Blog Archives - The Land of the Weird

The Land of the Weird

Escalation

9/30/2020

Yesterday, I was on the phone for about 45 minutes with the warranty service for my refrigerator (What? No "d"? What's the deal with "fridge" then?). We finally got to the problem and they said that they don't deal with cooling issues, but have to work through LG (the brand of our refrigerator) directly. Unfortunately, by that time, LG services were closed. I was told not to call them directly, but to call the warranty service again and have the call go through them so that all service costs are covered.

Thus, I called again this morning and was on the phone for about an hour before the LG representative finally told me that a technician was scheduled to come to my house sometime during normal business hours tomorrow (three days with a dead refrigerator). Unfortunately, I later received an email (not a call or text message) saying that their service representative was not available and that they were going to contact a third party for the repairs. If I do not hear from them in seven days (yes, seven), I am supposed to call again so they can expedite the repairs.

Meanwhile, I finally got the correct size and type of water hose to replace the leaking one for my kitchen faucet. I managed to replace it with little trouble. Unfortunately, when I turned the hot water back on under the sink, the valve started leaking more than the hose had been before. Thus, I drove back to Trustworthy's (the local hardware store), picked up a replacement valve, and returned home to fix the new issue. After an inordinate amount of swearing (apparently a requisite for me when I deal with plumbing issues), everything is working again and leak-free.

I was upset that these problems seemed to get worse, but after some deep breaths and a bit of praying, I realized that we can handle this. My "why me?" is answered with "It is better that one who has the means to deal with this has it happen than one who would suffer more in the same situation." Rather than wish these things did not happen to me, I should instead be thankful that they did not happen to someone less fortunate. Instead of feeling like things are turning against me, I need to appreciate the experience that I have gained.

It's not as easy as it sounds.

Choice

9/29/2020

I made a decision a moment ago and cut out paragraphs of depression that was going to be today's post. I realized that everyone is already under a great deal of strain without adding anything else too it. I immediately felt my shoulders and neck relax and my head get lighter.

I remember reading that we cannot choose our reality (although, I suppose that's debatable), but we can choose how we face it. We can allow our emotions to control us, our we can mold them to better fit our needs at the moment. This does not mean living an emotionless life or one filled with false smiles. Rather, we should feel sad when we see tragedy and angry when we see injustice; however, we should not let those emotions cloud our joy of life or hope for the future.

More importantly, we need to make choices that better our lives and bring about a greater future. We should not do so out of fear, but out of love. This means choosing to love even the imperfect elements in our imperfect world. This means looking for the beauty in each moment and contrasting it with the darkness around rather than allowing it to be smothered. The light shines brighter in comparison.

As we at SoHi are told every morning: "The choice is yours."

Falling Apart

9/28/2020

Despite getting some projects done this summer, we have lately had a few issues in our house arise that require our attention. We still have not fixed the upstairs shower. Everyone who has looked at it (we have yet to call in a professional plumber) has said that we are looking at removing and replacing the entire shower to fix the leak. Our concern about the cost is one issue; the other is that our work schedules make it difficult to find the time to call, let alone be there.

In the meantime, our kitchen faucet has started a slow leak. I believe the problem is the connection with the hot water hose, but I've had difficulties locating one large enough with the correct fittings. I certainly hope that it's just an issue with the hose so that I don't have to replace the entire faucet again.

And then today our refrigerator stopped cooling. The appliance is less than two years old. We have an extended warranty ... somewhere. Thankfully, we still have our old refrigerator and enough open freezer space so that we will not lose any food due to this, but this again brings up the issue of when are we going to call, let alone set up a time for a repair person to come by.

I'm not even going to mention the light fixtures and bulbs that have needed replacement.

There are many delights to being a homeowner, and I love my house. Certainly, there are frustrations when things do not go right. Still, there's more that I like than what needs to be fixed.

The Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time [controversial]

9/27/2020

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells a parable of two sons: one he says he won't obey his father but does, and one he tells his father he will do as asked but does not. Jesus specifically tells this parable after the chief priest and elders have challenged His right to teach in the temple courts. It is a specific warning against hypocrisy and those who try to use God for personal gain.

He was warning them that they had strayed from God's teachings even though they kept shouting out their faithfulness to God. However, Jesus speaks through time to us as well. This is a warning also for those who tout their allegiance to God, but then turn their backs on His children.

We have politicians who hold the Bible while practicing policies that are entirely un-Christian. They claim they are making decisions based on the Bible, but spread hate, greed, and uncharitable actions. Jesus warns the chief priest and elders that there "tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." In today's world, He would likely tell members of the "religious right" that "transgendered people and women who have had abortions are entering the kingdom ahead of you."

The harsh truth is that many "christian" political groups have used their version of "christianity" to judge others, to maintain economic and political dominance, and to divert attention from their own faults. They are the ones who truly take God's name in vain, for they use His name with abandon yet abandon His actual teachings. Meanwhile, the abused, lost, and forsaken in our society are the ones who hold to His Word.

I think on those people I have known in life who have turned away from the Church, often because of the abuse of the Church. However, they live their lives with a moral code, treating others with decency and compassion. They follow Christ's teachings if not knowing that they follow Him. They are the first son, who say "no" but do good His works anyway.

Meanwhile, I know many who claim to be Christian, who post pictures of Jesus and regularly type "Amen," but who lack love and compassion in their hearts. They are quick to condemn the life choices of others, but then support terrible policies and even atrocities because "that's the way the world works." They have said "Yes" to God in word only.

Personally, I hope to be one who says both "Yes" and who does God's work. However, even in this post, I have thought and written with condemnation in my heart. As said in the second reading, I need to work at "looking out not for [my] own interests, but also for those of others."

Homecoming 2020

9/26/2020

My heart genuinely goes out to the SoHi class of 2021. While the class of 2020 lost their prom and did not get to have their traditional graduation (although, I still hold that we did quite well considering the restrictions in place), the class of 2021 has been entirely enmeshed in the difficulties that this pandemic has brought on us.

They not only did not have a junior prom, but their senior prom has already been nixed; thus, they will have graduated without any prom. They started their senior year virtually and will spend most of their senior year not directly seeing each other's smiles during school. They will not have a senior Homecoming dance; in fact, they do not even get to have a finally home football game their senior year. So much of what people have expected high school to be about is being denied to them.

Still, they are persevering despite the difficulties. Certainly, this school year will be the one talked about for years and decades to come (at least, I pray that nothing tops this). Instead of a Homecoming dance, they have organized an outdoor Homecoming activity night which includes a bonfire, games, and a showing of The Black Panther (which is a nice tribute to Chadwick Boseman in this tragic year). Since I've been in the middle of To Kill a Mockingbird, I can't help but think of Jem putting together a snowman in the midst of the only snow their town had seen in about fifty years. There was no way he should have been able to accomplish it, yet he did anyway.

Like Atticus, I see hope in this group's future as they will work to figure out a way.

How It's Going

9/25/2020

We were asked to fill out a survey today for how the past month has gone for us at school. I've had several people ask me the same thing. The simple truth is that this has been one of (if not the) hardest year that I have had as a teacher so far. The only reason that it might not take the number one spot is because I have more skills than I had during the other years that are in the competition.

Things are getting better. I'm getting closer to being caught up than I have been. I'm planned out with the assignments uploaded to Canvas through next week with one class and all the way to October 15th in the other. The good news is that once I get all of this in, it will be much easier to teach these classes in the future.

However, I have to be careful not to try to look too far ahead as I'm still just taking this day by day. There are so many items being juggled right now that I do not have the luxury to think too much about the future. Not since my first year as a teacher have I felt like I was going to spend the entire year in "survival mode." That I am I going to try to get other teachers to take part in my research project under these kinds of conditions really makes me question my life choices and sanity.

It will get better. It is getting better. I can make it through this.

Autumn Lights

9/24/2020

A few years ago, we started putting up different colored holiday lights after the Christmas season ended. In honor of Saint Valentine, the lights are red. After that, we put up green lights for Saint Patrick. It’s around that time that sun is starting to be more frequently in the sky, so we usually pack them up before the vernal equinox.

Normally, the lights do not go up until after Thanksgiving. When they are up, they help push away the intense darkness and generally liven up the house. However, autumn has seemed more dreary in comparison. Thus, this year we decided to put up some orange lights at the autumnal equinox.

The effect is comforting, festive, and a little spooky. Like normal, we have the lights on a timer so they don’t bug the dogs all night. Personally, I really like not bumping around as much in the morning.

Letting Them Loose

9/23/2020

Last summer, we started throwing the frisbee for Starbuck (River was entirely uninterested). As we had the fenced dog yard, I had to be careful not to throw it too far and go over the fence ... or make it so Starbuck ran into it--even if it was kind of hilarious. Her focus on the frisbee is so intense that this summer I decided to see if I could play catch with her in the main yard without her running off.

It worked. In fact, she would follow me around whining until I got her frisbee from the garage after she released what I was doing. Sadly, River has no such focus and had to just watch us forlornly from the window with Starbuck exhausted herself by running all over the yard to catch and retrieve the frisbee.

Today, I decided to see what would happen with River. Before we started playing with the frisbee, if both dogs were out at the same time, they would encourage each other and run off of our property at high speed. This time, I had already spent time wearing Starbuck out, yet she remained focused on the frisbee anyway. Meanwhile, River took off at top speed. However, this time, realizing that her sister was not following her (or even paying any attention to her), she veered back towards the house rather than running out of the yard.

It was so nice to have the dogs running free in the yard for a while without them running off. They are so happy when they get to full speed--something that they cannot do in our enclosed dog yard. Watching them tear around the yard and leave divots in my driveway filled me with joy at their exuberant enthusiasm. Hopefully, this experiment means we can do this more often in the future.

Online Mob Mentality

9/22/2020

In Chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird, a mob comes to the Maycomb jail (which is for some reason designed as a miniature Gothic church) to lynch Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Not only does Atticus (the father of the main character) stand in the way of these men in a physical as well as metaphorical sense, but Scott (the main character) herself unwittingly defuses the situation by reminding one of the mob's members that he and Atticus are both good people who care for their children and who have helped one another.

We do stupid things when with other humans, particularly our peers. The mob mentality comes about as people lose their identity and find support for their baser emotions. The anonymity of a mob allows for people to act without fear of reprisal, while the mirrored support makes the members of the mob feel more justified in their beliefs and actions. Social media has heightened that.

More than once I have written about the dangers of the echo chambers that social media accounts provide. The algorithms based on your search preferences, time spent, and responses "feed" you the information that is most likely to provoke a response from you or to make you spend more time looking at the screen. This leads people to believe that they have sided (whatever side they have taken) with a majority view, validating their own beliefs.

Meanwhile, even with our names attached, social media allows us to easily get into arguments with strangers. Although their names are provided (and sometimes their profiles), these unknown people are too easily dehumanized in our eyes, leading us to speak to them in ways that would not were we to meet them face to face (at least, hopefully we would not). This dehumanization also allows us to associate their beliefs as being less than human, and since they are often dealing with the same issue, their lack of respectful language only heightens our certainty that they are clearly in the wrong.

These are dangerous trends. No wonder people are so surprised (on both sides) to find that this Presidential election is so close. People from both of the two major parties are certain that they are going to win by a landslide (or a tsunami?) because of the confirmation bias that they have built from the information that was custom-provided for them. Instead of dialogue, ultimatums and insults have been the primary method of communication between them ... and all sides feel justified in doing this because of how the other sides have presented themselves.

I don't know how to solve this. It involves way more people than Scout's situation. I doubt that bringing up the difficulties of a person's entailment will be enough. Still, I think that humanizing those with whom we disagree might be a good start.

Star Wars: Rebels and Cobra Kai

9/21/2020

I recently finished two series that I have been watching. Both are connected to movies that I've enjoyed since I was young. Both take their characters in surprising directions which still staying true to the heart of their franchise. Both are worth watching.

The first, Rebels, is a four season run of a CG cartoon that follows the exploits of a band of rebels in the years leading up to the original Star Wars movie. I spent a good portion of the summer watching it after finishing the Clone Wars. I was surprised to find that I preferred Rebels (especially the third season) out of the two. In fact, I would say that some of the episodes are some of my favorite Star Wars stories to this date. It took a little while for me to warm up to it as it is targeted to kids (especially the first season), but--like the Clone Wars--I wanted to watch the series through as some of the characters have been rumored to appear in season 2 of the Mandalorian. Personally, it reminded me heavily of Firefly and made me wonder if this is the type of direction that Firefly would have taken if given the chance.

The second, Cobra Kai, we've binged in the past week or two. This show follows Johnny and Danny from the Karate Kid as they are dealing with life thirty-plus years later. Like the movie that inspired it, the show is filled with comedy, life-lessons, teenage relationship problems, and plenty of karate. Honestly, I did not expect this show to be as good as it ended up being. I was especially surprised at how it took these fictional characters and developed believable lives for them that end up creating fascinating parallels between the events from the movie and their relationships in the show. That it's filled with classic 80s music is just icing on a delicious cake.

I've said before that our current age of television makes it a fantastic time for people with my tastes in entertainment. These shows continue that trend. While Rebels might be over, I look forward to seeing at least some of the characters in live-action form in the Mandalorian. As for Cobra Kai, I'm glad that Netflix picked it up from Youtube and that a third season is being made.

The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

9/20/2020

Today's Gospel brings up the concept of fairness. In the parable that Jesus teaches, all of the workers are paid the same wage no matter how long they had worked. Naturally, the workers who were there longer grumbled about not receiving more, but the person who hired them reminded them that they already received what they had agreed upon. They should not be upset at the workers who arrived later, nor at the one who hired them due to his generosity.

This message is for those of us who grumble about new generations having it "so much easier" than we were their age. It is for those who look back on the past difficulties and resent that others have not had to go through the same troubles. Jesus was speaking to those of us who say that we could never forgive someone no matter how repentant they become of the wrongs that they have done.

God allows for deathbed conversions and absolutions. It does not ultimately matter to Him how we finally come to recognize Him and His teachings. In fact, if we look back, we could probably identify where He helped guide us even when it looked like we would never come to follow Him.

Like the brother of the prodigal son, we need to be cautious about our jealousy regarding God's love, forgiveness, and generosity. Even if people follow a different path or religion, we should not be uncharitable towards their good works. God asks us to allow for good and forgiveness to flow into any person, even if we personally do not believe that they have earned it.

Roxanne (the 1987 movie)

9/19/2020

I don't know why my family decided to watch this movie when it first came out on video, but it immediately became one of my favorite comedies. It's a film that I can watch time and again without wearying of it. I know that I replayed the "twenty something betters" scene over and over until I committed each joke to memory. As I was sensitive about comments people made about my own nose, C.D. Bales' (played by the multi-talented Steve Martin) retorts became a kind of armor for me.

I remember being told that it was a modern version of a much older play, but I had not actually read Cyrano de Bergerac until just this week. I was amazed at how Steve Martin (who also wrote the script as well as played the main character) managed to capture the essence of the French melodrama and yet still modernize it. The "twenty something betters" scene in Roxanne is right out of the play in style, but shares only one: "Gracious: What a kind man you are! You love birds so much that you've given them a perch to roost on" in Cyrano de Bergerac becomes "Gracious: You must love the little birdies to give them this to perch on" in Roxanne ... a line that C.D. later repeats to himself when actually letting a bird perch on his nose.

As I live in modern times and do not particularly care for melodrama, I enjoyed the modern version quite a bit more. However, I'm quite glad that I read the play as, not only is it entertaining on its own, but it made me appreciate the craftsmanship in Roxanne all the more. Martin even kept in small gems such as having the main character fall out of a tree with a wild story to tell. In the play, he was distracting a rival from interrupting the marriage of Roxane and Christian by talking about a trip to the moon; in the movie, he tells some old ladies about being abducted by aliens in the hope that they will interrupt the romantic evening of Roxanne and Chris.

Thankfully, the Hollywood ending of the movie is nothing like melodramatic ending to the play. In fact, I particularly appreciate that the firefighters in the movie become town heroes without having to die like the Cadets in the play. However, Chris is not nearly as nice (or even as intelligent) as Christian is. I certainly appreciate how Martin managed to make the main character read aloud his own letter to a much better effect at the climax of the movie.

Wow. I really want to watch that movie again now.

Pro-life [controversial]

9/18/2020

I am unapologetically pro-life. I believe in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. For me, that is more than being anti-abortion; it is the basis behind my anti-war and anti-death penalty stances as well. It is also the foundation for my belief in universal healthcare, as I believe that the quality of that life is also important.

I truly believe that abortion is an abomination which creates at least two victims: the child and the mother whose child has been killed. However, I also believe that most anti-abortion legislation has little to do with actually stopping abortions. Simply outlawing abortions has not been proven to stop them any more than tougher laws against drugs has stopped drug use. Moreover, laws against abortion can put women who have suffered the loss of a child due to tragic and natural circumstances in the horrifying position of having to prove that they did not kill their child intentionally.

Instead, the pro-life movement should advocate for better healthcare and sexual education. More importantly, the pro-life movement should be for societal change so that having children is not such a tremendous economic burden--a financial strain that has significantly increased in recent decades. Meanwhile, counseling and aid for expecting parents should be part of our community-wide responsibility in caring for children beyond just their birth.

Unfortunately, most candidates who profess to be pro-life have little actual care about life, but instead use the issue to create faceless victims while promoting policies that are the antithesis of what a pro-life person should advocate. The pro-life movement, instead of preaching love and offering mercy, has become a basis for spreading hatred and intolerance. It has become another excuse for the self-righteous to cast blame and judgement on others.

With Ruth Bader Ginsberg's death today, I fear that corrupt elements of our government will use "pro-life" as an excuse to put in another judge, like Kavanaugh, who has openly stated that the President can do no wrong while in office. I worry that totalitarianism will be the end result of the Senate rushing through a "pro-life" justice. Worse, I believe that people will cheer it as a victory while it actually would be a defeat for true Christian values.

William Bradshaw, King of the Goblins [mild spoilers]

9/17/2020

One of the Facebook pages that I follow, My DND, has a regular contributor named Arthur Daigle. I frequently read through the comment section of this group's posts, hoping that he has left a comic gem. His humorous twists on standard Dungeons and Dragons tropes are right up my alley. ... And he is a self-published Amazon author (like yours truly, except he's written more than one book). Thus, I decided to pick up a copy of the first book, and soon after reading it decided to order the remain four books in the series. For me, they fill the niche that was left by Terry Pratchett's passing.

I have some quibbling complaints. For one, the printed books are too large to comfortably hold. I have not yet gone the E-reader route, but I might recommend it for this series. The second is that it's hard to gauge what audience (aside from people like me) that this is intended to catch. Often, the book would be perfect for about 5th grade in both style and humor, but then it will ratchet up into complex ideas and humor requiring a more adult understanding of the world. Basically, it fits my way of thinking perfectly.

Without giving too much away, the book series (of which the title of my post is the first in line) focuses on a young business major from our world who is tricked into signing a magical contract that makes him king of the goblins in a world called "The Other Place." However, these goblins are less like the monsters from standard fiction and more like the monstrous Muppets from Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. They are utterly chaotic, mischievous, humorous, and loyal. They fight civil wars with one another over preferred cheeses using non-lethal, but still obnoxious tactics and traps. And they are the scapegoats and underdogs of The Other Place.

Each book has William Bradshaw trying to protect these child-like goblins from yet another evil force that is attempting to crush them. Through the books, Will proves to hold to high moral principles and become more and more devoted to the bizarre populace of his kingdom. While the sermon-like moralism can get a little heavy-handed from time to time, that too fits right in my wheelhouse.

Thus, I read through the five books, caring more and more about the characters and their world, in about a month (which is more impressive considering my time constraints as of late ... that, and did I mention the awkward size of these books?). I know that he is working on another one, so I hope to be able to reenter the world soon. I just have to convince someone else to read them, so I have someone to talk to about them.