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The Land of the Weird

The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

1/19/2020

Today our pastor's discussions had two major themes. The first was given through the reading of a letter from the archbishop concerning the recently published independent investigation are sexual abuse by priests and other church ministers in Alaska. As the results were released on Thursday, I had already read them. This announcement was to let people know that the information was available and that it was part of the Church's efforts to end such abuse and any type of cover-ups.

The second was about the need for unity between all Christians. Our pastor was clear in saying that we don't need to agree on all things, but rather that Christians need to work with one another instead of against if we really want to make the world a better place. This entire week is dedicated to Christian unity. An example of such an equmenical effort is the Kairos prison ministry, which had its breakfast and pie auction today. Through Kairos, Christians for many different denominations work in prisons to help prisoners find love and acceptance that they might otherwise lack.

Both of these ideas can be brought beyond the Church. There are terrible parts of our world that, when brought to light, need to be confronted rather than pushed aside and ignored. By acknowledging such horrors and actively working to eliminate them, we make the world a better place. Meanwhile, that effort is most successful when we work together rather than tearing each other apart.

Native Youth Olympics

1/18/2020

Several months ago, I was surprised when my youngest sons asked me if they could stay after school to practice for the Native Youth Olympics. At the time, I didn't know that non-Natives could participate, but the real surprise was that Rowen wanted to do it. They both seem to really enjoy the activities, and it keeps them active and off of electronics for a while, so I agreed despite the scheduling issues that it has caused.

This weekend held and holds the competition that they've been working towards. Connor chose four events and Rowen chose three to compete in. Last night, both boys were competing in the Alaskan high kick where they have to keep one hand on the floor, hold one foot in the other hand, and kick a hanging ball with the other foot, landing with that foot and balancing on the one hand and one foot. Rowen made it past the starting height and Connor managed to place 5th in the entire 1st-6th grade boys group.

Today lasted much longer than expected. Both boys competed in the arm pull, a double-elimination competition where two people sit and lock an arm and then pull until one lets go or is lifted off the mat. Rowen won about four times, but was eliminated by much larger boys. Connor managed to place 3rd. After getting lunch at Arby's (2 for $6 mix and match!), Connor competed in the stick pull. Again, two people face each other, grasp a stick, and pull until the other person lets go. This time, Connor was undefeated and won 1st place. He really enjoyed hearing everyone cheer as his name was called to mount the podium. His final event was the one-foot kick. True to its name, the goal is to kick a hanging ball and land on the foot that kicked it. Connor did quite well, but did not place in the top 5.

Tomorrow, is Rowen's final (and favorite) event: the wrist carry. I haven't seen this one yet, but I think the goal is to lock a wrist on top of a stick and see how long you can hold it there while hanging from it. Considering how often he hangs on us and his brothers, this sport is almost custom made for him.

It was quite a long day, but the boys had a blast. Connor wants to go to the state competition in Anchorage next month, and both boys want to keep training after school. I certainly think it has been worth the time.

Secret Sleep Science

1/17/2020

The love of my life is on the plane. I hope for safe travels for my beautiful wife, and that everything works out perfectly for the birth of my granddaughter. I'm not looking forward to spending the two weeks without my better half.

However, I will have the entire queen-sized bed to myself. At the moment, I am exhausted and still need to get up early (if not as early as the work week) to get the boys to Kenai tomorrow morning for more Native Youth Olympics (which is open to all school-aged children, Alaskan Native or not). I am interested to see if my FitBit indicates that I get better sleep without having a restless bed partner who tends to snore.

I will not let anyone know the results of this experiment.

Ever.

Hangry Moose

1/16/2020

While I have not had a direct encounter with a moose made angry by hunger, I saw a couple of posts online today that reminded me of how precarious such a situation could be. As much as I like seeing moose, I am well aware that they are powerful and wild creatures who are not always peaceful.

I remember when one of my college instructors in Fairbanks regaled us with a story about a moose that decided to stand in front of his garage when he was trying to park his car. After waiting for multiple minutes, he honked his horn and the moose turned directly towards him like it was setting for a charge. He said that he quickly put his car in reverse and backed down the road a ways, parked, and waited for the moose to finally decide to head elsewhere.

One of my colleagues once told me about a woman jogger on his road who had to hide under his truck in his driveway due to an aggressive moose. It stomped around the truck and rocked it (if I remember correctly) before finally heading off. It took a while to coax the woman out from under the truck even after the moose was gone.

The closest for me was when I stopped on the road to take a picture of a cow and her calf. As I rolled down the window, I heard her start huffing. She seemed to get bigger by the moment, so I decided against taking her picture, and drove off before even rolling my window back up.

This time of year, moose are more irritable due to the lack of food available. I certainly understand as I would be cranky if I were underfed. It's definitely not a good time to ask a moose for a favor.

The Afterlife [controversial]

1/15/2020

As part of the Medieval European section of World Literature, I am having my classes explore (among other pieces) four Cantos from Dante's Inferno. For those unfamiliar with it, the Inferno is the first of three parts of the Divine Comedy, an epic poem detailing a fictional Dante journeying through the afterlife with guides that show him Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. On his quest, he meets a wide range of figures both real and fictional who are placed by Dante (the poet) in various parts of the afterlife with rewards or punishments based on how good or bad he felt that they were. Notably, he even placed famous people who were still alive at the time of his writing into the eternal rewards or punishments.

Like many belief systems that deal with the concept of a life after death, Dante--in his Divine Comedy--is focused on people receiving a fitting prize or torture based on a major aspect of their lives. For example, people who died while consumed by lust are forced to forever whirl in a wind that drives them in directions they cannot control as they are buffeted and cut by the forces within it--similar to how people driven by their passions feel no sense of control and feel they cannot stop themselves. Also as an example, people who betrayed their masters are in the lowest level of hell, frozen forever in contorted positions which likely symbolize the way that they twisted their allegiances and promises.

As I prepared for teaching this epic tale, I spent a little while examining my own views of the afterlife. In general, I believe in the reality of there being a hell, purgatory, and heaven in the life beyond this one. However, I don't want my fear of hellish punishment or hope for heavenly reward to be my primary motivation for doing what is right and avoiding evil. In fact, I hold in high regard those who actively disbelieve in the concept of an afterlife, but who still strive to make themselves better people and the world a better place for their presence in it. In a sense, their actions are purer in motivation than most of the most zealous believers in religion.

I believe that God has created wonders for us that are beyond this mortal realm. However, I also think that we should take an active role in our present world to make it as close to the ideal Good as is possible. We should do so without our desires of an eternal treasure or our fears of an eternal torment; such concerns only pollute our actions. Instead, I believe that in doing the best we can in this life, we better appreciate the next.

Planning

1/14/2020

Janelle is leaving for Michigan on her birthday at the end of this week so she can help Katrina with our soon-to-be-born granddaughter. While Janelle would like to be there for our granddaughter's birth, Katrina is hoping that the child will make an earlier appearance. Meanwhile, we are working to get things ready. On Janelle's side, she's getting ready for the trip. On mine, I'm getting ready for dealing with her not being here.

Her travel arrangements are already a matter of concern. All flights on Raven out of Kenai are currently in a state of limbo as their plane de-icer is broken. They've been cancelling their flights day by day; however, they are supposed to have it replaced by Friday, which is when Janelle flies out. We can work it so I can drive her to Anchorage that night if worse comes to worse, but we both hope it doesn't come to that.

With the generous offering of a couple of friends, I think that we have made our arrangements for the boys to get to their school in the morning. That single working parents manage to do this for an entire school year fills me with sympathy and awe. There are simply not a lot of good options for dropping of anyone almost anywhere by the time that I need to get to school.

It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks for both of us.

Sore Mouth

1/13/2020

My last dental check-up showed that I had a couple of small cavities developing. Due to scheduling issues, I had to put off the appointment for the fillings for a couple of months ... which ended up being today. My mouth is still not happy with me.

For one, the novacane (or whatever is currently used) had to be applied twice, and I still had a shock or two of pain while the dentist was drilling--to the point I had to raise my hand a couple of times. He said that part of the issue was that the cavity went deeper than he thought, but I still feel like the numbing wore off much faster than past experiences.

Something also happened to the side of my tongue. It feels a bit scraped and raw, not like I bit it but more like it reacted to the first-stage numbing agent that they placed there (the issue is in the same area). Thankfully, that is starting to feel better now.

Also, the experience has left a lingering ache that goes all the way up into my sinuses. It feels a bit like there is still some of the numbing agent in there, but it is also a little sore to the touch. In fact, it sort of feels like I've been punched on that side of the face.

Finally, the area around the tooth with the larger cavity is sensitive and sore, but I kind of expected that considering the time he had to put in on that side. I had a cavity filled on the other side of my mouth, but that experience went off without a hitch is not bothering me at all.

Thankfully, the entire affair was quick (in and out in half an hour) and my mouth is starting to feel better.

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

1/12/2020

Knowing the title of today's mass makes it no surprise that today's second reading, Gospel, and homily were all on the topic of Baptism. I found it interesting that the term Baptism refers to both the sacrament of the same name and the saving grace that God gives us. As the two usually coincide, it makes sense that I thought of them as the same thing. However, it turns out that it is possible, in certain cases, for the latter to occur without the former.

Baptism, in the sense of it being our salvation from damnation, is not something that we can achieve through action. Rather, it is something that God bestows upon us. Our salvation does not depend upon mysticism or superstition, but is woven by God into the very tapestry of our existence. The Baptism that we celebrate recognizes that fact and brings it to our awareness in this mortal realm. It is still important to our growing in love and understanding of our God and His pathway to everlasting life.

Yet, ironically, it seems that Baptism is one of the main concerns that separates groups of Christians from one another. How it's done, when it's done, and other matters cloud the underlying significance of the power of Baptism in our lives. Were I to have no other evidence of the devil's presence in this world, the contention over Baptism would be alone enough to convince me of not only Lucifer's existence, but his determined efforts to corrupt any good which God has done.

Thankfully, God is greater than any plan which the devil could come up with.

Virtuality [controversial]

1/11/2020

It's no secret that I love video games. As much as I enjoy movies and books, video games allow a level of active participation that makes the worlds they build so much more real. While others might bemoan the fact that I have not widely travelled (having not been out of the U.S. for any significant amount of time with the exception of my two drives through Canada), I feel that I have traveled to so many great places and worlds, meeting extraordinary characters and taking part in literally epic quests.

Certainly, some people would see me as a bit (or perhaps greatly) pathetic for holding this belief. Yet I feel sad for them as well. They never received the thrill of climbing the thousand stairs in Skyrim, nor walked through the mushroom treed forest of Morrowind. They never felt the urgency of mining rich mineral fields before rising tides of lava on the planet Redstone. Nor have they had the satisfaction of crafting the tools need to survive in lush post-apocalyptic worlds full of robotic dinosaurs or fungus-created zombies. They certainly have not had shivers crawl up their spine as they entered the meadow of the Lost Woods that held the Master Sword.

Of course, there are those who will claim that these experiences are not real and cannot compete with reality. At least at this time, one cannot touch, smell, or taste their experiences in video games. I concede that point, but I also know that in some ways reality cannot compete with the experiences that these virtual worlds provide. Meanwhile, I would also argue that most travel experiences are just as fictional. People travel to far off regions of the world for "authentic" experiences that are nearly as scripted as the games I play. We prefer the trips that do not expose us to the poverty and troubles which actual plague the places we visit. It might be an illusion that one can touch, but it is still an illusion.

Don't get me wrong: I still want to travel the world. It's just that I am also quite content with the virtual worlds that I enjoy. There is high adventure to be had and glorious sights to be seen for those daring and cunning enough to find them ... and I don't have to worry about getting sick from the water.

Things To Do on and around the Kenai

1/10/2020

My Aunt Keisha asked me for some suggestions about things that she and my Uncle Brian (and other traveling companions) could do for a couple of days after their cruise ship arrives in Seward and before they fly out of Anchorage. While this will be a summer trip, it will unfortunately be when we will be off on a trip of our own. Although I have a few ideas about things that they could do, I'm fairly terrible at coming up with interesting activities (besides movie marathons), but I'll try anyway.

For my part, I would still like to go on a boat tour of the glaciers around Seward. I've heard that you get closer than you can on a cruise ship and that it's usually worth the fee. I also like the rather easy Exit Glacier hike, even if I am amazed (and a bit saddened) by how much the glacier has retreated in just the five years we've been here. However, when it come to glacier hikes, I really like Byron Glacier (although I needed more bug spray for that one). Both of them have nice visitor centers nearby--I think that the one by Byron also has a boat tour available for the nearby Portage Glacier.

I'm also a big fan of the sights in Homer. If we had the chance to go together, I would certainly use it as an opportunity to go to Captain Pattie's on the Homer Spit. It's one of my favorite places to eat and the Spit has both an amazing view and plenty of touristy shops.

If there was enough time, I think it's worth it to go a couple of hours past Anchorage and visit the Matanuska Glacier. I love the views (if not necessarily the drive) by Glacier View and would like to do that again.

I've also wanted to go see Whittier. It requires a drive through one of the longest tunnels in America, and is supposed to be a fairly unique location. As I understand it, the entire town is housed in one large building with amazing sights around it.

Personally, I also like just taking Bridge Access Road over to Kenai on a clear day and stop at the flats. The view continually takes my breath away. It's usually worth it to continue up to one of the beach access points there.

I'm sure there's plenty more, but as I've said, I pretty terrible at making these kinds of suggestions.

I've also included the following link that we often share with people who rent our cabin: https://www.alaska.org/

What's on My Mind?

1/9/2020

Right now, I am not sure what to write about as I both have too many and too few ideas for my daily post. I figured that I would just give a quick rundown of some of those things which are bouncing around in my brain. They are as follows (although in no particular order):

My soon to be born granddaughter.
Janelle being away for a couple of weeks.
My doctoral study and my need to get it done.
A request to rent our cabin until May.
How long will this cold streak last?
I keep forgetting how tiring teaching is.
Connor and Rowen's upcoming Native Youth Olympics.
Needing to exercise more.
My current video game ban (until I get Chapter 2 of my doctoral study done).
Planning for my courses this semester.
Iran.
Impeachment.
Fake news.
Undefined cravings.
Our misplaced thermostat (seriously? above a heater from another zone?)

There was more, but they have melted away like wisps of fog on a sunny day.

The Witcher - Season 1

1/8/2020

While this series is clearly an attempt by Netflix to profit from the popularity of HBO's Game of Thrones, I still found the first season to be quite enjoyable with plenty of reason to be hopeful for the future. Although the production level and dialogue are not quite to the standards set by GoT, the characters are quite compelling and at least this series is based on a completed storyline of books.

Despite owning the three Witcher video games, I have not played them, nor have I read the books on which the games and the series are based (although I've heard they go in different directions). Honestly, my main interest in seeing this show is because of the stories about Henry Cavill's (who plays the titular character) determination to get the role and passion for playing it. I have to say that he has an amazing presence which carries a lot of the show.

I liked this first season and am happy to hear that they plan on making six more. However, I would like it if that song would stop playing through my head.

Toss a coin to your witcher ...

Family Friendly Films

1/7/2020

A large number of the movies and shows that I like can only be watched after the little boys go to bed. Thus, it's nice to find movies that the entire family can enjoy together. This weekend, I finally had a chance to watch two of them: The Kid Who Would Be King and Toy Story 4.

I am a big fan of Arthurian legends, but have been disappointed time and again by their adaption to the screen (with the exception of Monty Python's famous film and the first couple of seasons of the BBC Merlin). The Kid Who Would Be King was a fun take of the legend, with modern-day kids becoming the famous knights. Although the story was a little preachy in places and jumped the shark entirely in the last confrontation, it was still entertaining throughout with some interesting twists--especially regarding Arthur's lineage--that I quite liked. Plus, it has Patrick Stewart.

Meanwhile, I was dreading Toy Story 4 as I had heard both that it was bad and that it was a tearjerker. Thankfully, neither was true. Instead, it was a great experience that brought back Anne Potts (a long-time favorite of mine) in a story that did not leave me feeling guilty about toys I have neglected. I actually feel that this movie might even topple Toy Story 2 as my favorite in the series, but I won't be sure until I see them both again.

I happily recommend both of them. ... And, if it matters, my kids liked them too.

Surprise!

1/6/2020

Towards the end of dinner, it sounded like a bird hit the dining room window, startling me and the dogs. I turned to look and saw a moose's face pressed up against the glass. At that moment, the dogs jumped straight to the window, barking directly in its face. The moose startled backwards, turned around, and walked quickly off of our deck. It took a couple of minutes before my heart calmed down.

Possibly, it was attracted to the heat as our weather is in the negative teens at the moment. It could have also just been curious. Maybe it was a fan of The Big Bang Theory, which we were watching at the time.

Seeing moose up close is one of the joys of living up here. Still, that was a bit too close. I'm just glad it didn't come through the window.