What Has Been the Impact of the Ancient Greeks on Modern People

 It might seem so basic to modern people as to be hardly worth noting, but all of science, philosophy, economics, and politics hinges on one thing written by Aristotle in his book Metaphysics – and this is in spite of Aristotle being wrong in so many of his statements about the physical world and even being held up as an enemy of reason during the Renaissance.  In essence, he said, a thing is none other than itself. Or, as moderns like to say it, A = A.  The corollary to this is that A≠ non-A.  Without this idea there would be no computers, for how could we be certain that 0 is always 0?  Imagine the chaos in the computer industry if 0 ≠1 was not absolutely and always true!  Or what if malaria was hypothermia?  How could physicians treat either of those conditions? Or what if a bridge was both strong enough and not strong enough? It is this fundamental law of knowledge that not only tells us mercury must be present in unrefined cinnabar if refined cinnabar yields mercury, but it tells us that good ≠ evil, that truth ≠ falsehood, and that freedom ≠ slavery, and that regardless of what some Hindus, modern pagans, and free thinkers wish, all is not one.

A man who lived quite a bit earlier than Aristotle, who also to this day influences the whole world was Pythagoras of Samos (c. 570-c. 495 BC).  His influence on Euclid (c. 300 B.C.) was profound, as he invented the abstract mathematical thinking upon which geometry depends, and, in the discovery of what is now called the Pythagorean theorem, laid the foundation for modern mathematics.  The skyscrapers and space voyages of the 20^th and 21^st centuries would, simply, not happen without the ability to think of numbers apart from matter, such as coins, or land, or jars of wine.  But Pythagoras' contributions to the world are not only mathematical, though they all grow out of mathematics. 

When Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (A.D. 1646 – 1716) wrote, “When God calculates and thinks things through, the world is made” he was expressing a Pythagorean idea. When a mathematician won the Templeton Prize in 2008 for offering inductive evidence for the existence of God based on math, he really won the prize for advancing once facet of Pythagorean thought: That the Divine mind is expressed in numbers, which is really nothing besides the idea that if God if is real God must be rational, and if the world is rational it is because God is rational. 

But, probably, the idea Pythagoras had that has given people the most pleasure is that of music being rational and mathematical, that the most beautiful musical notes and harmonies are those defined by simple ratios, such as 1:2 and 3:4.  Without that idea Bach's St. Matthews Passion would not be, could not be.  For Bach worked out the mathematics of the music before an orchestra ever played it. The same is true of Pacabel's Canon in D, and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah which walks the listener through the mathematical structure of a common chord progression as he sings "it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift".  Even the comedic Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain demonstrates the mathematical basis of beautiful music in its round of Bart Howard's Fly Me To The Moon, Pacabel's Canon in D, Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive, and the Eagle's Hotel California.  In short, there is no modern man without the ancient Greeks.  

Selling

I have a new job.  I sell leads to car dealers.  Really, it is a species of advertising, so it isn't very different than what I did between 1997 and 2005.  Two days a week I take a train to Oakland.  The rest of the time I work at home.  It is emotionally draining - like a cross between playing a part on stage and rushing Turks at Galipoli -  but it is nice to be back in the trenches.

Vindication

UPDATE (10/26/10):  Since I wrote this post they've lowered rents to $1,500.  That is well below what I was charging and they have not filled their vacancies, which are more numerous than when I was managing the place.  It is killing me.  I want to call up the new manager and offer to help her but I don't think she'd appreciate it.

 --------------------------

When I was fired from my last position as an apartment manager I had one vacancy and rents were set at $1,600.  Given market conditions, I thought $1,500 to $1,550  was more realistic but I didn't have power to set the rents.  Anyway, as soon as I was gone rents were raised to $1,700, and new appliances and carpet were put in the unit.   It has been a few weeks since my departure and now they have three empty units. Last week they lowered their rent to $1,650.  Now they've lowered the rents down to $1,600.

I'm sure my former boss thought I was not doing a good job leasing the apartment in a timely manner.  And, honestly, even though the rent was too high, after it had been vacant a couple of weeks, I was beginning to think maybe it was my fault.  But that doesn't seem to have been the case.  Now, even though they've put new appliances and carpets in the vacant units they haven't been able to rent them.  I am not experiencing any happiness on account of them losing money.  (I hate to see capital lying fallow.) And I feel sorry for the new manager.  I'm sure she thought she was stepping into an easy job and is surprised to find three vacancies on her hands and the boss breathing down her neck. (He is a yeller.). However, I am feeling some relief that my firing seems to have been unwarranted.

In other news, I just talked to my new boss. (You might have heard of him.  His name is Jeff and used to blog with me about 6 ot 7 years ago.)  He is looking forward to me starting next Tuesday.

Vigils and Liturgies

The house blessing was today.  Fr. Basil had the boys carry crosses through the house during the procession.  Afterward we had pumpkin and pecan pie, made by Athanasia last night, and had a nice talk with Fr. Basil.

One of the things that came up was the possibility of changing the time of the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Nativity of Jesus.  It seems that there are some people who want to have the Divine Liturgy start right after the Vigil instead of starting after Sunrise, so that like at Pascha the Divine Liturgy would take place just after midnight.  I learned a couple of things during the conversation:

1. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem starts the Divine Liturgy right after the Vigil.
2. Holy Trinity Cathadral (my bishop's cathedral) didn't permanantly change the time to just after the Vigil.  Last year was just an trial balloon to see how it would go.
3. As expected, the people who oppose changing the time are those with children.  Kids hate midnight services.

I have no idea what my parish is going to do this year, but my family will do our best to be at all the services no matter the time.  I do wonder about the Patriarchate of Jerusalem's practice; did it develop before or after the Crusades?  Knowing that would go a long way toward settling my mind on the subject.

The Beat Goes On

Things have been pretty busy around here and life has been full of changes.  Among the changes are Anselm Samuel being enrolled in Willow Glen Elementary School.  He is in the 3rd grade.  I am worried.  That is the grade I was in when I started to get into trouble.  His diagnostic tests show he is where he needs to be in reading and a year ahead of where he needs to be for math.  I am a little worried about him being ahead in math.  I don't want him to spend a year reviewing stuff he already knows.  I think I will have him do the ACE books I bought him instead of the math homework his school assigns.

So, why did we put Anselm Samuel in a public school?  Because I have to get a new job and that means no homeschooling.  And I have already been offered a job.  I start in a week and one day.  I'll be working for BarNone, a marketing company that puts car dealers who finance sub-prime borrowers in contact with people who want to buy cars but are having trouble getting financing.

Athanasia and I are both taking the semester off from grad school, which is kind of funny since we both made the Dean's List and have been invited to join The Golden Key based on our work of the previous year.  Dean's List is nice, but we don't see a reason for joing The Golden Key.  It looks kind of like paying someone to pat your head and say "good job".  Actually, I'm going to delay restarting the history M.A. program and work on getting a California 5-12 teachers license first.  I'm trying to start work in that program in November if I can get all the papers filed in time.  Then, after I get the 5-12 teacheing license, I'll go back and finish the ancient history degree.  At least, that is the plan.

Today was the first day of the Parish Festival.  It was much fun.  Pickled herring on rye was the best part of the vodka tasting.  I thought maybe if I tasted several "quality" vodkas I'd be able to develop an appreciation for the stuff.  I tried.  Honest.  But, well, unless I've already been drinking for a while, I just don't like the taste of vodka.  You know when vodka is good?  I'll tell you.  Vodka is good when you've just spent an hour or two drinking several bottles of chmpagne and eating several jars of caviar with your wife and your God-daughters' parents.  Once everyone has had their own bottle of champagne, and maybe a little more, then I like vodka.  That's just the way I roll.

I'm thinking about buying one of these beautiful leather slings for my shotgun.  My gun doesn't have hardware for the typical sling, and I am reluctant to pay a gunsmith to put the hardware on the gun.

I've never used a sling like this, called a "slip-sling", and am wondering how easily it might unwantedly slip off either end of the gun while in use. The company that makes them has a great name: The Cowboy and Shooters Supply.  Given what I know about The Cowboy Way, I suspect they have a fair return policy, and if the sling doesn't work I'll be able to give it back to them for a refund.

Well, it is late. Must  go to bed as Divine Liturgy starts in just 10 hours.

What comes next

As far as I can tell, everyone dies the same way.  Rich, poor, old, peaceful, violent, young, weak, female, powerful, male, alone or surrounded by friends, death is all the same. Regardless of supposed differences, one moment we are here, the next moment we are there. The only important way one death is different from another has to do with who greets us on the other side.  

First meal in new place

Last night we cooked for the first time in our new place.  On the walk home from picking Basil Wenceslas up after kindergarten we stopped at a locally famous Italian deli and bought some of their sausages.  Once home they were cooked in a pan, sliced into bite sized pieces, and added to a tomato sauce.  It was served over a plate vermiglioni.  Very yummy.

This same deli does amazing business on Christmas morning.  The line of people waiting to pick up ravioli is out the door and down the block.  It must be fun to have a ravioli breakfast Christmas tradition.  I guess that is one advantage to going to Communion just after midnight instead of later in the morning.  But it doesn't outweigh the disadvantage of trying to be in church at midnight with small children.  Given that reality, I think I can live without ravioli on Christmas morning.

In other Christmas related news, Anselm Samuel's Cub Scout Pack has begun its annual Christmas wreath fundraiser.  I know, its hard to believe they are selling wreaths in September, but the orders have to be in by the end of October for the wreaths to be made and delivered in the first week of December. 

Moved but not yet unpacked

Our move was accomplished.  Most of our stuff has been unpacked.  In the unpacking I found my Mother's recipe for chile verde.

"CHILE VERDE 

2 or more cups boiling water

1 lb. round steak cubed

1 Tbl spon flour

2 Tbl  oil

1 sm. onion chopped

6-8 green chiles chopped

1 clove carlic chopped

1 t spoon salt

1/8 t spoon pepper

1 small can tomatoes

Sprinkle steak with flouer and brown steak and onions in oil.

Add chiles, garlic & water & seasonings (salt & pepper).

After simmering 1 hr. add tomatoes & more water, if needed.

Serve over steamed rice.

(You may want to double this.)"

The only time I cooked this - at a competition 10 or 11 years ago - I did double the recipe, except for the chiles.  I don't remember what kind of chiles my mother used.  I used jalapeños but thought they might be too hot for some of the people judging the competition.  Also,  I added 1/2 pound of quartered tomatillos when I added the chiles.   Instead of rice, I served with flour tortillas.

Now, I just wish I could find my Mother's recipes for pinapple fritters and twice-cooked ginger pork.

Congratulations to all Christians on this Bright and Glorious Day!

From the Website of the Orthodox Church in America

The Elevation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross of the Lord: The pagan Roman emperors tried to completely eradicate from human memory the holy places where our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and was resurrected for mankind. The Emperor Hadrian (117-138) gave orders to cover over the ground of Golgotha and the Sepulchre of the Lord, and to build a temple of the pagan goddess Venus and a statue of Jupiter. 

Big Changes

On Friday last my boss came by so we could talk about replacing the dryers (They have had a lot of repairs, recently.) and so I could show him the fence I think needs to be replaced.  As we were walking back to his car he said, "Matt, we're going to be making some changes here.  This is your termination letter." I was totally surprised.  When an apartment manager loses a job he also loses a place to live.  We have been packing and apartment hunting since Friday afternoon. 

On this day, Sep. 11 I drink Bud.

Homeschooling

Lately, Athanasia and I have suffered disagreement over the homeschooling of our son Anselm Samuel.  She is someone who likes structured programs.  So she signed our son up for a California at-home charter school called K12.  It is an amazing program.  A computer, a scanner, a printer, and dozens of books arrived in the mail.  There are lesson plans, and websites, and a teacher who stays in touch.  It is exactly the kind of program my wife loves.

I am someone who does not like structured programs.  I especially dislike a teacher who stays in touch. I always think I am right.  I don't like being told what I have to teach my children because I already know what I want them to know.  I have signed Anselm Samuel up for a program of workbook-based courses in math, English, social studies, and science from a company called ACE.  My mother used ACE for my high school education.  My plan was to use ACE workbooks, but really only insist he do the math and English, and augment that with art, science, and dance classes offered through various organizations in the city, Church, and the Cub Scouts.  This plan is very worrisome to my wife.  She thinks our son won't learn anything. She has no confidence in the ACE work books.  She is very very upset about it.

I am very much not worried about our son's education.  He's bright and curious and will, I think, learn the things he wants to know.  Really, I don't even believe in what people call elementary education, except for reading and writing.   But my wife sees his education as something existential. Her entire life is oriented to her children.  It is why she is so up-set with my semi-laissez-faire attitude. 

I am beginning to think this is because she is a mother.  My own mother was like this.  I was a year ahead in my schooling but my mother would get very upset if she saw me doing something other than school work during the day.  I remember one time she saw me reading a non-school related book and she yelled at me, shaking a wooden spoon at me, "You are not going to be 25 years old and still in high school!"  I graduated from high school 2 months after turning 17.

What I am certain of is Athanasia and I can not both be responsible for homeschooling. I am also certain that my wife will not leave me alone and let me do it the way I want to do it.  So, I am looking for a different job, one that pays as much as my wife earns at Stanford.  This will let her quit Stanford in order to manage the apartments and also be "The careful Mother Inftructing her children."

Looking for a new job won't be easy.  All I've done for the past few years is manage apartments.  I don't even have the clothes needed to get back into advertising.  And I think I am probably too old for it now.  Everyone in advertising is under 35.    I am not looking forward to this job search but I am looking forward to an absence of conflict.

Happy Feast Day!

Homily on the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God

by Saint Andrew, Archbishop of Crete

The present feastday is for us the beginning of feastdays. Serving as a boundary limit to the law and to foretypes, it at the same time serves as a doorway to grace and truth. "For Christ is the end of the law" (Rom 10:4), Who, having freed us from the writing, doth raise us to spirit. Here is the end (to the law): in that the Lawgiver, having made everything, hath changed the writing in spirit and doth head everything within Himself (Eph 1:10), hath taken the law under its dominion, and the law is become subjected to grace, such that the properties of the law not suffer reciprocal commingling, but only suchlike, that the servile and subservient (in the law) by Divine power be transmuted into the light and free (in grace), "so that we," sayeth the Apostle, "be not enslaved to the elements of the world" (Gal 4:3) and be not in a condition under the slaveish yoke of the writing of the law. Here is the summit of Christ's beneficence towards us! Here are the mysteries of revelation! Here is the theosis [divinisation] assumed upon humankind -- the fruition worked out by the God-man.

Down by the Riverside

About 12 or 13 years ago I saw three homeless guys at the Montgomery BART station singing this song.  They didn't have a tenor so I stepped up and sang those high notes.  Here is a version I just recently heard.  It becomes a rap and expands on the theme, ending with an excellent statement of the Theology of Baptism.  And this guy can rap almost as fast as the Bob Parent, the choir director at Holy Trinity Cathedral can chant the Trisagion Prayers.

This Is Why I Listen to Diana Krall

"Popular music has never been so unpopular. The top three songs in America right now are (3) Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream," (2) Taio Cruz's "Dynamite," and (1) Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie." Have you heard any of them? If you haven't, it's not because you live in a cave. It's because allegedly popular music now plays in caves sealed off from the rest of us. Pop music caters to a niche market of especially superficial suburban teens, urban denizens, and club-goers stuck in extended adolescence. Everybody else is pretty much left out, which explains the market void."

Read the whole thing here.  Or, just listen to Diana Krall.

A Beautiful Letter

July 14, 1861

Camp Clark, Washington

My very dear Sarah:

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days—perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more . . .

I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of the Revolution. And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt . . .

Sarah my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them for so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen our sons grown up to honorable manhood, around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me—perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness . . .

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again . . .

Sullivan Ballou was killed a week later at the first Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861.  

Icon on a Magazine Cover

Dear Tikkun,

I am an an Orthodox Christian.  I, somtimes, pray standing before an Icon of Ss. Perpetua and Felicitas.  I love them, together with the other Holy Martyrs who suffered together with them, Ss. Revocatus, Saturus, and Saturninus .  And when I first saw them on the cover of your magazine my first instinct was to Cross myself and kiss the cover.  Then I read the words printed on the cover.  I am sad you dessecrated their Holy Icon by using it to promote the evil of homosexual behavior.  It is hard for me to believe you would slander these two women like you did. Both Saints Perpetua and Felicitas were married women, the former a mother, the latter was 8 months pregnant at the time of her arrest and gave birth two days before whe was killed in the amphitheater.  The Icon you desecrated was not, as you implied by the words you printed on the cover, a depiction of a homosexual embrace.  Rather it shows that last act of the women, a liturgical act all Orthodox Christians are familiar with, the Kiss of Peace.  Yet, now, all who are uneducated who see the cover of your magazine will think these two were homosexuals.  Did they not sufer enough from the torturers and the wild animals that were set on them before their execution?  How dastardly of you.  But I am not writing to you to express outrage.  Instead, I am extending an invitation.  God forgives slanderers.  He even forgives those who cause others to fall by saying what is wrong is right. If you repent God will have mercy on you.

Matt

Oh Holy Images

My youngest son made a Cross out of baloons.  He brought it to me for veneration.  I kissed it.  He said,"Now it's a Cross but when I take it apart it's just baloons!"  Hmmmm. I don't think he's been reading St. John Damascene.   

The President's Favorite Philosopher

Do you remember when Geo. W. Bush was asked who his favorite philosopher was and he answered, "Jesus Christ"? I thought that was a pretty dumb answer.  Jesus is the the only true object of philosophy.  He is the Logos, the Giest, the All-Soul, the One, the Prime Mover the philosophers only had a vague idea about.  He is the one who holds all power and authority in Heaven and on earth.  He is an imperious King who accepts no rivals, who is busy battering down even the gates of Hell in order to expand his dominion.  He does not share space with Plato, Aquinas, Hume, or Kant.  He is the only wisdom the wise pursue.  In short, Jesus is the -sophy one must philo-.  So, it was pure dumbth that Bush said Jesus was his favorite philosopher.  Sure, there was a political reason he said it, and it paid off.  Nevertheless it was wrong.

I much preferred what Obama said about his favorite philosopher.  In the New York Times he said,"Have you ever read Reinhold Niebuhr? I love him. He's one of my favorite philosophers".  Aside from the fact that this is the kind of thing you'd expect an undergrad liberal arts major to say, we can learn quite a bit about the President from Niebuhr.   Probably the most important thing is that symbol - not the Greek understanding of symbol, e.g. two to or more things being merged so that experiencing one is the same as experiencing all - is more important than reality.  For instance, Niebuhr denied the physical resurrection of Jesus, writing in 1938,"I have not the slightest interest in the empty tomb or physical resurrection." Yet claimed it as a an important symbol for people's moral action to make the world a better place.  The Resurrection of Jesus isn't for the salvation of individual men.  Rather, it is a symbol that gives people enough hope - and all he means by symbol in this context is mythical ideas that motivate people -  to take public action.

But what about evil?  What about the sin that corrupts every heart?  If Jesus does not heal us what is to be done?  How can I live if Jesus did not trample down death?  What hope do I have if, as Niebuhr says, "Evil is not to be traced back to the individual but to the collective behavior of humanity."    The "world" is certainly loved by God, but I and you are the individual "whosoever" in needs Jesus.  For someone who denies the resurrection of Jesus, as Niebuhr did, who claims there is no such thing as immortal individuals this idea that salvation is really political action on the part of groups of people is probably the best answer possible.  

But the Church teaches that we are immortal individuals.  We are, each one of us, made in the image and likeness of God, and that we do, each one of us, live for ever.  Job said that though he die he, not some collective intellect, not a group of people making political actions, but Job himself would see his redeemer.


But Niebuhr, lake the serpent in the Garden, was partly right. There is a collective element to evil.  We see this in the Icon of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)  The children ("and a little child shall lead them") in the icon are all distinct persons.  But the adults, the same people who later in the week would cry out, "crucify him" are merged into one mass.  Their hearts were not pure, even as they shouted "Hosanna", thus they are depicted as merely parts of a group.  The sinful can not relate to Jesus as individuals, only as a mob.   

Sin is like that.  It is all the same.  It is truly infinitely less than the variety God offers because it shuns His infinitude in favor or repetitive sin.  Sin is repetitive and boring and constraining.  Consider the man who can only see women as potential sex partners.  How many amazing people has he ignored because they were too old, or too young, or too skinny, or too fat.  Even those women he notices he regards very narrowly, the most important thing about them is that he can have sex with them.  Compared to that fact, all other aspects of their persons, no mater how wonderful, pale in the mind of the man who regards their sex as their most important feature.  How boring!  How repetitive!  How horrible!  This man has closed himself off from the revelation of Himself God has built into every individual human being. Individuals matter not to him.  They didn't matter to Niebuhr.  But when Orthodox Christians approach the chalice for Holy Communion we are called by our names: "The servant of God Matthew receives...."  Truly, we approach God as part of a community, but it is a community composed of individuals.


Niebuhr embraces the denial of individuals.  His belief in some sort of non-personal collective salvation went hand in hand with his recognition that coercive force has to be employed to fight evil within large groups of people.  That "social justice" requires the strong hand of government is not a problem because the individuals being coerced are not as important as the group.  Because individuals don't last, are not immortal, it is okay to force them to do whatever is necessary for the good of the group, which does last.  Or, as Rudyard Kippling wrote in his famous poem, plenty for all is achieved "by robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul".  In this we can see why Niebuhr would be Obama's favorite philosopher.  

  

Why do they have problem with our national colors?

Do you remember the 1988 Democratic convention?  I do.  But the only part I remember, other than the fact that they let certain high ranking officials called "super delegates" vote, and that really mean speech by Anne Richards, is that when they built the podium they didn't make it red white an blue.  Instead, they chose muted shades of our national colors: Salmon, eggshell, and azure.

Now President Obama has changed the colors of the Presidential Seal on the oval office rug.  Though most presidents who've had the Seal on their rugs (Johnson was the first to put the Seal on the rug)  kept the colors the same as they always have been, Reagan was the first to change it.  In keeping with his vision of American greatness, and, perhaps related to the "Morning in America" theme he merged the seal with a blazing sun.  Pres. G.H.W. Bush went back to the traditional colors for the seal. Pres. Clinton kept the original colors. Pres. Geo.W. Bush kept the traditional seal but had rays of gold emanating from the seal, perhaps in remembering Pres. Reagan's rug.  But now, as is his right - it is his Seal, at least,  for a couple of more years -  President Obama has changed it to something the 1988 San Francisco Democrats would have loved.  New York Magazine calls it "a less optimistic rug".  I think they are right about that.  A lack of optimism might be part of the explanation, but I think there is more to it than that.  I think they dislike red white and blue, and other symbols of America because they dislike America. Our flag of red white and blue is the flag of the land where they live, but, I don't think, many of them would claim it is "the emblem of the land I love."

I really like my son Basil's Kindergarten teacher.  Each few days she teaches them a new song.  Basil comes home and says: "Daddy listen to my song my teacher taught me."  The songs so far have been "This Land is Your Land", "God Bless America", "Yankee Doodle", "My Country, 'tis of Thee", and "Your a Grand Old Flag".  Each time I've joined in the song with him and each time he was amazed that I already knew the words.  Yesterday, when he came home singing "Your a Grand Old Flag" I said, "Hey, I have something I want you to see".  And I played this video for him.  I wish president Obama and his followers would learn from it why the colors are red, white, and blue instead of salmon, eggshell, and azure.

Sing!

I found this on the web site of St. Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church.

The Ten Commandments of Congregational Singing

1. You shall sing!
2. You shall sing with your heart, with all your soul and with all your might!
3. You shall sing fearlessly, ignoring the possible wondering glances of your neighbors. They would like to sing with you if they had the nerve, and they will sing with you if you continue!
4. You shall sing joyfully, as it is written by the prophet Isaiah; "Sing, O heaven, be joyful, O earth and break forth into singing, O mountains!"
5. You shall sing reverently, for music is prayer!
6. You shall not be afraid to sing, for although an individual may pray in prose or even in wordless silence, a congregation must sing!
7. You shall not resist new melodies, for it is written in the book of Psalms:" O sing unto the Lord a new song!"
8. You shall not mumble the melody, but shall sing it out loud, even if with occasional mistakes.
9. You shall not hesitate to sing together with the trained chanters. They want you to join them!
10. You shall not forget the words of the Psalmist: I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live!

Add XI. YOU SHALL NOT DRAG!

It's eleven a.m. and I'm stopping to have some breakfast. Nothing too fancy, just a cup of coffee and a can of tuna, but it tastes good and is filling.  So far, this morning I tried to repair a door lock and after failing for 20 minutes, decided to install a new one.  I picked up the grounds.  I showed the painter what needs to be done in a vacant unit.  Later, I'll change a toilet seat in one of the occupied units.  I don't know how people break toilet seats.  I'm 41 years old and have never broken one.  I didn't even know it was possible until I took this job.    

In other news, we are trying to buy an income generating property in Vallejo.  It is slow going.  There are several 3 & 4 unit buildings that fall within our price range.  It's pretty amazing; the price difference between Vallejo and Santa Clara County.  Here we can't afford anything.  There we are looking at big profitable buildings.  And it is only on the north side of the bay.  Of course, I've already been thinking about where on the properties to plant the grape vines.

I began studying for the CBEST last night.  I don't have a real goal to be a high school teacher, but I think I'd like to have the credential just so I can fall back on it, if necessary.

My mouth is still asking, "why?"

Just in case someone offers you a Fernt-Branca and gin on the rocks have your "no" ready.

Investment tip

If I had money and wanted to turn it into more money I think I'd buy GE shares. Its trading near its 52-week low, has a PE ratio of 14, and, this is the important part, sells stuff people have to buy even in a depression. Just consider this one tiny little part of their business: Traffic lights. Next time you are stopped at a red light take a moment to count all the light bulbs (probably LEDs now) at that intersection. But what else do they sell? More like what don't they sell. Jet engines, jet engine parts, medical devices, health insurance, money, appliances (large and small), power plants, measuring devices, aluminum smelters, gauges (They probably made the gauges in the dashboard of your car, or at least, own the patents.), and 10 thousand other products and services. And, this might be my favorite part, they pay dividends (currently at 0.48) year after year after year.

I'm still doing well in silver and analog chips and I don't want to sell just to reinvest the money somewhere else, but if I had extra money and a 10 year horizon, GE is where I'd put it.

In other news, I've discovered that buying real estate is like a part-time job. It takes a lot of time a work. The purchasing experience is not much like buying anything else.

Yes, I am a Republican

I have a lot of very liberal friends. One is even a democrat politician. I live surrounded by Democrats. The people I vote for almost never win. But I wouldn't change parties for anything. When I was fourteen two things happened that made me a Republican. I read The Law and I went to the NAE convention in Orlando, the one were President Reagan called the Soviet Union an "evil empire". In one party I saw weakness and theft and slavery. In the other I saw men, and not very special men, except they were willing to say what was true, who were willing to stand up to evil.

And then there is the economic oppression we all suffer at the hands of the Democrats. I know people who are farmers who can't legally sell the food they grow because Democrats have made laws that prevent it. I mean, if someone wants to raise free range organic meat and slaughter it cleanly and humanely, why should the government be opposed? Because Democrats think its okay to use the government's power to tell people how to live and how to make a living.

I still see it the same way. I mean, the Democrats once nominated a man for President who wouldn't even avenge his own wife's rape and murder. Did they expect someone like that to take seriously his responsibility to so terrify the potential enemies of America they they wouldn't even think of attacking us? And now they have elected a man who bows his head to foreign nobles. What's up with that?!?! A man like that wouldn't even get to pour coffee at Republican County Committee meetings, let alone get to be President. Then there is that whole business about killing babies. Most, but not all Republicans think of it as murder, while most Democrats think of it as a sacrament. Weakness, slavery, and and death or strength, liberty, and life? For me its an easy choice.

I am so looking forward to the elections in November.

Saturday Soundtrack: Who is Daddy Claxton?

When I was a kid in Florida I used to play this song on my mom's old martin guitar. The Carter Family used to blast this song into the U.S. from across the Mexican border back before the big radio networks would play country music. I've heard that early version of the song, and it seems just a little bit too tame for a song about a steam locomotive burning up the tracks on a cross-country drive to deilver the body of Daddy Claxton to Dixie. I think this version reveals the true nature of that thrain: Wild, too fast, almost ready to jump the tracks. And who was Daddy Claxton? Maybe Roy Acuff knows, since he was the first to ad thatverse to the song, the earlist recordings of the song by the Carter Family do not know Daddy Claxton. Nevertheless, "may his name forever stand."

"We have concluded that when the principle of phyletism (i.e. ecclesiastical nationalism) is juxtaposed with the teaching of the Gospel and the constant practice of the Church, it is not only foreign to it, but also completely opposed, to it. We decree the following in the Holy Spirit: 1. We reject and condemn racial division, that is, racial differences, national quarrels and disagreements in the Church of Christ, as being contrary to the teaching of the Gospel and the holy canons of our blessed fathers, on which the holy Church is established and which adorn human society and lead it to Divine piety. 2. In accordance with the holy canons, we proclaim that those who accept such division according to races and who dare to base on it hitherto unheard-of racial assemblies are foreign to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and are real schismatics." The Pan-Orthodox Synod of Constantinople, 1872

There is a parish of the Orthodox Church in America in the little town of Saratoga. English is the liturgical language with some parts repeated in Slavonic and/or Greek. It has been there since since 1951 but still meets in a remodeled house on land it owns. It offers many services per week but on Sundays and some major feasts it violates The 80% Rule. The parish needs a larger temple. It struggles financially.

There is also in Saratoga a more recently established parish of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It was established in 1961 but has few services per week. It has plans for a beautiful temple and meets in a temporary building on land it owns. I might be wrong about this, but it does not seem to be any closer to building the new temple than it was 10 years ago.

Suggestion: Merge these two parishes, build much larger building designed by this firm, sing the services in English with Serbian, Slavonic, and Greek. Sell the smaller property, and incorporate two 3-bedroom apartments in the design of the church for clergy and their families. The parish name could be "Orthodox Christian Church of Ss. Michael and Nicholas". They could have two altar feasts each year. And there is recent precedent out of England for a parish having two bishops, which would have to be the case until the Great and Holy Council unifies the jurisdictions in America.

Wisdom of the Ancient Greeks

The ancient Greeks were able to achieve remarkable things, no doubt. Philosophy, science, viniculture, art, politics, and architecture were advanced greatly by the Greeks. How? How were they able to do this when people in other civilizations were just struggling to get ahead? Well, the Greeks didn't spend a lot of time accumulating personal wealth. They were satisfied with a roof, one garment, and a diet consisting of wine, olives, a little grain and, and once in a very great while, meat and some cheese. Even the furnishings of their houses were plain. Sparta went so far as to mandate rough-hewed ceilings and door posts in order to make fancy furniture look out of place.

If I lived as simply as an ancient Greek, or as simply as an early Christian, or as simply as all Orthodox monks - ummm, except for the obligations of marriage, of course. Or as quite a few of my non-monastic brothers and sisters. What might I achieve then?

He Will Not Let You Fall

"But the righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest. For old age is not honored for length of time, nor measured by number of years; but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe old age. There was one who pleased God and was loved by him, and while living among sinners he was taken up. He was caught up lest evil change his understanding or guile his soul. For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving desire perverts the innocent mind. Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took him quickly from the midst of wickedness. Yet the people saw and did not understand, nor take such a thing to heart, that God's grace and mercy are with his elect, and he watches over his holy ones." Wisdom 4:7-15

Excerpt from the Synodikon

To those who study Hellenic sciences and do not take them as tools of instruction only but follow their futile theories, being so thoroughly convinced of their truth that they shamelessly introduce them and teach them to others, sometimes secretly and sometimes openly, anathema! anathema! anathema!

Saturday Soundtrack: All the best songs are about trains

The Orange Blossom Special, City of New Orleans, and Wabash Cannon Ball are just a few of the trains to have inspired great songs. Of all of them, the Orange Blossom Special is my favorite. I think about being on a train leaving New York in the wintertime and arriving in Miami. What a wonderful trip it must have been. Here is the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain performing their unique version of the song. I lived in Florida long after the Orange Blossom Special was retired, but the song makes me miss the Sunshine State.

The Reading List For Advent And Nativity

Usually in June or July I start thinking about the coming of the Nativity Fast, Nativity, and Theophany. I keep an eye out for new books to add to the collection below. I mentioned the collection to a friend and she asked me for the list of titles. Here it is, mostly without comments.

In the Orthodox Church, The Nativity Fast, which is also called Advent start on Nov. 15 and continues through Decemer 24. The feast of the Nativity of Jesus, also called Christmas begins on December 25 and continues though December 31, which we call "The Leavetaking of Nativity. December 6 is the Feast of the Theopany. The period from December 25 through January 5 are commonly called the Twelve Days of Christmas. All the days between these dates I've mentioned are full of activity and observances but these dates are the major ones.

Beginning on November 15 we begin reading to our children the books from this collection, augmented by new purchases, gifts, and the pulic library.

Christ in the Old Testament
This is a very good book. Essentially, it is a collection of 14 or 15 Old Testament passages and their corresponding fulfilments in the New Testament. For example, on the page titled Root Of Jesse are Isaiah 11:1-2,10 and Luke 4:17-21. Now this might seem a liitle boring for pre-school children, and it is. But the illustrations by Niko Chocheli are captivating. A three year old can be kept busy counting crosses, or churches, or grape clusters. A 6 year old can be fascinated by the story salvation told in pictures all through the book. For example, on page is framing the scriptures is leviathan with a hook through his tongue, on the next is leviathan's carcass below the satisfied visage of a lion. And if one knows iconology and alcchemical symbology the illustrations (for example the pelican on the border of the page talking about the Creation of the world) on the pages do not just make the page pretty but call to mind layer upon layer of meaning.

Beginning on December 1 we read one installment each night of the Advent Storybook.

I can only give this book, The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean a so/so recommendation. Its a good story but the writing syle is a little stiff and by youngest son was bored by it last Advent. He had just turned 4. The book is 24 chapters in which a boy interacts with a cranky old craftsman who is employed by a church to carve a Jesse Tree. It also tells the Story of Salvation, from Eden to Bethlehem. I got a kick out of the introduction that talked of "puritan vandals" destroying the icons in England. If you are a protestant you might not want to read the introduction aloud.

Books read on particular days:
A. On December 13 we read St. Herman of Alaska by S.A. Smith
B. On December 24 we read What Men Live By by Leo Tolstoy
C. Sometime during Hanukah we read The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket
D. On December 27 which is the the 3rd Day of Christmas, which is St. Stephen's Day we read Stephen's Feast by Alice Englander
E. On the day we begin decorating the house we read The First Noel by Jan Pienkowski and then hank it from the ceiling.


These are two activity books. Your kids might like looking at them but they are really for parents to use. These are a good homeschooler resource.
A. The Season of Christmas by Constance Tarasar (Orthodox Church in America, Dept. of Religious Education, 1980)
B. Advent Arts and Christmas Crafts by Jeanne Heiberg (Paulist Press, 1995)

Beginning on the on the Sunday before the Nativity, when it is just too hard to wait anymore, we start reading aloud from this list and don't stop until after Theophany:
1. Pappa's Itchy Christmas by Angela Shelf Medaris
2. The Toys' Night Before Christmas by Susanna Ronchi
3. The Remarkable Christmas of the Cobbler's Sons by Ruth Sawyer (If your children are little get ready to hear "Schnitzle! Schnotzle! and Schnootzle!" yelled very loudly and very often.)
4. The Animal's Merry Christmas by Richard Scarry
5. Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo
6. The Tale of the Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt
7. Corgyville Christmas by Tasha Tudor
8. One Wintery Night by Ruth Bell Graham
9. Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt
10. A Christmas Treasury by Christian Birmingham (illus.)
11. The Nativity by Francesca Crespi (Its a Pop Up book and my 4 year old loved it last Christmas)
12. Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck (There will be tears.)
13. The Friendly Beasts by Tomie dePaola
14. A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg
15. One Christmas by Truman Capote
16. A Treasury of Old Fashioned Christmas Stories by Michele Slung
17. The Miracle of the First Poinsettia by Joanne Oppenheim (I don't like this one too much but my kids boys do.)
18. Wenceslas by Geraldine McCaughrean (Same story, Better illstrations, but worse writing than Stephens Feast.)
19. I Saw Three Ships by Elizabeth Goudge (I can not recommend this book highly enough. So unbelieveably amazingly astoundingly good!!!!)
20. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
21.December by Eve Bunting


We also read the Christmas portiond of the Little House books, The Wind in the Willows, and The Keeping of Christmas at Brace Bridge Hall which is being published again after many decades as Old Christmas.

A new book that I am adding to the readings this year is O Holy Night: Masterworks of Christmas Poetry
There are a couple of books adult readers might enjoy (I did):
An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor
Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon.

Basil's First Confession

My youngest son, Basil Wenceslas went to confession for the first time. I wasn't expecting it, and I didn't prepare him for it, and I have no idea what he might have confessed. But he wanted to go, and my eyes were off of him for a minute, so he ran up to the priest. I thought, "Well, hes already there..." I saw him and the priest talking by the Cross and the Gospel. I saw the priest nodding his head. Then Basil got on his knees and the priest prayed for him.

Later I asked him what the priest said, he started to tell me what he said instead and I said, "no no. We don't talk about things that don't exist anymore. When you go to confession God forgets so they no longer exist." He was puzzeld by that and said, "We can remind him next time". Sadly, that is often the case isn't it? But I said, "no we don't do that. But tell me, what did the priest say?" I was thinking maybe he gave Basil istructions for confession and I wan't to know what they were so I could remind Basil of them next time. But Basil said that all the priest said was "That's okay. That's okay." And I thought, "Yeah, that's right. Jesus makes everything okay."

The Feasts are Comming

We are just a few days away from the start of the two week fast that preceeds the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. At about the midpoint of that fast is the feast of the Transfiguration. These are two of the Church's major feasts but sometimes they can be overwhelmed by the activities of Summer. Leah put something by St. John of Krondstat on her blog that we should all heed. I'm going to put the saying below, but you should still click on the link above a read all the helpful things on that blog. It's like a visit to a spiritual spa.

At the approach of a great feast you must watch yourself with particular care. The enemy endeavors beforehand to chill your heart towards the event being celebrated, so that you will not honor it by whole-heartedly considering its reality. He acts upon us through the weather, or through the food and drink we have taken, or through his own arrows thrown plentifully at the heart and inflaming the entire person, at which time evil, impure and blasphemous thoughts occur to us, and we feel thoroughly averse to the solemnity (of the feast). We must overcome the enemy by forcing ourselves to meditate and pray devoutly.

~St. John of Kronstadt

In Dreams: Saturday Soundtrack

Roy Orbison, whom Elvis Presley said was the best singer ever, wrote this song after forgetting another song, he said to himself, "A candy-colored clown they call the sand man" and went to sleep. During his sleep the song came to him, and when he awoke he made a quick demo. The first time the song was a hit was in 1963. The second time, in 1986, is when I remember hearing the song for the first time.

In early October 1986 had just come home from flunking out of the U.S. Army's Chaplain Assistant course (I couldn't type 20wpm. Now I do 60+. Go figure.) and no one was home to greet me. I didn't quite know what to do with myself so I went to see movie. The film was David Lynch's Blue Velvet. This song was featured in the film and I've like it ever since. Later on I'd see all of Lynch's films (I wonder what I saw in them now.) and serve in the 101st Airborne Division. But that first day back from failure, while seeking distraction, this song just floored me.

There is a funny story about Roy Orbison that Bruce Springsteen tells. He was was talking to Roy and said, "Roy I get up on stage and run around, and scream, and jump up and down, and just wear myself out to put on a good show, but you just walk out and stand there, and have the audience in the palm of your hand the whole time. How do you do that?" To which Roy replied, "Well, I'm a singer."

This is the video that came out with the Movie Blue Velvet.

Beginning to Feel Like Christmas

We had a cool day. I think the thermometer only got up to 75F in San Jose today, and its in the mid 50s now. I couldn't help thinking about Christmas, and hot cocoa all day. So, late this afternoon I went to the library and got this book to read to Basil Wenceslas. (Anselm Samuel is visiting his Aunt in San Francisco this week.) I got choked up by this story about a girl and a doll.

It isn't an explicitly Christian book, but in it we see that doing the right thing isn't always easy, that evil is vanquished in the end, that important things are going on in the world but people are blind to them, and that our lives are not complete when lived for ourselves alone. I might have to buy this book and add it to the Christmas book shelf. Hmmmm. I should probably post a list of all the Christmas books I read to the boys each year.

If it is still cool tomorrow, maybe, I'll make some hot cocoa.

Love: The beginning of theology

"Theology, mysticism, spirituality, moral rules, worship, art: these things must not be kept in separate compartments. Doctrine cannot be understood unless it is prayed: a theologian, said Evagrius, is one who knows how to pray, and he who prays in spirit and in truth is by that very act a theologian. And doctrine, if it is to be prayed, must also be lived: theology without action, as St. Maximus puts it, is the theology of demons. The creed belongs only to those who live it. Faith and love, theology and life, are inseparable. In the Byzantine Liturgy, the Creed is introduced with the words, ‘ Let us love one another, that with one mind we may confess Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Trinity, one in essence and undivided.’ This exactly expresses the Orthodox attitude to Tradition. If we do not love one another, we cannot love God; and if we do not love God, we cannot make a true confession of faith and cannot enter into the inner spirit of Tradition, for there is no other way of knowing God than to love Him." - Bishop Kallistos

(Painting: "Two Peasant Women", 1878

Thinking about death

Sometimes, I think I have many years ahead of me. But other times, like right now and other times during the last two weeks I've wondered if I would live through the next few minutes. I've been having unusual chest pains. I've heard that heart attacks make a person's left arm hurt, and make a person feel short of breath. I've had neither of those symptoms but, still, it is a little worrisome. Well, that isn't really what I wanted to talk about. We all die sometime, don't we? There's nothing we can do about it but prepare for it. I have enough life insurance that my wife will be okay financially, at least for a few years. But there is eternity to think of. That is what I am, mainly, thinking about right now...

The hour of death will come upon us, it will come, and we shall not escape it. May the prince of this world and of the air (cf. John 14:30; Eph. 2:2) find our misdeeds few and petty when he comes, so that he will not have good grounds for convicting us.
Otherwise we shall weep in vain. ‘For that servant who knew his Lord’s will and did not do it as a servant, shall be beaten with many stripes’ (cf. Luke 12:47).

~St. Hesychius the Priest

I am looking forward to Confession later today. O God, be merciful to me.

The Apostles Speak to the Presbyterians

Good Vibrations: Saturday Soundtrack

Once again, the song I'm putting up here is one I first emmenating from my older brother Mark's (My mother and Ronald Reagan were Beach Boys fans, too.) room sometime between 1975 and 1979. There are other good Beach Boys songs but this one is associated with a very vivid memory from my several years (1982-1987) in Tampa. One Saturday a friend and I went to a water park called Adventure Island. It was one of the best days I ever had. And as I was reclining at the edge of a wave pool I heard this song. It just seemed to sum up the day and my hopes for the future.

The song was released by the Beach Boys in 1966 and immediately became a number one hit. Brian Wilson, the author and producer called it his pocket symphony. Mojo Magazine called the song "The Greatest Single Ever". Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #6 on their list of Greatest Songs of All Time.

Last Night

My friend Jeff and I got together. I think it might have been the first time since the Trisagion prayers for my son, Billy. On the way to San Francisco where we were to meet at Sam's Grill (It's the oldest restaurant in S.F., established just after the Civil War.) I was able to read much of one of my textbooks. That is, I think my favorite thing about the train: An hour and a half of near quiet, in a reasonably comfortable chair, and a good book.

When I got to San Francisco I got on the 30 to head up to Bush Street. I hadn't taken the 30 in a few years and wasn't entirely certain it was the right bus. I thought maybe the 45... Anyway, I asked the driver, "Does this bus go to Bush?" She slowly turned her head to look at me with her misshapen eyes, one lid almost closed. She paused to licked her lips - her tongue sliding over cobblestone teeth - and said in a whisper "All buses go to Bush". Then she turned to face the front of the bus, laughed, and floored the accelerator pedal. I fell over into an empty seat but righted myself before the next stop. And that is where - surprise! - my friend Anastasia got on the bus! We had a short but fun conversation about our books (we are both writers). Short because she had to get off at Market Street but fun nonetheless.

I got off near Bush and walked over to Sam's where I drank Wild Turkey on the rocks until Jeff got there. For dinner he had sole. I had veal. I really wanted the calf liver but felt it was overpriced. After dinner, which was very good, we walked up Belden Place to pine and the Occidental.

The Occidental is one of the few places in California where you can smoke inside without breaking a law. They are able to allow smoking because the owners are the only people who work there. It was a great good time. Barman Jake was really happy to pour samples. I tasted a 50 year old Irish Whisky (I forget the name now) that was the best whiskey I ever tasted. It is my opinion that most whiskey is too sweet and that sweetness smothers all the other flavors, but not this one. I tell you, I could taste the dirt of County Cork in that glass!

After a Fonseca 10-10 Maduro (very nice, good spice, a little dry) I took out my pipe and filled it with bourbon soaked burly leaf. Jeff had a Fonseca 10-10 Maduro and a lonsdale size Arturo Fuente natural. He said he liked the Arturo Fuente, which I thought was nicely aromatic, more than the Fonseca. Then something interesting happened.

The Canadian man to my left, dressed like million dollars, said to Barman Jake,"want to trade me for a Cuban hand-rolled?" Jake took a look at the cigar. He took a step forward. He looked around the bar."What is it?" he asked, half to himself. The man to my left, a Canadian, quieted his voice answering, "it was made by a roller in a state factory from his own daily ration. Do you want to trade?" Jake looked around the bar again. Looked at the cigar again, and said,"I can't but maybe one of my guests would want to trade you." The Canadian glanced at me, and I offered, "I'll trade you an Arturo Fuente" and the deal was done. I have to admit that until last night I thought the Cuban cigar legends were exactly that, legends. I always thought they couldn't be that much better than Honduran, Dominican, or Jamaican cigars. But I was wrong. What I had last night was the most expertly rolled cigar I have ever smoked. It was like the ocean and soft leather and chocolate and caramel and cinnamon and warm Caribbean breezes and fresh coconut juice and the brown thighs of Cuban women. I wish I had the vocabulary to describe that cigar. All I can say is that the Cuban cigar I smoked last night was the telos of the tobacco leaf.

The last thing I drank while at the Occidental was a glass of the best rum I have ever tasted. Now Bacardi used to be a client of mine back when I was an ad man, and I have been loyal to them, only drinking their product on those extremely rare occasions when I drink rum. So, as I was smoking a Cuban cigar I thought I'll have a Cuba Libre, but Barman Jake had other ideas. He said, "Why would you want to ruin rum with sweet soda?" and I didn't have a good answer. He asked what rum I'd like, and I said something about only drinking Bacardi. Now, as I mentioned above, Barman Jake enjoyed offering samples. So it seemed only right that I taste every sample offered. I tasted many before I tasted the best rum ever and ordered a glass of the best rum ever. Zaya. It is from Trinidad & Tobago and it is excellent. It was like drinking a chocolatey cane syrup, but it wasn't syrupy.

After we left the Occidental I noticed we were on Kearny Street, home of my fave Vietnamese place (It is one or two doors down from the House of Nanking and 10,000 times better). The most amazing imperial rolls I have ever tasted. I am not kidding about this. They are amazing! And super inexpensive. I implored Jeff to go get some with me, but he begged off, claiming work the next morning. So, he hopped on BART and went back to the East Bay,and, well, I didn't want to eat imperial rolls alone, so I walked down to the train station (Oh! I walked by the Hotel Utah on my way to the train station. So many good memories of that place.) and came home. It was a good night. I haven't done anything like that in a couple of years. Didn't really have the time or money for it last night, but it was fun, and my grades this semester are good enough that I can risk one wild-ish night.

Oh! News: Jeff changed churches. He is CMA now (Yes, he does change denominations often, but they are all very like each other.) and is pursuing ordination. And I think he is going to go duck hunting with me. He has a boat!

A Hike

On Saturday morning last I lead Cub Scout Pack 204 on a three mile hike to the lime kilns at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. It was a much fun experience. The kilns provided most of the lime for cement used in the construction of San Francisco. They closed down in 1919. The route we took was gorgeous. It was like being in a forest not touched by man since creation. Except, 90 years ago there wasn't a tree within 2 miles of the kilns. They had all been felled to feed the fires. It is amazing how it has grown back.

After the hike Anselm and I stopped by the book store at St. Lawrence Orthodox Church to by some charcoal for the censer. I use the smallest diameter disks they sell and break them in half but they are still too big. The longest service I do at home is Matins and the charcoal is still burning when I am done. I tried to break it into even smaller pieces but that just makes a mess. Also, Anselm got an Icon of the Descent of the Holy Spirit. He was pretty excited. As he said "it's my first major feast icon!"

Then we stopped by our fave grocery store and bought lunch: Figs, peaches, and Pirate Booty.

Then we drove home and I wrote several pages on the history of wine (FYI: Archaeology supports the Noah planting a vineyard story. All evidence points to the earliest wine making operations being in what is now SE Turkey/NE Iran, which is in the vicinity of Mt. Ararat.)

Picture: Anselm is on the right. They are standing in front of one of the lime kilns.

Satuday Sound Track: Decmber 1963

The very last hit by the Four Seasons was the first of their songs I remember hearing. In 1978, when I was just 8 years old, someone gave me a K-Tel LP of disco hits. One of the songs on the LP was December 1963. It was my favorite song on the record.

The song had been originally released in 1975 on "Who Loves You" and was on the first Four Seasons album to feature someone other than Frankie Valli singing most of the lead vocals. (Valli had lost much of his hearing to otosclerosis, since repaired by surgery.) It was the biggest hit the Four Seasons ever had.

Biggest Christmas Ever: Prologue (draft 2)

I'm not going to put the whole book on this blog. But I thought, maybe, Gentle Reader, you might be interested in what I am writing besides history papers.

--------

Prologue
The Last Normal Christmas


Max's Dad, his Uncles Jake and Raul, and his brother Ben were watching a football game in the living room while Max, his Mom, aunts Katie and Piper, his older sister Claudia and twin sister Leslie, and Max's cousins were in the den, what his sister, Claudia liked to call "the parlour" eating popcorn and waiting to open the presents under the tree. The only person in Max's family who wasn't there was his Great Great Aunt Irene. They had already had Christmas dinner, pizza, and were eager to get to the presents.

It wasn’t really Christmas but that’s the way it was in Max's family. They never really had Christmas on Christmas because someone always had to be somewhere else on December 25. As far back as Max could remember, they always had Christmas at least a week early. Which is why Great Great Aunt Irene wasn't here. She was very old and very old-fashioned and would not celebrate Christmas one day early. Also, she lived in the big city a couple of hours away.

Finally, Aunt Katie began chanting – "We want Christmas. We want Christmas" – all of the kids joined in and marched into the living room trying to get Dad, and Ben and the uncles to come open presents. But there were still 8 minutes left in the football game, and as everyone knows, that means there was really half an hour to go until the game was over. So they went back into the den and waited.

Finally the game was over, the television was turned down (but not off) and the football fans joined the others in the den. Dad handed the family Bible to Uncle Jake, saying, “You read it this year” so Uncle Jake read…

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem….

Finally, he got to the last line about the shepherds glorifying God and Mom said, “Okay! The spiritual stuff is over let's get to the important part” and we all yelled THE PRESENTS!!!! Everyone except Claudia. For a second, Max thought she looked sad.

But if you want to talk about sad, that happened after the presents had been opened. Max kind of felt like, "is that it? Is that all I get?" But he really did get a lot. His presents included the action figures he wanted, and a new rocket set, two new video games, a scooter, socks (from his Mom) and a lot of candy. But he still wanted more. And then he felt bad for wanting more instead of being happy with the things he got. He even cried a little bit, and Aunt Katie said “Why is Max crying?” Max quickly answered for his mother, “I’m just so happy! I love Christmas.” But Claudia gave Max a strange look. She knew. In fact, she felt the same way Max felt.

The next few days were blah. There were still Christmas specials on TV, and there were people saying “Merry Christmas”, and the Wilcox family kept their Christmas tree up. But for the whole family Christmas had been over for six days by the time Christmas Eve arrived. Between the night they opened presents and Christmas Max zoomed around the neighborhood on his new scooter, played video games, and mainly tried not to be bored.

And then on Christmas morning there were stockings to open. But it wasn’t a big deal to Max. He just woke up and found a stocking at the foot of his bed. His house didn't have a fireplace at which to hang stockings, so the foot of the bed had to do. In the stocking were some colored pencils, more candy (but Max was already tired of candy), and a new belt. He was happy to get the presents. He didn’t feel the disappointment he had felt 7 days earlier. But he didn’t feel excited either. This was really just another day, but with a new belt, some colored pencils and some more candy. To tell you the truth, he was happy Christmas was finally over. For Max, and the whole Wilcox family, the last week had seemed like a strange time, Christmas was over but not really. It was like a zombie Christmas they couldn't get rid of. None of them liked it very much, but its what they always did and habits are hard to break.

Saturday Soundtrack: Singing Theology

I was six years old and it was a Sunday night service and we sang this song. My Dad, one of the the best preachers in the Pentecostal style (I've heard hundreds of them so I think I am a fair judge.) used it as the launching pad for a sermon on the resurrection of the dead and the second coming of our Lord. I remember his exact words. As the last word of the song was being drawn out and before the last last note faded away his voice rose above all the others and he said...

"O Church, don't think this isn't true. Don't think for a minute it isn't true. The Angel asked 'why are you standing there looking up? Jesus is coming back in the clouds the same way he left.' We have the assurance of the Apostle Paul that 'the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air...'"

And he was off like a race horse at the sound of the bell.

I'm sure I was in the room many times when this song was being sung but that summer night I really heard it for the first time. It was like my ears were open in a way that has seldom been experienced since. And the song prepared me to hear the words of the angel and of St. Paul that my Dad was going to quote at the start of his sermon.

I have never forgotten. It is still my hope. Sometimes, on warm nights like tonight I find myself humming this song. I think tomorrow, after the Divine Liturgy I'll teach it to my boys.





James Black, 1893 (Rev.20:12)

1. When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
* Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
2. On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
3. Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Grad School, Volunteering, and Other Stuff

Beginning last week the amount of work I am doing in grad school has increased dramatically. For example, since last Sunday I've written a 6 page paper on the tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus, 3 pages on Athenian ostracism, 3 pages on the role of the Roman army in the enculturation of conquered peoples, 6 pages on the the 1st and 2nd century B.C. stresses on the Roman constitution, and still have due (on Sunday evening) an assignment on Greek drama during the age of Pericles. This is in addition to 400 pages of assigned reading. I am having a blast! I'm thinking about applying for a fellowship so I can work on a Ph.D. Oh, wait. There's no money in this. What am I thinking?

Today I volunteered to serve on my city's Independent Police Auditing Commission. Essentially, the commission advises the judge who investigates police misconduct and makes recommendations to the City Council and Chief of Police. I don't know how many people have volunteered but the judge will only pick 10 people. I hope she picks me. It sounds like a very fun job and I have a feeling it comes with doughnuts and coffee.

I sent a book proposal to an agent a couple of days ago. I keep checking my email but haven't heard anything yet. Almost as soon as I sent the proposal I thought of a dozen changes I should have made. O well, if this agent doesn't like the proposal, I'll make the changes before I send it to the next agent.

Well, I have a door jamb to repair and kids to take care of tomorrow, and won't have time to write those pages on Greek drama tomorrow, so I better get to work on it now.

Oh, one more thing. I took Basil Wenceslas and Anselm Samuel to Powell's late in the afternoon today. Anselm got something very strange. It was a soft drink with the following name: "Looks Like Orange Tastes Like Grape". It lived up to its name.

What I Heard at the Vigil Tonight

The Gospel reading at the vigil tonight, the Festal Vigil for the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, was the last bit of the Gospel of John. And what I heard was Jesus asking Peter three times, "Do you love me?" And it occurred to me, "Three times. That's the same number of times Peter denied Jesus. Wow! Jesus just helped Peter repent. He perfectly met Peter's need. He does that for me, too." And what up to that point had been for me, at the end of a long hot day, a difficult service to pay attention to, became like heaven. Even now, after being home for a while, it seems like the words of that Gospel reading are glowing in my mind.

Also, if anyone from Ss. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Ben Lomand, California is reading this, Happy Feast Day! And thank you. Yours was the first Orthodox parish I ever attended. It was a vespers service and it began to answer all the questions that had been piling up for several years. Thank you.