I'm a Minneapolis-area GTO-driving bass-and-northern-fishing God-fearing brown(and silver!)-haired green-eyed politically- and socially-conservative ex-sinner, ex-smoker blue-collar middle-class ecstatically-married tech-school-educated dad, step-dad, and grandpa with an older brother and a younger sister. Did I miss anything...?
You might be familiar with the song "Everything I Own" by the group Bread. I've always thought of this song as being sung by a heartbroken man to the girl who left him for someone else. But a childhood friend of mine recently lost her father to cancer, and at the funeral she dedicated the song to him. It was an amazing new way for me to hear the song. Here are the words to it. As you read them, think of it as a reminder to never take for granted the people you love.
You sheltered me from harm. Kept me warm, kept me warm You gave my life to me Set me free, set me free The finest years I ever knew Were all the years I had with you
I would give anything I own, Give up me life, my heart, my home. I would give everything I own, Just to have you back again.
You taught me how to love, What it’s of, what it’s of. You never said too much, But still you showed the way, And I knew from watching you. Nobody else could ever know The part of me that can’t let go.
I would give anything I own, Give up me life, my heart, my home. I would give everything I own Just to have you back again.
Is there someone you know, You’re loving them so, But taking them all for granted. You may lose them one day, Someone takes them away, And they don’t hear the words you long to say
I would give anything I own, Give up me life, my heart, my home. I would give everything I own Just to have you back again.
My Peppers are ripening, and are they HOT!!! In the past few years I've grown jalapenos and the typical orange habaneros in an effort to satify my "hot tooth", which I suppose is something like a sweet tooth but for those of us who like it hot. (If you're not familiar with Scoville Units, it's a way of measuring how hot peppers are. Bell peppers rate 0 Scoville Units, while Jalapenos run about 4,000 , and Habaneros go about 200,000- 300,000. And yes, that means they're 50-75 times hotter!)
Last year I grew jalapenos and also some Carribbean Reds, which I had not heard of previously. They are a variety of Habanero. I was amazed at the heat of those peppers! They're even hotter than the orange Habs I had been growing, which were amazingly hot themselves. This year they're all I grew. I read somewhere that Carribbean Reds weigh in at around 350,000 Scoville Units. A little goes a long way. Once you get past the heat, I like the flavor of the red ones. Compared to the fruity sweetness of orange habs, the red ones have almost a rhubarb-like taste. But you do have to get by the heat first! I used to make a lot of salsa, but I found that I ate a lot more Tostitos then too. Now I usually dice up the peppers and freeze them, so I can add them to pizzas or chili, refried beans or anything else that I want to cause a searing sensation in my mouth. I should have enough to last me through the winter now, and I still have more to harvest. Maybe we won't need the furnace this winter, because I'll be sweating no matter how cold it is outside!
Past the edge, and before the beginning. I got involved in a discussion the other day about how the universe began. I used to think about that sort of thing a lot, although often I was aided (or hindered) by substances well within space and time, if you know what I'm saying. These days I never seem to have the time to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n and ponder such things, though when I do it's with an older but clearer mind.
Some people say that at the edge of the universe, space curves and bends back over on itself or some such nonsense. Well what happens if you ignore the curve and go straight? Where does that go? Or if there's a wall at the end of the universe, what's on the other side of the wall?
Some people say that the universe started with a "big bang", and that before that there was no universe, or even no "before that". What caused "nothing" to explode into "everything" when it did instead of a trillion years before or after? Nothing, it just did. That seems really weak.
Some people (myself included) say that the universe and everything in it was created by God. Well, like the other answers it IS an answer, but not really one that answers the question. At least not to my satisfaction. Because who created God? Nobody, He was always there and always will be. What did He do for the eons before He created the universe, and where was He all that time? Just bobbing around in space all alone? It seems to me that the more knowledgeable people get, the more complex becomes their way of saying "Who knows?" They start using bigger words and talking quantum physics but it still doesn't answer the question. "Our finite minds can't comprehend infinity or eternity". Well no duh! That's why we don't understand the answer! It's kinda like I'm watching an episode of the Twilight Zone and thinking "Wow, that would be wierd if something like that happened." Only something like that DID happen, because here we are. We exist, and so does the universe!
But I think that's one reason why I'm stuck on believing God created it all. I can't comprehend how it (the universe) would have come into existence without someone getting the ball rolling, so I have to believe there exists an incomprehensible being who did get the ball rolling, even though I can't fathom where He came from. And since He made all this, He must have had a reason.
It's only halftime, and the score is 27-0 Bengals. I thought it might be more fun to write about the game than watch it. Better now than after the game, because I may be too busy weeping then. Last week I said I wasn't giving up on the Vikings after only one game, but now it's been a game and a half and I'm giving it some thought. Then again, it might be fun to think up creative titles to post here after each week's blowout. This week, like last week, turnovers are a big problem for Minnesota. But this week the defense looks terrible too! I'm going to take on the challenge of seeing if I can watch the rest of the game. My goal? "Don't Cry."
NEXT WEEK: New Orleans Saints Pray A Better Game Than Vikes
My wife and me went to see the movie, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" tonight, and I thought it was okay. She liked it more than I did. It's based on the true story of the exorcism of Anneliese Michel, a young German girl whose experience took place in the late 1960's to mid-1970's. (If you want to read more about that, click here.)
As far as the movie itself, I thought it was interesting and thought-provoking, though personally I don't believe that Christians can be possessed by demons, as they are already possessed by God. I think Christians can be "pestered" by demons, but not possessed, as in "indwelt" which is what is depicted both in the movie and the story it's based on.
Much of the movie involves the court case in which the priest who performed the exorcism is tried on charges of neligent homicide. Drama and some action, think "The Exorcist" lite.
As a longtime fan of the Minnesota Vikings, I was so disgusted after their implosion a couple years ago that I became a fan of the Green Bay Packers. It was hard to cheer for the Pack at first, because they're an arch-enemy of Minnesota, a constant rival in the battle for the NFC central (now the NFC north). I couldn't take it anymore: the fumbles and interceptions by Daunte Culpepper made me crazy! As did the nonexistent defense. So I made the switch.
Since then, the Vikes have shown steady improvement in their offense, especially the bane of my existance: Culpepper. He's been awesome! And this year it looks like there will be a defense in Minnesota, so it could be good! I've moved back and pretty much made them my team again. The Packers are now my "backup team".
But then came the opener. In the 24-13 loss to Tampa Bay, the defense looked excellent at first, but the offense struggled. Suddenly, Arrrrg! It's like I stepped into a time machine! Culpepper with 2 fumbles and 3 interceptions, and 2 of those INT's coming in the final 2 minutes of the game, when the Vikes were driving for the game-winning TD! It was hard to watch. Even in giving up 24 points though, I think there's still a lot of hope for the defense.
One bright spot in the game was Darren Sharper who Minnesota picked up from (how fitting) the Packers. An INT he took 88 yards for a touchdown. He had several great hits, and was an overall pleasure to watch.
My OTHER team (I'm still calling them my other team for now, I'm not bailing after one game) The Packers, are just starting their game against Detroit as I write this, so I'm hoping they'll give me something to cheer about. It'll be a tough decision when Minnesota meets Green Bay this year. Who to root for?
I've recently been reading reactions from around the world to Hurricane Katrina's destruction in the Gulf Coast region of the US. Many are messages of hope and sympathy and express confidence that the devastated areas will rebuild not only their buildings but their lives as well. But some are searing remarks about how America is reaping what she sows, because she is the biggest contributer to global warming, or because of foreign policies even!
If you don't want to send donations because you see America as a wealthy nation who can handle therebuildingfinancially, that's fine. Keep your money, or put it towards last year's tsunami relief. But keep the nasty comments, too. Those who drowned in Katrina's flood waters are just as dead as those who drowned in the floodwaters of the tsunami. And their loved ones mourn the loss just the same. Katrina didn't ask people their views on the war in Iraq or global warming before killing them. Certainly people died who opposed your views on anything, but also people died who supported your point of view. People of many different ethnic, political, social, economic, and religious backgrounds perished. Your compassion would be appropriate at this time, and perhaps in a few weeks you can take up your hatred again if you must. But give it a rest for now, okay?
