The Land of the Weird - My Musings (blog)

The Land of the Weird

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

4/5/2020

We still have some technical difficulties to work out with watching the online mass. For some reason, I couldn't get the Facebook Live broadcast to project to my television, so we ended up participating while watching from the iPad instead. I cannot express how grateful I am that we still have the means to worship with one another this way even though we are physically separated. In a sense, this is like our relationships with friends and family who have passed away, but yet are still spiritually connected with us.

Today's Passion Reading from the Gospel of Matthew shows Jesus undergoing His final trials in His life. As the Messiah, He had the power to save Himself from the agony that He suffered. He could have avoided this pain and death in numerous ways. Yet He bore it anyway, knowing that He was saving us all in doing so. This is the ultimate sacrifice.

In comparison, the sacrifices that I have had to undergo in these trying times pale in comparison. As mentioned in today's homily, God can use death and suffering to help build a more glorious future. He can turn our sorrow to joy, our tears to laughter. Hopefully, I remember to use this time to better appreciate those things that I had taken for granted before this crisis began.

Early Departure

4/4/2020

With many other exchange students going home early, we knew that it was only a matter of time before Chloe would be heading home as well. This morning, her parents sent me Chloe's travel information; she will be leaving Tuesday night / Wednesday morning. Her agency was not able to arrange a flight up from Kenai, so I will be driving her up to Anchorage Tuesday night.

This is certainly not how we wanted to end her student exchange experience. As she arrived in mid-September, she never really got to experience anything except the cold and dark side of Alaska. She still says she had a great experience, but I do wish that we could have done more.

Interestingly, she hopes that our school will keep her enrolled even after she leaves. She wants to keep working on her classes. While part of that is because she wants to keep learning and stay in contact with her classmates, I think that she also wants something to do while she is in lockdown in France.

Considering the unpredictability of these times, it's probably best that she returns to be with her family before she finds herself locked down in Alaska for even longer. Hopefully, she and her family will get a chance to come here some summer once things return to some form of normalcy. Our home will certainly feel less vibrant with her gone.

My Area

4/3/2020

I've always understood that I was a bit spoiled growing up [and yes, I understand that I'm a bit spoiled now]. However, it wasn't until recently that I realized just how blessed I was to have a section of my basement all to myself. This region of my family's basement was my domain, where epic battles were fought countless times with the balance of the world, or even the galaxy, at stake.

This area was in the northeast corner of the basement with a row of waist-high metal shelves that made up its southern border. These shelves served as a clear barrier to my siblings while also providing a place to display the various ships, jets, tanks, and other vehicles of war that I had from a variety of collections. On them were displayed toys from Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Masters of the Universe (only a few), M.A.S.K., and the short-lived Air Raiders.

The centerpiece of the area was the old train table. This allowed me to set up impressive displays without fear of stepping on, and breaking, my forces. I had some of the trees from the original diorama that worked as shrubs and cover. I know that Cobra's Terrordrome had a place of prominence on it for quite some time, as the Joes would continually mount assaults against it, rappelling up the legs of the table to get there.

This area was a land of cardboard constructions. By the time I was in high school, the bases I created included elaborate floor plans that even incorporated air ducts that my ninja warriors could use to infiltrate their enemies' defences. Paper towel tubes often served as sewer pipes or emergency escape routes.

Somehow, that creativity and imagination did not make it completely into my adult years. In the two houses I owned that had basements, I did have tables similar to the one I had in my area, but somehow they only collected boxes of various stored items (including many of the toys that had once resided in my corner of my parents' basement). I still have many of those toys; they made the trip up to Alaska with me. However, neither I nor my boys really have the space to play with them like I did in my youth.

Someday, they will make their way out again.

School Isn't Over

4/2/2020

I have been getting rather irritated at the number of news headlines that have been saying this state or that state have ended school for the year. To my knowledge, no state has shut down its public school system. While the schools themselves have been closed, educators have been working diligently to still provide and deliver content to their students despite social distancing and other challenges that they face.

Personally, I have been putting in more hours than normal in the attempt to get content available and as well as communicate with students. This is on top of my regular duties of creating that content to begin with, not to mention grading it. Meanwhile, we have daily progress reports to fill out to indicate what we have or have not done through the day.

On top of that, we are being given moving targets as far as expectations for us, our classes, and our students. As an example, Advanced Placement just revealed today more details about the modified tests they are going to give students so they can still get college credit for this year. They are going to provide more information tomorrow, and even more at the end of the month. However, just what they revealed today means that I will have to restructure what I was planning to do with my students this month.

In some cases, schools systems are going to extraordinary measures to make certain that our kids have something to eat and some way to continue their education, no matter their situation. For some of our students, the school was the safest place for them, and we are working to make certain that our kids are still safe. Schools provide so much in our society today that false claims that they have been shut down have caused consternation and panic to many families.

I miss my students. I have live class sessions available online every day, but fewer than half of them have been able to show for one reason or another. I am still here for them and doing what I can to provide the education that they deserve.

Schools might be closed to students, but educators are doing everything in their power to keep school in session.

Septic Overload

4/1/2020

It's not pleasant to discover in the morning that the toilets don't want to flush. I knew that the heavy snowfall, coupled with our overloaded (and poorly made) leach field, would lead to this situation, but it was still frustrating. Thankfully, Peninsula Pumping was able to get here by noon to deal with the problem.

We definitely need to replace the leach field this summer. We were already trying to limit our water usage, but we still had to get this second septic pumping in less than six months since the last one--that's three in the space of a year. I'm still quite upset with the previous owners as this was supposedly a new leach field when we bought the house almost exactly five years ago.

However, despite this aggravation, I still feel blessed. I love my house, and this situation could have been quite a bit worse. All and all, as bizarre as everything has been lately, I feel that this was a small inconvenience compared to many other people's struggles.

Obstacle Course

3/31/2020

One of the assignments from the boys’ PE teacher was to build a home obstacle course and then send pictures of it to her. They were told that they could work together on the project. At first, there was a great deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth at even the idea of working together. A parental ruling made their arguments moot.

From there, their arguments were more focused on whose idea would make it into the final design. We encouraged them to look at YouTube for ideas, and they eventually came to a consensus. At that point the screaming (mostly from Rowen) was due to who got to set up what. Finally they got a working course up ... effectively blocking me from going downstairs, but wisely not obstructing my path from my office to the upstairs bathroom.

Janelle did not get home until much later than expected (having worked a 12 hour shift at the store), so we had to wait a little while for her to get home so the boys could run the course. Despite all of the consternation, I think they overall had a good time.

Hackles

3/30/2020

A couple of interesting events occurred during our walks with the dogs these past few days. Yesterday, as we were making our way down the road, River suddenly started barking, her fur standing on end. I couldn’t see the source of her concern and neither could Janelle or Starbuck. It took me a moment to realize that she was barking at a trash can that had not been out there on any of our walks before. It wasn’t until I walked up to it that she was willing to get close enough to sniff it and realize it wasn’t a threat.

Today was a little more harrowing. My plan has been to walk one dog and then the other; however, on my way back home with Starbuck, we saw a small moose in the road. It was just standing there, looking up the hill at us. I texted Janelle, uncertain of what my next move should be.

Thankfully, a car came and the young moose seemed to leave the area. It was then that I realized that the moose was not a baby like I thought, but (although still young) quite a bit bigger than me. I was actually a little relieved because that explained why I didn’t see a mama moose around.

We were past the point where we saw the moose enter the woods that I saw it, and it was closer to the road than I thought. I decided to pick up the pace and continue on. It was only when it was directly across the road from us that Starbuck noticed the moose and started barking at it, making its hackles rise. I sped up even more saying that it was a nice moose and we were just heading home.

Fortunately, we were passing the neighbors whose dogs are always in their fenced yard. Their barking seemed to distract the moose enough for Starbuck and me to make our getaway—which I did while still trying to take a couple of pictures. Trust me, the moose looked a lot bigger and closer in person.

I did not take River for a walk after that.

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

3/29/2020

While I have watched online masses the past couple of weeks, today was the first time that we did so as a family. We figured out how to get Fr. Patrick up on the big television in the living room and we all followed along with the mass together. It is not the same as being their, but it felt better than the last couple of weeks when I was watching them alone.

In today's homily and scripture readings, we were told that sometimes God uses the difficult times that we face as a way to show His grander plan. In the case in the Gospel, Jesus learns that His friend Lazarus has become ill. He responds by saying, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." The death of His friend thus became part of a greater story when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

While God does not wish suffering on any of us, He can use that suffering to bring about wondrous deeds. As uncertain as these times currently seem, they all lead to the fruition of God's glorious kingdom. Acknowledging this does not belittle the tragedies that so many people are facing, rather it gives hope for what lies ahead no matter how difficult the path.

Sedentary

3/28/2020

I figured out the weight gain that I've been seeing this past week. It was really stumping me because I've been doing a workout and going on a walk with the dogs nearly every day. Meanwhile, I have intentionally cut down on snacking that I would normally do between meals while still trying to keep my portions smaller in the meals themselves. Yet I've still been getting slightly heavier (instead of slightly leaner) and my waistline has been going the wrong direction as well.

The issue is the online aspect of my job now. When teaching with students, I was up and out of my chair quite a bit. Just walking out between classes, to lunch, or to see other teachers got me moving around more as well. Now I spend most of the day sitting and working on the computer. I'm going to need to do more to combat this extra amount of sitting that I've been doing lately.

My daughter set an alarm to remind her to get up and about every hour or so. I think that I might need to do the same. I need to do more to get my metabolism going and my blood flowing. Unfortunately, there is still a lot to do for my courses (not to mention my doctoral study) that requires me to be in front of my computer.

I'm sure that I'll find a balance.

Moreta's Ride

3/27/2020

As much as I like Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, the standalone novel Moreta's Ride (along with the shorter companion tale of Nerilka's Story) was my least favorite. One of my primary complaints is that it is a story about an epidemic. Any disease story makes me cringe as only real solutions to fictional diseases are forms of deus ex machina, so we spend the entire story just waiting for a miracle cure (I stopped caring about the Walking Dead when I realized that the disease will never be cured as long as the show writers can keep making money on it). On another side note, I suppose this is a reason why I like the story of The Last of Us as the cure to the disease is present from almost the beginning of the story, but roadblocks are continually put in the way of it being used.

Anyway, Moreta's Ride bothers me because the disease in the story only keeps spreading because selfish people keep thinking that the rules of the quarantine do not apply to them. Whether for profit, out of boredom, or just because they feel they are better than others, these characters keep spreading the disease to the point that no one is safe. Meanwhile, there aren't enough healthy dragonriders to keep Pern protected during the horrifying Threadfall (an alien parasite that attacks Pern at regular intervals but can be burned out of the sky by dragons). This leads to further devastation all due to the stupidity of a few. I was bothered by how unbelievable the story seemed to be as I could not believe that anyone could be that selfish, greedy, or just stupid.

I'm sure there's a reason this story came to mind while I was reading news stories today.

Story Idea: Snowflake Children

3/26/2020

Over a million frozen embryos are in storage in the United States alone. Due to legislation passed in the future and technology that allows for the development of children without a natural womb, all of them are thawed and given the chance to grow and develop. The controversies begin immediately.

Many of these children were conceived by parents who are no longer together. Many others are from parents who already have full families and are now grandparents or even great grandparents. Some parents passed away long ago. Whose children are they?

It could be possible to write this from the point of view of one of these snowflake children as they are in school or approaching adulthood. Teenage and college years are already full of crises of identity; this character would really be trying to understand who they are and what the idea of family means. It is possible that they have joined with other snowflake children as a means of unity. Perhaps they are viewed as second-class citizens.

One branching possibility is that while the controversies continue in the public eye, someone comes to the realization that a large number of these snowflake children are missing. On investigating, they discover that secret agencies have been taking and raising these children as part of black ops teams that are involved in national and corporate espionage (This idea may have been inspired by the upcoming Black Widow movie).

Dog Walking

3/25/2020

Starting this week, I decided to start walking with the dogs to the end of a nearby road and back. The area is low traffic and a generally pleasant walk; although several of the houses apparently leave their dogs outside without leashes or fences (physical or electric). There's a good-sized hill that really gets my heart pumping too. While I've still been doing an exercise routine most days of the week, these walks have been a good excuse to get out into the fresh air and to give the dogs a bit of fun.

They are still quite untrained. While they behave fairly well if I have their leashes, they just want to run and tug if anyone else is taking them. They are also much worse when they are both out at the same time. Either one of them starts whining if she sees her sister ahead of her. In the end, I've been either taking one dog at a time or I literally have my hands full. I do feel that they are already getting a bit better.

Today, the walk required the use of my waterproof hiking boots. The road is currently covered in inches of slush and water as the temperatures have been in the mid forties during the day. It made for some questionable footing, but thankfully the dogs weren't tugging on me when we went through the slippery spots. In fact, the only place that they really wanted to tug was when they found relatively fresh moose droppings (they weren't there yesterday) off the side of the road.

The entire family was out on the walk today. Connor, who is often out with me on these adventures, commented on the irony that we seemed to be outside walking more now that there's a quarantine. He's not wrong. Not having to run around to events every afternoon and evening has really freed up time to do things like this.

I am tremendously grateful that I live in an area that we can appreciate such opportunities.

Not My Voice

3/24/2020

As we are in the process of making digital content, one thing is quite clear: I do not look or sound like I think I look and sound like. We've all heard recordings of ourselves and thought, "Is that what I really sound like?" Often, I would chalk it up to electronic distortion or some other exterior phenomena. Yet I've come to an understanding over the years that what is recorded is the me that other people see and hear, while the me I think I am exists only in my mind.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset with the gifts given to me. Many people have commented on how they love my voice and my mother has told me throughout my life how handsome I am. However, if people were to know how my voice sounds to me ... well, let's just say that I thought I would have had more dates in high school. As far as looks go ... the mirror is a continual surprise.

Having worked with online videos due to my degree work, I've become a little less shocked by the disparity between what is recorded and what I imagine. I suppose that I can get used to this other version of me that others see and hear. That does not make it any less unnerving.

Telework

3/23/2020

This weekend, our family had several conversations about how socially distant we should be. Janelle's job as an employee at Freddy's puts her right into the front lines of public contact, coming into close proximity with more people than many other essential service jobs. Considering the spread of this virus, it is really a question of when we are exposed (if we have not already been) rather than if.

This means that all of us could potentially be carriers. I had already been wrestling with the question of social responsibility that I have to stay quarantined before I read several more articles about the virus and its progress this past weekend. There was even a bit of debate concerning our ordering takeout from Senor Panchos as part of our effort to support local businesses. I was really self-conscious about anything I touched (the doorknobs, my card, and the pen I signed with) when I was there.

My concern is not that we are going to get the disease, but that we could spread it. At work, I tend to visit with my colleagues. Even with standing well away from them (which I don't always accomplish), I don't want to be the reason that any of them get exposed. Thus, we have decided that, with few exceptions, Janelle will be the only one going in and out of the house for the time being. My prayers go out to all who, like Janelle, still risk exposure due to the essential services that they provide.

Today was my first day working "off-site" away from the school. Although there were a few screaming fits and shouting matches between my "co-workers," I actually managed to get some decent work done once I got set up. This is not an ideal situation as I'm already missing my students and colleagues. Still, things could be much worse.

I would rather be inconvenienced than responsible for someone else's death.