Texas Secession

Just a quick thought: Although I think it's pure foolishness and childish sour-grapes whining, there is a movement among some conservatives disgruntled by Obama's re-election to call for states to secede from the Union.  I'd even say that this idea is being treated as a semi-serious thing, at least in terms of its symbolic significance, in some fairly mainstream corners.  In no state has this secession craziness received the biggest reception than in Texas.  Here's my zany contribution to the secession silliness:  Let Texas secede.  This would remove Texas's reliably "red" electoral college votes from the national presidential race and give Democrats an almost insurmountable ability to control the White House.  It will also even the score a bit more in the US House.  Then, when the state's demographic character changes such that a new Democratic and Hispanic majority emerges along with a reliably Democratic electoral college advantage in the state, a "blue" Texas can be welcomed back into the Union, cementing the Democratic party's lock on the Electoral College (and thus the Presidency) long into the future.

MBH Pottery at the Palmer Park Arts Market

Well, it's once again that time of the month when my lovely bride will again be out at the Palmer Park Arts Market setting up her booth to sell her pottery. The market will be running this post-Thanksgiving weekend for both Saturday and Sunday, from 10am-4pm. My B-2/3 has been hard at work all month and has added significantly to her inventory of pieces. The weather for both days looks to be beautiful, so if you want to support a great cause and pick up some wonderful pieces of handmade, high quality pottery as wedding gifts, birthday presents, Christmas or Hannukah gifts, or any other kind of gift, please do come out to the Arts Market this Saturday and/or Sunday at Palmer Park on the corner of Claiborne and Carrollton Avenues and look her up. Of course, as usual, Michele will also be doing live demonstrations at her pottery wheel, so please come out, enjoy the market, and stop by to visit Michele to see how pots are thrown (and hopefully not at you!)

What I've Been Reading

Since I last wrote an entry on the books I read (which was back in February of 2012), I've since racked up pretty solid list of reading accomplishments.  Here's the list, which I'll just mention now and perhaps I'll write up some reviews of the books down the road.  But if you've read any of these books, please feel free to leave a comment on what you thought on any of them and I'd be happy to engage in a comment exchange with you:

William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury (a re-read for me): Grade A+. [All I need to say is that Faulkner is a genius.]

James Agee's A Death in the Family: Grade A [One of the best depictions of dealing with grief in reaction to an unexpected and sudden death that I've ever read.  Also a Pulitzer winner.]

Elaine Dundy's The Dud Avocado: Grade B.  [I picked this to read because the title intrigued me.  And it's a fun read, with some clever writing moments, but nothing that truly stands out as exceptional.]

Dan Baum's Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans: Grade B-. [Most folks find this work interesting and well-written; but I weary of the essentializing of New Orleans in ways this book does.  It's not alone in this practice, but I just get more and more turned off by depictions of my city through the kinds of lenses that books like this one provide.]

Sybille Bedford's A Favourite of the Gods: Grade B. [The writing is good and the storyline is interesting, but it's a kind of genre piece of European aristocratic casualness that doesn't resonate with me.]

Teju Cole's Open City: Grade B. [It tries much too hard to be contemporary literary hip.  It also has a bit of hip pretentiousness about it that doesn't appeal to me; but the idea of writing reflections that come from the meanderings of a Manhattanite through the streets of the city is an intriguing one.]

Paul Harding's Tinkers: Grade C-.  [Another Pulitzer winner, but one that I just never did get.  I couldn't ever find meaning in the story and at times the plot seemed to be very labored and forced.  There were a few redeeming moments, but none that could save the book.  Not sure why it won the Pulitzer.]

L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Grade C+.  [Since it's a timeless children's classic, I thought I'd give it a go.  It's an easy read, but a bit too simplistic.  The story is not as engaging or clever, and lacks the kind of human touch, as is the Judy Garland movie.]

William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!: Grade A+.  [Again, all I can say is that Faulkner is a bona-fide genius.]

Michael Chabon's A Model World and Other Stories: Grade B.  [I love Chabon, but this is not his best work.  It starts out very slowly, but the stories pick up and gather momentum in the second half when it really turns into a bit of a novella.  I think Chabon is a much better novel writer than a short story writer.  But, I do admit, as usual with Chabon, the writing itself is superb in style.]

Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray: Grade B.  [Another classic I just had to pick up.  I can see why it would enter the realm of the classics for its kind of radicalness in its day; but the story itself, though quite unique in its premise, does fall into a bit of that late 19th, early 20th century tediousness.]

John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces (another re-read for me): Grade C-.  [Another Pulitzer winner that I don't think deserves the award.  I remember thinking it to be funny and clever when I first read it years ago in college; but having read it again as a more seasoned middle-aged guy, I found it to be just crude and vulgar.  I rarely got a chuckle at all at the gross and absurd shenanigans of Ignatius Reilly and his awful cast of supporting characters.]

Herman Melville's Moby Dick: Grade B+. [I finally got to this American classic and can now click it off my literature bucket list.  I read it in its complete, unabridged form.  It's remarkable for its depiction of whaling and of the anatomy of the sperm whale in such fine detail.  The plot of the Pequod's voyage and Ahab's drama is only about 15% of the novel, and it's o.k., though not as good as one is always led to believe it is.  Nevertheless, I do think Melville is a great American writer and this work is worthy of being read.]

Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl:  Grade B+.  [I'm usually not one for crime/mystery novels; but this one is well-written, clever, and fun to read.  But I do have to say that the character personalities are quite disturbing.]

Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge: Grade A-.  [Another Pulitzer winner and a collection of short stories.  Well-written and very well-developed characters.  I think it deserved the Pulitzer.  The themes of the stories can be depressing, but the way the stories are told comes across as gentle and warming, even if they are not necessarily fun stories.]

Heinrich Boll's The Clown: Grade B.  [A Nobel winning author.  This is perhaps his most famous work.  It's heavy going and can be tedious at times, but you can definitely appreciate the talent of the author.  The main character and the plot can be wearying to contend with, but the theme of the oppression of conventional religion is interesting in its portrayal.]

Resolution Update

OK.  The moment of truth has arrived.  It's been ten months and 18 days since I made my New Year's Resolution.  It feels like forever.  What a rollercoaster so far.  And it's not over yet!

But, I am pleased to say that after my workout today, when I stood on the scale at the Gym, I weighed in at 169.6 lbs.  So, it would appear that I've hit my target and fulfilled my New Year's Resolution (and thus won my bet), except ...

1.  I haven't had independent confirmation of this, which I will need to do.
2.  It was immediately following a fairly rigorous workout, so I imagine that it involved maybe a couple of pounds of water weight loss, which I may have (and probably did) gain back a bit as I rehydrated throughout the day.
3.  It was a weigh-in with just my shorts on.  Add on a shirt and some socks and I would have probably tipped the scales at slightly over 170 lbs.
4.  And perhaps the scale at the gym is slightly off, though it's been my measure the whole year and so I feel that I can fairly count on its accuracy (or at least its consistency) in charting my weight loss progress.

Nevertheless, I know that I'm basically there, and it's perhaps just a matter of days before I can weigh in solidly under 170 lbs in a random weigh-in at any hour with basic clothing on.

But these are just minor quibbles.  I will remain disciplined and continue with my diet and exercise regimen until I get to that point, even if it takes a couple more weeks.  I'm not worried.

But I do think it merits (and you're probably waiting for) some visual accountability.  Well, here's a picture from today:

And compare it to my picture from last January 1, 2012:

I think it's pretty clear that it's quite a transformation.  Once I get independent confirmation of reaching the goal, I'll post that information here on the Upchuck along with some full body shots from January 1 compared to some full body shots on the day of my triumph!

Resolution Update

Last January 1, I made just one single New Year's resolution.  It was to get my weight down to 170 lbs by the end of 2012.  If I fail in that resolution, I have to do something that would, to me, be extremely psychologically and emotionally painful.  (Click the link to read what that is.)

For a while, I was keeping regular weekly updates as to my progress on this resolution, even posting weekly pictures of myself as visual evidence.

Along the way, I kinda gave up on the blog and so my Resolution Updates went by the wayside along with it.

However, I have not forgotten this resolution, and I am still intent on meeting it, though I haven't reached it yet.

Here's kinda how it's been since the last I posted on this subject...

If you check the archives of my Resolution Updates, you'll see that at one point I got as far down as 170.6 lbs (on March 7), but never crossed that 170 lbs threshhold completely.  I certainly didn't get independent verification at the time.  Since then, my weight has fluctuated more or less between 175 lbs and 185 lbs, and my diet/exercise regimen was inconsistent and spotty.

I really think that my ideal weight is probably in the 175-180lb range; but that's no matter, because I agreed to get down to 170 lbs, and I will honor that pledge or pay the piper.

As late as a month ago, I was hovering in the 183-185 lbs range.  But knowing that my time to reach my goal of 170 lbs was drawing to a close, and knowing also that the holiday feasting season would soon be upon me, I resolved again to tighten things up and have been pretty disciplined in getting back on a careful and healthy diet, as well as a regular exercise program.

I will be posting visual evidence tomorrow of where I am, but I can report now that my last weigh-in was 171.4 lbs.  And I've resolved to stay disciplined until I hit my goal and have it independently verified, even if it means that I have to forego diving into that succulent turkey I'll be deep frying this coming Thanksgiving Thursday.  We'll see what tomorrow's weigh-in brings.

Sometimes, I think that I have subconsciously kept myself from reaching my goal too early, even though it was well within reach as early as last March, so as to make sure that I made at least some modicum of effort to stay on top of my weight all year long.  And I'm glad, in the end, that it has worked out this way, because even as my weight started inching up again at various points throughout the year, I always had the spectre of this resolution hanging over my head like a Damocles sword to force me to make an effort to keep my weight under some kind of control and not to let myself get too far beyond redemption.  It has been good to feel and look healthier over the course of the year so far.

So drop by the Upchuck tomorrow to see some pictures of where I am; and wish me luck as I make my final push to get to my goal.

Back to Upchucking

Well, it's been a long, long stretch of emptiness on the Upchuck. I think I'm missing it a bit. In a way, I've kinda substituted Facebook for blogging. Doing so has its merits, for sure. I have a ready audience of some 800+ readers through my FB friends. And my blog type status updates on FB are guaranteed to elicit response from at least a core group of folks. However ...

I'm not so sure I like using Facebook in this way. I also like Facebook just as a way to keep up with friendships and family; and my blogging style can be kind of alienating to some folks on Facebook that does some damage to my friendships on FB. For instance, since I really heated up my polemics on FB during the Presidential election campaign, I've noticed that my FB friends numbers have dropped a bit. Just a handful or so, but it's something I noticed. And I don't really like it.

I think why I'm bothered by this is that a lot of my FB friends are on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, and these are people whose company and camaraderie I have enjoyed for over 30+ years. Many of my High School buddies are conservative. Many of my childhood friends from elementary school and the old Kenner/Metairie suburbs are conservative. And I like them all. They are really good people at their core. And I don't like to think that they maybe find my politics a bit distasteful, off-putting, and perhaps even offensive. Now let me say that I am by no means apologetic or sorry for my politics, and for expressing them publicly and forcefully; but I am bothered by the idea that I may be pushing myself in the faces of those good people who might prefer not to be subject to my rants. So, I think I'm just going to do my best to try to keep my politics here on the Upchuck, and to try to minimize that stuff on Facebook.

All this to say that I'm putting the Upchuck back into business. I make no promises as to how often and frequently I will be putting up blog postings, but I'm going to try to keep my rants here for the most part. I may link to my blog from FB; but I think that provides enough distance and remove such that my FB friends won't feel so directly besieged by my rants, such as they are.

And I welcome any who want to engage me to do so here.

Benedictions, Courage, and Cooperation: Obama and the DNC vs. Romney and the RNC

I'm still trying to sort through what it means that Cardinal Dolan agreed to congregate with and give a benediction and his blessing to all those baby-killing gay marriage advocates.

At the very least, it undeniably means Obama had the courage and self-confidence to invite one of his fiercest critics from the realm of the Catholic hierarchy to share the stage with him. In my mind, it's just one more example (at the very DNC no less!) of, as Bill Clinton so eloquently noted, Obama's willingness to cooperate with those who disagree with and even criticize him on policy matters. Can you imagine the Republicans inviting one of the nuns from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious to give the benediction at their convention!?!? No? Neither can I.

Secondarily, it means fundamentalist conservative Catholics have to watch, horror-stricken I'm sure, their man-of-the-cloth playing nice with those godless heathens.

It also means that one doesn't have to have the words written down for God to be invoked by and present in the person of his official representative in America, literally, on the Democratic Party platform! (By which I mean the actual, physical stage at the DNC!)

Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand, and Catholic Charity

I'm probably a bit overly attentive to this than most people are, but as a Catholic who was quite turned off by Ayn Rand's dismissiveness of Christian charity (hell, ANY charity) in her objectivist philosophy, I find it quite curious that Paul Ryan thought it fit to provide his Congressional staff with gifts of that avowed atheist's book "Atlas Shrugged" rather than a copy of the bible or Saint Augustine's "City of God" or even G.K. Chesterton's "Orthodoxy."

To me, if he absolutely had to put essential reading materials into the hands of his staff as one of his first actions with his staff and as a signal of the values he hoped to inculcate in his office culture, his decision to privilege Rand's and her godless selfishness over God and His call for self-sacrificial charity in what to push his staff to read tells me a good bit about his moral priorities, none of it all that admirable.

What My Kids Are Listening To: Fun. "We Are Young" with Janelle Monae

I think this song (if not the video) is awesome, too:



The acoustic version, which I like more:

Resolution Update

Wow!  It's been way too long since I last posted.  I've really dropped the ball in keeping up with my weekly Resolution Update postings.  That fits a pattern with me, as my B-2/3 will tell you.  I get all enthusiastic about a project and can maintain the enthusiasm for about 3 months or so, and then I gradually slip away into lethargy or lose focus and interest.

That has happened here.

March was mostly a lost month for me.  I travelled a lot and got way off my regular routines.  My exercise and eating habits were also very scrambled.

You know, when you travel to conferences or overseas, you often find yourself eating out a lot or faced with conference banquet food and the need to be social over meals and drinks.  When you couple that with lack of access to regular exercise facilities, it makes for a real diet and exercise routine buster.

So, I got off my exercise regimen and ended up going stretches like 3 or 4 days without being able to get to a gym or a pool.  I did manage on occasion to find a suitable hotel rec room with some exercise equipment that I did use; but this was very irregular.  And I also did try to go on some longish walks when I could swing it.  And even though I ate more high-calorie, rich foods than I would normally eat, I also tried to stay away from the worst of the junk food or too many desserts.

And I also wasn't able to keep track of my weight like I had before, either.  And I just stopped altogether in having my picture taken regularly.  I need to get back into having my picture taken for some visual accountability.

Nevertheless, over the past week, I've managed to push myself back into a routine of sorts; and I am now doing much better in terms of a regular workout schedule and better eating habits again.

Since tomorrow is Easter, since I have the time today, and since I haven't posted an update in a while, I thought I'd provide an update today instead of tomorrow.

I was worried that I would be approaching the 180-185 lb. weight range after my 2-3 week dissipation; but I was surprised to find that my body is apparently still geared up to burning high amounts of calories from my previous rigorous 2 month regimen.  After my workout today, I weighed myself and I clicked in at 173.4 lbs.  So, I'm still well within the range of my goal and haven't slipped so much as to be disheartened by the lapse.

I try to look at this in a positive light and think that because I got really close to my goal before, but didn't quite hit it, if I can keep myself within range but not yet there, I will maintain the incentive to keep at it and not give up completely.  I think subconsciously that's what I'm doing to myself, because I know deep down that once I hit my goal, get it verified, and fulfill my resolution pledge -- thus freeing me from the painful penalties I would have faced -- the temptation to become too lax and let myself slip back into old habits would be very strong and irresistible.   So perhaps I subconsciously am keeping myself from hitting my goal just to keep myself going on the resolution pledge.

I'll try to be more regular in providing Resolution Updates on the blog.  Wish me luck and motivation!

Resolution Update

Well, it's been a while since I posted anything on the blog, much less kept up with my Resolution Updates.

But I've got good reasons, and they're not just because of laziness.  In part, towards the end of the week before last, I got sick with a pretty nasty cold, which kept me off the bike and out of the pool.  And then, when I was just starting to feel better, I took off for a brief trip to Costa Rica last Sunday, early in the morning.  I didn't return home from Costa Rica until Wednesday, late afternoon, of last week.  From then, it was just the business of getting back into the work groove, which always picks up around this time of year.

So, circumstances of illness, followed by overseas travel, coupled with an orientation towards a "break" from the normal routine (after all, last week was our Spring Break week at the university), meant that I fell way off the diet and exercise bandwagon.

I actually wasn't able to (or more exactly, didn't want to) get back into the diet and exercise regimen until yesterday.  Needless to say, I was somewhat trepidatious of getting on the scale after more than a week of laxity.

But before I post the results of my latest weigh-in yesterday, I have to let everyone know that on the last day I exercised and weighed in, which was Wednesday, March 7, I weighed in at 170.6 lbs.  I still don't consider that as having met my resolution goal for a couple of reasons.  First, it still was greater than 170.0 lbs, and my goal is to get to 170.0 lbs.  Second, it wasn't independently verified by a neutral party or observer.  And third, it was right after a workout and I think the official tally needs to take place some hours after a workout and after a meal and rehydration re-calibrates my weight in a more accurate way.

Even still, I got very close to my goal.  But then I got sick, travelled abroad, and just took a longer break than I expected.

Which leads me to yesterday...

After my workout of yesterday, I gingerly got on the scale, and my weight was back up to 176.8 lbs.  I have to say that I was expecting worse, especially since the whole time in Costa Rica, I was really indulging in some rich, heavy meals, and wasn't exercising at all.

Which means to say that I've got some more work cut out for me still.

And I can't say that I'm not too unhappy about it, because one of my fears is that once I hit my goal in the proper way, and have it verified, the temptation will be to relax my vigilance on the healthier lifestyle I've been mostly living since January 1.  So, the motivation is still present and I am now back on the wagon, so to speak.

I did take a picture yesterday, but I haven't yet uploaded it to my computer off my camera.  When I do, I'll post it for some visual evidence of where I am.

So, there you have it.

Until the next update ... healthy eating and regular exercise!

Resolution Update

OK.  I'm a day behind, but I have a good excuse.

I was participating in a Posse Plus Retreat and was really occupied with retreat activities for most of the weekend.

I did return Sunday evening, but I just didn't have time to settle back into my home routine and get my resolution updates in order.

So, I'm posting an update now, on Monday, one day later than normal.

Last week, I weighed in at 174.8 lbs.  As of this afternoon, I weigh 173.2 lbs.  Closer and closer to my goal.

I have found out something interesting, though.  I have usually been weighing myself at the end of my daily workouts in the gym.  I usually work out for about 1.5 hours just before lunchtime, having only eaten a very light breakfast.  The scale is kinder to me then.  But the few times when I have done a workout after lunch later in the evening, the scales are less generous -- sometimes by a good 2-3 lbs.

So, I am facing a dilemma about what will be an appropriate weigh-in moment to track my resolution outcome.  I think that what I will need to do is to try to find an appropriate middle ground.  Weighing myself right after my workouts is probably not an accurate reflection of my stable weight; but weighing myself within a half-hour or so of eating a meal is probably also not an accurate reflection of my stable weight.  So, what I will use as the measuring point for my resolution accountability is to find a mid-point between the end of a workout and a recently full belly.  Anyway, I'll think about how to do this some more.  For now, some visual evidence:

Sunday, March 4, 2012:

Compared to January 1, 2012:

Santorum the Troglodyte

This medieval joke of a candidate actually called Barack Obama a snob for, of all things, wanting to make sure that every American who wants to go to college can actually do so:



Let me tell you how infuriated I was to hear this.  First off, Santorum's negative representation of the value of a college education is a slap in the face of every working-class person who wasn't able to go to college, but who thinks of college as a sure path for upward social and economic mobility for their children and grandchildren.

It's offensive to people like my parents who never even graduated High School, much less attended any college class, but who sacrificed incredibly to make sure that college was not only an option, but also a reality for me and my siblings.

What Santorum is doing by propagating this line of horse manure is encouraging people against the values of higher education and reducing them to a life devoid of the opportunities that a college education can provide.

I would bet any amount of money that if Santorum went around and asked each of the members in his audience what they feel about elitist liberal college intellectuals, he'd get a pile of vicious hatred and resentment spewed forth about us college-educated types.  That's what he's angling for.  But if he went around to each of these folks individually and asked them if they thought college was important for their children and could be helpful to their futures, I'd bet dollars-to-doughnuts that 99% of them -- at least those who actually care about the future well-being of their children and grandchildren -- would answer affirmatively.  Snobs would they all be, if Santorum had anything to say about it.

In fact, there's not a person I know, liberal or conservative, rich or poor, literate or illiterate, etc., etc., for whom the prospect and opportunity to take advantage of a college education would elicit an outright negative response.  Lay a college scholarship on the lap of any parent for his or her kid and see if that scholarship is brushed off as nothing more than a losing proposition, a vehicle for liberal indoctrination, and the machinations of "snobs."  Anyone who would do such a thing is a fool, and Santorum is encouraging people to be fools.

The irony is that Santorum himself is college-educated.  The vast majority of this country's most productive and innovative and entrepreneurial and materially successful individuals are college educated.  And there's no question that college education is positively correlated with such success and accomplishment.  To say that Obama is a "snob" for wanting Americans to have access to a college education is one of the worst and most cynical displays of medieval feudalistic thinking I've ever heard come out of the mouth of a modern politician.  And to think that this person is a serious contender for the GOP presidential nomination!  To think that this troglodyte has a realistic shot at it!  There is a fundamental rot in the GOP that has made this possible.

And let me also turn to something else Santorum says in his regressive sermon.  He said that the reason why Obama wants folks to be college-educated is because he wants them to be shaped in his effete liberal intelligentsia image, and not in the working-class, non-college educated image of the folks sitting around in that room!  It's almost too absurd to even fathom imagining this is what Obama wants.  First off, the very people in the audience all likely want college for their kids and understand its value.  Second, where is the responsibility Santorum places on the folks in that very room for making sure that their kids are raised according to the wholesome values of hard-working GED holders?  What kind of backhanded insult is it to all the parents in that room who have college-age kids that Santorum implies that their parenting sucks so badly that when their kid steps onto a college campus, they will instantly be brainwashed by liberal college professors.  My God!  What is the matter with this man?  What is the matter with the GOP?  Where is the dignity and self-esteem of the people who would listen to Santorum excoriate them for believing that higher education is a good thing and then cheer him for his suggestion that they keep their kids uneducated and tied to the assembly line like they themselves may be?  What kind of parent listens to a political candidate who crushes a part of the American dream leading to upward social and economic mobility and cheers him on for it?  It is absolutely, gob-smackingly, unbelievably, mind-blowing absurdity.

Resolution Update

OK.  Back to the regular Sunday updates.  Sorry I missed last Sunday, but it was Mardi Gras.  More importantly, it was Thoth Sunday. And I was simply unable to post anything last Sunday.

Today, however, is a different story.

Backdrop: I'm back to my regular rigorous exercise regimen and back to a carefully managed diet.

On Thursday, I posted a mid-week resolution update and weighed in at 181.0 lbs.  That must have been a fluke, because on Friday I weighed in at 177 lbs, Saturday was 176 lbs, and today, after my workout this afternoon, which I just completed, I tipped the scales at 174.8 lbs.

One has to wonder about the reliability of the scale at the gym, but I figure if I use the same scale consistently, even the vagaries of the machine will be consistent over time.

In any case, I've only got less than 5 lbs to go to meet my goal.  If and when I hit that goal, I will get independent verification from a number of sources whom I will ask to confirm the results.

Here's my headshot photo from today (the hair is wild, but that's because I'm letting it grow back in from a really short cut):

Compared to my January 1, 2012, picture:

The change has been dramatic.  Even moreso in person, and when looking at my body.  Everyone notices and I have to admit it's a good feeling.

Anyway, that's where I am.  Until next week.

Currently Reading: Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist"

This Dickens classic is perhaps his second best-known book, following A Christmas Carol.  But how many have actually read the original?  I, for one, knew the story primarily from an abridged version of the novel in my younger years, followed by seeing the story both on stage in its well-known musical theater production as well as in the multiple movie versions that exist.  I never actually read the original until now.  And it's my first full read on my new Nook e-reader.  And I'm loving it!  I have the complete Dickens on my Nook, and I can't wait to read more.

Dickens has an incredibly witty and sarcastic way of criticizing the social and cultural absurdities of his day, even while telling tragic stories of abuse and deprivation.  One can easily see why he is considered one of the great writers of the past 200 years.

When I finish the book (and I'm about two-thirds of the way through now), I hope to post some reflections and thoughts.

I should mention now, though, that while I am enjoying the story, there are some parts of it that I find disturbing and troubling, especially his anti-Semitic stereotypes of Jewish characters in this particular novel.  While I understand that one needs to place this in its proper temporal context, it still doesn't diminish the blatantly shocking way this portrayal offends modern sensibilities of basic human decency.  I would have expected better of Dickens.

Koran Burning

There is this growing outrage on the part of conservatives for the Obama Administration's expression of regret and apology for the burning of many Korans in Afghanistan.

What strikes me about this attitude is that it represents everything that American shouldn't stand for.  First off, how outraged would these critics be at Afghanistan if it came to light that their military accidentally burned copies of the Christian Bible?  One can't be sure, but I'd venture to say that there would be some upset American Christians calling for some Afghan blood if such a thing were to happen.  Second, and more importantly, why would we ever want to lower ourselves to standards that we would and do abhor in others?  We are better than those who would burn Christian Bibles and not apologize for the disrespect to Christians that such an action would convey.  The descent into an "eye-for-an-eye" mentality is so un-Christian and un-American that it's mindboggling when coming from those who would fashion themselves as the pinnacle of Christianity and uber-American patriotism.  Third, it says a lot that conservatives would be so incensed by Obama's taking the high road, the Christian road for that matter, so as to take an action that is in every respect the morally correct thing to do, and then use it to effectively demean and belittle one's own country's President.  What does it say that these so-called patriotic Christian conservative so hate Obama that they even betray their own country's interests and their own Christian faith in this misguided criticism of Obama. Obama did the right thing both as a Christian and as a patriotic American in expressing his regret and apology for this incident, and anyone who can't see this is blinded by a hatred and vengefulness that borders on a questionable patriotism and a questionable Christianity.

I swear, the conservative derangement at work here is disturbing and confounding, though not surprising at all.

Blue Jays Win State Soccer Championship

Just got back from watching the Blue Jays pull a come-from-behind victory against St. Paul's, in a rematch of last year's state championship, which St. Paul's won 2-1.  This year, the Jays prevailed with a score of 3-2, with two goals in the last 10 minutes of the match.

And to top it off, in the Division I girl's state soccer championship game, the Mount Carmel Cubs defeated the St. Scholastica Academy Doves by a score of 2-1.

Some considerations: (1) Each of the Championship matches involved teams representing all Catholic Schools from the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area.  That says something in itself.  (2) More importantly, though, the two Southshore Catholic Schools from Orleans Parish took it to their Northshore rivals from St. Tammany Parish in good, healthy competition.  And I have to say, as a Blue Jay alum and a huge partisan of Orleans Parish culture over St. Tammany Parish culture, I take special relish in having schools from the oft-maligned "sin city" of New Orleans prove to the suburbs of the Northshore that much good does reside in and come out of New Orleans proper.

Congrats Blue Jays and Cubs!  (And I do tip my hat to St. Paul's and St. Scholastica, too.)  Congrats to the Catholic League of High School Sports for fielding an all-Catholic Schools Division I boys AND girls state championship soccer matches!

Also, a special thanks to that good samaritan, whoever you are, for chipping in a dollar to help cover my ticket.  Some misinformation about the ticket prices left me a dollar short at the ticket booth, and this wonderful lady in line behind me just gave me a dollar to make up the difference.  And even if she was rooting for St. Paul's, this lady's generosity was the best thing about the night for me.  That's what the Catholic League is REALLY all about!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  You were an angel tonight and God is surely blessing you for your kindness!

MBH Pottery at the Palmer Park Arts Market: Tomorrow, Saturday, February 25, 2012

Well, it's once again that time of the month when my lovely bride will again be out at the Palmer Park Arts Market setting up her booth to sell her pottery. The market will be running tomorrow, Saturday, February 25, from 10am-4pm. My B-2/3 has been hard at work all month and has added significantly to her inventory of pieces. So, even though the weather looks to be a bit iffy, if you want to support a great cause and pick up some wonderful pieces of handmade, high quality pottery as wedding gifts, birthday presents, very early Christmas or Hannukah gifts, or any other kind of gift, please do come out to the Arts Market this Saturday at Palmer Park on the corner of Claiborne and Carrollton Avenues and look her up. Of course, as usual, Michele will also be doing live demonstrations at her pottery wheel, so please come out, enjoy the market, and stop by to visit Michele to see how pots are thrown (and hopefully not at you!)

What My Kids Are Listening To: Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa "Young, Wild, & Free"

Can't say I'm too thrilled with the lyrics or the entire message, but when the moderately cleaned-up version gets played over and over on the local pop station, it's impossible to keep it from the kids.  All we can do is put it in proper perspective.  All that said, the rhythm is catchy:

Social Conservatism's Big Government Agenda

Most conservatives will argue that they are for smaller government; but those who identify as social conservatives are decidedly not, even if they argue that they are.

I was having a conversation with a conservative friend who was lamenting the state of morality in this country.  He wasn't doing so in any kind of patronizing or bombastic way, just noting that our society seemed to have lost some of its mooring and that the laissez-faire social attitudes that seem to be more and more defining of our culture have led to something that he couldn't quite define, but something that he thought just wasn't "good."

He didn't want to take it so far as to say that government was the place where this social malaise needed to be rectified, but he was suggesting that government should have some kind of role in encouraging people to live better lives, more moral lives.  He didn't suggest how this should be done, just that he thought it would be good if it were done in some way that didn't restrict freedom.

But I don't see how this is possible without ceding to the state some kind of control over our lives.

I suggested that the resolution to his concern was really looking more at individuals and in trying to cultivate a sense of personal honor and dignity at the individual level, and that the state should be responsible not for telling people how to live by a particular moral code, but rather promoting programs and policies that enhanced the dignity of the individual.

That is what I think the liberal project is when it comes to the state.

I don't want an oppressive government telling me how to live my life.  But I do want government, as a representative of the collective will of our American society, to find ways to remove obstacles to the realization of a dignified life for individuals such that they themselves arrive at a way of living that is "good."  Hence my support for universal health care, a living wage, and other such agenda items.  Do they represent coercion at some level?  Perhaps.  But it is the only way I know to regulate our society and to fulfill the obligations of the social contract with minimal impact on individual freedom and maximum impact on recognizing the dignity of the individual.  On this point, the Catholic Church's social teachings are exemplary; and I just wish more Catholics (and especially the hierarchy) would pay as serious attention to them as they do to sexuality.