This video has gone viral and is appearing in several places including Facebook. I identify with “David’s” question, “Is this real life?” Sometimes things feel so surreal you wonder if it could possibly be happening. Enjoy.
Category Archives: Life in general
Fake Friendship
We became friends because we were colleagues in the same group. It was a bunch of pastors from the same area of the state. We got together once a month for food and conversation and enjoyed the professional and collegial stimulation.
He was pastor for a church that eventually had some internal problems, and the church had a terrible split which created two churches. He left with the group that split away, and also left our group. He disappeared, and we didn’t see him after that.
Karaoke as Democracy
We went to a New Year’s Eve party at Playhouse Merced. The event started at 8:00 on Wednesday evening, and it was in full swing by the time we arrived.
The Playhouse was well decorated for the event. The main stage area had a fresh coat of paint. A small, raised platform supported the three-person band. A few people were dancing to the music; others were sitting, enjoying the show.
The foyer housed the drink bar, nibbles, and conversation areas. It stayed full most of the night. Some folks went to the event to be with friends and chat. Conversation areas were scattered around the room. One couple was visiting the area from South Dakota. They found the event on the web and decided to join the festivities.
Moving
Saturday morning Bev and I went to a friend’s house to help her move. We got to her new digs about 9:30 AM where we met her to help unpack the first truck load. That went pretty quickly.
After lunch we went to a storage shed to empty it, and we picked up a few additional items at her old house. The second truck load was just as full as the first—front to back. There were just 5 of us to do the work. And there were several feet between the truck ramp and the front door of the two-story house. Lot’s of walking.
Time to get up…. Not!
At 5:00 in the morning I am beginning to emerge from deep sleep. I’m mildly aware of the world, but still not awake. And I most certainly don’t want to get up at that hour.
Which is why this morning’s alarm was particularly rude. It came about 5:00, way before the time I had selected to arise. But I’m also blind at that hour; my glasses are still on the dresser. The room is dark. Seeing is not an option. Continue reading Time to get up…. Not!
“It’s the economy, stupid!”
During Bill Clinton’s campaign, his campaign strategist, James Carville, coined the phrase, “the economy, stupid,” as a way to refocus voters’ attention and to say that George H.W. Bush had not adequately addressed the economy. The phrase was meant for an internal audience of campaign workers, but it became widely used.
All you have to do is drive around our City or any city in the U.S. and you get the immediate impression that “It’s the economy stupid” is current again. The economy looms over us like a huge black cloud. And it affects family after family.
Vote
I got to the polls at 6:45 AM; polls opened at 7:00 AM. There were about four of us in line by the time the door opened. I wanted to get this done before there were long lines to wait on. The ballot had two sheets. I inserted them both in the ballot box, and it kicked them out. “Oh great!” I thought. My vote doesn’t count.
The machine said something like, “The machine detects two pieces of paper.” I separated them, inserted the first one, and in it went. “Whew.”
Giving People a Chance
I’ve been reading a very intriguing book called Wikinomics. The premise of the book is that the way business and creativity is practiced on the Internet is transforming brick and mortar business as well.
Advocating for the Jobless
Last Tuesday a group of about 20 took an all-day trip to Apple Valley, California to visit a Wal-mart Distribution Center. Touring this Center required about 12 hours of riding and flying, but that’s another story. Continue reading Advocating for the Jobless
Facade
When I was a child my father once pointed out a ramshackled house that sat near one of the major thoroughfares of our home town. The thing he wanted me to see was the fancy brick facade on the front of the house that masked a falling down-awful house behind it. Continue reading Facade
MonoLogue 