Category: Longform
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You'd think I'd learn...
I stopped at the library yesterday afternoon to pick up a book I had reserved. (Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, yes, Heather, I’m finally getting around to reading it.) And of course, even with my book backlog, I couldn’t stop with just that one book - I had to pick up two more while I was at it. My book pile next to my bed has gotten large. Very large. From memory, here’s what’s sitting there waiting to be read:
- This is Your Brain on Music - Daniel Levitin - a fascinating book about how our brains deal with and remember music. I’m about 2/3 done with this one.
- Submarines: A History - I forget the author. I started this one before I bought the previous title. It’s in progress as well.
- Traitor - Stephen Coonts - I enjoy Coonts, this appears to be his latest.
- Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell - Just picked it up. This will be the next one I start.
- The Ragtime Club? - some random novel I picked up yesterday, deals with Scott Joplin and the ragtime music scene. Looks mildly interesting.
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln - Doris Kearns Goodwin - my mom recommended this one. Should be interesting.
- The Republic - Plato - picked this one up with a Christmas gift card.
- The Everlasting Man - G. K. Chesterton - This one is in progress as well - good stuff, but slow going.
- Beyond All Earthly Powers - David Wells - a freebie for attending the Desiring God 2006 conference.
- Lectures to my Students - Spurgeon - Bought at the DG2006 conference, read the first few chapters, it’s still sitting there.
- Looking Unto Jesus - Isaac Ambrose - my dad gave me this one a couple of years ago - I have started on it several times and never finished. Slow going, but good stuff.
There may be a few others, that’s just all I can think of for now.
[Checked tonight when I got home - found I’d missed a couple: What I Saw At The Revolution by Peggy Noonan and Case Closed by Gerald Posner. I guess I’ve got even *more* reading to do. :sigh:
I skipped the State of the Union
I understand from reading the news that President Bush gave the State of the Union address back on Tuesday night. I skipped it. I actually even avoided it - when I turned the TV on, it was in progress. I flipped to ESPN. This is a departure for me. I have long held great interest in State of the Union (let’s just call them SOTU for short) speeches. When I was in high school I used my boom box to record them off the radio onto a cassette so I could listen to them again later. In past years I have sat with rapt attention to the network of my choice and had a thrill of excitement as the Sergeant-at-Arms would walk in and declare, “Mister Speaker, the President of the United States!”. But not this year.
I have become disenchanted with politics these days. Not uninterested, mind you; nor would I say that they are unimportant. But I have become disappointed with all of my political leaders and the very system that they operate in. I am not excited about any of the political topics they are pushing. Gone are the days when I thought they might actually do something about Social Security reform. Gone are the hopes that some serious income tax reform might be in the works. Now we’re supposed to get excited about a higher minimum wage and even more money for education and social programs.
I have long been a supporter of President Bush. The first ballot I ever cast, back as a high-school student in Texas, included a vote for him to be Governor of Texas. I have voted for him twice in presidential elections. He’s made some decisions I’ve been very happy with. (Nominating John Roberts to the Supreme Court is one of my favorites.) But on fiscal and governance issues, he has disappointed me greatly. Gone are Reagan’s conservative ideals of less government, less spending, and lower taxes. Now we just have more programs. Gone are tightly-held ideals of less government regulation and free speech; we just sign McCain-Feingold and let the Supreme Court sort it out. And then there’s the war.
I haven’t written much about the war here. Initially I was in favor of it. I don’t really want to debate that case here now; I thought the president presented a compelling case, and it was good for us to go get rid of Saddam. But the mess we are in now seems more and more troubling. The sad part is that I don’t see a good exit strategy. I’m not convinced that sending more troops will help subdue things and finish off the war. (I’m not saying it won’t, I’m just not convinced that it will.) But cutting and running isn’t a viable option, either. At this point, I’m about out of ideas, other than to pray for wisdom for the leadership and safety for the troops.
I don’t know what it’s going to take to get me excited about political goings-on again. I’d like to see a real conservative candidate from the Republican party for the 2008 election. If there were some real conservative principles championed, rather than just “my programs will be better than their programs”, maybe I’d be more interested. At least the Republicans have a better record on moral issues, though who knows how long that’ll last. The key difficulty here is that in our two-party system, my choice is either to vote for the Republican I’m unexcited about, or the Democrat I am even less excited about. And don’t start on me about third-party candidates - I know a wasted vote when I see one.
So this is probably as close as I’ll come on this blog to a political rant. Feel free to respond and interact. Tell me why I’m wrong (or right), and what suggestions you’d have for me. I am increasingly thankful that God’s priority is with individual hearts, not political influence.
Random Thoughts on... Classical Music, Second Edition
Classical music has had a big influence in my life. My parents are both lovers of classical music. (Probably my dad more than my mom, but I’m not too sure there.) It was pretty much all we had on at home growing up. Lots of ::wikipedia(“Bach”):: and ::wikipedia(“Beethoven”):: all the way through ::wikipedia(“Rimsky_Korsakov”,“Rimsky-Korsakov”):: and ::wikipedia(“Igor_Stravinsky”,“Stravinsky”)::. I started playing the piano at age 7 and thus entered a bunch more classical music. I played lots of Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Debussy, and Grieg. I really enjoyed it. I was the nerdy kid who at age 12 listened to a NPR program where they compared two new recordings of Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, and enjoyed it. But I digress.
It’s hard to say which composer or era is my favorite. I love the Baroque for Bach (Das Wohltemperierte Klavier) and Handel (The Messiah, Water Music). I dig the classical and romantic periods: the beauty of Mozart, the intensity of Beethoven, the breadth of the piano works of Chopin. I about wore out a tape of Haydn Cello Concertos whilst growing up, and Dennis Brain’s legendary recording of Mozart Horn Concertos is never far from my iPod’s playlist. But then you get to Rachmaninoff. Of all the composers, I adore Rachmaninoff. I fell in love with his second Piano Concerto in my teens, managed to learn enough to hack my way through the easier bits of it, then in college reacquainted myself with Vespers and more of his solo piano works. They’re ridiculously difficult to play, but remain my favorites. And don’t let me forget the French guys like Debussy and Poulenc.
I have to confess that my appreciation for “classical music” written in the later parts of the 20th century wanes quite a bit. I have yet to develop the love for Stravinsky that my father has. Neither am I real fond of Ives, Barber, or Bartok. Aaron Copland is on my “love him” list, though, as is Ralph Vaughan Williams. As for real modern stuff, I’m not really current on it. I’ve heard a bit of Alan Hovhaness that I liked. By the time you get the late 20th century, the orchestral stuff I really enjoy has mostly been written as film scores by guys like John Williams, John Barry, and James Horner.
So, more than you wanted to know about my tastes in classical music, right? Feel free to leave comments below.
Goodbye, Krispy Kreme
Sometime while we were gone on our Christmas vacation, our local Krispy Kreme closed down. It opened back in 2000, is only two blocks from our house, and the smell of fresh donuts often wafted over to tantalize us. I have a love-hate relationship with Krispy Kreme donuts; when they’re fresh and warm, they’re a real treat. Once they’ve cooled to room temperature, they become a total sugar overload and I am no longer a real fan. But still, I’m sad to see them go.
The local Krispy Kreme franchise owner says that the distributing facilities elsewhere in the state can handle the Cedar Rapids area’s distribution needs, and Krispy Kreme donuts will still be available in many retail stores. So people can still get their fix if they really need it… but it won’t be the same as driving up to the store in the morning, the smell of donuts in the air, and being offered a free fresh hot glazed donut. Wow, those were good.
On the upside, the news story says they’re likely to open an Arby’s in the old Krispy Kreme building. That will make Becky very happy. :-)
Pick Chris's Reading List: Taliesin (Book 1 of the Pendragon Cycle)
On to a book recommended by Nate Downey: Taliesin by Stephen Lawhead, which is book one of five books in Lawhead’s Pendragon Cycle.
I read Taliesin over Christmas break. My first surprise was when I looked at the publisher’s page in the front of the book and saw it was published by CrossWay Books, which is a Christian publishing house. “UhOh”, I thought… “I hope this isn’t going to be some silly Christian novel trying to masquerade as fantasy.” But I had faith in Nate’s selection, so I read on. And I was not let down.
The Pendragon Cycle deals with the Arthurian legend, trying to flesh out the story and put faces on the people. Taliesin is a great deal of back story; it follows the lives of a young lord in England and a princess of Atlantis who end up marrying; they have a child named Merlin who ends up being, well, that Merlin. Along the way there is a typical amount of fantasy-type plot: we see Atlantis’ destruction, intrigue, rivalry, and warfare between the various clans, and the introduction of some early Christian missionaries.
It was that last bit that started to get me worried. The missionaries are introduced about two-thirds of the way through the book, and while on one hand I know that the Arthurian legend needs to have a Christian component (he does seek the Holy Grail, after all), I was worried that it might turn from a decent novel into an evangelistic enterprise quicker than you can say Pendragon. But the author handles it well; he allows the characters to become Christians and wrestle with Christian ideas while avoiding the trap of having them give long speeches about how everyone should come to Jesus and the like.
I really enjoyed Taliesin - thanks, Nate! I will now have to reserve book two from the library when I get a chance.
The Great New Year's Eve Flood of Aught-Six
Let me tell the tale of the Great New Year’s Eve Flood of Aught-Six. You won’t hear it from anyone else. As most calamities begin, so began this one; not with a single odd event, but with the convergence of multiple odd events. In this case there were two:
- A stoppage in a pipe somewhere kept the toilet from draining.
- The flapper valve in the toilet stuck open, causing the water to run and run.
The end result of the convergence of these two events was the Great New Year’s Eve Flood of Aught-Six. At first, it didn’t appear to be too bad; water had run out of the bathroom and into the hallway, but that was about it. Becky called for me to help, and I quickly used the shut-off valve to stop the water. We grabbed some towels and started sopping up the mess. Then we heard another sound of water running. Suffice it to say that our floors are not waterproof; the wooden floor let water run through right down into the basement. And then a bunch of water backed up near the toilet and made its way down as well.
So downstairs we went, to find water running from the drop ceiling in several places. I grabbed a bucket to catch the worst of it, but there was already a nice puddle stretching from the computer table over to Laura’s playset. Again with the towels. My computer monitor, tower, and keyboard were fortunate; they got splashed on a bit, but didn’t suffer any damage. My printer/scanner I’m not so sure about; when I picked it up a good 2 or 3 cups of water ran out of it. I unplugged it and set it in the downstairs shower to drain out. I haven’t yet tested it for damage, but I’m not too hopeful.
Being as this flood occurred mid-morning, the rest of the day was spent cleaning and repairing; I replaced the various valves in the toilet and it seems to be much happier now. Two of the ceiling tiles in the basement were waterlogged beyond salvage; a quick trip to Lowe’s found me a partial package with just the two tiles that I needed, which was a much better option than having to buy a full carton of ten. Several hours of a box fan on high speed managed to dry things out pretty well in the basement. All that really remains is for me to hang the new ceiling tiles, sweep the floor, and test out the printer.
Thus ends the tale of the Great New Year’s Eve Flood of Aught-Six. Pray it never happens to you.
Heading Home
So I’m finally caught up with my trip posts. It’s 10:20 PM and we’re in a hotel room in Dayton, Ohio. We traveled from Waxhaw this morning, picked up my sunglasses from the Cozart’s where I’d left them last night, then headed up through NC, Virginia, West Virginia, and most of the way through Ohio. It was actually a pretty good drive, not too tough, went pretty quickly.
We stopped in West Virginia at a Cracker Barrel for lunch. I’d never been in West Virginia before today. Well, not quite true; I think our college choir bus went through that little arm of WV and the little arm of Maryland on our way to Pennsylvania one year, but that hardly counts. Anyway, maybe the Cracker Barrel experience today wasn’t totally representative of WV and its people and culture, but maybe it is… I’ll just take it as a data point. So, we’re all familiar with the stereotypes of West Virginia and its people; of uncultured inbred toothless hillbillies… you get the idea. The funny part today was this: had I gone into that restaurant with no preconceived stereotypes about West Virginians, the ideas I’d have picked up in that hour would have pretty well matched the preconception I already had. I saw more people without teeth, in bib overalls, and/or just plain scary looking in one hour in that Cracker Barrel than I have seen in a month of Sundays at home. (Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t fearful or anything… more just amused.)
Over the Rhine graced the CD player this afternoon in honor of our Ohio travels, and tonight we hit a shopping mall to stretch our legs and eat some supper. Tomorrow morning I think we’ll be hitting the local Tim Horton’s in honor of my favorite Canadian *Dan (who speaks so highly of them!), then it’s back onto the interstate through Indiana, Illinois, and finally into Iowa. It will be good to be home.
The Penguin, and New Friends
Thursday was get-ready-to-head-home day. We picked up a cartop carrier that Ernie had salvaged for us. It is in excellent shape, and with all the post-Christmas shopping Becky did, it’s a good thing we have it! There’s no way we’d have fit all the stuff into the van. Then we started packing up to go home. Can’t believe we brought so much stuff along. Seriously, we took the back seat out of the Caravan, and it’s still packed up nearly to the ceiling, then we have the cartop carrier almost full, too. Goodness.
Thursday evening we headed in to Charlotte to meet some of our “weird internet friends” for supper and to hang out. We met Brandon, his wife Sarah, and Andrea at The Penguin near downtown Charlotte. The Penguin is a nice hole-in-the-wall place; very small, very loud, very eclectic. The jukebox would be playing heavy metal one minute and jazz the next. Very unpredictable. The burgers were good, and the specialty that we had to try was deep-fried dill pickle chips. They were fantastic.
After supper we went back to Brandon and Sarah’s apartment for dessert and to watch Brandon’s beloved Texas A&M Aggies who were playing Cal in a bowl game. The Aggies ended up losing. Sorry, Brandon. We ended up getting back to Waxhaw about 11 PM. It was a fun night, fun to finally meet some people we interact with online all the time. And yes, they’re normal people… not weirdos… just like I’m a normal, non-weird person. Heh. :-)
Post-Christmas Mayhem
The day after Christmas found us trying to sleep off all that food we ate the day before. :-) We enjoyed leftovers for breakfast and lunch, again ate too much food. We played Upwards for the first time. It’s like Scrabble, but gives you the opportunity to stack letters on top of other letters to make new words… kinda fun.
We took a little walk and Brandi drove herself and Laura around the yard in her little battery-powered Corvette.
Then late afternoon came and it was time to pack up and head back to Waxhaw. We just barely fit everything into the Suburban. Traffic was kinda heavy but we made it back and crashed. Another enjoyable day. Pictures below.
