Rambling: Bad Dream?

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you know it's a bad dream, but all you can remember when you wake up is the part that isn't bad?

55555555555555540000000000000000
Sorry, my cat stepped on the numeric keypad. Anyway, in this case, I had this horrible bad dream, but all I can remember about it is that the light switches in my apartment weren't working right. The light switch for the bedroom turned on the hall lights. The light switch in the hall turned on the bedroom lights. The whole dream had this eerie, evil feel to it. Then, being disturbed by the dream, I woke up and was freaked out because my clock read "2:22". Now, why I was scared of the number 222, I have no idea. But at two in the morning after a nightmare, I think any number besides 37 would be scary to me.
Anyway, it was one of those weird experiences that I hope I never have to repeat. If you can't relate, and you just think I'm strange, fine. So there. Thank you; good night.

Rambling: Strange Event

When I came home today, it felt awfully cool in my apartment, and my air conditioner seemed to be running a lot. I finally went over to look at the thermostat. It was set down below 70! I usually keep at about 75 during the summer. The only reason I can think for it to be that way is that my cat decided to attack it while I was gone and accidentally bumped it down. Or was it an accident? :-)

Can you say electric bills through the roof? And the excuse? "It's my cat's fault! It's the one who sets the thermostat at 68."

Rambling: The Joy of Flea Control

Last night, before heading to Bible Study, I attempted to apply one of those flea control liquids to my cat. The resulting situation was less than enoyable.

If you've never tried to apply a flea control liquid to a cat, especially a young one, you know that it is not a simple task. It requires getting the cat's fur parted and squeezing a small of liquid somewhere that it can't lick. Sounds simple enough, but its difficulty level is slightly less than wrestling an alligator while attempting to land a 747 at an airport in a raging blizzard.
In this case, after wrestling with my cat for about 5-10 minutes, I managed to get the liquid squeezed on its back. The minute that the slightest bit of said substance touched its skin, though, my cat immediately turned in such a way that the liquid ran along the left side of its body. This unfortunate turn (pun intended) placed this toxic substance that cats are not supposed to lick in the perfect location to be licked.
Needless to say (but I will anyway), my cat promptly licked its fur right where some of the substance was. It immediately started licking its lips, attempting to get the (waterproof) liquid out. The resulting sound was less than pleasant. After a few attempts at trying to get rid of the substance, it promptly had a most unusual reaction: it stood on its hind legs and proceed to deliver a most amazing lecture on the nature of quantum mechanics and its relation to the control of insect pests on felines. (Okay, not really.)
What actually happened was that I had to spend about 20-30 minutes attempting to use water and a brush to remove all of the flea control liquid (which, you will remember, is waterproof) from my cat's fur. By the time I got through with this laborious task, which was almost as difficult as attempting to apply the substance in the first place, it was too late for me to make it to Bible Study.
So, I downloaded a sermon from the church I used to go to in Lawrence. It was a good study, but I did miss the social interaction that I normally get from the study.
Anyway, the moral of the story is: it may take two to tango, but it also takes two (maybe even three or four) to apply flea control liquid to a cat.

Rambling: Soccer Coaching

This may well be one of my last seasons coaching soccer. Ever since soccer started, I have been absolutely worn out. I enjoy doing it. I enjoy soccer, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to maintain the energy to do it, teach, and have any sort of social life. So, nothing definite, yet, but I am in definite need of God's grace and strength, because mine is all gone.

Grapefruit juice...

Rambling: One of Those Days

Have you ever had a day where you felt you stepped into some sort of alternate reality, where almost everything is the same, but a few things are different/wrong? Today was one of those days.

Things that I distinctly remembered throwing in the trash can mysteriously reappeared on the table that I took them off. Paperwork I already filled out for my apartment complex is stuck in an envelope on my door asking me to complete it and return it to the office. Two people I know (admittedly not very well) both wind up charged with different felony crimes and have their mugshots displayed on the local news. Even my cat is tearing around the apartment with four times its normal amount of energy.
So, I'm left to ponder this: if I had to fall into an alternate reality, why couldn't I fall into one where I was happily married?
Anyway, it's just been a strange, tiring day, but I know that there are no alternate realities, that this life is all that there is, that some days are just strange, and (most of all) that God is faithful and will sustain me even through a day as bizarre as this.

Rambling: Beautiful Lightning

I don't know if you looked outside at all while the rain rolled through ealier tonight.

If you didn't, you missed a beautiful lightning show. Cloud to ground and cloud to cloud bolts, some miles long, lit up the sky. The beautiful yellow trails were wonderful to watch (from a distance), and they were a wonderful reminder of God's creativity and power.

Rambling: A Funny Picture

Do you think if I study hard enough that they'll let me into Cair Paravel?


All this studying's got me worn out.

Poem: When

When daylight's sun shines bright
My soul echoes Your light
When in Your grace I rest
And admit Your way best

Lord God, fix my right gaze
Upon You all my days
Let not my heart waver
Nor my soul sin favor

When I can't understand
Your reasons for what's planned
When my dreams seem to crash
And hopes upon rocks dash

Lord God, open my eyes
For there discontent lies
Focused on this world all
Not things celestial

When prayers meet with silence
Nor sense I Your presence
When sin in me besets
And I'm filled with regrets

Lord God, help me, waiting
Have faith unabating
More like Your Son make me
Cleansed, redeemed, chosen, free

When one day all I see
Is Your holy glory
When pain is done away
And life is endless day

Lord God, still may my cry
Be how You brought me by
Waters quiet and still,
Preserved me in Your will

Commentary: Where's the Love?

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed how selective the moral outrage is in the current Middle East conflict between Israel and Hezbollah?

Israel, in attempting to stop a para-military force that is funded and fueled by such rogue states as Syria and Iran, accidentally hits a group of civilians (who are in the war zone), and the world freaks out and screams for a cease fire. Nevermind that Hezbollah fighters are hiding among civilians to use them as shields. The minute even one Lebanese civilian accidentally gets hit, the world screams murder.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah, instead of firing rockets at the Israeli army, is shooting rockets over the Israeli army and attacking Israeli civilians who are not even in the war zone. The reaction from the world, though, is muted at best. I don't hear people condemning Hezbollah or screaming and rioting about the Israelis who were killed. Where's the condemnation from Kofi Annan against Hezbollah?
Now, don't get me wrong. It is sad that these civilians died, and I know that there families are mourning. It's not fair that noncombatants are getting killed. Yet why is the outrage not as great when Israeli civilians who are outside the warzone getting killed? Could it be that world hates Israel? Or is there something more complex going on here? I don't know.

Rambling: State Games

July is usually a slow month for me, so this year, I decided it would fun (and a good way to stay in shape for soccer season) if I tried to run a couple of Track events at the Sunflower State Games, which are held every year here in Topeka.

I was a bit disappointed by the turnout in my age group (19-29). There were only four of us (despite six signing up) in the 100 m, and the other three were obviously collegiate track runners because it seemed like they ran through 50 m in the time it took me to get out of the blocks. The competition was even more lacking in the 200 m. There were three of us, and the other two ran track at Wichita State. So, I was guaranteed a bronze there. Of course, I wasn't racing to win a medal, necessarily. I wanted to see how the State Games worked and to beat a certain time goal I had already set for myself. I accomplished both goals. I ran the 100 m in 13.17. In the 200 m, I did even better, running in 27.73. (I really enjoy running, the 200 m. It's such a perfect race. Just long enough to make you have to sustain a sprint, short enough that you don't kill yourself in the process.) It was fun to get out there and run. I hope there are some other competitors next year who are more in my league.

Rambling: Teacher Education

As part of my Issues in Education class, I have had to read a couple of books in addition to the normal class reading. I've already discussed on in brief, The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. Now, I'd like to provide a quick discussion of the other book I read, Teacher Education in America by Christopher Lucas.

Lucas, a professor of education at the University of Arkansas, writes a fascinating and compelling analysis of teacher education before proposing a ground-breaking plan to reform the teacher education curriculum. Well-written and mostly easily to read (except for one dry stastisical area), Lucas establishes his credibility with a survey of the history of teacher preparation in the U.S. Moreover, with an even-handed presentation of the modern controversial issues, he maintains his credibility. Finally, after discussing his own study of what teachers recommend, Lucas proposes a reform plan that I think has the potential to improve the quality of the teachers produced signficantly.
This book is must read for anyone interested in developing or improving teacher education programs. It is also a good read for anyone in education, as the first two chapters alone provide a solid context for many of the current debates. Overall, it is an excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Rambling: No, I Am Not Thirty, Yet

For my birthday, the rest of my family went together and helped provide me with the resources to get a cat. After some searching, I was able to find a young Chocolate Point Siamese/Domestic mix. If you want to see a couple of pictures, you can go to here. Choose the "Pascal" album. Yes, the cat's name is Pascal. Give yourself extra credit if you know who it's named after....

No, I have not given up, if you know what I mean.

Rambling: I Dislike Summer Colds

Wow! It's been a week since I posted anything. My apologies to all who have been checking. I've spent most of this past week fighting a cold, and I wasn't feeling too terribly loquacious. I don't have much else to say now, but I should have more to say in the next day or so. For now, it's good to have a quiet day of rest after a crazy week.

Rambling: Book Review

As part of a class I'm taking, I have to read two books of my choosing about (what else?) controversial issues in education. I've just written my review of the first one, and I thought I'd summarize a piece of it below in case you're looking for something to read.

The book is The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom. Its subtitle "How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Todays Students" tells you everything you need to know about the book. What follows is a sometimes rambling treatise on the state of university education in the 1980s. Sadly, things have not improved since then, as Bloom's critique of university students rings true today as it did 20 years ago. The book itself is a bit of a dry read, as Bloom shows the unfortunate habit of rambling off the main topic to unpack minor side details. Indeed, a reader with a basic background in philosophy could easily skip Part II and not miss much, as Bloom spends copious time dealing with the intricate details of the philosophical roots of the modern American university situation. Far more interesting are Parts I and III, which deal with Bloom's observations of the present.
Overall, this book is an interesting read for those interested in university education or in philosophy in general. Be warned, though, that it is not a light read.

Rambling: DSL Modem

It is with great sadness that I bid farewell to my DSL modem, which finally quit working two days ago at the ripe old age of 3 1/2. It was a good DSL modem, loved by its friends, respected by its peers, feared by its enemies. Doubtless this world will be a better placed because of the impact of DSL modem, and all who knew it will miss it greatly. :-)

Rambling: Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton was a silent film actor and perhaps one of the most famous. His work was primarily comedic in nature, but it was all well-done, especially considering the state of movie making in the silent movie era. If you don't like silent films, don't read the rest of this post, but if you're curious, I have a little bit to say about a movie I saw last night.

The movie wasn't that long (just over an hour), and it had creative stunts, a good story, and great story telling with a minimum of dialogue. Modern movie makers could learn a lot from how the characters of people are revealed without dialogue to the audience. Instead of telling us who they are, we see who they are. It's a very effective way of doing it. The only weakness of the version I saw was the music. It was simply classical music laid down underneath the movie without much thought to what was happening in the movie. A good soundtrack added in can make all the difference in the world.

Rambling: Hymns

I have a soft spot for old hymns. Not that I don't like modern worship music. Rather, I appreciate any song that has solid lyrics. Some of the hymns have lyrics just as devoid of any real meaning as a bad modern song. However, the good hymns, just the like the good modern songs, have both a solid message in the lyrics and a solid melody. I was visiting a website that has many hymns online, cyberhymnal.org, and I ran across one of my favorites: What a Friend We Have in Jesus. The story behind this hymn encouraged me tremendously. Read on to find out about it.

The lyrics, of course, are all about how we should go to the Lord in the midst of trouble, hardship, and trial. According to the cyberhymnal, Joseph M. Scriven wrote the hymn to comfort his mother, who was in Ireland while Scriven was in Canada. However, Scriven was not just writing platitudes. He was writing from experience. You see, prior to going to Canada, Scriven was engaged to be married. One the night before their wedding, his fiancee, while crossing a bridge, was thrown from her horse into the river and drowned. To make matters worse, Scrivner was waiting on the far side of the bridge and saw it all happen. However, that is not the end of the story. In Canada, Scriven met and became engaged to another young woman, who also died prior to their wedding. At some point after the death of his second fiancee, Scriven wrote the lyrics to this well-known him. He truly was writing a testimony to God's faithfulness in His life.

Rambling: Oops

I must confess, for all that I seem to be able to remember well, there is one thing that I am as absent-minded as anyone on: when eating at a restaurant, I invariable forget to take the leftovers home with me. The odd thing is that I usually have some leftovers, not being a huge eater, yet I forgot to take that little styrofoam container of delictable goodness with me. One of these days, I might actually remember something as important as food. I don't know why I forget, but I do. It's embarassing. Just call me the Absent-Minded Math Teacher.

Rambling: A lot to say, but...

My wrists hurt, so I won't type anything else right now.

Rambling: What do you think?

Is "some temperance" an oxymoron?