Not Much Happening

Not much going on, BBQed last night, and finished the book I was reading by Carter Heyward - she was one of the "Philadelphia Eleven" in 1974; she and ten other women deacons were ordained priests in the Episcopal Church.

I'm looking forward to the "build one's own altar" class this weekend.

Elements and Pulling Weeds

So my wife and I bought a 2007 Honda Element this week (above is a picture of it) only ours has running boards and a roof rack. It's a pretty cool little SUV. We were having problems with our minivan and were starting to get the feeling that the service department wasn't doing a good job anymore, hence we shifted brands and downsized in the process. That was last Monday, and here it is Sunday and I've no buyers remorse :-)

The rest of the week was alright. My wife and I and our daughter pulled a whole lotta weeds this weekend. Now we're down to the tiny ones; some clover, teeny tiny pricker plants, and some crab grass. I mowed for the first time in months. It felt really nice to be outside after so much rain; which also made pulling weeds easier.

Still Out There

I found a beautiful place to walk at my work. It's like entering into an oasis: no cars, no buildings, rarely any noise; the occassional rabbit, the occassional deer. It's absolutely wonderful - a slice of heaven.

Silence

Tears

So there’s pain in the water
A bitter drink to swallow
Being left maybe to swing…
…from the gallows

From the land of milk and honey
To the land of power and money
Ultimatums
…swaying in the wind

Who will take me down
And rub my body with anointment
Who will take me down
And rap my body in cloth

Bare this cross a little longer
One more season
One more
It is too much already



Questions
Will you sit at my table
and eat with me
Will you sit at my table and eat
as Paul or as Peter

Like water added to wine
You can’t undo the act

Barbie and Ken

My wife wants to blog for me today about Ken and Barbie clothing, so here she is:

My daughter, girly girl to beat all girly girls, (in this house at least), loves barbie. (She also has a Ken but not of her free will, he was a gift and she only plays with him as an afterthought.) ... Right, she love Barbies.

She loves the doll and Barbie clothes - she is so cute. However, she cannot put the clothes onto the dolls. Tell me why, even today when Barbie is not unrealistically proportioned; she finally has manageable breasts and less back pain; still, she cannot fit into her wardrobe. The poor girl only wants to be fashionable, yet comfortable. Is that too much to ask? Every time she wants to change party dresses, or swimsuits my daughter has to come to me. All those years of dismembering Barbie did have a purpose after all!

Today she brings me Ken who she has begun to clothe with new pants. This is beach Ken and his other pants are way drafty, so we were happy when Ken got new clothes. Imagine, Ken who has been mauled by the family dog, has only half of one of his arms and the other hand is horribly disfigured, he has this smile on his face that seems to say, "Clothe me." Poor Ken is now in the hands of a lesbian mom.

I struggle with his pants and ponder, "Why are Barbie clothes always too small?"
I ask Ken, " Have you been working out?"
He smiles, "Why, yes."
I tell Ken, "You've gotta lay off that pizza."
He smiles, "Look Lady, I never asked to be naked in your cold hands."
My wife chimes in, "Maybe those are Barbie's pants."
"No." It's too perfect that not only are Barbie's clothes too small but so are Kens. Poor, Beefcake, Beach Bum Ken. The Feminist Justice is too great to ignore.
Just then, my daughter thoughtfully appears with Ken's drafty beach pants.

Ken smiles gratefully as he slides gently into his drafty beach pants. He smiles, "Ahhh."

Fingerpainting

I friend emailed this image to me...gives new meaning to the term finger painting.

poems

Chest pains stress pains it’s been awhile
Deep breath slow breath healing energy
through my right hand
Guided to the center of my chest aches

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pin-soul eyes closed photography
One tree comes into focus
Lush green meant for me
Image fades all goes white
Where am I
No, no, want to go back

Some helps

I was looking at my sitemeter report and it seems that I get visits from people searching on Greek and Anglican Prayer Beads.

If you want to hear the NT Greek alphabet sung (as well as two others songs in NT Greek) then visit this website: NT Greek Alphabet Song

The Greek New Testament Gateway contains many links to what I call "NT Greek Helps" - there should be something at this site that is of interest to someone learning NT Greek.

This site contains 9 NT Greek lessons and some audio helps: NT Greek.net

There are many places one can get Anglican Prayer Beads, this link: Solitaries of DeKoven is where mine were hand-made.

Here are the instructions (per the Solitaries of DeKoven) that came with my prayer beads on how to pray using the prayer beads:
Hold the Cross and say the prayer assigned to it, then move to the Invitatory Bead. Then enter the circle of the rosary with the first Cruciform Bead, moving through the Weeks and other Cruciforns, saying the prayers for each bead, and then existing by way of the Invitatory Bead and Cross. It is suggested that one prays around the circle of beads three times in an unhurried pace.

Cold

So I'm suppossed to write about cold...hmmm.

Heart frozen in a moment
caught in the net of paralysis
Opportunities sitting in her palm
frozen icicles hanging down
caught in a moment of decisions to be made
Time slowed to the heat of my heartbeat
melting drops slide down
slow-motion stop-motion action
Heart pounding in a moment
free of bindings free to answer the possibilities

hmmm...well...sigh - it'll do.

Joke

A friend sent me an email with lots of pictorial jokes, this one wherever it came from I really liked:

I hope it made you smile.

Happy Poetry Escapes Me

I'm not one who can really write happy poetry - I get close with nature poems.

This one I wrote on a napkin while taking fast food orders many, many, many years ago (it's still one of my favorites):
Soft light glowing
A kaleidoscope of colors in the sky
Making everything appear pure, untouched
Gentle rays shining down
Awakening life with its unheard sound
Quiet morning peace

This one was written sometime between '98-99:
In your arms and with your mouth slowly I turned to dust
As your breath escaped – your words scattered what remained of my heart
My soul has begun a journey trying to trace my path backwards from you
But my arrogance planted mustard seeds and the path back is overgrown

Today - randomness, just letting the words out, no meaning some meaning maybe yes I think cause and effect:
Into the void I plunge arctic waters black as black as the nightless moon
Buoyant waitless still sinking cold like the warm womb
The current carries me in its embrace by my undertoe
Deeper and deeper my lungs collapse but really they should explode
The force of which would push me upwards to float eagle-like
Looking into the depths where all answers lie my intimate self

Inspired by reading to my daughter about Polar Bears.

Greek English Interlinear New Testament

I ordered "The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament" editor J.D. Douglas published by Tyndale from Viva Books here in San Antonio. And I was able to pick it up today - so I'm pretty excited. I ordered a lexicon too, through another vendor but it is hopefully on its way here soon. And in case you're wondering a lexicon is a dictionary - it had me confused at first, because some people would say dictionary and others lexicon, and I was like what's the difference - now I know.

I'm now learning the nominative and accusative and definite articles. So I've got some rote memorization to do, and I was thinking I need to do what my son has to do every week...make sentences with his sight words...and I need some old school write this word until you are blue in the face. Otherwise, I may be on chapter 6 far longer than I need to be.

I'm soooo glad I'm doing this at my own pace. I love languages but I've no natural knack for learning them. Shoot my own knowledge of english syntax is wretched, which is one of the reasons I like learning other langauges (at one point my Spanish wasn't too shabby, but it is long buried in the recesses of my brain now). I was joking with my spouse that my next language to tackle might be Hebrew, but Sanskrit may just oust Hebrew. She laughed at me, "What so you can read the Dead Sea Scrolls?" Actually, there's alot I would be able to read in Sanskrit.

But, in all honesty another language is way down the totem pole. Shoot I've still got 29 more chapters of Greek to go. But, it's fun to imagine.

No Cipher Needed

Sticks and stones and needles
holy, holy, holy
shout down - shout out
get out
holy, holy, holy

betwixt between my scene
holy, holy, holy
fire and ashes
lent is near
holy, holy, holy

no where some where under where
holy, holy, holy
oil water unction
buckling knees
holy, holy, holy

She tells me shapes
She tells me colors
She tells me directions

She counts
She identifies
She imagines

She has more wisdom than I
She has more life than I
She speaks words truer than mine

So it comes in threes...
...Bad luck
...Dumb luck
...Rather'd no luck

...Three wishes
...Three wise men
...Three french hens

...And then finally...
A partidge
in a pear tree

- for Murat11

I've had better drinks

So, in case you ever get the itch to drink barium sulfate (ok so the doctor told me to) some things to keep in mind:
1. Refrigerate it - no really - I almost didn't and I'm very, very glad I did.
2. Apple is better than Berry and Berry is better than Orange (no I didn't drink three "smoothies" - was tauted on label as Apple/Berry Smoothie, and well it was thick and creamy but something was missing. I got a "double shot" of orange upon arrival.)
3. If given 30 minutes to drink all super gulp ounces of it - under 10 is best, I can't imagine prolonging the pleasure.
4. Once you're able - drink lots of water (you can use your imagination as to why that's a good idea).

But all told - now that the mystery of what drinking that stuff would be like; I'd rather drink this stuff then have it infused into my veins any day.

Gives new meaning to being enlightened - ok bad, bad pun.

Net Neutrality

I was watching Moyers on America, here's the link: Moyers on America - Net Neutrality, recently and the topic was keeping the intenet safe. About the idea of the fast lane (for people willing to pay more money) and the slow lane (for almost everybody else) being proposed by the big business. There's also a very important concept/law, Net Neutrality, that big business keeps trying to stomp out. Basically, Net Neutrality, is the principle that the people are in control of the content they view on the internet, how they view the internet, and what they say on the internet. To find out more, and why the issue is important, here's two more links: Google Guide to Net Neutrality and SaveTheInternet.

A random aside, which was originally before the Net Neutrality paragraph, and this stream of thought led to that one, but anyways: I'm happy to see that the "Winter Mix" San Antonio was expecting (at least as of today) looks like it'll "just" be very cold and wet, but not freezing. San Antonians drive best in hot, dry weather. Anything else and forget it. There's like some 200+ accidents when it rains. "People" tell me it's because the rain brings up the oil on the streets that "we don't normally notice when it's hot"; and maybe there's some truth to that. But, I think it has more to do with the driving style of San Antonians. Yellow means go faster, a Yellow just turned Red means, if you're stopped at the Red light - count to three then go, because usually someone races threw a just turned Red (cause they sped threw the Yellow). Trucks think they always have the right to "push you" out of their way. Yield - what's that - beeeeeppppp - why aren't you speeding into the oncoming traffic. San Antonio has SUPER SHORT highway entrance ramps, and nobody likes to let you in - I wonder sometimes about SA's civil engineers. However, SA has wonderful "turn arounds" - if you miss your exit just get off at the next one and you can easily turn around and get back on going in the correct direction. I think of myself as a very safe driver which means I annoy a whole lot of other drivers, but I'd rather get somewhere intact then 5 minutes early [which I do anyways since I give myself plenty of time to get where I'm going :-)]

One last thing about driving - the last time I was up in Michigan I thought I was going to die because of how they drive. My friend got a little annoyed and asked me too relax, and reminded me that I used to drive just like them only I'd forgotten how. Michiganders drive very fast and very close to each other, and they really enjoy weaving in and out of lanes. I also, had to explain to my wife that (at least in "my" part of Michigan) what a "Michigan left" was.

Another Poem

Change in Weather

Out of the sun shining
Leaves the tears of grey clouds
Peeling back the layers of morbidity and morose
Fresh raw glee

Small Things

Small Things

Sitting quietly saying nothing
Reading while the chaos is held at bay by the Supreme Mama
Walking the Diego in the pre-dawn surly light
Singing and the vibrations generated within
Random chanting in the car

Untitled Today

Untitled

There's a burden inside
Ready to be unleashed
Moth or Butterfly
What flight on delicate wings




An aside:
Moth
Butterfly

My Day in 6 Words

I was tagged to write a meme: a story in 6 words (see the bottom of Susan's post fun-meme). So here's my 3 creations describing my day thus far.

Weather advisory. Ice Capades with cars.

Playing videogames. Son excited. Together conquered.

Daughter dances in tutu. I smile.

Well, I got to stay home with the kiddos due to nasty weather. The roads in San Anton are icing over - may even get to stay home tomorrow - yeah. Just hope everyone who can't be home is able to stay safe.

I now tag, Bones of the Sky and Murat11.

Theos

"Theos"

I keep hearing that God calls out to us
And if I can’t hear him then the connection is broken on my end
Well that sucks because I’m no theological technician
Where even to begin
What to repair first
My heart? My soul? My mind?

I keep hearing that God answers our prayers – pray
Lectio Devina
Centering
Pray anything
But you warn me
God doesn’t always answer our prayers
The way we expect
But always better

So I pray my mantra
So I pray to the rhythm of circular beads
So I pray and
I pray

Theos is calling but I can’t understand Him
Theos is calling