Today's homily struck a chord with me.  The Gospel has Jesus telling people to always be vigilant because the God might come at any time.  Some people interpret this as meaning the end of days, others as the time of our death, but most think of this as a scare tactic:  "We need to be ready or God will punish us" sort of thing.

God isn't looking to catch us in the act.  He's omniscient; he's already caught us in the act.  We don't need to be ready for His coming so that we can fool Him into thinking that we've been good all along.  For that matter, His coming should not be a matter of fear and guilt.  Instead, we need to be prepared for His coming in the same way that we get prepared for the return of a loved one from a trip, or for a party, or for any other sort of special occasion.  

We should be ready for God's coming with joy, not trepidation.  This is what Advent is all about: preparing us for the great festivity that is Christmas, the celebration of Christ's coming into the world.  Why wouldn't we want to be ready for this wonderful event?

I am a little concerned about how much we allow machines to dictate our actions.  We've gotten used to alarms going off, phones and doorbells ringing, and various timers letting us know that our food is ready.  We have been conditioned to respond when technology dings.

It should have come as no surprise that texting would be such a problem.  Not only does it provoke an unconscious response (the way that technology has conditioned us to respond), but it also satisfies one of our most basic needs -- connection to other human beings.  The sound or vibration (or both) signaling a text tells us that other people acknowledge or existence and maybe even value us.

When I first heard about the texting and driving problem, I thought the idea was ludicrous.  I wondered how people could possibly endanger themselves and the people around them that way.  But then I got a phone with texting abilities last year, and I quickly discovered how strong that temptation can be.

Now, I don't get that many text messages, and I consider myself to have a fair amount of self control, but especially when I receive a text on one of my long rides from (or sometimes to) work, I seem to need every ounce of my willpower to keep from "just taking a quick look."  While I have thus far managed to not succumb to the strange pressure that such a notification gives me, I have certainly gained a greater appreciation for the daily struggles that people go through.  I no longer allow myself to get as irritated at those drivers who are talking on the phone or texting as I used to get.

This is a bigger problem than just a few people.  It is not only idiots or the extremely careless who can slip up.  This just highlights another area where we have to fight for our own self-control.  We need to find a more effective way to handle this problem.  I only hope that technology will help solve the problem that it has created before more lives are lost.

My church's annual Interfaith Advent Choir Concert is coming up this Sunday at 4:30 pm.  The admission is free (although donations are appreciated) and the music is both fun and inspiring.  It's held at my parish, St. Mary's Star of the Sea in Jackson.  A number of choirs from a variety of Christian denominations each bring a couple of songs that they perform, plus two songs that all of the choirs perform together.  The transitions are filled with advent hymns that the audience is encouraged to sing as well.  The evening ends with a gathering in Star Hall (under the church) to join in fellowship and cookies.

We are always rushed in trying to get our music prepared in time for this concert, but it always turns out well worth our time and effort.  Although I don't have a solo this year, I still hope (as always) that my family and friends will come to hear these choirs sing.  It is an uplifting experience and the perfect start to the season of advent.  In this time when commercialism abounds, it's nice to get our spirits prepared for the fellowship that this season of giving is supposed to represent.

I hope to see you there.

In no particular order, here are things that I am thankful for since the last Thanksgiving:
Having friends and family who are supportive and who put up with my quirks.
My wife (her mind, her soul, and her body ... mmm mmm ... her body)
Not needing to repair or replace any major appliances
Gaining a new appreciation for my job and profession
My carpool buddy
Mera: my new Toyota Prius
My student teachers
New Dungeons and Dragons players and adventures
Other people willing to DM
People using (and liking) my D&D 3.5/3.6 spreadsheets
Assassin's Creed II (all three) and IV
Skyrim (still)
Bioshock Infinite and its DLC
Video games in general
Dropping gas prices
Not living in a community that actively destroys itself
New computer monitors
Upgraded hard drives
Couchtuner.com
Adblocker
Having a smartphone
My church choir
Pope Francis
Tennis
Comfortable shoe inserts
Flat dill pickles on sandwiches
Superhero movies (especially Guardians of the Galaxy)
Superhero TV shows (especially the Flash)
The LEGO movie
Extended Hobbit movies
Carcassonne
My children playing games together
A loving God

There is undoubtedly more.  I have been extraordinarily blessed this year and in my life.  I pray that I continue to be thankful for the marvelous people and events that help to make me a better person.

I have come to think of the computer company Steam as one of the greatest ideas in the world.  Not only is Steam responsible for some amazing games (the Portal games being my favorite), but it has created an online software distribution and storage system (I can buy the games online, save them in their service, and download them to my computer when I want to play them) that I am now fully addicted to.  With the exception of Starcraft II, this is now the only way that I purchase or play games on my computer.

One downside is that I find Steam's sales too effective.  I have purchased a number of games that I haven't even played.  I only bought them because they were such amazing deals (and often highly rated games).  Just today, I found myself looking over Steam's list of games on sale and wishing that I had some disposable income to spend, even though I know I don't have much disposable time.

Years ago, I was entirely against the idea of purchasing games online.  I wanted to have the disks so that I could transfer the game from one computer to another without too much hassle.  I am delighted to be proved to be so entirely wrong.  If anything, downloading games has made playing on my PC much more convenient and desirable.  All thanks to Steam. 

On my way to work this morning, I came up with a topic that I knew I should write about today, but by the time I got to work, I couldn't remember it.  On my drive home, the topic struck me again and I was sure that I wouldn't forget it, but only moments afterwards we narrowly avoided being stuck in a long line of gawker traffic (the opposite side of 94 was at a near stand-still for just under ten miles) and I forgot it again.

I was certain that I would remember it when I sat down to my computer, but it still hasn't come to me.  Worse, I ended up playing three losing games of Starcraft II in a row and so my mind has retreated to the place that only holds impotent rage.

I don't understand why my mind loses pieces of information that it promises it will remember while still retaining memories that I keep asking it to forget.  In my view, this is only further proof that my "self" only inhabits this body in a quasi-symbiotic relationship, and that some times the body can assert its dominance over my "self."  Although, why it's holding this particular piece of information hostage is not understandable to me (maybe it's withholding my understanding as well).

My body shouldn't be mad with me.  I certainly fed it enough tonight.

The wind is really blowing today.  Over the course of the day, my parents, my sister-in-law, my children's school, and the school where my school board meets all lost power.  For once, our house wasn't affected (and I have a strong desire to knock on wood having written that).  I am quite thankful for that small blessing.

So much of my life revolves around having power.  Today, we've watched television, played video games, responded to emails, and ... well .. . written this blog.  Considering my dependence on using the bathroom in my home, my tendency to stay up past sunset, and my desire to stay warm, I tend to put a lot of trust into having power.

I have looked into several options to ensure that we would have power no matter the weather.  The truth is that none of them are really that dependable.  Solar cells rely on the sun.  Wind turbines aren't much use without the wind.  Even portable generators are dependent upon getting an adequate amount of fuel.  

Considering that electricity is basically a manipulation of the Earth's magnetic field, one would think that free and easy power supplies would be easy to come by.  In the moments when I am more easily influenced by the conspiratorial side of my mind, I wonder if power companies know of such any easy solution to the world's energy needs, but have convinced us that one doesn't exist.  After all, Tesla certainly claimed that such an idea was possible: wireless, free electricity.  Yeah, that would be nice.

... I need to find some wood to knock on ...

Today is the last Sunday of the liturgical year.  Thus, we end our year with a celebration of Christ as the king of the universe.  Our homily started with the idea that, as Americans, the concept of Christ as king is a little foreign to our democratic environment.  A king's role is not to simply dole our laws and requirements, but to provide protection and ensure the well-being of his subjects.  Many people tend to think of Christ in only one of these roles, but He upholds both ends of this agreement.  He protects and provides for us by giving us rules and guidelines to follow.

In the Gospel today, Jesus tells about the final judgement when He separates the sheep from the goats.  The sheep are those who have cared for others and who will be rewarded with everlasting life.  The goats are those who have ignored the suffering of others and will face everlasting torment.  In both cases, the people are surprised at their condition, but the "goats" are the ones most surprised. 

I fear that I am a goat.  I have not done much in my life that has eased the suffering of others.  Much of the time, I find myself thinking selfishly with little regard for the health or well-being of others.  I am often consumed with my own problems and concerns to the point that I exclude the problems and concerns of others from my thoughts.

In the end, my hope rests that God will be merciful to me in my failures.  In return, I believe that it is only fair that I am merciful to others.  I must refrain from judging others harshly in the hope that the harsh judgment that I deserve does not come down upon me.

For these reasons, I am glad that the ultimate judge is none other than the king of the universe, Jesus Christ.  He who willingly suffered, died, and rose for us both understands our condition and is merciful in His judgment.  For He protects and provides for us in His role as king.

On March 27, 2009, I sent out an email asking a number of my male friends and relatives if they would be interested in participating in a monthly GNOME (Guys' Night of Monster Evisceration).  The idea was to get together with other men, hang out, do something that we enjoyed, eat food that was bad for us, and have fun.  As none of the men I invited were that interested in sports, hunting, or other traditional guy outings, the suggestion was that we would play D&D, a game that I knew several of us loved.

We've played as pirates, raided ancient trap-filled tombs, fought ancient dragons, taken portals to other worlds, ridden the winds on air ships, fought with foul-mouthed monkey-pirates and stopped evil plans to rule the world.  In all, I believe that we've had a pretty good time.

The biggest problem has been scheduling.  Because D&D is episodic, when one person can't make a session, it's difficult to play on with the story without them.  For a while, we actually had two campaigns running depending on who was available.  The confusion behind that was almost as bad as when we go for months without meeting.  In either case, we spend a good deal of our time figuring out what we have done before (even with a well-kept adventure journal available to us), a while catching up on any new news since we have last met, and some amount of time eating.  This has made our sessions even more sporadic, to the point that we haven't met for several months.

I don't want to give up on this idea.  With the release of the highly praised 5th edition of D&D, I would like to reinvigorate the concept of the GNOME once again.  I feel that part of the problem may have been the time that I was (or wasn't) willing to invest considering my difficult schedule, but my connections with my friends is more important to me than petty calendar disagreements.  

I will make certain that the GNOME lives on.

For the past two decades, it has been a tradition of mine to get up ridiculously early on the day after Thanksgiving and stand in line (in varying degrees of weather) for an hour or so before making a rush through two or three stores that have a few specials on things that I like.  More recently (say in the past seven or eight years), I have been bringing my daughters (if they are willing) and sometimes my brother with me.  This year I was planning to let Trevor come along as well.

The problem?  I might not follow my own tradition this year.  For one, the specials aren't all that special.  Each year, it seems that fewer of the things that I like are actually at a fantastic price on this one day.  Instead, the stores seem to be sucking people in with only a handful of great deals and a truckload of mediocrity.  

A second problem is that many of these stores are now having their "Black Friday" specials on Thanksgiving.  To begin with, they can't be Friday specials if they are on a Thursday.  Also, I worked in retail for a little while; Black Friday was not optional when it came to work.  Thanksgiving is supposed to be a national holiday, but I'm betting that those workers don't have any more choice than we did when I was working retail.  I don't want to encourage that sort of business.

Lastly, our budget is ridiculously tight.  While I don't spend much on myself during the rest of the year, I usually put in about $200 on Black Friday (on rare occasions, I spend more).  This year, we do not have that much in discretionary money.  In truth, we might never have, but now we have no access to credit cards, no extra income from Baker, and a pay cut from Lincoln.

And yet I still want to go.  It was something that I look forward to every year, even if I can't entirely explain why.  I also know that Trevor would be disappointed if we stop going on the year when he was expecting to go.

... I guess that I better look over the ads again ...

Mera (my Toyota Prius) has not been achieving the same level of fuel efficiency that she attained just a month ago.  At her best, I was regularly getting just over 50 mpg on the highway and sometimes as high as 68 mpg in town.  Yesterday, my drive home only reached 39 mpg.  Lately, I've been averaging around 44 mpg.  It makes me sad.

I believe the lower gas mileage has two culprits: a strong headwind on my way home and the car's heater being active.  On the day when I didn't need the heater, Mera's gas mileage was considerably better.  I have also noticed the wind more now that the trees are leafless.

I know that it seems strange that I'm complaining about gas mileage that is 40 mpg or higher, but I had come to expect much better.  Considering how tight our finances have been, I also want more reasons to justify buying this more-expensive car.  Saving money on gas was supposed to be one of the main reasons, but gas prices have been going down and now my gas mileage is going down.  

I'm still glad that I purchased Mera.  She has been my favorite out of the eight vehicles that we have owned.  I suppose that I can forgive a small lapse in gas mileage.

I didn't go to choir today.  I really don't like that fact.  We only have another week and a half before the Advent concert, but my sore throat turned into a full sinus infection, making my voice sound like Batman's.  Normally, I would like that sort of transformation, but not at the cost of being able to sing.

Singing has been a joy in my life for a long time.  Even before I received any training and when I was overly self-conscious about my voice, I loved singing.  Because I was afraid of being made fun of, I often only sang when I thought people couldn't hear me, like when no one else was home or while I was using the lawnmower.  Once I discovered that other people like the way my voice sounds, I was able to sing much more freely (and often do).

At the moment I can't sustain a pitch and it is driving me crazy.  There's a lock on my voice.  I would normally be singing right now and I physically cannot do it.  I know my voice will come back (hopefully soon), but it scares me how easily it can be taken away.

A new writing competition popped up on my radar.  There's no fee and a $10,000 prize for first place.  The goal is to write a 22 minute sitcom that has a cast of at least 2 men and 2 women and that deals with international travel.

I already have a few ideas:

"Ignoring Customs" - a red-blooded American family that has recently come into money and wants to see the world, but has packed their values, misconceptions, prejudices, and determination with them

"Business Class" - an international business worker who has to describe the adventures he encounters on his job to his family back home

"Nothing To Declare" - a group of college students decide to explore the globe with only their backpacks and their friendship

"Cruisin' for a Bruisin'" - a team of cruise workers has to deal with various problems as they move from one ship to another

I also like the idea of a few people who keep running the same bizarre couple as they go on various trips around the world.

I am a little concerned about being funny (or at trying too hard to be funny) while still keeping that je ne sais quoi that makes an audience devoted to a show.  The contest starts in January and ends in March.  I might make more than one attempt (especially if I can't decide which idea that I like best).

The problem with teaching on the East side of Michigan is that I get to hear about lake effect snow, and thus get excited about the possibility of a decent amount of snow fall, but not really get to see it in action.  I know; I know.  I'm weird for liking snow as much as I do.  I've come to terms with that.

I really wouldn't mind if this current batch of low temperatures manages to shoot some heavy lake effect snow all the way to Lincoln so I can have a snow day tomorrow.  I'm not feeling the best at the moment, and while I like the snow and even enjoy driving in it, I'm not looking forward to dealing with some of the people on the roads in the early morning while I'm not at 100%.  Instead, it sounds like it would be a great day to stay inside snuggled in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate.

Although I wore my snow sweaters last week, I'm pulling out one of them again for tomorrow.  While I don't think that it has a magical ability to pull snow where I want it, let alone cause a snow day, I do want to show my support for snow.  ... Even if I have to deal with early-morning madness on 94 due to this front ...