. At the same time, I think I could taste undertones of ginger behind the spice. The bag says they have the hottest hot wings in NY and that only fresh chickesn are used. Apparently they double fry them to burn off all the chicken fat and make them crunchy and tender. I'm not sure if that's true, and I didn't have the wings or the drumsticks, only the chicken breast chunks. Despite the lack of service, I would go back to this place. The food was that good.
While I was there, I checked one of the news services on my phone. There's some uproar because the Utah AG tweeted about Ronnie Lee Gardner's execution. I don't understand. We're a society that accepts the death penalty. We're a society that glorifies pugilistic and combative sports. We've allowed our children to become cultishly fascinated with vampire culture (and have allowed that "culture" to find its way into the mainstream of our cultural fabric), while we've generally strayed away from the practice of religion in general and certainly away from any religious tradition in particular. In light of all that, how can we feign shock, insult, or outrage because some human has been invested with the power of life and death, and then behaves humanly? Here is his first tweet: "A solemn day. Barring a stay by Sup Ct, & with my final nod, Utah will use most extreme power & execute a killer. Mourn his victims. Justice" and his second tweet: "I just gave the go ahead to Corrections Director to proceed with Gardner’s execution. May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims."
It seems to me the outrage should not come at this AG's behavior or his tweeting. He's just being a citizen of the 21st century. What's more disturbing than the Utah AG's impropriety is our national insensitivity to death and gore in our environments. All this governor guy did was to make a report of what was going on . What's insensitive is that we allow this to go on.
It's late and I'm already typing without seeing the keyboard. My eyes are closing, and thye memory foam topper is calling.....
This morning I saw an ad for some place that advertised it had the "best fried chicken in NYC" or something. It was on 38th Street, so I decided to check it out after the game. WOW. It's called Bon Chon Chicken (or Chicken Bon Chone, I'm not sure). It's a bar-restaurant and, quite frankly, the service leaves a lot to be desired. There seem to be a lot of people, not a lot of staff, and the staff, while cordial and amiable enough, don't seem particularly attentive to customers. Plus, they were incredibly slow; it took about half an hour for me to get what amounted to 6 chicken nuggets and about a quarter cup of kimchee coleslaw (which seemed to be a vinaigrette based cole slaw with some hot pepper added in).
Oh. My. Goodness. My palate isn't terribly refined, but I'd definitely go back to this place. I got chicken with the hot garlic sauce, and it was soooo spicy. At the same time, I think I could taste undertones of ginger behind the spice. The bag says they have the hottest hot wings in NY and that only fresh chickesn are used. Apparently they double fry them to burn off all the chicken fat and make them crunchy and tender. I'm not sure if that's true, and I didn't have the wings or the drumsticks, only the chicken breast chunks. Despite the lack of service, I would go back to this place. The food was that good.
While I was there, I checked one of the news services on my phone. There's some uproar because the Utah AG tweeted about Ronnie Lee Gardner's execution. I don't understand. We're a society that accepts the death penalty. We're a society that glorifies pugilistic and combative sports. We've allowed our children to become cultishly fascinated with vampire culture (and have allowed that "culture" to find its way into the mainstream of our cultural fabric), while we've generally strayed away from the practice of religion in general and certainly away from any religious tradition in particular. In light of all that, how can we feign shock, insult, or outrage because some human has been invested with the power of life and death, and then behaves humanly? Here is his first tweet: "A solemn day. Barring a stay by Sup Ct, & with my final nod, Utah will use most extreme power & execute a killer. Mourn his victims. Justice" and his second tweet: "I just gave the go ahead to Corrections Director to proceed with Gardner’s execution. May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims."
It seems to me the outrage should not come at this AG's behavior or his tweeting. He's just being a citizen of the 21st century. What's more disturbing than the Utah AG's impropriety is our national insensitivity to death and gore in our environments. All this governor guy did was to make a report of what was going on . What's insensitive is that we allow this to go on.
It's late and I'm already typing without seeing the keyboard. My eyes are closing, and thye memory foam topper is calling.....
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Change
So last night, my Serta Memoryfoam topper and memoryfoam pillows came. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I am VERY impressed. I think I slept with a minimum of tossing and turning, heard my back straightening out, and woke up refreshed and renewed. These are all good things. Change can be good.
Which is a concept I need to embrace. A little over three months ago, I accepted the task of heading up a small nonprofit in the South Bronx. We're located in the South Bronx which is, culturally, a million miles away from Manhattan. Then we service populations that are traditionally lost within the fabric of our social support systems: people living with HIV/AIDS, people with substance abuse issues, and people with mental health issues. There is quite a bit of overlap among the populations, and IMHO, it takes special people with special skillsets to properly deliver services.
So I have a staff of wonderful people, but the organization has a history of -- how can I say this -- mismanagement and abuse. IMHO, the employees have been traumatized, and the organization's coffers have been ravaged. I didn't know all this when I stepped in. Rather, I stepped into a situation where no monies were coming in, and our non-existent financial policies were under constant scrutiny. People appeared to have no individual accountability, and I've discovered the reason for that is the tendency/desire/attempt of my predecessor to micromanage every aspect of the agency. Except he was either crooked or incompetent.
So we have massive holes in our organizational structure and in our physical infrastructure (our networks become inoperable every time it rains, and we have no dedicated IT person). We have people who are tired and weary, but who still come in every day and try to give it their best. We are faced with a lack of capital and funding streams that, like our lifeblood, appear to be dessicating.
And I've embraced the challenge, realizing the change I thought would come about in three months is more likely to come about in three or more years. At our last Board meeting, the Secretary, who has a background in these sorts of programs, resigned. Earlier this month I found that the Chair of our Board of Directors needed to resign because of a conflict of interest with their primary place of employment. Then I found that the person who recruited me, who also has a background in these sorts of programs, will be resigning because of health issues and a desired return to school. Tonight I found that another Board member, a nurse, is also resigning. So I'm left with two or three seniors on the Board, all of whom possess willing spirits, but whose flesh is weakening. I've recruited an attorney and a financial professional, who will likely be voted in, and we have a couple more people from the neighborhood, among them a nurse, to be voted in. So we'll have our minimum of seven and I hope we'll have a Community Advisory Board as well. But it's all completely changed from the group that hired me.
The good news is probably that, as long as we can keep the agency afloat, I'll have job security and a good degree of autonomy. The bad news is that I'm not sure we'll have enough people on board to provide the kind of direction and oversight I need from a Board.
But I gotta do what I gotta do. I look at this place as my pastorate, complete with all the challenges and thrills that come with the position. Who knows but that God sent me here for just such a time as this....
Which is a concept I need to embrace. A little over three months ago, I accepted the task of heading up a small nonprofit in the South Bronx. We're located in the South Bronx which is, culturally, a million miles away from Manhattan. Then we service populations that are traditionally lost within the fabric of our social support systems: people living with HIV/AIDS, people with substance abuse issues, and people with mental health issues. There is quite a bit of overlap among the populations, and IMHO, it takes special people with special skillsets to properly deliver services.
So I have a staff of wonderful people, but the organization has a history of -- how can I say this -- mismanagement and abuse. IMHO, the employees have been traumatized, and the organization's coffers have been ravaged. I didn't know all this when I stepped in. Rather, I stepped into a situation where no monies were coming in, and our non-existent financial policies were under constant scrutiny. People appeared to have no individual accountability, and I've discovered the reason for that is the tendency/desire/attempt of my predecessor to micromanage every aspect of the agency. Except he was either crooked or incompetent.
So we have massive holes in our organizational structure and in our physical infrastructure (our networks become inoperable every time it rains, and we have no dedicated IT person). We have people who are tired and weary, but who still come in every day and try to give it their best. We are faced with a lack of capital and funding streams that, like our lifeblood, appear to be dessicating.
And I've embraced the challenge, realizing the change I thought would come about in three months is more likely to come about in three or more years. At our last Board meeting, the Secretary, who has a background in these sorts of programs, resigned. Earlier this month I found that the Chair of our Board of Directors needed to resign because of a conflict of interest with their primary place of employment. Then I found that the person who recruited me, who also has a background in these sorts of programs, will be resigning because of health issues and a desired return to school. Tonight I found that another Board member, a nurse, is also resigning. So I'm left with two or three seniors on the Board, all of whom possess willing spirits, but whose flesh is weakening. I've recruited an attorney and a financial professional, who will likely be voted in, and we have a couple more people from the neighborhood, among them a nurse, to be voted in. So we'll have our minimum of seven and I hope we'll have a Community Advisory Board as well. But it's all completely changed from the group that hired me.
The good news is probably that, as long as we can keep the agency afloat, I'll have job security and a good degree of autonomy. The bad news is that I'm not sure we'll have enough people on board to provide the kind of direction and oversight I need from a Board.
But I gotta do what I gotta do. I look at this place as my pastorate, complete with all the challenges and thrills that come with the position. Who knows but that God sent me here for just such a time as this....
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
So I'm watching "Meet the Browns" after working out. IT's an episode in which the Colonel has to go to his low impact step class, and one in which Reggie and the school principal have a "fight" over Cora that is reminiscent of The Matrix.
Which reminds me of a thought I had while working out. I pump iron at least a couple of times a week, and then I (usually) swim 2-3 times a week. I do my best to make exercise a priority. Since my surgery, and thinking back on having beat cancer, I realize that mine has been a blessed life, and while I'm excited about the prospect of seeing Jesus face-to-face, that's something that will happen in the fullness of time, will last for eternity, and doesn't need to be rushed. While I'm on this side of the Jordan, I choose to make the most of it.
So I try to eat properly and to get plenty of exercise. In general, I try to exercise stewardship over all that God has given me; sometimes I'm more successful than other times. But I'm in the gym, and people are running, or pumping, or doing situps... there's a woman with a Marines shirt on that says "Pain is Weakness leaving the body." It occurs to me that the same way some of us work on our physical bodies, we the Body of Christ should work on our Spiritual or Corporate Body. What if, as a Corporate Body, we Christians regularly engaged in activities that, pushed us to our spiritual limits, but in that process helped us to grow? What if we, as a Corporate Body, were to set aside a period of time in which we did something to get our Heart Rate up, and were to keep that Heart Rate up for a while, in knowledge that an increased Heart Rate would lead to increased Heart Health?
And what if we engaged in these activities with inentionality, because we understood that these spiritual exercises, which might lead to spiritual pain, were the signs of spiritual weakness leaving our spiritual (or our Corporate) bodies?
I had a couple more topics, but don't remember them now. Hopefully, these writing exercises will also help my memory improve.
Which reminds me of a thought I had while working out. I pump iron at least a couple of times a week, and then I (usually) swim 2-3 times a week. I do my best to make exercise a priority. Since my surgery, and thinking back on having beat cancer, I realize that mine has been a blessed life, and while I'm excited about the prospect of seeing Jesus face-to-face, that's something that will happen in the fullness of time, will last for eternity, and doesn't need to be rushed. While I'm on this side of the Jordan, I choose to make the most of it.
So I try to eat properly and to get plenty of exercise. In general, I try to exercise stewardship over all that God has given me; sometimes I'm more successful than other times. But I'm in the gym, and people are running, or pumping, or doing situps... there's a woman with a Marines shirt on that says "Pain is Weakness leaving the body." It occurs to me that the same way some of us work on our physical bodies, we the Body of Christ should work on our Spiritual or Corporate Body. What if, as a Corporate Body, we Christians regularly engaged in activities that, pushed us to our spiritual limits, but in that process helped us to grow? What if we, as a Corporate Body, were to set aside a period of time in which we did something to get our Heart Rate up, and were to keep that Heart Rate up for a while, in knowledge that an increased Heart Rate would lead to increased Heart Health?
And what if we engaged in these activities with inentionality, because we understood that these spiritual exercises, which might lead to spiritual pain, were the signs of spiritual weakness leaving our spiritual (or our Corporate) bodies?
I had a couple more topics, but don't remember them now. Hopefully, these writing exercises will also help my memory improve.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
America's Got Talent
Ya know, there is a certain thrill when groups like the formerly homeless veterans win, or the lady tonight, who's 58 years old and sings in the subway, wins. But I feel so bad for the children contestants. There was an adorable little girl on. She and her older crew (maybe family?) did a song that was probably too old for her. But she has great projection, and I was amazed to hear such a big voice coming from such a little girl.
I thought she did great, and I waver about this public judging of our children. On the one hand, I think that Showtime at the Apollo's practice of making "All. Of.Them. All. Of. THem." winners. That allows no-talent people to proress, and does not sufficiently distinguish between those who have talent and those who do not. But to have kids up against adults is unfair, I think. I watched this little girl give it her all, and felt so bad for her as she listened to the judges tell her she was good, but not good enough for Vegas.
Of course, this isn't just a cultural issue; the parents have to bear some resonsibility for putting their children in a position to be so disappointed. But couldn't they have a category for kids under 16 or something? At least level the playing field for them? I think this group was kinda patterned on the Jackson 5 or the Osmond family. If a child is such an incredible talent, they will stand out, but since children's voices don't mature like adults' voices, is it really fair to judge the kids with the adults?
People may say that the ability to make music is independent of age. That may be truel but the ability to perform, even to become a seasoned performer -- these are things that get better with age. Why not give young people a chance to grow up first? They'll have the rest of their lives to be adults....
Today the president of our Seminary, Dale Irvin, released a statement on the BP Oil spill. I listened to it shortly after I'd posted on our CME website that I wish more CMEs would comment on our Biblical mandate to care for the earth, instead of just spending time going to conferences. Here's a link to Dr. Irvin's vlog:
http://nytsdialogues.blogspot.com/2010/06/nyts-president-speaks-out-about-bp-oil.html
When I was sitting in the San Jose airport, I ran into a group wearing shirts saying “Here I am Lord, Send Me.” They were from the Houston Conference of the United Methodist Church, and they go down to CR once a year to do physical, occupational, and speech therapy. At the time, I wrote, "I wish our church could organize an annual missions trip – maybe we could go to the Haiti or the Africa conferences and spend a week or two doing mission work. That might attract the youth, and give us a bit more purpose. It sure would be more meaningful to me than going to Annual Conference. Or maybe we could do it and make reports to annual conference. It just seems to me that our church has gotten busy with the business of being church, and is no longer forwarding the mission of the church."
Don't know if I posted here about my high liver enzymes or the liver sono. I personally think the high liver enzymes are present because, since the surgery, I'm no longer diabetic, but continued to take metformin for a while. But with my history, doctors can never assume anything. So I had to have a sonogram of my liver. I got a little thrill a couple of times: once when the ultrasound technician told me she couldn't even imagine me as a large person, and a second time wshen she told me there was no evidence of fatty liver. I used to take CLA (can't anymore because it's oil based and my body doesn't absorb oil too well), but CLA is supposed to guard against fatty liver. Perhaps all the rest of these vitamins I take will continue to show positive side effects!
this concludes my second post of the day. Thanks Rafael for letting me know you read this. It helps motivate me to write. Even if I'm just rambling, it's important to continue to write....
I thought she did great, and I waver about this public judging of our children. On the one hand, I think that Showtime at the Apollo's practice of making "All. Of.Them. All. Of. THem." winners. That allows no-talent people to proress, and does not sufficiently distinguish between those who have talent and those who do not. But to have kids up against adults is unfair, I think. I watched this little girl give it her all, and felt so bad for her as she listened to the judges tell her she was good, but not good enough for Vegas.
Of course, this isn't just a cultural issue; the parents have to bear some resonsibility for putting their children in a position to be so disappointed. But couldn't they have a category for kids under 16 or something? At least level the playing field for them? I think this group was kinda patterned on the Jackson 5 or the Osmond family. If a child is such an incredible talent, they will stand out, but since children's voices don't mature like adults' voices, is it really fair to judge the kids with the adults?
People may say that the ability to make music is independent of age. That may be truel but the ability to perform, even to become a seasoned performer -- these are things that get better with age. Why not give young people a chance to grow up first? They'll have the rest of their lives to be adults....
Today the president of our Seminary, Dale Irvin, released a statement on the BP Oil spill. I listened to it shortly after I'd posted on our CME website that I wish more CMEs would comment on our Biblical mandate to care for the earth, instead of just spending time going to conferences. Here's a link to Dr. Irvin's vlog:
http://nytsdialogues.blogspot.com/2010/06/nyts-president-speaks-out-about-bp-oil.html
When I was sitting in the San Jose airport, I ran into a group wearing shirts saying “Here I am Lord, Send Me.” They were from the Houston Conference of the United Methodist Church, and they go down to CR once a year to do physical, occupational, and speech therapy. At the time, I wrote, "I wish our church could organize an annual missions trip – maybe we could go to the Haiti or the Africa conferences and spend a week or two doing mission work. That might attract the youth, and give us a bit more purpose. It sure would be more meaningful to me than going to Annual Conference. Or maybe we could do it and make reports to annual conference. It just seems to me that our church has gotten busy with the business of being church, and is no longer forwarding the mission of the church."
Don't know if I posted here about my high liver enzymes or the liver sono. I personally think the high liver enzymes are present because, since the surgery, I'm no longer diabetic, but continued to take metformin for a while. But with my history, doctors can never assume anything. So I had to have a sonogram of my liver. I got a little thrill a couple of times: once when the ultrasound technician told me she couldn't even imagine me as a large person, and a second time wshen she told me there was no evidence of fatty liver. I used to take CLA (can't anymore because it's oil based and my body doesn't absorb oil too well), but CLA is supposed to guard against fatty liver. Perhaps all the rest of these vitamins I take will continue to show positive side effects!
this concludes my second post of the day. Thanks Rafael for letting me know you read this. It helps motivate me to write. Even if I'm just rambling, it's important to continue to write....
iPhone 4
So I admit it. I've joined the cult. At 7:30 EST this morning, I was online ordering my iPhone 4. The reason I say I've joined the cult is that I'm totally underwhelmed by the new iPhone. The new features it offers are mostly network dependent, and ATT just hasn't shown itself worthy in network capacity. What's the point in having HD video chat capability if your network won't let the call go through?
I can currently tether my iPhone, but see that capability will cost money on the new iPhone. I can't believe ATT would do such a thing. I hope my tethering ability transfers with the new phone, though somehow I fear it won't. Of course, I've only used it what, twice in the last three years? It's just knowing I have the ABILITY to do it that I want....
We'll see if ATT actually processes the order and it actually arrives and I can actually update my iTunes and phone. Should be interesting.
I can currently tether my iPhone, but see that capability will cost money on the new iPhone. I can't believe ATT would do such a thing. I hope my tethering ability transfers with the new phone, though somehow I fear it won't. Of course, I've only used it what, twice in the last three years? It's just knowing I have the ABILITY to do it that I want....
We'll see if ATT actually processes the order and it actually arrives and I can actually update my iTunes and phone. Should be interesting.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Penii, Salvation
What is the deal with men and their penises? If they're not walking around with their pants halfway off, then they're walking around holding onto their penises. Or penii, or whatever the plural of penis is. Maybe I'm old, but I think the whole pants off the butt thing is just nasty. I don't want to sit down behind someone who's been sitting on a seat in their underwear. If you'll walk around like that, who knows what kinds of infectious diseases you may be carrying? And the whole holding on to the penis thing makes me never want to shake hands with another male. Ever.
This was all prompted when I passed by an elderly gentleman with white pants on and a big stain indicating some sort of leak. I just wondered what was going on with him that he was standing in public like that: was he sick, was he in need of help? He showed no outward signs of instability, and I didn't stop to ask him; I just wondered.
So I posted before about my response to my CME brethren and sistren. I just have issues with people who take it upon themselves to quote Scripture which supports their personal points of view. I believe the Scriptures are best understood in the context of the complete Bible. Whenever we start pointing out other people's shortcomings, or the fact that they are not in compliance with some Biblical law, I'm reminded of Matthew 22:36-40. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
I'm no Biblical scholar -- oh, wait. Yes, I am! So as a teacher and student of the Bible, it occurs to me that Jesus only got really upset when people took unfair advantage of those going to worship. He got angry at the moneychangers, took a whip and beat at them, telling them that they had turned God's house into a den of thieves. Yet we have thieves and hustlers in the church all the time. We constantly have people trying to sell us stuff in conjunction with our religious practice, or we have people asking us for money every time we worship. It seems to me that Jesus spent most of his time teaching against social and economic injustice.
On the other hand, when people were caught in places of sexual compromise, Jesus was forgiving. He always met them where they were. He did usually tell them not to sin any more, but He never condemned them. So I don't understand how we "Christians" get off passing judgement on people, and suggesting that other Christians need to publicly show repentance -- maybe I'm mistaken, but I just don't recall Jesus doing any of that. I DO recall Him saying that we should forgive our brothers who err, and that we should forgive them seventy seven times. He said that if your brother sins against you that you should confront them. But how is someone being gay a sin against someone else? By what authority does a straight Christian confront a gay person about their sexuality?
Even if you think their behavior is sinful (which I don't), isn't the Christian mandate to share the Good News of Jesus Christ? And doesn't that Good News have to do with everyone's ability to have access to God? How does that translate into judgement? I guess I've become a bit of a Universalist -- I haven't gone so far as Carleton Pearson; I don't believe that the Blood of Christ is meaningless. I do believe that the Blood of Christ was shed for the sins of the whole world -- for those who believe as well as for those who do not believe. I think salvation has been assured for the entire world, and our choice is whether or not we'll accept it. I think that accepting it has to do with conforming our thoughts, hearts, and actions to the will of God, and to begin to behave in such a way that we actually reflect the love of God.
I hope that the "Christian" hate mongers will make it into the same God's heaven that I want to make it into. If I'm wrong, then I pray God will forgive me. But I just think we have enough to do with managing the body and the spirit over which God gave us dominion, without trying to go out and manage other people's bodies and spirits....
OK, that was on my mind, and I've done my writing for the day.
This was all prompted when I passed by an elderly gentleman with white pants on and a big stain indicating some sort of leak. I just wondered what was going on with him that he was standing in public like that: was he sick, was he in need of help? He showed no outward signs of instability, and I didn't stop to ask him; I just wondered.
So I posted before about my response to my CME brethren and sistren. I just have issues with people who take it upon themselves to quote Scripture which supports their personal points of view. I believe the Scriptures are best understood in the context of the complete Bible. Whenever we start pointing out other people's shortcomings, or the fact that they are not in compliance with some Biblical law, I'm reminded of Matthew 22:36-40. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
I'm no Biblical scholar -- oh, wait. Yes, I am! So as a teacher and student of the Bible, it occurs to me that Jesus only got really upset when people took unfair advantage of those going to worship. He got angry at the moneychangers, took a whip and beat at them, telling them that they had turned God's house into a den of thieves. Yet we have thieves and hustlers in the church all the time. We constantly have people trying to sell us stuff in conjunction with our religious practice, or we have people asking us for money every time we worship. It seems to me that Jesus spent most of his time teaching against social and economic injustice.
On the other hand, when people were caught in places of sexual compromise, Jesus was forgiving. He always met them where they were. He did usually tell them not to sin any more, but He never condemned them. So I don't understand how we "Christians" get off passing judgement on people, and suggesting that other Christians need to publicly show repentance -- maybe I'm mistaken, but I just don't recall Jesus doing any of that. I DO recall Him saying that we should forgive our brothers who err, and that we should forgive them seventy seven times. He said that if your brother sins against you that you should confront them. But how is someone being gay a sin against someone else? By what authority does a straight Christian confront a gay person about their sexuality?
Even if you think their behavior is sinful (which I don't), isn't the Christian mandate to share the Good News of Jesus Christ? And doesn't that Good News have to do with everyone's ability to have access to God? How does that translate into judgement? I guess I've become a bit of a Universalist -- I haven't gone so far as Carleton Pearson; I don't believe that the Blood of Christ is meaningless. I do believe that the Blood of Christ was shed for the sins of the whole world -- for those who believe as well as for those who do not believe. I think salvation has been assured for the entire world, and our choice is whether or not we'll accept it. I think that accepting it has to do with conforming our thoughts, hearts, and actions to the will of God, and to begin to behave in such a way that we actually reflect the love of God.
I hope that the "Christian" hate mongers will make it into the same God's heaven that I want to make it into. If I'm wrong, then I pray God will forgive me. But I just think we have enough to do with managing the body and the spirit over which God gave us dominion, without trying to go out and manage other people's bodies and spirits....
OK, that was on my mind, and I've done my writing for the day.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Maciej Czyż's FB Group: Establishment of Israel may have not been fair, but it's too late to change
I saw this group on FB today. I like what the writer says, although I don't agree that it's too late to change. I'm just not sure what the appropriate change is.
But here is the writer's description of the group. This is copied from their FB page. Although I haven't yet joined the group, I post here in hopes of publicizing the author's viewpoint.
"I've browsed through the names of almost 600 facebook groups about Israel (well, the english ones), and decided to create one more. Why? Almost all these groups (Israel wants peace being one of few exceptions) was either definitely pro-israeli or pro-palestinian.
I believe that Palestinian resentment towards Israel is justifiable. They were expulsed, or "only" not let back into their homeland (after they've fled from it during the war of 1948). By people who weren't even born in this land, but decided to establish their state there, in a majorly non-jewish land, because almost 2000 years earlier, their ancestors lived there. That, not some inherent antisemitism, is the real cause of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
But time's passed. Most of citizens of Israel are already born in this land, and one can not blame them for zionism, and they have no other fatherland than the land they were born in. To take this land away from them, to take their - existing and prospering - state away from them to give it to people born in jordan, Lebanon, Syria etc, because their grandfathers lived there, would be wrong, just as it was wrong to do it to Palestinians 60 years ago.
Of course, 60 years is not the same as 1947-70=1877 or so, therefore, obviously, some amendments need to be
made.
So what's the sollution to the problem? Obviously I don't know. But I want to stress the fact that saying Israel shouldn't have been created after ww2 and condemning late XIX / early XX century zionism doesn't necessarily mean denying Israel its right to exist today.
Also, one may support the fight of Palestinians (for the independance in 1967 borders, not for all Palestine) and condemn the means they're using at the same time.
This is the first and only facebook group I've created. I don't know if it shall be successful, perhaps not. But I look forward to any discussion.
Take care, Maciej.
P.S.
Please, forgive me any linguistic mistakes I've made"
Again, this is not my post, but one from a FB group created by Maciej Czyż at the University of Warsaw.
But here is the writer's description of the group. This is copied from their FB page. Although I haven't yet joined the group, I post here in hopes of publicizing the author's viewpoint.
"I've browsed through the names of almost 600 facebook groups about Israel (well, the english ones), and decided to create one more. Why? Almost all these groups (Israel wants peace being one of few exceptions) was either definitely pro-israeli or pro-palestinian.
I believe that Palestinian resentment towards Israel is justifiable. They were expulsed, or "only" not let back into their homeland (after they've fled from it during the war of 1948). By people who weren't even born in this land, but decided to establish their state there, in a majorly non-jewish land, because almost 2000 years earlier, their ancestors lived there. That, not some inherent antisemitism, is the real cause of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
But time's passed. Most of citizens of Israel are already born in this land, and one can not blame them for zionism, and they have no other fatherland than the land they were born in. To take this land away from them, to take their - existing and prospering - state away from them to give it to people born in jordan, Lebanon, Syria etc, because their grandfathers lived there, would be wrong, just as it was wrong to do it to Palestinians 60 years ago.
Of course, 60 years is not the same as 1947-70=1877 or so, therefore, obviously, some amendments need to be
made.
So what's the sollution to the problem? Obviously I don't know. But I want to stress the fact that saying Israel shouldn't have been created after ww2 and condemning late XIX / early XX century zionism doesn't necessarily mean denying Israel its right to exist today.
Also, one may support the fight of Palestinians (for the independance in 1967 borders, not for all Palestine) and condemn the means they're using at the same time.
This is the first and only facebook group I've created. I don't know if it shall be successful, perhaps not. But I look forward to any discussion.
Take care, Maciej.
P.S.
Please, forgive me any linguistic mistakes I've made"
Again, this is not my post, but one from a FB group created by Maciej Czyż at the University of Warsaw.
The new iPhone
So it's Sunday, June 13. Haven't posted in a couple of days because I don't have anything to say. But the exercise is to write each day.
On Tuesday, I can order a new iPhone. I think I will, despite the fact that I've been spectacularly unimpressed with this latest iPhone 4. It's not clear to me that it definitely has flash memory, which would be something that would make it useful to me. More megapixels in the camera plus a camera with autofocus plus a camera with flash are good, but again, without flash memory, even 32G is not so great. Because you know that every time there's an OS upgrade, it's more memory consumptive. (Add that to the fact that you have to upgrade iTunes every single time you plug in your phone, and it gets to be more than tedious). All the other functionality: the videoconferencing with the two way camera -- that doesn't make much sense over the existing 3G network. It can't handle the current data traffic. They want to put in more data consumptive apps? And AT&T wants to change the unlimited data plan they forced us to buy when we got the 3G? I'm liking this iPnone thing less and less.
Add to it the network failure AT THE UNVEILING. If that's the best you can do at the unveiling of this new product, what are we to expect when we use it? You couldn't figure out that there'd be lots of wifi traffic AT AN ELECTRONICS SHOW?!?!?!? Is this indicative of Apple's planning prowess? I'm not impressed.
But I've joined the cult, it appears. Despite all this I'll be online on Tuesday ordering my new iPhone, cuz I like toys and this is a cool toy. Plus, I already promised my existing iPhone to my Dad. Though I could just buy him a new one from Walmart or the Shack or somewhere.... It's actually looking like the iPhone 4 will be available at other retail outlets besides just the Apple store. Which would be good. Maybe no more huge lines.
I've written enough for tonight.
On Tuesday, I can order a new iPhone. I think I will, despite the fact that I've been spectacularly unimpressed with this latest iPhone 4. It's not clear to me that it definitely has flash memory, which would be something that would make it useful to me. More megapixels in the camera plus a camera with autofocus plus a camera with flash are good, but again, without flash memory, even 32G is not so great. Because you know that every time there's an OS upgrade, it's more memory consumptive. (Add that to the fact that you have to upgrade iTunes every single time you plug in your phone, and it gets to be more than tedious). All the other functionality: the videoconferencing with the two way camera -- that doesn't make much sense over the existing 3G network. It can't handle the current data traffic. They want to put in more data consumptive apps? And AT&T wants to change the unlimited data plan they forced us to buy when we got the 3G? I'm liking this iPnone thing less and less.
Add to it the network failure AT THE UNVEILING. If that's the best you can do at the unveiling of this new product, what are we to expect when we use it? You couldn't figure out that there'd be lots of wifi traffic AT AN ELECTRONICS SHOW?!?!?!? Is this indicative of Apple's planning prowess? I'm not impressed.
But I've joined the cult, it appears. Despite all this I'll be online on Tuesday ordering my new iPhone, cuz I like toys and this is a cool toy. Plus, I already promised my existing iPhone to my Dad. Though I could just buy him a new one from Walmart or the Shack or somewhere.... It's actually looking like the iPhone 4 will be available at other retail outlets besides just the Apple store. Which would be good. Maybe no more huge lines.
I've written enough for tonight.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Friday night in NYC
So after work, I headed down to the Liberty game. MSG is SOOOO expensive. I'm grateful they gave me $200.00 in food vouchers -- a Liberty souvenir cup of soda was $6.00. I tried to get the most protein for my buck and setlled on a bag of peanuts. They were inedibly stale and cost me $4.50.
The game was good. When the Liberty played Atlanta last month, they were embarassed at home, blowing something like a 15 or 20 point lead at the half to lose. Despite playing that seemed to me to be uneven, they did defeat Atlanta this time. The game was good, but the real show was on the train ride on the way home.
At 42nd Street or so, a young man got on. I don't think he was under the influence of drugs, though his behavior seemed very odd. He got on with a wrap or a tortilla in his hand, and a paper bag from Chop't. He was carrying an equipment bag on his shoulder that said "fencing" on it. He dropped the paper bag, and somehow when he bent over to get it, he spilled the contents of his wrap all over a woman who was standing beside him and all over the floor.
There was enough left to eat, though, and he tore into it. As I said, I don't think he was high, I think he was probably an athlete who had gone through a long workout and who was very hungry. He was devouring his food. At times it seemed he was eating the wax paper it was wrapped in, and I swear he must have no fillings, because he looked like he bit the tinfoil a couple of times. He ate with the same gusto that people eat with when they're drunk and hungry. I made contact with the woman upon whom he spilled the food, and we shared a raised-eyebrows smile. A couple was sitting beside me, laughing with each other. They thought I was laughing along with them, and I explained that no, the fencer was the source of my amusement. The husband, Greg, and I began talking. He and his wife Melissa were both theater majors. They got married and are starting their life in NY.
We had a lovely talk about living in NYC and priorities. I talked about nonprofits, and he talked about the green restaurant where he works, and how they share in the profits. It's over by Columbia, at 125 LaSalle, and is called Pisticci. I'll have to go there sometimes.
They got off at 96th street, and a homeless guy got on. He got on with an apparent air of desperation; maybe I'm jaded because I regarded him as one of the people you know is gonna start begging even before they do it. He got on and was looking all desperate and hopeless to set the stage before he started. Then he began in earnest, asking if anyone could spare a penny, a nickel, a quarter or a dollar so he could buy a black T-shirt.
A guy sitting down the seat from me looked up from reading his Kindle. He listened to the homeless guy talking about wanting to buy a black T-shirt. The guy reading the Kindle, who happened to be wearing a black T-shirt, got up, took off his T-shirt, and gave it to the homeless man. He had a hoodie, so he simply put it on and zipped it up. By the time he finished putting on his hoodie, and when I looked again, the homeless man was in the next car and had put on the black T-shirt. I can't be sure, but from his location and body position, it seemed he was preparing to beg.
I told the guy down the bench that the homeless man had indeed put the shirt on. We were coming up to my stop, and I told him what a kind thing he'd done, thanked him, and asked God's blessings upon him, as did an older woman who was also getting off at the same stop. As I left, I saw the black-shirt-clad-homeless man, appearing to approach the people in the next car.
Came home and watched the news for a while. In addition to the possible shutdown of State government, due in large part to Pedro Espada and Ruben Diaz, I watched with interest the story on schoolkids who launched a protest because their free or reduced-fare Metrocards might be discontinued. We had this conversation on FB, but I have a hard time finding sympathy for kids not getting free Metrocards. When they're on the train, they hog seats and are often loud, obnoxious, and profane. I realize this isn't all kids, but during morning rush hour when I'm trying to wake up, or during evening rush hour, when I'm all tired from having worked a real job all day, I sort of resent having to stand up while a couple of rude, loud 16-year olds hog the seats, cursing like sailors and dropping the N-word every other syllable. I don't want to subsidize that kind of behavior, and I certainly don't want to subsidize people who make me uncomfortable. One of my friends noted that they complain about not getting free Metrocards, but they all have cellphones and text. He says they should use that money to pay for their Metrocards.
They can use any means they want, except my tax dollars. But what was really interesting was that these kids, who organized a protest march to MTA headquarters, marched over the Bridge into Brooklyn and then WENT TO THE WRONG ADDRESS.
To my mind, that's further evidence that we don't need to pay for their transit to school. IT clearly isn't working for them.
The game was good. When the Liberty played Atlanta last month, they were embarassed at home, blowing something like a 15 or 20 point lead at the half to lose. Despite playing that seemed to me to be uneven, they did defeat Atlanta this time. The game was good, but the real show was on the train ride on the way home.
At 42nd Street or so, a young man got on. I don't think he was under the influence of drugs, though his behavior seemed very odd. He got on with a wrap or a tortilla in his hand, and a paper bag from Chop't. He was carrying an equipment bag on his shoulder that said "fencing" on it. He dropped the paper bag, and somehow when he bent over to get it, he spilled the contents of his wrap all over a woman who was standing beside him and all over the floor.
There was enough left to eat, though, and he tore into it. As I said, I don't think he was high, I think he was probably an athlete who had gone through a long workout and who was very hungry. He was devouring his food. At times it seemed he was eating the wax paper it was wrapped in, and I swear he must have no fillings, because he looked like he bit the tinfoil a couple of times. He ate with the same gusto that people eat with when they're drunk and hungry. I made contact with the woman upon whom he spilled the food, and we shared a raised-eyebrows smile. A couple was sitting beside me, laughing with each other. They thought I was laughing along with them, and I explained that no, the fencer was the source of my amusement. The husband, Greg, and I began talking. He and his wife Melissa were both theater majors. They got married and are starting their life in NY.
We had a lovely talk about living in NYC and priorities. I talked about nonprofits, and he talked about the green restaurant where he works, and how they share in the profits. It's over by Columbia, at 125 LaSalle, and is called Pisticci. I'll have to go there sometimes.
They got off at 96th street, and a homeless guy got on. He got on with an apparent air of desperation; maybe I'm jaded because I regarded him as one of the people you know is gonna start begging even before they do it. He got on and was looking all desperate and hopeless to set the stage before he started. Then he began in earnest, asking if anyone could spare a penny, a nickel, a quarter or a dollar so he could buy a black T-shirt.
A guy sitting down the seat from me looked up from reading his Kindle. He listened to the homeless guy talking about wanting to buy a black T-shirt. The guy reading the Kindle, who happened to be wearing a black T-shirt, got up, took off his T-shirt, and gave it to the homeless man. He had a hoodie, so he simply put it on and zipped it up. By the time he finished putting on his hoodie, and when I looked again, the homeless man was in the next car and had put on the black T-shirt. I can't be sure, but from his location and body position, it seemed he was preparing to beg.
I told the guy down the bench that the homeless man had indeed put the shirt on. We were coming up to my stop, and I told him what a kind thing he'd done, thanked him, and asked God's blessings upon him, as did an older woman who was also getting off at the same stop. As I left, I saw the black-shirt-clad-homeless man, appearing to approach the people in the next car.
Came home and watched the news for a while. In addition to the possible shutdown of State government, due in large part to Pedro Espada and Ruben Diaz, I watched with interest the story on schoolkids who launched a protest because their free or reduced-fare Metrocards might be discontinued. We had this conversation on FB, but I have a hard time finding sympathy for kids not getting free Metrocards. When they're on the train, they hog seats and are often loud, obnoxious, and profane. I realize this isn't all kids, but during morning rush hour when I'm trying to wake up, or during evening rush hour, when I'm all tired from having worked a real job all day, I sort of resent having to stand up while a couple of rude, loud 16-year olds hog the seats, cursing like sailors and dropping the N-word every other syllable. I don't want to subsidize that kind of behavior, and I certainly don't want to subsidize people who make me uncomfortable. One of my friends noted that they complain about not getting free Metrocards, but they all have cellphones and text. He says they should use that money to pay for their Metrocards.
They can use any means they want, except my tax dollars. But what was really interesting was that these kids, who organized a protest march to MTA headquarters, marched over the Bridge into Brooklyn and then WENT TO THE WRONG ADDRESS.
To my mind, that's further evidence that we don't need to pay for their transit to school. IT clearly isn't working for them.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
***sigh***
So the dingleberry on the behind of the NYState Senate, Democrat Pedro Espada, apparently encouraged by the positive result of holding the Senate hostage last year (for which he was named Senate majority leader) has once again decided to defect to the Republican party. This is simply so he can clog up the wheels of government, because his district isn't getting what he wants.
Come on, dude. You're willing to hold the entire state hostage until you get what you want? Really? And why exactly is this guy still in office? He's blackmailing the entire New York State Senate. After the budget is passed, getting rid of Espada should be on the Senate's agenda.
Of course, we live in a world gone mad. The folks who control lighting on the Empire State Building refuse to light it up in blue and white in honor of what would have been Mother Theresa's 100th birthday, but they can light it up for Homer Simpson, or a new record release... They talk about not wanting to open the doors for honoring religious people. But they'll honor religious holidays.
This country is as insane over our clinging to religious beliefs as we are over our clinging to discomfort around race. We want so much to be pc and strive so much for pc behavior, that it appears we've lost our basic capacites for analysis and/or critical thought. The whole white liberal fear of appearing racist, and the non-Jewish fear of appearing anti-Semitic appear to deprive otherwise logical human beings of their basic faculties of common sense. Rather than going off on that tangent, let's take a look at Staten Island, where a Muslim American group has bought an old, unused church and plans to convert it into a mosque. People had a community meeting about it, but the police had to be called in, and the plans for meeting were finally abandoned. People were in an absolute uproar. But wait a minute: the church wasn't being used... If people cared so much about the church, why weren't they attending it? And if they don't care to attend it, why get all up in arms when another religious organization wants to make use of it? Oh, that's right... they're Muslim, and therefore they must be terrorists. Islam's been around for about 13 centuries. Anybody remember what European "Christians" were doing in the 13th century?
And while we're talking about "Christians," or even Gentiles, I guess -- what's up with the hate mail directed at Rabbi Nesnoff? He's not the cause of Helen Thomas speaking her mind, and he's not the reason people are reacting irrationally to her (see the paragraph immediately above). I think that what he did was the equivalent of a journalistic sucker punch, but Ms. Thomas has been in front of microphones enough to know how adept reports are at distorting the truth. Rabbi Nesenoff was just doing what any reporter would do. Just as much as I support the spirit of Ms. Thomas' statements, and as much as I happen not to agree with what the good Rabbi did, I just as vigorously condemn those people who would respond to him with death threats or with any sort of derogatory comments. He's acting as a reporter for his website, for Christ's sake!! This is the epitome of trash reporting gone viral. How could anyone even remotely personalize Rabbi Nesnoff's actions?!?!?
****sigh****
The whole world's gone mad.
Come on, dude. You're willing to hold the entire state hostage until you get what you want? Really? And why exactly is this guy still in office? He's blackmailing the entire New York State Senate. After the budget is passed, getting rid of Espada should be on the Senate's agenda.
Of course, we live in a world gone mad. The folks who control lighting on the Empire State Building refuse to light it up in blue and white in honor of what would have been Mother Theresa's 100th birthday, but they can light it up for Homer Simpson, or a new record release... They talk about not wanting to open the doors for honoring religious people. But they'll honor religious holidays.
This country is as insane over our clinging to religious beliefs as we are over our clinging to discomfort around race. We want so much to be pc and strive so much for pc behavior, that it appears we've lost our basic capacites for analysis and/or critical thought. The whole white liberal fear of appearing racist, and the non-Jewish fear of appearing anti-Semitic appear to deprive otherwise logical human beings of their basic faculties of common sense. Rather than going off on that tangent, let's take a look at Staten Island, where a Muslim American group has bought an old, unused church and plans to convert it into a mosque. People had a community meeting about it, but the police had to be called in, and the plans for meeting were finally abandoned. People were in an absolute uproar. But wait a minute: the church wasn't being used... If people cared so much about the church, why weren't they attending it? And if they don't care to attend it, why get all up in arms when another religious organization wants to make use of it? Oh, that's right... they're Muslim, and therefore they must be terrorists. Islam's been around for about 13 centuries. Anybody remember what European "Christians" were doing in the 13th century?
And while we're talking about "Christians," or even Gentiles, I guess -- what's up with the hate mail directed at Rabbi Nesnoff? He's not the cause of Helen Thomas speaking her mind, and he's not the reason people are reacting irrationally to her (see the paragraph immediately above). I think that what he did was the equivalent of a journalistic sucker punch, but Ms. Thomas has been in front of microphones enough to know how adept reports are at distorting the truth. Rabbi Nesenoff was just doing what any reporter would do. Just as much as I support the spirit of Ms. Thomas' statements, and as much as I happen not to agree with what the good Rabbi did, I just as vigorously condemn those people who would respond to him with death threats or with any sort of derogatory comments. He's acting as a reporter for his website, for Christ's sake!! This is the epitome of trash reporting gone viral. How could anyone even remotely personalize Rabbi Nesnoff's actions?!?!?
****sigh****
The whole world's gone mad.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Responding to my church brethren:
I guess I just flamed my church's website. There was this long, judgemental discussion on a bishop scheduled to celebrate Communion. He was sued for a sexual indiscretion with one of his male assistants, and offered an affirmative defense. Our church appears outraged, and maybe they genuinely are. Homosexuality is clearly not an issue for me, but this is a church that encouraged me to leave it when I wrote an article suggesting Christians should perhaps consider a non-hateful response to gay people. So I wrote them the following:
Haven't been on this forum in forever, and reading this thread reminds me of why.
This argument has been circulating in the Christian Church since the fourth century. The Donatists and Catholics were in major disagreement: Donatists thought that the person administering the sacraments had to have lived a blameless life (in that case it had to do with whether or not they had been traitors against the faith), while the Catholics maintained that the mystery and the Power was in the sanctified elements, which were greater than the people administering them.
I personally believe that the Blood of Jesus is stronger than the flawed and frail human vessel used to administer sacraments. That's what gives me hope every day. I look to the Bible and see examples of how God has continually used humans right where we are, with our sexual sins, with our spiteful words, with our misdirected attentions, and with all our murmuring and grumbling -- God has still, in God's omnipotence, been able to use us according to HIS plan, despite ourselves.
I know my sins, and they are many. I thank God for His Grace and Mercy, and I thank God that HE stands in judgement, rather than my CME brothers and sisters. You all quote the law on homosexuality and sexual immorality, but what about all the other laws? What about the prohibition against shellfish? What about the prohibition against pork? What about tattoing the sacred Temple of God's Spirit? What about cutting the corners of the hair and wearing different kinds of cloth? Those are all also Levitical restrictions, and also condemned with sexual misconduct. The reason for them all was to separate God's people from the people around them. No disrespect intended, but you guys sound like all the secular folk who murmur and gruble among themselves.
And what about Jesus' commandment that we we should Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves? Is this forum how we show our Christian love? What about Jesus' direction that the one without sin should cast the first stone? From the outside looking in, it seems that we who profess to follow Christ are still a brood of vipers who do not understand.
I don't mean to offend anyone, but it seems like this thread has been focused on symptoms of our corporate spiritual dysfunction without addressing anything about the actual dysfunction.
My $0.02...
Haven't been on this forum in forever, and reading this thread reminds me of why.
This argument has been circulating in the Christian Church since the fourth century. The Donatists and Catholics were in major disagreement: Donatists thought that the person administering the sacraments had to have lived a blameless life (in that case it had to do with whether or not they had been traitors against the faith), while the Catholics maintained that the mystery and the Power was in the sanctified elements, which were greater than the people administering them.
I personally believe that the Blood of Jesus is stronger than the flawed and frail human vessel used to administer sacraments. That's what gives me hope every day. I look to the Bible and see examples of how God has continually used humans right where we are, with our sexual sins, with our spiteful words, with our misdirected attentions, and with all our murmuring and grumbling -- God has still, in God's omnipotence, been able to use us according to HIS plan, despite ourselves.
I know my sins, and they are many. I thank God for His Grace and Mercy, and I thank God that HE stands in judgement, rather than my CME brothers and sisters. You all quote the law on homosexuality and sexual immorality, but what about all the other laws? What about the prohibition against shellfish? What about the prohibition against pork? What about tattoing the sacred Temple of God's Spirit? What about cutting the corners of the hair and wearing different kinds of cloth? Those are all also Levitical restrictions, and also condemned with sexual misconduct. The reason for them all was to separate God's people from the people around them. No disrespect intended, but you guys sound like all the secular folk who murmur and gruble among themselves.
And what about Jesus' commandment that we we should Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves? Is this forum how we show our Christian love? What about Jesus' direction that the one without sin should cast the first stone? From the outside looking in, it seems that we who profess to follow Christ are still a brood of vipers who do not understand.
I don't mean to offend anyone, but it seems like this thread has been focused on symptoms of our corporate spiritual dysfunction without addressing anything about the actual dysfunction.
My $0.02...
Monday, June 7, 2010
Helen Thomas
So Ms. Thomas, a White House Press reporter for over 50 years, is being forced into retirement because she said that Jewish people should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to Poland and Germany.
I don't want to appear to defend a racist or an anti-Semite, but I didn't take her comments that way. If a bunch of African Americans went to Liberia and then decided we wanted to take over Cote D'Ivoire and Senegal with military force, I don't think it would be racist for someone to tell them to "get the hell out of Africa" and "go home" to the United States.
What no one is talking about is the fact that Palestinians, most of whom are brown-skinned Arab people, are being systematically oppressed in an apartheid-like system in Israel. That system is perpetuated by white-skinned people, many of Eastern European descent, whose only claim to Israel is their profession of the Jewish faith. If Judaism were a religion that did not have an ethnic identity at its core, perhaps the issue would not be so problematic (or so racialized), but I can't help but think of how the Israelis were so reluctant to accept the Falashas under the right of return rule, but how they will accept people who apparently have no DNA linking them to the Holy Lands.
Saying that people should go back home to Poland and Germany simply speaks to the number of Eastern Europeans who are claiming to "return" to a land from which they have no genesis. Given the history and treatment of Jewish people in the twentieth century, that return would not be a problem, if only Israel did not perpetuate racism in the process.
Why is it bigoted and racist for Ms. Thomas to speak truth to the situation? Why should it be the end of her career? She's spent 50 years calling things the way she sees them, which is exactly what she did in this instance. We are so afraid of being politically incorrect or offending people, that we overextend ourselves in the opposite direction, failing to stand up for the truth, and thereby offending many more people.
Perhaps Ms. Thomas's remarks were brutal, perhaps they lacked the flair and finesse we so often see in diplomatic circles. But she addressed the elephant in the diplomatic room, which is the Israeli invasion of Palestine, and she addressed the elephant's color, which is just as odd as that of many who claim to "return" and "repopulate" Israel.
I can see how her remarks could be interpreted as offensive, if one wanted to assume she were referring to the events of WWII, but I think it much more appropriate to assume her remarks refer to the events of the last 60 years, specifically of Israel's occupation of Gaza since 2005, and of its ongoing treatment of Palestinian people.
I don't think Americans realize that Jesus was Palestinian, or that the vast majority of Christian holy sites are in Palestine, which just happens to be the area inhabited by the folks Israel persecutes, and just happens to be the area that Israel would not want to give up in a two-state solution. It's as if the West has bought all the hype about Palestinians, and, in the midst of professing to be non-Christian, as if we are clinging to some Revelation-themed view of the Holy Lands.
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
I don't want to appear to defend a racist or an anti-Semite, but I didn't take her comments that way. If a bunch of African Americans went to Liberia and then decided we wanted to take over Cote D'Ivoire and Senegal with military force, I don't think it would be racist for someone to tell them to "get the hell out of Africa" and "go home" to the United States.
What no one is talking about is the fact that Palestinians, most of whom are brown-skinned Arab people, are being systematically oppressed in an apartheid-like system in Israel. That system is perpetuated by white-skinned people, many of Eastern European descent, whose only claim to Israel is their profession of the Jewish faith. If Judaism were a religion that did not have an ethnic identity at its core, perhaps the issue would not be so problematic (or so racialized), but I can't help but think of how the Israelis were so reluctant to accept the Falashas under the right of return rule, but how they will accept people who apparently have no DNA linking them to the Holy Lands.
Saying that people should go back home to Poland and Germany simply speaks to the number of Eastern Europeans who are claiming to "return" to a land from which they have no genesis. Given the history and treatment of Jewish people in the twentieth century, that return would not be a problem, if only Israel did not perpetuate racism in the process.
Why is it bigoted and racist for Ms. Thomas to speak truth to the situation? Why should it be the end of her career? She's spent 50 years calling things the way she sees them, which is exactly what she did in this instance. We are so afraid of being politically incorrect or offending people, that we overextend ourselves in the opposite direction, failing to stand up for the truth, and thereby offending many more people.
Perhaps Ms. Thomas's remarks were brutal, perhaps they lacked the flair and finesse we so often see in diplomatic circles. But she addressed the elephant in the diplomatic room, which is the Israeli invasion of Palestine, and she addressed the elephant's color, which is just as odd as that of many who claim to "return" and "repopulate" Israel.
I can see how her remarks could be interpreted as offensive, if one wanted to assume she were referring to the events of WWII, but I think it much more appropriate to assume her remarks refer to the events of the last 60 years, specifically of Israel's occupation of Gaza since 2005, and of its ongoing treatment of Palestinian people.
I don't think Americans realize that Jesus was Palestinian, or that the vast majority of Christian holy sites are in Palestine, which just happens to be the area inhabited by the folks Israel persecutes, and just happens to be the area that Israel would not want to give up in a two-state solution. It's as if the West has bought all the hype about Palestinians, and, in the midst of professing to be non-Christian, as if we are clinging to some Revelation-themed view of the Holy Lands.
Where there is no vision, the people perish.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Today
was a lovely day. I went thrift shopping with Alan, and was shocked to see that a Ralph Lauren shirt sold for $14.99 at a THRIFT shop. Still, I got a Ralph Lauren, a Christian Dior, and a couple of GAP shirts all for less than I would have paid for the Lauren shirt new. Dropped them off at the cleaners on the way home, and I'll have five new dress shirts (that actually fit!) next week.
Also cleared out a couple of closets. It's AMAZING to me how much junk I can pull out of crevices and corners and then to look at how much is still left. It really drives home the idea of what a blessings God has bestowed upon me, and how incredibly overindulgent I have been. I'd like to get better with that.
Towards that end, I'm paying off my credit cards. Slowly, but I am paying them off. I'm much better at restraining myself now than I once was. I actually think this Chase Blueprint thing is a good idea. It forces you to think about how you'll pay for a purchase when you make it. For me, that's what's been the missing link -- if I charge something, I may understand how the charge fits into my overall budget, and I may even keep my total indebtedness at less than 25% of my available credit, but what I need to do is, before I purchase something, figure out how I'll pay for it. That's a way to stay out of debt.
I'm going to look for some financial blogs.
This morning I woke up to tennis. The Italian woman, Francesca Schiavone, was the underdog, first time an Italian made it into the final round in years. She was up against the Australian upset Queen -- Samantha Stosur, who upset Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic. Stosur had an impressive physique and a good game. I watched for a while, until Schiavone tied it up at 4-4 in the first set. I posted on my FB page that I was rooting for Schiavone, then I went off to the gym and went thrift shopping. I was delighted to come home and find that Schiavone had won!
It's late and I still have to study for tomorrow's Bible study. I also probably need to go ahead and finish paying for the Israel trip next November. Really excited: Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, all in a single room this time. Doesn't get any better than that.... I'll be able to decompress at the end of each day. Can't wait!!!
Also cleared out a couple of closets. It's AMAZING to me how much junk I can pull out of crevices and corners and then to look at how much is still left. It really drives home the idea of what a blessings God has bestowed upon me, and how incredibly overindulgent I have been. I'd like to get better with that.
Towards that end, I'm paying off my credit cards. Slowly, but I am paying them off. I'm much better at restraining myself now than I once was. I actually think this Chase Blueprint thing is a good idea. It forces you to think about how you'll pay for a purchase when you make it. For me, that's what's been the missing link -- if I charge something, I may understand how the charge fits into my overall budget, and I may even keep my total indebtedness at less than 25% of my available credit, but what I need to do is, before I purchase something, figure out how I'll pay for it. That's a way to stay out of debt.
I'm going to look for some financial blogs.
This morning I woke up to tennis. The Italian woman, Francesca Schiavone, was the underdog, first time an Italian made it into the final round in years. She was up against the Australian upset Queen -- Samantha Stosur, who upset Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic. Stosur had an impressive physique and a good game. I watched for a while, until Schiavone tied it up at 4-4 in the first set. I posted on my FB page that I was rooting for Schiavone, then I went off to the gym and went thrift shopping. I was delighted to come home and find that Schiavone had won!
It's late and I still have to study for tomorrow's Bible study. I also probably need to go ahead and finish paying for the Israel trip next November. Really excited: Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, all in a single room this time. Doesn't get any better than that.... I'll be able to decompress at the end of each day. Can't wait!!!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Doctors
I've had a lot of medical issues in my life, and have seen a lot of doctors. While a couple of people I know and/or love are in the medical profession, I don't have a very high opinion of most medical practitioners.
There's an arrogance about many them, and my own ego is just too big for that. Every time you go to a doctor's office, you have to wait. And wait, and wait. And wait. A twenty minute appointment usually takes at least an hour, and many people take off at least half a day to see a doctor. What, my time's not valuable? I don't have a job to go to? It's like they don't realize that you're coming to see them through the insurance supplied by your place of employment. Given that insurance is what really lines their pockets, you'd think they'd have an interest in accomodating the schedules of working people. Now that I work in the South Bronx and have most of my doctors in Manhattan, getting to them is a logistical nightmare. Plus, it's less and less a priority to attempt to see them, since they always run late. I just don't have time to sit around waiting in someone's office reading magazines.
So I had a 4:45 appointment with a sleep doctor today. My sleep doctor is retiring. but all he does is write scrips for Ambien. I did want to go by his office to say goodbye and wish him well (even though his office didn't know if he'd be in or not), but my appointment was with someone new, whose name I never even bothered to remember. I leave my office at 4:00 (except I'm using a cheap Radio Shack clock that's 4 minutes behind), and I can never just walk out of the office, and then I chose to wait for the bus instead of taking an $8 cab ride to the subway, and by the time I finally get to the train, it's 4:28. I call the doctor to tell him I'm running late, and find they had the appointment scheduled for 4:30. If I'm going to be late, they say, I'll have to reschedule.
I didn't reschedule. I thanked them and told them I wouldn't need to see the doctor anymore. But I'm really pissed off -- what if I refused to see doctors every time they were 15 minutes late? Or what if I started to charge them for my time spent in their waiting rooms? I understand that caring for people is important, but doctors seldom actually care for people -- they usually just push people through their offices so they can process insurance claims. I can't remember the last time I saw a doctor who gave me information I couldn't get from WebMD. (My surgeons and oncologist are notable exceptions). And it pisses me off that doctors, as a whole, are so self-absorbed with what they do that they fail to understand that lots of people have "important" things to do. A lot of doctors remind me of a lot of preachers -- they've chosen a career of service, but they live it out as if they are to be served because they've chosen the career of "service."
I'm not condoning the behavior by any stretch of the imagination, but I can certainly understand the frustration level that must have been present in the British guy who went on the mad rampage today. This morning I got off the bus thinking that everyone on the route must have flunked out of elementary school. If I didn't have Jesus and a monster workout, I imagine being surrounded by people who are not on the ball, and people who are supposed to be caretakers but who are not, and people who, in whatever way, fail to meet expectations -- I imagine that being surrounded by all that and feeling one has no way out could be frustrating. Don't know that it's frustrating enough to incite murder, but I'm pretty much a pacifist until you threaten my body or my life.
***end rant***
There's an arrogance about many them, and my own ego is just too big for that. Every time you go to a doctor's office, you have to wait. And wait, and wait. And wait. A twenty minute appointment usually takes at least an hour, and many people take off at least half a day to see a doctor. What, my time's not valuable? I don't have a job to go to? It's like they don't realize that you're coming to see them through the insurance supplied by your place of employment. Given that insurance is what really lines their pockets, you'd think they'd have an interest in accomodating the schedules of working people. Now that I work in the South Bronx and have most of my doctors in Manhattan, getting to them is a logistical nightmare. Plus, it's less and less a priority to attempt to see them, since they always run late. I just don't have time to sit around waiting in someone's office reading magazines.
So I had a 4:45 appointment with a sleep doctor today. My sleep doctor is retiring. but all he does is write scrips for Ambien. I did want to go by his office to say goodbye and wish him well (even though his office didn't know if he'd be in or not), but my appointment was with someone new, whose name I never even bothered to remember. I leave my office at 4:00 (except I'm using a cheap Radio Shack clock that's 4 minutes behind), and I can never just walk out of the office, and then I chose to wait for the bus instead of taking an $8 cab ride to the subway, and by the time I finally get to the train, it's 4:28. I call the doctor to tell him I'm running late, and find they had the appointment scheduled for 4:30. If I'm going to be late, they say, I'll have to reschedule.
I didn't reschedule. I thanked them and told them I wouldn't need to see the doctor anymore. But I'm really pissed off -- what if I refused to see doctors every time they were 15 minutes late? Or what if I started to charge them for my time spent in their waiting rooms? I understand that caring for people is important, but doctors seldom actually care for people -- they usually just push people through their offices so they can process insurance claims. I can't remember the last time I saw a doctor who gave me information I couldn't get from WebMD. (My surgeons and oncologist are notable exceptions). And it pisses me off that doctors, as a whole, are so self-absorbed with what they do that they fail to understand that lots of people have "important" things to do. A lot of doctors remind me of a lot of preachers -- they've chosen a career of service, but they live it out as if they are to be served because they've chosen the career of "service."
I'm not condoning the behavior by any stretch of the imagination, but I can certainly understand the frustration level that must have been present in the British guy who went on the mad rampage today. This morning I got off the bus thinking that everyone on the route must have flunked out of elementary school. If I didn't have Jesus and a monster workout, I imagine being surrounded by people who are not on the ball, and people who are supposed to be caretakers but who are not, and people who, in whatever way, fail to meet expectations -- I imagine that being surrounded by all that and feeling one has no way out could be frustrating. Don't know that it's frustrating enough to incite murder, but I'm pretty much a pacifist until you threaten my body or my life.
***end rant***
The goal is to write something every day
And today I don't have a whole lot to write; just want to go through the motions. I'm actually quite grateful: Dr. Ruden is trying an experiment, and for this month I'm skipping my diabetes and blood pressure meds. (I'm still on a cholesterol med, even though my cholesterol is totally normal.) We'll wait for the results of the bloods drawn yesterday and compare them with the bloods we'll draw next month, and that will determine whether or not I have to continue taking meds. Still taking lots of vitamins...
Anyway. So I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for life, health, and strength. I'm grateful for things too numerous to count.
I'm even grateful when I appear not to be -- sometimes I complain that everyone on the Bx15 line is an elementary school dropout (or failed elementary school). The reality is that I've always enjoyed a life of privilege. I don't have to stand at the front of the bus and shout to someone in the back that I'm going to have a colonoscopy, because, in the overall scheme of my life, a colonoscopy is not that big a deal. What I have to remember is that because it _is_ a big deal for someone, that that's their reality, and that's a valid reality. I'm grateful that I don't have to shout out to the world about my colonoscopy, and I need to remember that blogging about my thoughts or posting my rafting pictures is the same sort of self-centered indulgence.
This morning, and every morning since I've been back, I've slathered volcanic mud over my face. I brought back a couple of containers of mud from the thermal springs up in Guanacaste. When I was in them, I thought I noticed an improvment in my skin tone. It could have been the tan, since when I came back, people said I'd gotten darker. As is usual for me, I didn't notice the color, only that I liked my skin more. I thought it was a result of the volcanic mud, so I've been slathering that on my face. It's kinda fun. I get up about seven and put it on, wait a few minutes until I feel it start to dry and harden, then go back to bed and snooze til about 8. It tightens up, and is generally fun to have on and to take off. Wonder what, if anything, it actually does?
I have 49 minutes left before I have to leave work, so I should get busy.
I've kinda lost my writing chops and think this exercise will be helpful in rebuilding them.
Anyway. So I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for life, health, and strength. I'm grateful for things too numerous to count.
I'm even grateful when I appear not to be -- sometimes I complain that everyone on the Bx15 line is an elementary school dropout (or failed elementary school). The reality is that I've always enjoyed a life of privilege. I don't have to stand at the front of the bus and shout to someone in the back that I'm going to have a colonoscopy, because, in the overall scheme of my life, a colonoscopy is not that big a deal. What I have to remember is that because it _is_ a big deal for someone, that that's their reality, and that's a valid reality. I'm grateful that I don't have to shout out to the world about my colonoscopy, and I need to remember that blogging about my thoughts or posting my rafting pictures is the same sort of self-centered indulgence.
This morning, and every morning since I've been back, I've slathered volcanic mud over my face. I brought back a couple of containers of mud from the thermal springs up in Guanacaste. When I was in them, I thought I noticed an improvment in my skin tone. It could have been the tan, since when I came back, people said I'd gotten darker. As is usual for me, I didn't notice the color, only that I liked my skin more. I thought it was a result of the volcanic mud, so I've been slathering that on my face. It's kinda fun. I get up about seven and put it on, wait a few minutes until I feel it start to dry and harden, then go back to bed and snooze til about 8. It tightens up, and is generally fun to have on and to take off. Wonder what, if anything, it actually does?
I have 49 minutes left before I have to leave work, so I should get busy.
I've kinda lost my writing chops and think this exercise will be helpful in rebuilding them.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
What in the world is Israel doing?!?!
If you read my blog from February 2009, you'll see that my perceptions about Israel were altered by my visit there. Rather than a biblical land full of biblical people, I began to see Israel as a bastion of white and/or European faces claiming a right of return to lands that have always been populated by brown people.
Sorry, folks. As I write this, I am certainly aware of all my peeps, both Christian and Jewish, who unquestionbly support Israel. I can no longer be one of those people. If I am to stand for civil rights, and if I am to stand for humane treatment of people, then how can I stand for Israel? This country has racism built into its very foundation, in the guise of self-protection. But does not self protection extend to something greater than the physical self?
As a person of African American descent, I certainly empathize with how it feels to be at the effect of genocide, racism, ethnic cleansing, and all their nasty detritus. I feel that. But doesn't that then call us to a higher standard? Does not the fact that we have been the victims of systematic racial oppression demand that we be that much more careful lest we fall victim to engaging in the same sort of racial oppression? As an American, my answer is an unqualified yes. As Americans, IMHO, justice and fairness are at the core of what we believe.
So I don't understand how the US government can support Israel as it engages in systematic oppression of Palestinian people. The world community establishes borders in the Middle East in the interest of peace (much as the world community carved out the modern nation of Israel from other lands in the interest of justice), and Israel consistently chooses to ignore those borders. Without US military backing, Israel would not be able to continue such arrogance, and as an American, I am disturbed to think that my government supports the Israeli government.
There was a Turkish flotilla ostensibly bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israel has no legal right to Gaza, but it's there preventing the ships from coming in. But why did the Israeli army feel the need to rappel down onto the Turkish ships? With all their military might, could they not have formed a physical barricade? Was there no strategic military alternative to rapelling down onto these ships? The Israeli soldiers fired on the passengers on the Turkish ships, saying they feared for their lives. The Israelis have some of the best military in the world, and they feared for their lives from some civilians with medicine and wheelchairs ?!?!? Why was deadly force necessary? Would it have been necessary if the Israelis hadn't boarded the ship? The Israelis are illegally in Gaza, and forced themselves onto these Turkish ships bringing humanitarian aid. Israel always claims the need to defend itself -- so what were the people on the Turkish ship supposed to do -- NOT defend themselves? As with many things I've observed regarding Israel, there appears to be a double standard: One set of rules for Israelis and one set of rules for the rest of the world.
Except that the rest of the world isn't Israel, and the rest of the world no longer shares those values that put Israel into a class different from the rest of the world community. The world community is looking to Israel, seeing its behavior, and demanding an explanation. You don't make up for past injustices against Jewish people by perpetuating injustices upon non-Jewish people. You make up for past injustices by creating a fair and just environment, one that honors everyone's humanity. If you believe you must protect yourself, then keep your guard up, but that doesn't mean you become an active aggressor. For far too long, Israel has used the cover of self protection to hide aggressive tendencies. The whole world has been and is still watching.
The US, everybody's big brother, has remained silent, but it's time for us to take a stance. We Americans need to stand up for justice. We who claim to be Christian need to stand up for justice. All of us who desire to live in love and harmony with our neighbors need to stand up for justice. Israel's behavior has been condemned by the UN; it should also be quickly and soundly condemned by the US government. What's the point in having an ally who behaves so badly? If Americans had been on that ship, would Israel have reconsidered its actions (if the answer is yes, then there is the question of why they didn't reconsider them anyway. If the answer is no, then this points to a problem)? Or would Israel have simply killed unarmed Americans also?
Israel is wrong. Its concern with self preservation is understandable, especially since it has used the guise of "right of return" to populate the Middle East with people of Eastern European descent. While I think that's ethically wrong, I understand the creation of the Jewish homeland. I just don't think it should be at the expense of the Palestinian and other Arab people who lived there. How is that different from the past atrocities that were visited upon the Jewish people? The Israelis are categorizing and killing people based simply on their ethnicity, veiling it behind the spectre of national security. That's repugnant. I don't understand why no one sees it. Of course, we didn't see through the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" nonsense, either. People who are looking for a fight will use any excuse to go in and start brawling -- or start executing.
This isn't an anti-Semitic rant. It _IS_ an anti-Israel rant. Israel has shown increasingly aggressive and obnoxious behavior. It's like a chihuahua, a little bully in the Middle East that could apparently be overwhelmed by the sheer size of its neighbors. This bullying has nothing to do with a need for security, it has to do with Israel's affiliation with (and ability to hide under the wings of) the US. Pull US support of Israel and see how quickly it becomes reasonable. The US needs to cultivate responsible allies in the Middle East -- perhaps Egypt, Jordan, and/or Syria, and work more with them and less with Israel.
I'll admit that my thoughts and perceptions are colored by the Israeli nutcase I met who used the Bible to justify Israeli occupation of most of the Middle East, who also justified Israeli killings of unarmed children, and who thinks it's ok for non-Jewish people to live as second class citizens in Israel. The Palestinian concentration camps and the Wall are images I will never forget. Israeli apartheid cannot be allowed to continue. The increasing numbers of people who flock to Israel to escape persecution in their homelands, then engage in persecution in Israel is disturbing to me, even without addition of the racial aspect. I don't get how Israel can justify its behavior, and I don't get how the US can continue to support Israel when it engages in systematic oppression of a racial or ethnic group. They've created a racist, apartheid state all over again. What in the world is Israel doing?!?!
Sorry, folks. As I write this, I am certainly aware of all my peeps, both Christian and Jewish, who unquestionbly support Israel. I can no longer be one of those people. If I am to stand for civil rights, and if I am to stand for humane treatment of people, then how can I stand for Israel? This country has racism built into its very foundation, in the guise of self-protection. But does not self protection extend to something greater than the physical self?
As a person of African American descent, I certainly empathize with how it feels to be at the effect of genocide, racism, ethnic cleansing, and all their nasty detritus. I feel that. But doesn't that then call us to a higher standard? Does not the fact that we have been the victims of systematic racial oppression demand that we be that much more careful lest we fall victim to engaging in the same sort of racial oppression? As an American, my answer is an unqualified yes. As Americans, IMHO, justice and fairness are at the core of what we believe.
So I don't understand how the US government can support Israel as it engages in systematic oppression of Palestinian people. The world community establishes borders in the Middle East in the interest of peace (much as the world community carved out the modern nation of Israel from other lands in the interest of justice), and Israel consistently chooses to ignore those borders. Without US military backing, Israel would not be able to continue such arrogance, and as an American, I am disturbed to think that my government supports the Israeli government.
There was a Turkish flotilla ostensibly bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israel has no legal right to Gaza, but it's there preventing the ships from coming in. But why did the Israeli army feel the need to rappel down onto the Turkish ships? With all their military might, could they not have formed a physical barricade? Was there no strategic military alternative to rapelling down onto these ships? The Israeli soldiers fired on the passengers on the Turkish ships, saying they feared for their lives. The Israelis have some of the best military in the world, and they feared for their lives from some civilians with medicine and wheelchairs ?!?!? Why was deadly force necessary? Would it have been necessary if the Israelis hadn't boarded the ship? The Israelis are illegally in Gaza, and forced themselves onto these Turkish ships bringing humanitarian aid. Israel always claims the need to defend itself -- so what were the people on the Turkish ship supposed to do -- NOT defend themselves? As with many things I've observed regarding Israel, there appears to be a double standard: One set of rules for Israelis and one set of rules for the rest of the world.
Except that the rest of the world isn't Israel, and the rest of the world no longer shares those values that put Israel into a class different from the rest of the world community. The world community is looking to Israel, seeing its behavior, and demanding an explanation. You don't make up for past injustices against Jewish people by perpetuating injustices upon non-Jewish people. You make up for past injustices by creating a fair and just environment, one that honors everyone's humanity. If you believe you must protect yourself, then keep your guard up, but that doesn't mean you become an active aggressor. For far too long, Israel has used the cover of self protection to hide aggressive tendencies. The whole world has been and is still watching.
The US, everybody's big brother, has remained silent, but it's time for us to take a stance. We Americans need to stand up for justice. We who claim to be Christian need to stand up for justice. All of us who desire to live in love and harmony with our neighbors need to stand up for justice. Israel's behavior has been condemned by the UN; it should also be quickly and soundly condemned by the US government. What's the point in having an ally who behaves so badly? If Americans had been on that ship, would Israel have reconsidered its actions (if the answer is yes, then there is the question of why they didn't reconsider them anyway. If the answer is no, then this points to a problem)? Or would Israel have simply killed unarmed Americans also?
Israel is wrong. Its concern with self preservation is understandable, especially since it has used the guise of "right of return" to populate the Middle East with people of Eastern European descent. While I think that's ethically wrong, I understand the creation of the Jewish homeland. I just don't think it should be at the expense of the Palestinian and other Arab people who lived there. How is that different from the past atrocities that were visited upon the Jewish people? The Israelis are categorizing and killing people based simply on their ethnicity, veiling it behind the spectre of national security. That's repugnant. I don't understand why no one sees it. Of course, we didn't see through the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" nonsense, either. People who are looking for a fight will use any excuse to go in and start brawling -- or start executing.
This isn't an anti-Semitic rant. It _IS_ an anti-Israel rant. Israel has shown increasingly aggressive and obnoxious behavior. It's like a chihuahua, a little bully in the Middle East that could apparently be overwhelmed by the sheer size of its neighbors. This bullying has nothing to do with a need for security, it has to do with Israel's affiliation with (and ability to hide under the wings of) the US. Pull US support of Israel and see how quickly it becomes reasonable. The US needs to cultivate responsible allies in the Middle East -- perhaps Egypt, Jordan, and/or Syria, and work more with them and less with Israel.
I'll admit that my thoughts and perceptions are colored by the Israeli nutcase I met who used the Bible to justify Israeli occupation of most of the Middle East, who also justified Israeli killings of unarmed children, and who thinks it's ok for non-Jewish people to live as second class citizens in Israel. The Palestinian concentration camps and the Wall are images I will never forget. Israeli apartheid cannot be allowed to continue. The increasing numbers of people who flock to Israel to escape persecution in their homelands, then engage in persecution in Israel is disturbing to me, even without addition of the racial aspect. I don't get how Israel can justify its behavior, and I don't get how the US can continue to support Israel when it engages in systematic oppression of a racial or ethnic group. They've created a racist, apartheid state all over again. What in the world is Israel doing?!?!