Today's Gospel deals with what we do with what God has given us.  In the parable that Jesus tells, three servants are given differing amounts of money (in the form of gold talents).  The first two invest the money and double their investment, while the third buries the money so he can return it on his master's return.  The first two are praised; the last one is punished.

I feel that many Christians see this reading as an excuse to look down on those who don't have money.  In the parable, the last servant (who was only given one talent to start with) has to give his talent to the one who has ten.  Thus, the one who has much is given even more.  Yes, I can see greedy individuals using this as a Biblical excuse for their actions.

But Jesus was not referring to money.  For that matter, I don't believe that He was even referring to the talents (as in abilities, not the coin) that God has given to us.  I believe that this was a story about faith.  The one with a great deal of faith shares that faith and becomes more faithful because of it.  The one with only a little faith hides that faith away, afraid to show it to others.  Somehow that lack of faith only makes the faithful person more faithful.

I've seen this in reality.  People of faith who invest their faith see their faith rewarded.  Those who hide their faith do not get the opportunity to see it grow.  This is also the essence of love.  Those who love and share their love have the love returned in an even greater amount.  Those who hide that love ... 

Which brings me to the first reading, a rather incongruous reading compared to the other two.  It talks about the value of a "worthy wife."  Now, I don't know if I am worthy of my wife, but she is certainly worth more to me than pearls or the riches of the world.  She completes my being.  My wife not only makes me a better person, she makes me want to be a better person so that I am worthy of her.  And I can't help but feel sorrow for those who are not as blessed as I am, to love and be loved so deeply.

Since both Christmas and my birthday are approaching, I've spent a bit of this morning updating my gift list.  In truth, I feel a little self-conscious about putting this list out there, but I was recently assured by family members that having this list available makes me one of the easier people to shop for.  That said, it doesn't always reflect what I might want or appreciate.  In truth, I like it better when people get me gifts that I did not anticipate liking or that I would not want to put on a list.  An example that comes to mind is the lavender pillow spray that my daughter got for me last year.

I also have found that I don't always remember to put stuff that I want on the list.  I know that I've spent a little while today just trying to remember some of the items that I know I wanted to put on the list but which I have obviously forgotten.  I know that if people could figure those items out, they would make better gifts than nearly anything else on the list.

I do, however, prefer receiving a gift over cash, as I tend to just put cash towards mundane bills.  In fact, the Christmas money I received from last year almost exclusively went to one of my daughter's spring semester books and fees.

Looking back over this entry, it seems extremely self-serving.  While it was the nature of the topic of this post, I didn't want to imply that I am overly selfish ... especially if it means I get fewer gifts.

We just finished watching the extended edition of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  The added scenes make this version, like the other extended editions of the Lord of the Rings franchise, the definitive version of the movie.  Peter Jackson's productions have all benefitted from these longer versions.  Next year, when the last of the Hobbit's extended editions has come out, I plan on showing a two day marathon that will include the longer versions of all six movies.

Unfortunately, not all movies benefit from later retouches.  Too many of them with added scenes end up adding something that ultimately detracts from the original film.  The Star Wars movies certainly fit this bill.  While some added shots of the space ships and scenery are appreciated, each movie adds something that bothers me (the most offensive being Luke's scream as he falls towards the camera after losing his hand in Cloud City).

That said, there are at least two (other than the Lord of the Rings) which make a significant improvement.  The first is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  While the added scenes lack the polish of a theatrical release, they finally explain why Scotty was so upset at the loss of the young crewman: the crewman was his nephew.  The second is the Daredevil movie.  While its theatrical version was not that good of a film, it turns out that it only needed a few small adjustments.  The director's original version of the film captures much of the essence of the superhero while showing some of the sacrifices that Daredevil has to make.  The changes for the theatrical release make the character more shallow, create a forced sex scene, and provide an anti-climactic final battle.  I actually recommend that people watch the director's cut of the movie.

Many extended version, director's cuts, and unrated cuts aren't worth the film they are printed on.  It's a only a small few that actually add anything to the experience.  With the Lord of the Rings movies, once the extended version comes out, I don't go back to the original theatrical release.

On Wednesday, I received a gift card to Outback Steakhouse because I had perfect attendance.  Before people complain about schools passing out gift cards when they are in financial difficulties, it is important to remember that substitutes cost money.  Worse, since substitutes have been in short supply this year, our school is often forced to pay by hour for teachers to give up their prep periods, which we have specifically negotiated to be a costly option.  When that's taken into account, a $25 card for not needing a substitute (let alone more than one) is actually quite a deal for the district.

Still I was surprised that I received the gift card, not just because this was the first time that they have handed out gift cards as this sort of award, but because I hadn't thought about the fact that I hadn't missed a day of school so far this year.  I don't think of it as being such an accomplishment; after all, one of our teachers hasn't missed a day in her entire career.  However, this has been the first time that I have even been eligible for this kind of award since my first year of teaching at Lincoln (where I only missed one day for the entire year).  

Starting my second year of teaching at Lincoln, I have been teaching at Baker College either on Saturdays or in the evenings.  This has been my first semester since then that I have not, and that fact seems to have had an impact on my health.  I had suspected that such was the case, but I now have a quantifiable number to use to prove the point.

With the colder weather looking like it's going to settle in this week, I decided to break out my standard winter gear.  In my case, that means pulling out my olive green Carhartt winter coat and my black work boots while putting away my fleece jacket and dress shoes.

I love the Carhartt coat.  I intentionally bought it (over a decade ago) a size too big so that I would be comfortable where layers underneath it, especially some of my bulkier sweaters.  Unfortunately, that does mean that it lets in a little too much air around the collar; however, that and the fact that it doesn't have a hood are my only two complaints against it.  I love the number of pockets that it has to the point that I often refer to it as my "Swiss Army Jacket" since I can carry just about anything that I would like to have handy (including an all-purpose utility tool).  It's green color is kind of my signature color that helps me set myself apart (I have a planner, computer bag, and phone case all in the same color).

The boots aren't anything special.  I still miss the hiking boots that I had while in Alaska.  Still, these are black and make a passable substitute for dress shoes so that I can wear them to work without comment.  Today, I put in new inserts and they made a world of difference.  I usually get the gel inserts, but for some reason I decided to splurge the extra dollar and get the ones for lower back support.  Despite being up on my feet the entire day, I didn't even have a twinge of pain, which is a far cry better than I can say for the rest of the school year.

I love getting out the winter gear.  I don't know why I enjoy winter so much, but I do.  Breaking out the coat and boots just adds that much more to my growing jubilation.

There are two days in November that should be national holidays where everyone either gets the day off or gets double pay for working.  The first I have mentioned before: Election Day.  If we are truly concerned about the democratic process of our country, we should use the entire day as a celebration.

The second is Veteran's Day.  On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, the "war to end all wars" (at least until the next ones) came to an end.  Celebrated in Europe as Armistice Day, the U.S. later renamed it Veteran's Day in honor of all veterans who have served our country.  While we have Memorial Day to commemorate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country, I believe that it is equally important to celebrate those who have risked and are risking their lives to protect our country, our freedoms, our way of life.

While many of these brave men and women may not have given their lives, they have put themselves into the position to do so.  They have stood between us and our enemies (which are many) on foreign soil (which is better than having to fight them here at home).  They have sacrificed time with their families and other loved ones.  Many have been injured, some crippled.  All have given of themselves for the benefit of others.

They deserve a true holiday, not one just celebrated by government employees and banks .

I was reminded today on two separate occasions about the importance of staying positive, specifically in the field of education.  Teaching can be quite draining in its own right.  There are students, and sometimes even classes, that just seem to sap the energy directly out of a person, no matter how well planned or intentioned that person might be.  I have been extremely fortunately these past few years at Lincoln in that I haven't had classes like that.  In fact, each year it has been my students that have brought me out of the depression that my finances and the political climate towards teachers has caused.

But positivity breeds more positivity.  I don't mean the crazed happiness that some people effect or the fake happiness enforced by commercial businesses, but genuine gladness at seeing people and wanting to help them.  It is important to look people in the eyes and tell them, quite sincerely, that you are happy to see them.  The words and effort make it true.

I was reminded by a sign at my son's school that it is important to go out of our way to say something positive to people every day.  As teachers, we need to share these positive comments with both our students and our fellow teachers and staff.  We are all in this together.  We all want our students to have a glorious future; that's why we do what we do.

Today's mass had quite a title to it.  Once again, instead of celebrating a Sunday in Ordinary Time, we celebrated a feast day that happened to fall on a Sunday.  Of the feast days in the Catholic Church, today's is the most uniquely Catholic.  It celebrates the initial dedication of the church used by the Pope almost continuously since 324 (for a thousand years it also was where the Pope lived).  While it has been broken several times due to fires, earthquakes, and Vandals (yep, with a capital "V"), and it has been restored on numerous occasions, it still stands.  If for no other reason, that makes it the perfect symbol of the Catholic Church as a whole.  It, too, has been broken and restored on several occasions.

The Gospel reading today shows Jesus at His angriest.  I've always found it humorous to know that even Jesus could lose His cool.  In this case, He chased merchants and money changers out of the temple of Jerusalem while flogging at them with a rope and overturning their tables.  While Jesus often preached about the evils of money, this is the only time that He shows His true disgust at it.  I like to think that what disgusted Him the most was the people who were taking advantage of people's devotion.  I wonder how God views those "Christians" who claim to serve Him, but who make millions off of people's desire to be with Him.

The homily, meanwhile, spoke of our bodies as temples.  Our bodies house our spirits during our lifetime and thus deserve respect and good treatment.  I know that this is an area where I need to work harder.  While Jesus will rebuild the temple of my body after I pass away, I would rather not give Him the need to do so for a while.

I'm pretty excited.  What has probably been the most-played game in my library is about to add its second expansion.  I've been playing Starcraft II since it was in beta, and the original Starcraft since it had been released.  I have logged more hours on these games than probably all of my other games combined.  My brother and I have been playing multiplayer matches for a few hours (sometimes much more) nearly every week.

It is an amazingly balanced game.  By far, the campaign mode is my favorite.  While the story has been a little ... predictable, it is still quite enjoyable.  The cinematics that accompany it are almost worth this admittance fee alone.  But what draws me is the game.  The campaigns have done a fantastic job of walking the line of challenging but not frustrating.  I especially like the rpg-like additions that Starcraft II has made in modifying the armies at my control.

While multiplayer crosses over more into the frustrating category, truly balanced games (like a few that I played today) have a great deal of back-and-forth, with victory being both in doubt and just within reach.  It amazes me that a game that uses so many units with such different abilities can maintain such a balance.  Normally, one group's minor advantage would be enough to tip the scales.

The newest edition is supposed to focus on the Protoss, by far my favorite of the three races to play.  I am eager to see what units they are going to add, but I am actually more excited to see how the campaign's progression is going to operate.  I hope that it is closer to Wings of Liberty than Heart of the Swarm, although I truly hope that it is something altogether different and better.

They don't have a release date.  I'm hoping the game will be available by this spring (if not sooner).  Even thinking about it makes me want to play through the other two campaigns again.

What if global warming is a good thing?  It's a question that runs through my mind from time to time.  

I remember President Carter encouraging people to wear sweaters and instituting the 55mph speed across the country because of the fear that the Earth was entering a new ice age and that we would need all the fuel that we could get to stay warm.  What if scientists figured that they could solve the problem by going the other way?  Instead of conserving energy, we cranked up the speed limits, made a greater demand of electricity, reduced rain forest acreage and basically pumped carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  All this traps more sunlight, keeping the world warmer.

Along this line of thought, I have had a few rough story ideas about conspiracies behind global warming.  One of them involves time-travelers from a much colder future who push the energy agenda (creating must-have energy-consuming gadgets) in an attempt to make the Earth more habitable in their own time.

Of course, there are problems with this solution.  Beachfront property is going to be farther inland than we expected, and it turns out that the Earth has its own cooling system: the polar vortex.  It's interesting that the warmer temperatures worldwide might actually make it so we have more snow, which in turn reflects more of the sun's energy into space, which cools down the Earth.  I am continually amazed at the self-regulation that God put into His creation.

In the end, a warmer Earth is more hospitable than a colder one.  While I love winter, snow, and the cold, I do admit that they make it harder to grow food.  In the end, perhaps global warming might not be as terrible as everyone thinks; however, it might be time to invest in inland real estate. 

I've been on a pendulum when it comes to my emotional state this week (I'd say "emotional roller coaster," but that makes it sound like something that's fun).  Realizing that the attacks on teachers (our retirement, our healthcare, our salaries, our job security, etc.) was only punctuated our current financial status.  Meanwhile, I had amazing and affirming conversations with parents and students this week.

I believe that we have more control over our emotions than our emotions have control over us, but this week I have not demonstrated such control.  I've found myself bounding between elation and despair, with little time to even wave at the emotional scenery that I flew by.  It's been exhausting, and embarrassing when I express those extremes (especially through my actions) to others.

At least I've been able to avoid eating my way through these swings.

Today was the first day of parent-teacher conferences this year.  It was a great evening for me!

For one, I didn't have a single negative parent, and I had five more parents than my parent sign-in sheet had spaces.

I had a number of parents express how much their student(s) enjoyed taking my class.

I had several students remark to their parents during the conferences that my class was one of their favorite classes ever.

One family which has two children who are taking my class this year commented that their children actively discuss what I taught in class.

One parent thanked me specifically for providing a level of both rigor and engagement for her child, and for providing a class that is both challenging and entertaining.

One set of parents told me that my class was the first class that their child had discussed (with excitement even) with them since early middle school.

One parent wanted me to go into more explanation about a topic from my class that sounded interesting, but that the parent had not heard of before that parent's child was in my class.

One student was holding back tears because the student was ashamed of the grade in my class and didn't want to let me down.

I laughed with parents and students.  I got to talk about how wonderful my students were.  I got to see a number of students who don't usually talk much in my class express how much they look forward to my class each day.

For a variety of reasons, I was a bit concerned about today, but it has been a fantastic day!

While there wasn't a candidate that I truly supported, and while I largely felt like I was choosing the lesser of two evils (although I don't fall prey to the mass delusion that most, let alone all, of our politicians are evil), I am glad that I took the time yesterday to familiarize myself with the candidates and then vote today.  There is a lot that I would like to change about our current system, but I still feel that it works better than most of the other ones out there.

Imagine, we allow power to change hands without bloodshed.  This is an amazing concept considering the history of the world.  While we might whine and complain about our choices or the results, the truth is that we are part of an amazing governmental system.  And while I often find myself in the valleys of cynicism, my overall view of our country is a positive one.

That said, there are two major things that I would like to change about election day.  The first is that it should be a national holiday.  This is an amazing day, a wonderful display of democracy in action, and we should be able to celebrate it.  More importantly, our jobs should not get in the way of our civic duty.

Secondly, I believe that all citizens should get a vote, no matter their age.  I've written about this idea before, so I'm not going to belabor the point now, but in our current system, politicians only listen to our concerns if we have the power to keep them in office.  Without this currency, issues that directly affect our children, and thus our children, get ignored, put aside, and at worse, destroyed.

I hope that everyone who could vote did vote today.  Even if you think that your vote doesn't ultimately change anything, if you didn't vote, you don't have the right to complain.

I'm mad anyway at the choices I have for this next election, but now Weebly has eaten the post that I spent this past while writing.  I am following the advice about blogging that I read when I first started this page: Don't write angry.

Hopefully, I will have more success tomorrow.