Old School Xmas Lights
“You taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.“
Clark Griswold to his father in Christmas Vacation
Category: Guide to Life
RISK
At the front end of our long Thanksgiving weekend, I was determined not to let it all be lost to mind-numbing hours of the Cartoon Network, or the isolation of our laptops. And so I found and dusted off one off my old favorite board games, RISK.
My older brother Sean really enjoyed this game, and I remember him teaching me to play on the set we had with armies made of small wooden blocks of different colors and shapes. It’s a great mix of strategy and luck. My current set dates to my college days, where many a battle was fought. But it’s been a real long time since my generalship has been tested on the RISK board. Colleen and Will were quick to take up my challenge to fight over the world. We’ve played two games so far this weekend. I won the first, but was the first to go in the second, and I’m typing this now as they engage in the final battle. There’s a special sort of fatherly pride to hear my daughter shout, “I’m coming into Irkutsk from Kamchatka with three!”. And she did.Blog Lull
Look at that calendar to the right, a 10-day lull in my blogging. What a letdown I must be to my reader in Singapore. And for this, I’m sorry. The thing is I’ve been crazy busy lately. All good stuff, kids are coming and going from school and events, and our color-coded family calendar looks like some kind of patchwork of events. Work is crazy busy, also all good. The alternative to ‘busy’ at work is never good. Happily I work for a fine company that recognizes the need for some distraction now and then, and I’ve recently made good use of it.
And so, from time to time, there is no time. And the time available for worthy ruminations on the important and the mundane shrinks. I’m always thinking of things worth writing about, “I need to blog about that” is a frequent thought bubble hovering over my head. Maybe the Thanksgiving holiday will provide the opportunity to recharge and get some of those ideas out of my head and make room for something new. Not a lot of room in there you know, I have to keep a high turnover rate if I hope to find a good idea in there.
Happy Election Day!
I’m not sure exactly when Election Day became one of my favorites on the calendar. Obviously, the fact that I work in politics has much to do with it. Election Day is the culmination of a candidate’s and a party’s efforts to make their case. It is the day when the voters make their choice. It’s what our Democracy is all about.
There is much that is wrong with Election Days in our country. The 2000 Election revealed the dirty secret that America’s elections aren’t as smooth running and legitimate as we’d like to believe. Negative campaigning, low voter turnouts, and lack of real choices are all problems with our system. But they can be fixed.
At the end of the day, the dust will settle and we’ll have some results. But first, go vote. Vote Democrat, Vote Republican, vote for the person rather than the party, vote however you choose, but just vote. It matters and it counts.
Converting to Pastafarianism
I have done a good deal of soul-searching lately, reflecting on questions of life, morality, and religion. Via their blogs, a few different friends have introduced me to a Church to which I feel like I might belong, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
A young religion, Flying Spaghetti Monsterism contends that the universe was created by an invisible, undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster, beginning with a mountain, some trees, and a midgit. All evidence of evolution was planted by the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Also, there is a direct correlation in the increase of global warming, earthquakes and hurricanes, and the decrease of pirates.
Flying Spaghetti Monsterism has gained attention this year, when our prophet, a twenty-something from Oregon, wrote to the Kansas School Board demanding that if they were going to require that “Intelligent Design” be taught in the classroom, that his theory that the universe was intelligently designed by a flying spaghetti monster, deserves its share of that classroom time.
In researching the religion on its web site, the case for conversion was summed up quickly and convincingly as follows:
WHY YOU SHOULD CONVERT TO FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTERISM
- Flimsy moral standards.
- Every friday is a relgious holiday. If your work/school objects to that, demand your religious beliefs are respected and threaten to call the ACLU.
- Our heaven is WAY better. We’ve got a Stripper Factory AND a Beer Volcano.
I’m sold, why not? A religion, or a prophet, may be thousands of years old with a worldwide following, or a few months old with a tiny one. Time may bring growth and acceptance to Pastafarianism.
May we all be touched by his noodly appendage… Ramen.
Fifteen Years Ago
On September 29, 1990, my wife and I became parents for the first time. Katie arrived three weeks early, and as a result spent ten days in the Intensive Care Nursury at Alexandria Hospital. Oddly, they weren’t days of worry, the hospital staff was wonderful and amazing in keeping us informed on Katie’s status and progress. It was a few days before she was disconnected from a ventilator and other stuff, and we finally got to hold her.
Today, Katie is fifteen years old. The thought of it blows my mind. She’s a beautiful young woman, a freshman in High School, an excellent writer and singer, and a smart/fun/loving person. Happy Birthday Katie! We love you very much.Introduction to Ingersoll
I had a good summer for reading. My ‘to read’ book pile, as usual, is deep. But my pendulum swing between periods of prolific reading and droughts of mindless TV has swung back to reading these last few months. Despite having several other books going at once, I recently picked up a thin volume while browsing Politics & Prose recently, I picked up a book titled, “What’s God Got to Do With It? Robert Ingersoll on Free Thought, Honest Talk & The Separation of Church & State”
Prior to the introduction, was this quote:
While I am opposed to all orthodox creeds, I have a creed myself; and my creed is this. Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so. This creed is somewhat short, but is is long enough for this life, strong enough for this world. If there is another world, when we get there we can make another creed. But this creed certainly will do for this life.
Robert Green Ingersoll, 1882
I knew right away that I liked Robert Ingersoll and bought the book.
Robert Ingersoll was a famous politician and orator in the late 1800s. He was a strong advocate for freethought and humanism. The book contains excerpts from Ingersoll’s speeches and writings on topics including; God in the Constitution, Why I Am an Agnostic, Superstition, On Separation of Church and State, and How to Be Saved.
In the introduction, Tim Page, the editor of this thin volume wrote;
The present volume is intended to whet curiosity about the life and work of a most unusual American for a generation and a country that still has need of him. It is, unapologetically, a reading edition for a present-day audience; I have cut his speeches silently and generously, placing an emphasis on subjects that seem to have a continuing relevance.
He succeeded with me. It was wonderful and amazing to discover such writing that more than anything I can recall reading before more closely matched my own way of thinking on so many topics. I’ll be reading much more Ingersoll, and I recommend this volume to anyone who values my opinion.
Happy Anniversary!
Today I’ve been married for 18 years. There are few things I’ve done as long. I’ve never held a job for 18 years, or lived at the same address for 18 years. And there are few clubs I’ve belonged to, or items I’ve owned as long.
My wife, Jennifer, met me a month before I turned twenty. Two years later we were married. The 2nd luckiest, smartest, and luckiest things I’ve ever done were; take a tour of Europe (we met on the tour), propose to her (she did some prodding), and have her say ‘Yes’. This photo is from my 40th bday party last month. I like it because it captures me in my happiest place, with her. I know I’ll still need her, and I hope I’ll still please her after another twenty-four. I love you Jenny! Happy Anniversary!40
Well, there you have it, today I’m 40. Happy Birthday to Me!
Like any day of any year, events of note take place. July 13th is no different (see Wikipedia – BBC – History Channel). But in 1965 it was of particular significance to me and my folks, as I popped into the world at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia.
I’ve been oddly excited about this birthday. The sort of excitement that comes at turning 16, or 21. I have not felt morose or dreadful as some do at forty, although that is an understandable feeling, because the real significance of this age is that it marks what is likely to be close to the halfway point of my life. One hundred years ago the life expectancy for men in America was 48. My GG Grandfather Michael Casey was 47 when he died in 1898, and his grandson (my grandfather), John, almost doubled that by reaching 92. It doesn’t seem likely I’ll match that feat of doubling my grandfather’s age by reaching 180, but who knows what life extending advancements will come in my next 40 years.
Regardless, pausing to reflect at 40 has left me feeling good. I have a wonderful family, swell friends, a great job, and no health problems of note. In the words of Joe Walsh, “Life’s been good to me so far…”, and I’m looking forward to the second half… or let’s say the remaining three-fifths!
4th of July
I love the 4th of July. I love the way that it reminds us about how our country was founded, and the Democratic principles it was founded upon. I find it very appropriate that the 4th of July should be a holiday mixed with politics, as it encourages participation in our government. This year my kids and I once again marched with local Democrats in the Dale City Virginia 4th of July Parade.
We were there to march in support of Hilda Barg, our local candidate for Delegate. But it turned out that Dale City’s parade was THE place to be for candidates from both sides. Both the Democratic and Republican tickets for Governor and Lt. Governor were in the parade. Virginia is a large state. That they all chose Prince William County as the place to start their 4th of July is something I take as a telling sign of them importance of winning here in November is to the outcome of the election.
Recently I have a much greater appreciation of the importance of being involved locally. In college I studied International Relations, and most of my previous campaign work has been at the national or statewide level. But as I have gotten older, I have felt a need to look more closely at my own state, local and neighborhood governments, and to get involved where I can. The 4th of July reminds us why.