Getting ready for Inga online

Still lovin’ the iPod

Along with putting my music CDs on the little white hard drive, and putting my old LPs on it, lately I’ve loaded some college lectures on my iPod. I’m being completely weaned off of radio of late. I started by purchasing a set of American history lectures by Scott Davis titled “Don’t Know Much about History,” at the local half-priced book store. Thoroughly enjoying that, I decided to put some ching down on a series of CDs by philosophy professor Peter Kreeft. Part of Barnes and Noble’s Portable Professor Series, it is entitled “What would Socrates Do?” This is even better than the history set. But I do have to listen to it when I’m alone, for no one so far has shared my enthusiasm for the talks. The kids and spouse try to confiscate my iPod when I play them. They reach for the device and spin the wheel to something more to their liking. Oh well.

If I learn something from either of these guys I’ll have to blog about it some day. But for now, all I’ve learned is to play Kreeft or Davis when I’m alone and play the Beatles or Cat Stevens when I’m accompanied by strangers or strange ones, I mean loved ones.

Big Mistake

Our clock radio starts work at 5:00 a.m. every morning, Sunday’s included. Then at 7 o’clock sharp, it checks out until the next morning. We almost always come to sometime during its morning service. But during the winter months, when the sun is slow to rise, we usually continue in our horizontal positions a little longer, listening to the morning talking heads; or if sleep was not good, we return to slumber land to catch some more Z’s. Yesterday morning, 7 o’clock came earlier than usual, so I did something I almost never do. I turned on the tube, the one in the bedroom. On came TV preacher number one. He was plugging his latest book, from which he was about to preach. Not much caring for this clown, for both stylistic and theological reasons, I hit the channel button.

Lucky me, another TV preacher, yes it really must be Sunday. Fortunately this guy was not pitching his own book. But he was pitching his father’s book, and no not his heavenly father’s. And in similar style he was planning to preach from this book, which of course could be ordered from the number appearing right now on the screen. Just then it was time for the obligatory scan of the huge crowd. “Here’s the church, there’s the steeple, open it up and see all the people.” Well, enough of that, I thought. So over to the channel changer again.

What? Not another one. Yes, this must be my lucky day. Of course, I should have learned by now. But I was still too lazy to get vertical. So I watched. This was a local guy. I knew, because he wasn’t pushing his book, hasn’t written one yet, I suppose. But he was dancing around too much for me to pay attention, so I clicked yet again.

Well, what do you know, no preacher. Saved by the Rug Rats or Sponge Bob or some other cartoon I wasn’t interested in watching. Click. Chiropractor. Click. Oh no, another one. He holding something, is that a Bible? Nope, he’s got a book too. And he’s going to plug it as he uses it for the topic of his morning message.

I’ve had enough, rescue me History Channel. I start clicking faster, toward the big numbers on our cable box. But I don’t quite make it all the way there. I stop at an infomercial. (It’s good, you know, to some times build up a tolerance to charlatans.) He too is selling a book. (You know books are my weakness.) This character I’ve seen before. He rails against the drug companies, the FDA, the AMA and all the political lobbyists that help grease the wheels in Washington allowing these evil entities to get laws passed that protect these power brokers while fleecing the American public. He’s pushing herbs, but primarily his book. He’s got my sympathetic ear, because I agree with a lot of what he says. We could all stand to exercise more, eat better, and cut down on our fast paced lives. Besides, this guy’s fun to listen to—even though he’s got an annoying side kick that pretends to be confrontational, while feeding him softball questions.

I never made it to the History Channel. Instead I got out of bed and headed to my computer where the internet is always on, and I’m in no danger of encountering pitchmen. Pause, to take my tongue out of my cheek. I decide to do a google search on this last guy I was watching. And every bookstore out there comes up with special offers on his latest book. Oh how wonderful, are all the reviews. So I continue to scroll down. Finally someone not selling his book. It’s actually a criticism of this character. And it comes not from the AMA or the FDA or a drug company. It comes from a funny looking guy, seriously funny-looking, who practices acupuncture, has a real medical degree, pushes herbs, and also has a book to sell.

But the vibes were a little better with this guy. He’s an actual professor, and has criticisms and support for western, eastern, and alternative medicine. So I read a little more. And he actually has a decent blog, and his list of ten best “worst quotes” won me over. I thought I should include them here. It’s time to laugh. Laugh, so I don’t cry over the sorry state of Sunday morning television.

Top 10 Dumbest Quotes Ever
10. "If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."- Dan Quayle
9. "I was dramatically shaped by my grandmother and my aunts because they convinced me there was always a cookie available. Deep down inside I'm four years old, and I wake up and think out there, there's a cookie. Every morning I'm going, you know, either it can be baked or it's already been bought, but it's in a jar . . . somewhere. . . ."— Newt Gingrich, 1994
8. "My vision is to make the most diverse state on earth, and we have people from every planet on the earth in this state. We have the sons and daughters of every, of people from every planet, of every country on earth."— Former California Gov. Gray Davis, during the recall campaign
7. "My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt."- a North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to his Coach why he appeared nervous at practice, 1982
6. "I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to."- Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had been to the Parthenon during his visit to Greece
5. "Any time Detroit scores more than 100 points and holds the other team below 100 points, they almost always win."- Basketball announcer Doug Collins
4. "Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein."- Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann
3. "I'm a 4-wheel-drive pickup type of guy. So is my wife."-Baseball player Mike Greenwell
2. "We're going to turn this team around 360 degrees."- Jason Kidd, Point Guard, New Jersey Nets
And the number one dumbest quote ever is…“I love being a star because I get to travel overseas to places like Canada.”-Britney Spears
posted by Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc at 11:55 PM

the good little helper - a little white stuff 

It’s about Time

I finally get to do some serious shoveling. Smile. I hope I remember how. Let’s see. Set shovel on pavement, push, lift, and flick. Repeat. Yeah, I think I’ve got it.

I started my work van and left it run while I did my shoveling. It gives my tools and materials a chance to thaw out on my drive to work. But what it also did was bring my mind back to one of my all time favorite ads in the newspaper. Actually, I think it was a magazine, for I don’t think any editor would have allowed this piece in a local newspaper.

The ad was in black and white and was a drawing, as opposed to a photograph, of this marvelous invention. The item for sale was a tube to attach to your vehicle’s exhaust pipe. Its purpose was to melt the snow in your driveway so you wouldn’t have to shovel. This long black tube was at least 10 foot and had a nice attachment at the end to widen it much like a vacuum machine’s accessory. The guy using it had a big grin on his face. He was saving his back by merely holding this hose down on the pavement.

My first thought when first seeing this ad was that it was a hoax or parody. But as I examined the numbers and the publication in which it appears, it sure seems legit. So I ordered one and would like to use it this morning, but I can’t find it out in the garage. Does anyone have one which I can borrow?

2003 a 

2003 b 

2003 c 

This year's Cornerstone Mug???

A mind is a terrible thing to lose, but it's happening. I think this is the current year's mug. Let me know if it's not.

Now why am I posting all these Cornerstone mugs? Is it for the viewing pleasure of those who happen upon this site?

No way! This is a subtle reminder to my better half. She needs to remember to order out tickets on Monday. If we order in January, we save lots of money on the tickets. And we get a better RV site, maybe even one with shade.

Of course this is not the only reason I'm posting the mugs. I'm sure you've probably wondered to yourself (maybe not outloud), where can I find photos of my favorite coffee mugs?

Well let me tell you, it's tough to find them anywhere on the web, much less on someone's blog. But they are here. So count yourself fortunate and blessed.

You're welcome.

2004 a 

2004 b 

2004 c 

I think this Cornerstone Mug was from 2001

2001 a

2001 b

2001 c

Cornerstone Festival's 2002 Coffee Mug

Coffee tastes a lot better in January than in July. But each July 4th weekend I buy the mugs anyways--for the artwork, the sentimental value, and the cheap caffeine (refills only 25 cents.)

2002 a

2002 b 

2002 c

-?

I’m trying to come to terms with what my 10th grade science teacher said about global cooling. Brrrrrrrrrrrr. I think it’s here. We have arrived. These are those precious days that we long for all year, the days when you can actually hear the cold. It is why we continue to put up with the traffic, and the mosquitoes, and the high taxes--to breathe refreshment. It’s even better than menthol or peppermint.

As we look forward to -20 F. /-29 C., hope rises that my vehicle might not start. I might be stranded at home (unable to go to work, forced to sleep in), but I doubt it. With temps like these I wonder whether Canada would now be interested in annexing us. Sure, these are paltry attempts at frigid numbers in the eyes of the Great White North, but we’re proud of them.

To further get in the mood today, I actually spent a few hours listening to the cool (spelled c-a-n-a-d-i-a-n) Bruce Cockburn on my iPod. And sure enough “The Coldest Night of the Year” came up. And it brought me back in time to the days before I had a bed partner to help keep me warm.

Bruce ends his song with the line:
Now I'm sitting here alone and sleepless
and wondering where you are
And wishing you were here
On the coldest night of the year.

It’s good to be on the other side of those years.

The curse has been broken

From the snow-starved tundra, the white flakes are finally falling. Is this related to this evening's previous post? Can we establish a causal link? Will the white stuff cover the moss?

A Stationary Goalpost Attracts Some Moss

talk to me 

Advantages of a hormone-enraged teen-age girl

Our evenings during the past year or so have been a little more pleasant thanks to the diligent work of the youngest among us. Besides keeping us on our toes, Miss Chris is able to disarm even the wiliest telemarketer. A few months back I bought her a book entitled “Fun with Phone Solicitors: 50 ways to get even!” The fourteen-year-old and I read the suggestions and had some great laughs together. But she has truly blossomed and is now even better than the book’s suggestions.

We have given her permission, and she has used our blessing well. She can make any mortgage broker quake in his chair. With shrill screams or heavy guilt trips she can send them quickly on their way. And only occasionally will she come upstairs to brag about her accomplishment.

When the phone does ring at night it is almost always for her. So when it rings there is no need on our part to run across the room, only to answer and yell out her name. But when we are near a phone and happen to see an anonymous or business name on the caller ID, we sit and wait for the princess to report for duty.

And if we are in the mood for a good laugh, we will run toward the stairs and try to eavesdrop. Uuuuu, did she really say that?

Our hope is always that she will be able to get out her hostility and pent-up frustrations on the solicitors, and then come visit us with civility and charm.

Rrrrrrrring. Oh, gotta go. I need to turn down the stereo, lean my ear towards the open door and wait.

fun, fun, fun

Let's Jam

Let’s see, it’s a new year. So I suppose I need to start dating my blogs as 2005. I think I mentioned last year that I bought myself an iPod. It has become my new partner at work. I bought it for its amazing capacity for music, but have found that it works great as a phonebook and scheduler. It’s also a great way to transfer huge files from one computer to another.

I started by recording my favorites music CDs to the thing--the essentials, like Rich Mullins, Larry Norman, Bob Dylan, and Weird Al. These were easy to do because the CDs were easily accessible and it’s easy to put in a CD into a computer. But this past weekend I finally got my act together and set up my old turntable in the office and strung the necessary cords and wires. So now I’m ready to transfer old vinyl favorites to my new miniature white box. And that I did. I transferred some tunes from Seawind, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Bob & Doug McKenzie, Barry McGuire, Randy Stonehill, and Parchment. These are LPs I purchased during high school or college. And they still sound pretty good.

It was interesting looking through all the old LPs in my closet, some 300 in all. Many look and feel and sound very dated and insignificant. Maybe they never were that good. But others have stood the test of time and still seem fresh (at least to me.)

One album in particular was a favorite of mine back in college. On the cover it had the words “Parchment” and “Shamblejam.” I could never figure out which was the name of the group and which was the title of the album. They were a group from England that only released this one album in the states. They were rather obscure here in the US. I don’t recall ever meeting anyone who had heard of them. I bought the album because it had a cool cover, something us CD buyers don’t do that often. It’s hard to find significant artwork on a 6” x 6” piece of plastic.

But I was able to find out that the name of the group is Parchment, and thus Shamblejam is the album’s title. Ahhh, the wonders of the web. In my search for the group, I found that they were from Liverpool and released four addition albums in Britain. And their stuff is getting expensive on eBay and other similar sites.

As part of my search, I found an individual, with a blog on blogspot, who referred to the album. I eagerly clicked on his site. What I found was someone probably younger than me who was into metal music. Most of his posts reviewed music. By reading them I could tell that he has no interest in “religious” music. But he was doing some house cleaning and pitching numerous albums. And he made mention of five albums that for various reasons he rescued from the trashcan. One of them was Shamblejam. His comment was simply that the Brits make better Jesus freaks.

Parchment is far from a metal band. They were clearly influenced by the Beatles and other late 60s English bands, primarily those with folk backgrounds. I guess I don’t know exactly what attracted me to the group, but they still resonate with me today.

So be on the lookout for their reunion tour. Appearing on my iPod.