Fellows, I'm telling you: you're gonna want.....

Going into work this morning, I heard the familiar opening riff of "Don't Fear the Reaper." And I cracked up.... because I realized one very important thing: It really could have used more cowbell!!!! (Hee hee hee)

Memories light my corner of the web.....

I ran across an old initial edition of "Meanderings" -- apparently, my original intent was to sort of do my own blog without calling it a blog. But then I found blogger.com and figured, "Why reinvent the wheel?" Someday, I will actually post the thought found therein. It's pretty good, but unfinished.

In updating my web pages, I also found another page I was planning to post, but never did.... "My Favorites." While some of the items on the list haven't changed, others did. And that made me think about how our interests change -- for some, more often than others. For instance, ten years ago, if you wanted to get me the perfect gift, something about angels or with a drawing of an angel was a good place to start. I still have the books and prints, but I'm not as into angels (or at least the collectibles) as I was then. Some people have lifelong favorite things, colors, scents, whatever. I like a little more variety, and yet retain some familiar favorites.

***

By the way, it hit me that I didn't have the comments feature turned on. It is now active in case you'd like to add your thoughts to the mix.

Four words for Tom Cruise:

SHUT THE HELL UP!

I thought about writing a few more words on this topic, but then I realized the utter futility therein. Especially when those four suffice.

Now..... today, on our local morning newscast, I heard one of the anchors utter this phrase (or words to this effect): "Coming up after the break, Aruban PO-leece make another arrest..." Okay, that may not strike you as particularly funny, but I about fell out over it! To hear a Midwestern accent (or lack thereof) saying "PO-leece" instead of "puh-LEECE" just slew me! I assume that perhaps the Teleprompter(R) split the word across two lines, and in the fog and fuzz of morning, she didn't mean to say it that way. But it was dadgum funny!

It could have been funnier; they could have said, "Coming up after the break, watch the law go after another suspect...." Here in the South, sometimes law enforcement officers are simply called "the law" -- as in, "I'm gonna call 'the law' on my neighbors if they don't shut up that arguing at all hours of the night!"

Of course, the phrase 'the law' (meaning the PO-leece - HAA!) is not to be confused with the expression "They LAAAAAW!!!" (sort of the same as "Oh my Lord!" or "GOOOLLLLLL-LAY!").

Yup, I didn't know until today that they had the PO-leece in Aruba. HA HA HA!

Great Radio

Not much to say today. Other than you know it's gonna be a great day when you hear 3 beloved songs on the way in to work. And you know -- it was a good day! Thank you, Steely Dan, Van Morrison, and Traveling Wilburys!

Great. God. Almighty.

First off, a happy solstice to any and all friends who celebrate the day! Now to my REAL rant....

Charles Wesley must be rolling in his grave.

Today, George W. Bush addressed the Southern Baptist Convention, and noted that the family is the source of all compassion. Oh, really? According to Wesley's hymn, "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," the 3rd stanza of the first verse reads (traditional wording): "Jesus, thou art all compassion; pure unbounded love thou art." In a more modern rewording -- the one my parish uses -- it reads as "Jesus, source of all compassion; love unbounded, love most pure."

Hmm -- so which is it, George? The family (meaning in this case, only a family with Daddy, Mommy, 2.7 children, a white picket-fence house, with Spot and Fluffy) or Jesus? I'll take my chances with the Almighty instead......

More Deep Thoughts, but not by Jack Handey

I am a ponderer. Always have been, always will be. So today, I was pondering. Pretty much a continuation of some of what I was pondering on the drive home from church Sunday evening.

I am a moderate. A centrist. In a world which seems to be increasingly polarized, a moderate path is not an easy walk. You will catch hell from people on both sides of the argument who assume that centrism equates to neutrality, or indecisiveness, or even a lack of passion. Actually, I find it much more refreshing -- because I can see multiple viewpoints, and recognize them as valid. I can see the passion and thought that goes into that person's particular stance. And I can see their polar opposite's viewpoint and appreciate it too.

This does not mean I do not have strong opinions -- quite the contrary! My opinions are also pretty strongly held and researched. But that does not mean I won't listen to the "other" side's viewpoint and hold it to be just as valid as mine.

Gee.... wouldn't it be nice if that happened more often in our world?

Yippee-skippee for Jesus.

Recently, I took the opportunity to attend a teen-oriented Mass at a parish. All I can say is that, in regards to the music (which is meant to be contemporary and relevant), I got more out of the George Harrison song that was on my radio as I left Mass. The music was indeed contemporary, but far from relevant to the Mass.

I have nothing against parishes trying to reach teens. I have a massive problem with them catering to whatever is "hip" in an effort to reach them. The Mass itself is always relevant and contemporary, even as it is centuries (now millennia) old. Further, the music should enhance the liturgy, neither serving as the focus nor the selling point to get butts in the seat.

Keep in mind, I am a moderate Catholic -- neither ultra-liberal or super-conservative. To certain conversatives, I say, "Vatican II happened; get over it." To certain liberals, I say, "The revolution is over; let's move on." All I ask out of Mass is a chance to worship with music that enhances the action (instead of being the focus), with nothing distracting me from the liturgy itself -- including overblown drama, whether it comes from the congregation or the presider.

And just a further nit-picky point: when you sing, it's AHH-men, never AY-men, unless you are in a production of Lilies of the Field. Since none of tonight's singers or congregants were nuns in the Southwest nor Sidney Poitier, then you should sing AHH-men.

Old fart rant over now.....

My name is Annette, and I am a bad blogger....

(Hi, Annette!)

Now that there are some different things going on in my life, perhaps I will get around to it more often. A few changes since my last writing: left my old job, am working again (after about 2 months of vegetation -- guess I got my Christmas wish, huh?) and in general really loving life.

Anyway, recently I have found myself in a strange position of being the old kid on the block at work. It is unusual because I have always been the "baby" of the group, the young whippersnapper, every place I've worked. Even when I worked with my contemporaries at AT&T/NCR, most of them were only a couple of years younger or so, and I *was* the youngest admin in my group. In my current configuration, I am the oldest. I am older than the manager of the group by two years. The person to whom I report is 10 years younger than me. That, my friends, is a weird place to be in. Now granted, I have the blessing of looking younger than my years, but it's just ... well, not to beat a dead horse, but weird. I'm now the "voice of wisdom..." (Y'all pardon me while I go laugh my considerable rear off at that notion!) :-)