The Night Writer -

Friday, May 29, 2009

The Night Hens: Kevin Revisited

by The Night Hens

I hope you all remember a couple months ago when we did a Night Hens about Kevin. Here's part 2:

Kevin Revisited
The sequel to Regarding Kevin.

RM: (referring to the cold coffee) This is good, but I don't find it quite as satisfying as the hot coffee.
TL: I hope that semi-cute guy in the white shirt doesn't think we're stalking him or something, cuz we have to keep an eye on the bikes that just happen to be behind him.
RM: It's funny to watch this guy's facial expressions who's sitting right outside the window. He laughs to himself and yawns a lot.
TL: He must be plotting world domination.
RM: I don't think so. I think he's a terrorist.
TL: World domination. Is he a terrifying terrorist?
RM: He's not too terrifying, he has a purse. Oh, and now he has a waffle with whipped cream and a strawberry on top!
TL: The horror!! The horror!!! It's too much for my delicate sensibilities.
RM: He looks rather self satisfied, though.
My legs are cold. Don't your long jeans get caught in your bike chain?
TL: *shakes head, mouth full of banana chocolate chip muffin* That was delicious.
RM: Cold press coffee is good, but it makes me cold.
TL: Really?
RM: Yeah.
TL: Did you expect anything different?
RM: I didn't know that cold-press coffee was cold coffee. I'm going to the bathroom.
TL: Amazing. That is superbly extraordinary. *plays Solitaire*

RM: Did anything funny happen while I was gone?
TL: Nope.
RM: I think the terrorist is taking a personality quiz.
TL: What makes you think that?
RM: He's scratching his head and writing things -- well, maybe he's just taking a test. There's a piece of paper with questions on it. He writes things down and grins. It's making me a little nervous.
Now he's on the phone with his leader in the Taliban.
He keeps calling people and then writing down answers! He's saying, 'Do you think I'm really like this?' and they say, 'No, you're actually like this.' He's going through a period of self examination. Really intense self examination.
I ate that whole gosh darn muffin. Probably had a thousand calories. It's the last thing I can eat today.
TL: The terrorist influenced you to eat it.
RM: Probably. He wouldn't be nearly as interesting if his back was facing us.
TL: I wonder if he's in league with the ninja cows.
RM: It doesn't look like he's been up close and personal with a cow. Ninja or otherwise. After all, he's got a black leather bag. I don't think the cows would appreciate that.
TL: It must be his cover.
RM: So he's pretending to be something he's not. Ooh! He just took a huge bite of waffle!
TL: He's so dastardly!
RM: Yeah, he looks really dastardly with his purse and the way he has his napkin tucked into his shirt.
TL: He's so uncivilized.
RM: I'd love to know what he's reading.
TL: Probably "World Domination For Dummies".
RM: He's nodding like he's agreeing with whatever it is he's reading. The poor guy.
TL: Why do you say that?
RM: Well, he's the victim of our intense scrutiny and presuppositions.
TL: Whatever he doesn't know won't hurt him.
RM: Unless he reads this post.
TL: He wouldn't know that it's him.
RM: Mr Dark and Curly Haired Man Who Has A Purse And A Fake Fountain Pen. I could take his picture with my phone.
TL: Yeah, like he wouldn't notice that.
RM: *snaps a casual picture while looking like she is adjusting the settings*
TL: Very covert.
RM: He got up and left as soon as I took his picture.
TL: Toldja.
RM: He left his waffle and his paper here. I could grab them both, eat his waffle, and read his paper!
TL: 'Where's my stuff?!?!' *mimes eating waffle secretly*
I just won at Solitaire with 520 points.
RM: He just held the door open for somebody who was coming in. I guess he can't be all bad. Even terrorists can be polite.
TL: 'I'm sorry, but I feel I must terrorize you. Is that alright with you?'
RM: He's in here getting coffee. He left his purse on the table. Tsk tsk.
Wanna try some cold coffee?
TL: Nope.
RM: He's reading his paper and giggling to himself now!
Okay, we should go.

Posted on May 29, 2009. 7 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Looking back

by The Night Writer

Here's my favorite photo (so far) from the wedding, posted by KingDavid over at The Far Wright. I kind of like the sentiment as well.

There were a lot of great memories to savor as we watched Faith and Ben dance their first dance. I must say, however, that the wedding weekend created many more memories to treasure thanks to the way friends and family responded to the event. Instead of being overwhelmed by all the details that go into planning a wedding (and hosting it in your own yard) we were overwhelmed by the number of enthusiastic volunteers who showed up as early as last September to help clear out the back gardens to prepare them for this spring; the people who guided the food plans and organized the cooking and serving; the seemingly countless young servers rushing food and drink out to the tables; the drivers who shuttled people from the parking area to the wedding site; those who helped set up and tear-down the chairs and tables (I think the yard was completely cleared of tables chairs and trash within 30 minutes of the bride and groom's getaway); the people who put on the bachelor party and bridal showers; the women and girls who got up early several mornings to rehearse the "Thriller" dance; the videographers; the limo; the DJ; not to mention the personal and professional devotion of the photographers...as we watched the bride and groom dance it was deeply moving to realize just how much they had to have touched the lives of others to stimulate such an outpouring of affectionate effort (even among people who we couldn't fit into the invitation list and who still called and offered to pick up folks from the airport or help cook or do anything they could).

Some other memories:

We had everything set up by Friday afternoon for the rehearsal and left it up overnight. We called our friends at the SSP Police Dept. and asked for a couple of extra patrols overnight to keep an eye on things. To help with security I turned on all the front outside lights. About 12:30 I was having trouble getting to sleep so I got up to take an antihistamine to make me drowsy and in walking past our bedroom window I noticed that the lights were off...and there was some kind of activity going on at the end of the driveway. I pulled on a shirt and went downstairs to investigate. I slipped out of the door by the garage and saw heads bobbing behind my daughter's car that we were using to block one of the driveway entrances. Almost immediately three people went dashing up the street while a fourth person in black ninja-like garb came running toward me. That could have been scary except the "ninja" was whispering "It's me! It's me!" (or perhaps it was "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!") in Tiger Lilly's voice. It seems TL had snuck out to decorate her sister's car along with the other bridesmaids. Unfortunately for her, the bride had walked through the kitchen after I'd gone to bed and noticed that the door was unlocked and the outside lights were on. She couldn't believe I'd been so careless (perimeter security is my responsibility at night), so she turned off the lights and LOCKED the door, leaving Tiger Lilly on the wrong side of it. If I hadn't have come out to investigate TL would have had to spend the night on the couch of one of the b-maids. No doubt my tingling Dad-senses were what were keeping me awake, sensing that one of the chicks was out of the nest.

When I got back upstairs the Diva was on her bed, going over yet another to-do list. Not wanting to give anything away I told her that I ran some vandals off.

"Are my b-maids decorating my car?" she asked.

"Hey, would I stand around outside in the middle of the night in my underwear talking to young women?"

"I wouldn't put it past you."

Another Friday night memory is the Groom's Dinner put on by the groom's parents for the wedding party, closing The Black Sheep for a private function and hiring a great band, Deluge, to play while we enjoyed the fresh-from-the farmer's market cuisine put on by Peter, The Black Sheep's proprietor. We had Shepherd's Pie baked in a fluffy filo dough, a fantastic salad and our choice of chocolate lava cake or chocolate cheesecake (some chose both, I think) plus all the exotic coffee, tea and juice drinks that are the Sheep's specialty. It was a truly congenial and entertaining evening and atmosphere and we learned where Ben gets his poetry skills(?). Peter and his staff were totally into the evening and provided great service and the band, who Faith and Casii had met on the open-mike coffee-house circuit, was perfect!

Memories from the "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" category:

The Groom and Groomsmen warm up before the ceremony with the traditional bocce ball game (I'm sure it's traditional somewhere):

There was no stress in the kitchen (well, almost no stress):

The Best Man was a very good one, indeed, with his heartfelt toast to the new couple:

I'm not sure how Tiger Lilly ended up with the groom's top-hat, but rest assured that she didn't decapitate him.

Posted on May 26, 2009. 5 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Monday, May 25, 2009

Anorex[st]ics Inaneymous #36: Wedding!

by Tiger Lilly

20 days until they get back!!!

Ciao for now.

Posted on May 25, 2009. 6 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Welcome to the Wedding of Ben and Faith

by Guest Blogger

It's a beautiful day in South St. Paul, Minnesota and you have found the live blog for the wedding of Faith and Ben. The assembled characters are beginning to arrive and your humble reporter and guest blogger is Mr. Dilettante.

Update:

First of all, let's give a shout-out to our worldwide viewership, including Gillian and Cesar, who are enjoying the festivities from Amersham, which is approximately 30 miles northwest of the Tower of London. We have the groom and the groom's father in the immediate vicinity. Ben is resplendent in his topper and tails, with his hat cocked at a jaunty angle.

Update:

Let's set the scene: at this point we have a tangle of groomsmen over to the side. The witnesses have begun taking their seats, in front of stately Night Writer Manor. The flower girls have just walked by; they are wearing beautiful bronze and cream-colored dresses — and wrist sweaters. Here at blogging central we've had visits from David Strom and his wife Margaret Martin, dapper grooomsman Dan Stover and most recently Brad Carlson. The creme de la creme of the Twin Cities blogging community is here, of course — really, where else would you be? We're about 15 minutes away from the start of the festivities. Another report shortly.

Update:

Our visitors today have come from a variety of locations, including as far away as Cuba. Cuba, Missouri, that is — we have had no sightings of Fidel or Raul and do not expect any at this time. Gino is also here from Southern California. The groom is astonishingly relaxed, considering that he is now less than 15 minutes away from a life-changing event. If he's sweating at all, he's managed to contain it in the headband of his topper, which remains at a jaunty angle and has not drooped in any way. We are also fortunate that the Heathen Brother is nearby to provide clarification on a few issues and likely knows where the bodies are buried.

We're now less than five minutes away. Hard-hitting play-by-play to begin shortly.

(Click here to get details and photos from the rest of the wedding.)

Listen to a podcast of the ceremony here.

Posted on May 23, 2009. 8 Comments 0 Trackbacks

In the wink of an eye

by The Night Writer

Sometimes God speaks like a mighty wind, and often as a still, quiet voice...and sometimes He just gives you a wink.

We have been blessed by so many people in preparing for today's wedding. It even goes back to last fall when a large group descended on our back yard to help clean out the gardens and prepare them for today's event; to the flights of volunteers who are helping with decorating, set up, food prep, serving, singing, DJ-ing and more; to the friends and family coming from near and far to be here. This morning I opened my Dietrich Bonhoeffer daily reader and here is the entry for May 23:

The Gift of Community (from Life Together)
Because God already has laid the only foundation of our community, because God has united us in one body with other Christians in Jesus Christ long before we entered into common life with them, we enter into that life together with other Christians, not as those who make demands, but as those who thankfully receive. We thank God for what God has done for us. We thank God for giving us other Christians who live by God's call, forgiveness and promise. We do not complain about what God does not give us; rather we are thankful for what God does give us daily. And is not what has been given enough: other believers who will go on living with us through sin and need under the blessing of God's grace? Is the gift of God any less immeasurably great than this on any given day, even on the most difficult and distressing days of a Christian community?

Posted on May 23, 2009. 0 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Friday, May 22, 2009

Where is everyone?

by The Night Writer

The new roof is on.
The yard is mowed and edged.
Flower boxes filled.
Portico painted.
Arch in place.
150 chairs in place with 19 tables tucked in the garage (three trips in the pick-up), ready for deployment.
Fresh wood-chips and mulch worked into the landscaping (four trips in the pick-up).
Less than 22 hours to go.

Forecast for the wedding day: 75 degrees and partly cloudy, light breeze. Thank you, God, for RSVPing.

Let's do it.

Posted on May 22, 2009. 4 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

And counting...

by The Mall Diva

Three is the number that thou shalt count,
and the number of the counting shall be three.
Do not count to two, excepting that thou proceedest to three.
Five is right out!

Posted on May 20, 2009. 7 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Monday, May 18, 2009

Your invitation to the Blog Wedding of the Century!

by The Night Writer

We didn't have room or budget for all of our blogging friends and readers to attend the Mall Diva's wedding in person this weekend, but since Ben and Faith met as a result of blogging we knew we had to do something to reach out to what the Mall Diva calls "our peeps" in the 'sphere near and far.

Therefore I'm pleased to announce that our friend, the inestimable Mr. Dilettante (or "Mr. D" for short) has agreed to live-blog the event here at The Night Writer blog for anyone who wants to check in on the proceedings electronically. The wedding and reception are taking place in our front yard this Saturday afternoon beginning at 4:30. Mr. D will set up shop around mid-afternoon to bring you behind-the-scenes commentary and on-the-spot reporting as the ceremony and reception unfold (though you may have to excuse him while he cuts a rug or two himself).

So how, exactly, did we end up with a wedding to marry a future Lutheran pastor into a family of wild-eyed Evangelicals...while having the whole thing live-blogged by a devout Catholic apologist?

Can you say God has a sense of humor?

The whole story has played out here in bits and pieces over the last three and a half years, but the short version is that I met fellow blogger Ben back in the summer of 2005 at one of the trivia nights at Keegan's Pub that are so popular with the Twin City blogging community. Young Ben was a shaggy-haired, underemployed carpenter with too much education but we hit it off and teamed up that first night to win first prize. I thought he seemed like a nice guy, perhaps a bit un-focused, but not necessarily someone to whom I'd say, "You know, I've got this daughter..."

He didn't meet the Diva for the first time until that December when he came to my church for a service ordaining my wife (The Reverend Mother), followed by a graduation ceremony in honor of the Diva's home school and beauty school graduations. He may have thought he heard angels singing when he first laid eyes on her, but it was really just the Diva practicing with the church band. He may have even thought he was seeing a Vision when he looked upon her, which was immediately replaced with a vision of doom when she hopped off the stage to give me a hug. (Some of his thoughts were recorded on his own blog at the time). It's been a long, strange trip since that long-ago, strange beginning (you can get a lot more details here) but it is coming to a beautiful and welcome arrival in a very few days. If you're not among those with us in person feel free to drop in here on Saturday afternoon. You won't get any cake, but you also don't need to bring a gift!

Update:

Also be sure to check out the photos and the account of Ben's Bachelor Party, put on by his best man, "KingDavid" from The Far Wright.

Posted on May 18, 2009. 14 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Anorex[st]ics Inaneymous #35

by Tiger Lilly

Seem familiar? That would be because my imagination is asleep today.

Ciao for now.

Posted on May 18, 2009. 7 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Sunday, May 17, 2009

A novel date

by The Night Writer

I went through my archives looking for the post below in order to re-run it as we count down the last few days before Ben and the Mall Diva's wedding this Saturday, May 23. Once I found it I copied it and then checked the date when it originally ran. It was strangely familiar.

May 23....2007.

Novella

"Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the yard and shot it."— Truman Capote

I don't have the experience, yet, of being an author finishing a book so I don't know if Capote's words are apt. It seems to me the writing-publishing experience is more like being a parent and having a child leave the nest. As the parent of a soon to be 19-year-old still in the nest but beginning to make her own way I marvel at how what I’ve “created” has taken on a life of her own; how the countless hours spent shaping and imagining and agonizing over just the right word has inspired dialogue with subtleties, nuances and complexities I never realized were possible, and how a true character has emerged fully-formed and bursting to go forth.

For years this book was mainly blank pages; pages that consumed my life and were never far from my thoughts no matter what else I happened to be doing. Day by day those pages were filled, and while there are things I’d like to go back and rewrite there’s no guarantee that the story would be even better than it is now; even so I wrestle with the temptation/obsession to continue to tweak and polish.

Will anyone else understand the humor of page 112, or appreciate how difficult it was to write Chapter 19? Certainly not at the level I do, but that knowledge is for my own book, the one written on my heart. Now, though, it is time to see this through; to be proud to see all the time, work and love realized in a tangible package; to admire not just the cover but the spine; to breathe deep the aroma of the fresh pages and the glue that holds them together.

It is good.

Posted on May 17, 2009. 0 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Friday, May 15, 2009

Night Hens: the non-blushing bride

by The Night Writer

A special Night Hens breakfast: the last outing before the Mall Diva is married. The Hens are at Keys in downtown St. Paul with special guest, the Rooster!

MD: (recounting her last visit to the chiropractor) Dr. Gina went on maternity leave on Tuesday and had her baby Wednesday morning at 4 a.m. Now there’s Dr. Gilmore, a young, good looking chiropractor with an earring. Casii only gets to see him once because she only goes once a month now.

NW: What does Casii need a chiropractor for? She’s such a well adjusted girl.

RM: Not like our daughters.

MD: I’m so excited to go on vacation. Jackie’s driving me crazy.

NW: Is that the only reason?

MD: No.

MD: *Takes a call from Benny, answers:* "8 days." (Brief logistical discussion ensues).

RM: Is he going to start moving stuff into our house today?

MD: Yes.

RM: When he moves a load in, you move a load into storage.

(TV news has something about a person getting a face transplant).

RM: What? . . .Somebody had a face transplant? Who had an extra face?

NW: Obama, he had two of them.

MD: But he’s using them.

RM: When I went and visited the tulips today, another one that I planted this spring is coming up.

NW: Do you talk to the tulips when you visit?

RM: Only the ones I planted. I also go out in the morning and spray the thistles and the grasses with Roundup and discourage them greatly.

MD: So last night at Anna’s house, they finished playing poker, and Anna grabbed the paper and started doing the crossword! So of course, I’m getting all the answers, and Anna’s like, ‘How do you know all this?’ and I said, ‘I told you, we do this all the time, I know all the ‘rules’ of the crossword’.

*waitress comes*

WA: Wow look at this, you bring her *referring to RM* along, and you get clean plates!

RM: Yeah, I just eat whatever they don’t.

TL: *to NW*: Your keyboard is reeeaaally nice. *strokes keys*

NW: Really? It’s mean to me. I think it’s got an attitude.

TL: *happily stroking soft niiiiice keys…*

MD: Lindsay got our bridesmaid dresses yesterday! They weren’t supposed to come until June! She’s also bringing a crinoline…

RM: Dad’s crinoline? You said ‘your crinoline’, and you were looking at Dad…

MD: I said ‘a crinoline’.

NW: Me and crinoline don’t agree.

MD: It would make your kilt look foofier, though.

NW: I don’t need my kilt any foofier. Get me some taffeta, though…

RM: SO, since three of us had dreams about going to Italy, I should talk to my brother David, because they were talking about going to Italy. Did anyone else dream of a specific place? I dreamed of Naples, maybe we’re supposed to go there.

NW: Maybe you dreamed we were just supposed to go to Café di Napoli.

RM: No, yuck. I’ve been there.

NW: I just wanted to consider the possibility of the least expensive interpretation.

TL: If we did that after we went to Spain, would we still get to Barcelona?

RM: Probably not, but I really want to go...

NW: It’s beautiful, up by the coast…

MD: Lots of beaches… Nude beaches?

RM: We’ll stay away from those.

TL: Aww… I mean *clears throat* good!

RM: o.O.O.O.o.

*Leaving Keys, RM buys MD a small pin that says "Blushing Bride."*

MD: I don't blush that much, I don't have that great a circulation. Benny blushes a lot, though.

RM: What do you say that makes him blush?

MD: I don't really say anything. I just notice every now and then that he's blushing.

RM: Why isn't there a blushing groom pin?

TL: It shouldn't be a blushing groom, it should be a ... never mind.

RM: I don't know what you're thinking, but stop it.

NW: I don't know what you're thinking, but you're grounded.

Posted on May 15, 2009. 6 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Bringing the Awesome? No, just the Super-Cool

by The Night Writer

HT: The Lumberjack

Posted on May 15, 2009. 3 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Kissing the butterflies in my stomach

by The Night Writer

This song very nearly could have been the song for the Father/Daughter Dance at the Mall Diva's wedding. It's got the heart right and a lot that could have been lifted from our lives, and a lot of the things that I feel...but I've found something just a little bit better. I'll keep that secret for now, though.

Delving back through the memories and posts about my daughter brings me to a seminal essay very much in keeping with the "Butterfly Kisses" song, entitled Dad to the Bone. That post reveals a bit of my thinking, but if you want to know more about the Mall Diva's thinking you should read her account of our travels in Italy, On Holiday, or her enlightening responses to a meme, entitled If I Ain't Hip, Ain't Nobody Hip or perhaps her first meme ever.

Similarly, I've gleaned a couple of snippets of Diva talk, such as her response to a question in another meme:

Q: Seriously, what do you consider the world's most pressing issue now?

Well, since there are so many, I'll pick one that doesn't depress me too much:

So many people don't know how to dress themselves.
...okay *sniff*, I promised myself I wouldn't cry...

Then there's this little bit of dialog:

My teenage daughter, Faith, loves the Expedia jingle and singing the nasal-sounding phrase at the end of their commercials. A while back we were watching something on television when an Expedia ad came on and she belted out "DOT-COMMMM" in unison with the tv. I looked over at her and said, "Your life is just filled with simple, inexpensive pleasures, isn't it?"

To which she replied, "You wish."

Boy, don't I ever.

Posted on May 13, 2009. 4 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Monday, May 11, 2009

Anorex[st]ics Inaneymous #34

by Tiger Lilly

Ciao for now!

Posted on May 11, 2009. 3 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Sunday, May 10, 2009

From the mouth of a babe

by The Night Writer

"Guns don't kill people. Dads with pretty daughters kill people."

— Tiger Lilly

Posted on May 10, 2009. 3 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Friday, May 8, 2009

What's going on

by The Night Writer

Wednesday night the Mall Diva and Princess Flicker-Feather achieved a milestone in their performing career — their first "booked" gig where they were actually requested to perform. Not only that, but they had to have enough material to do two sets; since they only have two "cover" songs in their pop repertoire they had to practice extensively on their original compositions to put a show together.

And it was a very good show, bolstered by a friendly audience, and they even worked a little patter into the act as they introduced each song. It looked easy and natural for them, no doubt because they've been lifelong friends and singing partners almost since they could talk. The show was hampered by some poor sound-mixing in the first set but things were worked out in time for a powerful and varied second set. They even got tipped by a woman in the audience! When it was over and we got back home and unloaded the equipment the two of them hugged in the kitchen in celebration of their achievement and ... perhaps ... in the unspoken acknowledgement of what may yet come.

As I said, it was a significant evening: their first real show and the coffeeshop even printed flyers with their names and faces to promote the gig. They worked very hard to prepare. Certainly the hope and the expectation is that there will be more performances, bigger audiences, even some money. Life changes, though, sometimes very dramatically. Faith, aka "Mall Diva", gets married in two weeks and marriage is very time-consuming (and worth it). One makes time for the things that are important, but working, family, starting a new life in a new church as not only the husband and young-pastor-in-training but the wife get to "intern" in their new roles and responsibilities ...well, it can be hectic. Perhaps even more hectic than trying to simultaneously plan a wedding and rehearse for a show, but I guess we'll find out. Wednesday's performance could be the first in a series of many that will take Faith and Casii to new adventures and exposure, or it could be the culmination of a creative and loving partnership. I don't pretend to be able to predict what will happen or even to know what's going on in their heads; all I know is I just wanted to freeze the moment in my mind as they hugged.

Then again, that happens to me often lately as we count down the days to the wedding. I think about the wedding a lot, sometimes deliberately and sometimes because it can't be helped. It usually makes me a bit misty to think of it, so my deliberate thoughts are in the hopes that I can get myself all dried up by the time the actual event rolls around. There are so many memories and so much to think about. It so happens that in the four-plus years I've had this blog my eldest daughter has appeared here dozens and dozens of times, sometimes as the subject, sometimes in passing, sometimes as the author (a partial listing of her posts here).

I don't know if my strategy for remaining dry-eyed will work out, but you're welcome to share in the process with me. Over the next couple of weeks leading up to the big day I plan to group various collections of old posts about Faith here; feel free to laugh and cry along.

To begin with, we might as well look at a reminisce of her birth and a subsequent Father's Day essay. Next, let's introduce the cast of characters that have become a big part of this blog — some of whom have become a very big part of the wedding — with a couple of short posts that generated tremendous amounts of comments, all set off by a rather benign affront to the Diva's honor (as if I would suffer any other kind): Opening a Can and Order in the Court.

More to come in future days if I can bear up.

Posted on May 8, 2009. 10 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The Fairness Doctrine applied to bloggers

by The Night Writer

David Foster at Chicago Boyz noted this disturbing news:

Obama has nominated Cass Sunstein, who he knows from the University of Chicago, to be “regulatory czar.” Apparently, Sunstein has proposed that web sites be required to link to opposing opinions. He has argued that the Internet is anti-democratic because users can choose to view only those opinions that they want to see, and has gone so far as to say:

A system of limitless individual choices, with respect to communications, is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self-government,” he wrote. “Democratic efforts to reduce the resulting problems ought not be rejected in freedom’s name.

The forced-linking proposal makes about as much sense as requiring that when you buy a political book at a bookstore, the store must also require you to buy books of contrary views. (And anyhow, how to you force the person to read the book or follow the link? Will there be a test? Penalties for failing to pass? Withdrawal of book-buying or web-browsing “privileges?”) Sunstein’s proposal is almost certainly unconstitutional–moreover, it is philosophically primitive. There are not one or two dissenting views from any opinion: there are thousands of them, incorporating widely differing conceptual frameworks. Who, in Sunstein’s world, would decide which views, as expressed by which authors, would be required to be linked? Probably either a government agency or a “service” run by a politically-well-connected corporation. A better way to suppress innovative thought would be difficult to imagine.

Fortunately, Sunsteim has backed away from this position and admitted its constitutional hurdles. This may or may not make you feel better, as Foster also says that Sunstein is also being considered as a candidate for the Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Souter.

HT: Stones Cry Out

Posted on May 6, 2009. 1 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Nature can be so cruel...

by The Minfidel

...especialy when she's being ironic.

Eco-sailors rescued by oil tanker

An expedition team which set sail from Plymouth on a 5,000-mile carbon emission-free trip to Greenland have been rescued by an oil tanker.

Raoul Surcouf, Richard Spink and skipper Ben Stoddart sent a mayday because they feared for their safety amid winds of 68mph (109km/h).

All three are reportedly exhausted but safe on board the Overseas Yellowstone.
...
The team, which left Mount Batten Marina in Plymouth on 19 April in a boat named the Fleur, aimed to rely on sail, solar and man power on a 580-mile (933km/h) journey to and from the highest point of the Greenland ice cap.

Perhaps Alanis Morissette will hear about these guys and be inspired to write a song that really is ironic.

Posted on May 6, 2009. 0 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Breaking News

by The Night Writer

It's the time of the year for interesting rumors to fly as fast and furious as errant footballs. And given that the crashing economy has wrecked a lot of people's retirement plans, some people may be deciding they need to keep working a little longer. Let's go live to the Brett Favre news conference at Nye's Polonnaise in Northeast Minneapolis for the latest update:

Music Video Code by Video Code Zone.

Posted on May 5, 2009. 1 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Monday, May 4, 2009

And back again

by The Night Writer

When I was younger the weddings I went to far outnumbered the funerals. That ratio is changing, it seems, to something like 50-50, but I'm hoping to get through this summer and fall with with a blaze of those more youthful days and something like a 3-to-1 wedding ratio. Sometime well into the future the ratio will skew inexorably to the more somber tones. This year, however, is off to a bright start as the funeral I attended last Friday was more like a party.

As I wrote in my last post, my grandmother Lizey passed away just short of being 102 years old. I returned to the family hometown for the service and to the same funeral home where I've attended four other family funerals. I knew this wasn't going to be the typical affair, however, when my brother called my cell from the visitation while I was still on the highway heading south, an hour and a half away. He was there with aunts, uncles and cousins and it sounded like there was a party going on in the background.

When I got there Grandma was laid out in peace, the only one it seemed like who wasn't laughing, hugging, telling stories. This has always been a loud branch of the family, and all the stories were familiar ones and I think she would have liked seeing everyone together again and hearing the same old tales...the kind of tales that make you start to laugh as soon as the first few words are out of the teller's mouth and you anticipate what's to come. In one corner my oldest uncle was holding forth and in another corner his oldest son was doing the same, perhaps even more expressively, the circle unbroken. Three of her four surviving children were there, almost all of the grandchildren, a handful of the great-grandchildren, and once I caught a glimpse of the great-great-grandchild whose mother had been about the same age the last time I had seen her. I was told that Grandma's remaining sons had decided that the last $100 of her estate was going to my own daughter, who marries later this month.

The funeral was the next day and the six grandsons were the pall-bearers. It had been a long while since the six of us — all of us within five years of age of each other — had been together but the elbowing, nudging and mild-horseplay seemed to pick up without missing a beat. The funeral director brought the six of us — Robbie, Roger, me, my brother, Kevin and Kent (who we call Fred) — together to run through the drill with us. After a few minutes she smiled and said, "We usually like to have the pall-bearers sit together in a group, but in your case I think we'll split you up." I told her that if she really wanted to get our attention she'd have to threaten to "beat the pee-waddin" out of us, and Grandma would understand. She allowed how she'd keep that in reserve.

The service was a sweet celebration. The wife of one of the great-grandkids sang two beautiful songs and the pastor from her life-long church, First Baptist, spoke of her great contributions the history and fellowship of the church and the rich heritage passed on into the lives of the family as he had witnessed over the previous 24 hours. Through the course of his brief talk he mentioned "First Baptist" about eight times. Later I told Aunt Sis that, given Grandma's age, I wasn't sure if the pastor had been referring to the church or to Lizey.

After the service the short procession moved out from the funeral home behind the hearse, heading through the drizzle for the Hodge-Enloe cemetery out on old highway UU. In the country, cemeteries are usually named after the families that founded them or the farms where they are located (often one and the same). Here's something else about the country: when a funeral procession passes by, everyone on either side of the road pulls over. In the city, even with a police escort, people crowd you, even cut through the line.

Even in the mist and drizzle that day the hills were a beautiful green as we made it out on the old road, gravel the last mile or so, and there was a fresh smell to the air. It's an old land, and an old cemetery, originally founded in 1889. I knew people with the same last names as those on the stones we walked past, carrying the casket, but I didn't know any of those...except that I did, if that makes sense to you.

When the short prayer and final reading were finished we turned and walked back across the rough, wet grass to our cars. There was rain, and there was gloom and there was the new bright green on the old hills behind, around and in front of us, and the smell of spring and renewal.

Posted on May 4, 2009. 5 Comments 0 Trackbacks

Anorex[st]ics Inaneymous #33: One Third Of The Way To 100!

by Tiger Lilly

...and 100 means I will be putting them into a book! If I ever do make it to 100 strips, that is.

Ciao for cow. (Ha! Got you, didn't I?)

Posted on May 4, 2009. 5 Comments 0 Trackbacks

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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Friday, May 8, 2009

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

Illuminating fun, faith, family and foolishness.

“Peace, prosperity, liberty and morals have an intimate connection.” - Thomas Jefferson

About

Contact

Categories

Subscribe

Archives

Blogroll

Friday, May 29, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Monday, May 25, 2009

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Friday, May 22, 2009

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Monday, May 18, 2009

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Friday, May 15, 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Friday, May 8, 2009

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Monday, May 4, 2009

Illuminating fun, faith,
family and foolishness.

“Peace, prosperity, liberty and morals
have an intimate connection.”

- Thomas Jefferson