From notify at powerblogs.com Tue Jul 1 16:36:35 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 16:36:35 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: "All men must make their way
come Independence Day..."
Message-ID: <20080701203635.DCD70560460@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
"All men must make their way come Independence Day..."
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1214944582.shtml
There'll be light blogging here during the holiday weekend as most of
what I'll be doing that is blog-related will be behind the scenes.
There's plenty for you to read, however, in [1]The Manival #10 (The
Independence Day Edition) hosted this week by Brett at The Art of
Manliness.
There are several posts from regular Manival contributors, plus a lot
of material from others who are new to the fraternity. This week guy's
are trying to answer questions such as "What Does Religion Mean to
Your Marriage?", "Why Doesn't She Want Sex Like I Do?", "Is Chivalry
Dead?" and whether it's okay for a man to wear Crocs or clogs.
There are also posts on how a man can be a lighthouse for his
children, how to help your kids develop decision-making skills and a
humorous look at how one guy is trying to establish family traditions.
There's a lot more than that as well, so celebrate your independence
from the man-numbing popular culture by going to the Manival link
above seeing what these guys (and a gal) have to say!
References
1. http://artofmanliness.com/2008/06/30/the-manival-10-independence-day-edition/#more-421
From notify at powerblogs.com Wed Jul 2 10:56:28 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 10:56:28 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Family communication
Message-ID: <20080702145628.CCF18560460@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Family communication
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215010579.shtml
The other day I stopped at Cold Stone Creamery and bought a small
container of their Ghiradelli chocolate ice cream to share in a little
private quality time with my wife.
Unfortunately, when I got home -- and before any such quality time
could materialize -- I tucked it into the freezer of our kitchen
refrigerator. This is an environment generally overstuffed with items
that would enthrall an arctic archaeologist analyzing the lifestyle of
my family. Hiding a small, innocuous container in there should have
been relatively safe. Except. Except that I live in a house with three
women and their chocolate-senses started jangling as soon as they all
returned and entered the kitchen together.
Later I went into the freezer and saw that the container and been
disturbed. And decimated. There was also a post-it note stuck to it,
with large letters in Tiger Lilly's hand-printing: "I FOUND YOU!"
There was only one thing I could do.
I took the post-it note and in red ink struck a line through the word
"found" and replaced it with my own "WILL FIND" and stuck the note on
the freezer door.
Let me know if you see any of them.
From notify at powerblogs.com Sat Jul 5 13:33:54 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 13:33:54 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Meme-ing of life
Message-ID: <20080705173354.DC03A56044C@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Meme-ing of life
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215279211.shtml
From Mitch. Nothing but one-word answers - and you can?t use any word
twice:
1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket.
2. Your significant other? Trophy.
3. Your hair? Distinguished.
4. Your mother? Kicking.
5. Your father? Missed.
6. Your favorite time of day? Night!
7. Your dream last night? Forgotten.
8. Your favorite drink? Coffee.
9. Your dream goal? Published.
10. The room you?re in? Living.
11. Your ex? Unlucky.
12. Your fear? Itself.
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Letterman.
14. What you are not? Emaciated.
15. Your Favorite meal? Most.
16. One of your wish list items? BIA-3.
17. The last thing you did? Laundry.
18. Where you grew up? Midwest.
19. What are you wearing? Smile.
20. Your TV is? Awesome.
21. Your pets? Noisy.
22. Your computer? Laptrap.
23. Your life? Cool.
24. Your mood? Whatever.
25. Missing someone? Yes.
26. Your car? Truck.
27. Something you?re not wearing? Tie.
28. Favorite store? Cabela's.
29. Your summer? Missing.
30. Your favorite colour? Green.
31. When is the last time you laughed? Saturday.
32. When is the last time you cried? Wednesday.
33. Your health? Functional.
34. Your children? Keepers.
35. Your future? Golden.
36. Your beliefs? Biblical.
37. Young or old? Mature.
38. Your image? Graven.
39. Your appearance? Welcome.
40. Would you live your life over again knowing what you know? Yes.
References
Visible links
Hidden links:
1. http://www.shotinthedark.info/wp/?p=2817
From notify at powerblogs.com Mon Jul 7 23:49:58 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 23:49:58 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: That was the week that
whizzed
Message-ID: <20080708034958.8146156046B@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
That was the week that whizzed
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215488991.shtml
I took last week off from work, yet it still turned out to be a pretty
full week. It actually started out the Saturday before last when I
landed a free "Supporter" badge to the US Women's Open. My company was
hosting a Sky Tent on the 14th Hole (in Carl Pohlad's back yard) and
the guy who put it all together could only stay the first half of the
week and left me his pass, which he said would get me in anywhere but
the Patty Berg Pavilion and the women's locker room, I think.
I arrived Saturday during the weather delay and met up with a woman
from from work who had had to evacuate the Sky Tent during the weather
watch. While we were waiting by the ropes for the all clear and
looking very official an older couple walked up to us for an update on
the conditions. Noticing that my impressive badge said "SUPPORTER",
the gentleman asked what that meant. "It means that I'm an athletic
supporter," I said, straight-faced. "Let's ask her," the woman said,
pointing to my partner.
Sunday was the [1]unfortunate incident with the small but expensive
container of chocolate ice cream.
On Monday I told Tiger Lilly we could go to the matinee show of
WALL??E, which made her very happy, until I told her I just had to do
some e-mails from work first, which didn't. Work e-mail is like a
cancerous growth that keeps dividing and multiplying when you're not
looking and I knew that if I didn't try to prune it a bit even while
on vacation it would turn into a hazardous blob that would frighten
Steve McQueen by the time I got back to work. Still, there's a reason
I refer to my laptop computer as a "laptrap" and Tiger Lilly flopped
resignedly on the couch. (I well know her feeling because when I was a
kid my father owned a gas station and every time the family got into
the car the trip was sure to include at least one stop at "the
station" where he would disappear inside while we waited in the car
with nothing but AM radio.) Sure enough, an hour and a half later I
was ready to set out, and we made it to the movie in time though we
missed about half of the "Play Green!" propaganda being shown on the
movie screen to the captive, mostly-kid audience. Darn. Oh well, the
commercials will probably have the same effect as those PSAs telling
kids not to do drugs.
The movie itself was pretty cute, if not Pixar's best, though I hear
the "critics" are lauding the film to high heaven. That's presumably
because of the environmental "message" of humans filling the planet up
with so much garbage we have to take to outer space. Of course, this
is the same medium that would have you believe that Wile E. Coyote can
really afford all that stuff he buys from ACME. The first half of the
movie was kind of odd as the only "words" came from the communicative
noises the robots made, though this wasn't any harder to understand
than, say, Arianna Huffington.
In an interesting (to me) contrast, later that evening I watched a
show on the Discovery HD channel about what has gone on in the
Ukrainian village of Prypiat, which rests next to Chernobyl and was
evacuated in 1986. There are those who would have you believe that
Prypiat and the 18-mile "Exclusion Zone" all around it are a nuclear
wasteland, yet in reality it has become a booming, in unintentional,
nature preserve as the forest has taken over much of the city and
flora and fauna are thriving. Bears, wolves, elk, birds of prey and
all manner of rodents and insects have moved in an thrived, including
many species that were thought to be extinct or nearly extinct. You
could tell that the narrator, and presumably the producers, were
struggling to make sense of this, one moment intoning about this
"greatest disaster of mankind" and the "evil unleashed on the earth"
in this area that will be unfit for habitation for another 300 years,
and in the next moment marveling at the health and diversity of the
wildlife that has flourished there over several generations,
apparently without ill effects.
Wednesday was the funeral for our friend [2]Joe, which also happened
to be the first funeral my wife has conducted. Appropriately, it was
pretty much a biker affair as a row of Harley's lined the street in
front of our church and filled the funeral procession out to Fort
Snelling (Joe was a vet). The Reverend Mother is [3]a biker, too,
though she dressed more formally than the majority of the folks who
came to the service. She should have worn her "Biker Chick" pin on her
dark knit suit, but otherwise the service was flawless and touching.
On Thursday the girls and Ben took off for the cabin, leaving my wife
and I home alone and without any plans. We made do, enjoying dinner at
a new place, Aura in Calhoun Square (try the great "small plates" -
like tapas but slightly larger portions, great for combos), grilling
steaks on Friday night and going to our favorite place, [4]Muffuletta,
on Saturday night where I enjoyed a fabulous watercress puree and blue
cheese cold soup (refreshing!) with orange aioli and cracked pepper
for starters, while my wife thoroughly enjoyed an asparagus and
horseradish appetizer and a beet salad. The menu changes regularly
here so it's always fun to try something new but that night I opted
for an old favorite, the Asian burger (ground pork, spicy thai peanut
sauce and Chinese cabbage). It was a lovely evening as well, so we sat
out on the porch and enjoyed the evening, the neighborhood and each
other's company. It's a fun and romantic place, just the ticket if a
certain someone wanted to take another certain someone to someplace
special for a meaningful dinner!
All in all, I think it was one of the best vacations I've ever had. I
felt refreshed and rested all the way up until Sunday afternoon, when
I started hacking at the e-mail jungle again!
References
1. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215010579.shtml
2. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1214446038.shtml
3. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1205106492.shtml
4. http://bestof.citypages.com/2007/restaurants/70062/
From notify at powerblogs.com Tue Jul 8 10:57:10 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 10:57:10 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Girl, you know it's true
Message-ID: <20080708145710.C2ED4560210@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Girl, you know it's true
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215529012.shtml
I saw the news today that American Girl is
href="http:/www.startribune.com/business/24010009.html?location_refer=
$urlTrackSectionName"?opening a store in the Mall of America, to
complement their flagship stores in New York, Chicago and LA and
smaller stores in Atlanta and Dallas (the MOA store will be about half
the retail space of the flagships). It reminded me of a post I wrote
three years ago about a trip to New York my wife and I made with Tiger
Lilly. From the "Gotham Blogs" series:
After the museum we're out on the street looking for our next
destination. Suddenly my wife grabs my arm and Tiger Lilly gasps
audibly and freezes. What? Did some threat get past my radar? My
wife directs my attention to the opposite corner of the
intersection and I see that we may indeed be in line for a mugging.
It's American Girl Place.
A year ago I had no idea of the marketing volcano that was about to
erupt under our feet. Then some black-hearted scoundrel slipped
Daughter Two an American Girl catalog - the first one's free, kid -
and her life changed. American Girl dolls are a vertically
integrated economic powerhouse. The dolls themselves go for nearly
$100 a pop, but that?s just the threshold - the dolls represent
different eras and ethnicities in American history and most are the
stars of one or more books put out by the company and has full line
of accessories, not to mention the magazine (catalog) that appears
regularly at our house. My daughter and her friends now can recite
model numbers, back stories and accessory details with each other
the way my friends and I once were able to argue the finer points
of a '63 Impala or '67 GTO.
When Tiger Lilly picked her favorite from the catalog - an American
Indian called Kaya - we said that if it was that important to her
she would have to earn the money herself. A born entrepreneur she
quickly grasped the profit and loss mechanics of a lemon-aid stand
and the economic rewards of an untapped market - extra chores - to
build liquidity. With a seed loan from Mom she bought lemons and
sugar, and with marketing advice from me ("put 'Fresh Squeezed' in
big letters on your sign"), along with her natural charm and
location, location, location she quickly covered her start-up costs
and had money to plow back into her business as well as show a
profit. This was repeated a couple of more times, and along with
the household moonlighting she soon had the necessary discretionary
income to buy her doll.
And now we were unwittingly across the street from Mordor, I mean,
American Girl Place. It was like setting out for Oz and finding
Mecca along the way. I looked around and saw a definite flow of
young girls, many with dolls in arms and all with parents bobbing
in tow, converging on the store from all directions. We were swept
up in the current - as if we ever had a choice - and into the
store. The store is impressive in both detail and scope, with three
floors of merchandise and a restaurant where you can have lunch
with your American Girl doll for just $22 per person. If I?m going
to spend that much for lunch with a doll, I want to see the doll
cook the meal and then serve it and then give me a quote on
painting my garage. Nevertheless the store is jammed on every floor
and countless cashiers and floor associates are - like everyone
else in New York - working hard. Fortunately there were no
meltdowns to be observed such as those we'd witnessed at Toys R Us
in Times Square the night before, but I did notice a lot of earnest
young faces making a case point by point. After Tiger Lilly parted
with more of her profits she'd been saving for this trip we went
elsewhere for lunch (Kaya would just die if she knew we?d eaten at
American Girl Place without her) and then, since it had stopped
raining, we went over to the Central Park Zoo.
We arrive just in time for the Polar Bear feeding and to see
another New York career option - bear feeder. At this zoo they feed
the Polar Bears by first luring them out of the habitat enclosure
and into their dens where they can presumably be locked up. Once
that is accomplished a zookeeper enters the habitat and hides
buckets of food - fish, apples and some veggies frozen in a block
and smeared with peanut butter - in the enclosure. While we?re
watching this preparation we speculate that there?s probably some
initiation for rookie keepers where, once they?re in the middle of
the enclosure with bear chow and an open jar of peanut butter,
someone plays a loud recording of a Polar Bear huffing and roaring.
Perhaps TL will grace us with a post with her own thoughts on the new
store.
From notify at powerblogs.com Wed Jul 9 18:27:51 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2008 18:27:51 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Life Shepherds
Message-ID: <20080709222751.C1E9C56045A@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Life Shepherds
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215467682.shtml
"Now I'm thinkin': it could mean you're the evil man. And I'm the
righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here, he's the shepherd protecting my
righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could be you're the
righteous man and I'm the shepherd and it's the world that's evil
and selfish. I'd like that. But that ain't the truth. The truth is
you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin',
Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd."
- Samuel L. Jackson as "Jules" in Pulp Fiction
I didn?t start seeing the words ?life coach? until I began following
the Manival. Many of the blog contributors to that weekly carnival
describe themselves as a life coach. I have nothing against the title
as a profession or a hobby, but seeing those words made me think, ?Why
don?t people just get a pastor??
I've had the same pastor for more than 20 years now and he, along with
who and what he represents, have played an important role in my
thinking and actions today. His teaching and his example have greatly
contributed to the success of my marriage, my relationships with my
kids and my employers and co-workers, my finances and has provided me
with the peace and confidence to channel the abilities that were given
to me into new and positive areas. Of course I realize that not
everyone has this same advantage, though I consider it to be a
necessity rather than a luxury. It makes me even more appreciative of
the "coaching" that I've received.
Isn't this what you'd want in a coach -- a teacher, exhorter, advisor,
someone to comfort you in the trials and discomfort you when you're
getting complacent? I have been led into green pastures and to still
waters and in the paths of righteousness. My soul has been comforted,
even when it looked as if I was surrounded by things that wanted to
kill my spirit, and I have sat comfortably at the table with my
enemes, willing and able to share goodness and mercy.
Of course what some might call coaching, and others might call
mentoring, the church calls discipleship. And one of the things that
I've been taught is that even as I am continually discipled I need to
be always reaching out and discipling others. As I continue to learn
and grow I need to be willing to help others do the same. It?s become
so engrained in me that I hardly notice that I?m doing it, but I can
see it in the interactions I have with our multiple-church men?s
group, the ?Fundamentals in Film? class I?ve been doing for more than
two years with a group of teen-age boys, and the upcoming ?How to be
Marriageable? group, and in some of the surprising relationships that
have developed in my life. Futhermore, while my blog is mainly for my
own amusement, it also plays a role in this.
Even so, like Jules in the quote above, I sometimes have to try real
hard to get out of my comfort zones, habits and selfishness to be a
shepherd, and that's where having an older, more experienced shepherd
comes in handy. That, too, however requires letting go of some
selfishness, or at least, self-interest. I've not been one who lays
down his pride easily or who likes to admit that I don't have all the
answers -- at least not audibly. Oh sure, I can curse myself and my
perceived failings to no end internally or under my breath, but
admitting it out loud is a lot harder. I think that's not an uncommon
attitude and probably the biggest reason so many people have not
allowed themselves to be discipled/mentored/coached. It's all too easy
and common to merely want everyone else to change while we stay the
same.
And we're deceived, of course. The fact is we will all be discipled by
someone or something, even if we don't realize that it's happening.
The only choice we have is deciding who/what it is we will follow.
I figure that I've probably got enough experience (good and bad),
accumulated wisdom and random revelation to hang out a shingle as a
Life Coach, but I don't know if that's something I want to be,
professionally, as opposed to something I just do day-in and day-out
with whoever happens to be coming along. I do have a well-paying
corporate drone job that I?ve thought of ditching from time to time.
It more than covers our bills, however, which allows me the time and
freedom to pursue these other activities that are more satisfying, if
apparently unremunerative. I suppose I could try to do these things
professionally but most of the people I?ve become connected with
aren?t in a position to ?pay? me in ways that the mortgage company and
Visa recognize.
I don't know that I'll ever "go pro" -- especially when it's been so
much fun to be an enthusiastic amateur!
From notify at powerblogs.com Thu Jul 10 00:15:28 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:15:28 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: A belated good-bye to the
lonesome picker
Message-ID: <20080710041528.A264A56045A@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
A belated good-bye to the lonesome picker
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215663316.shtml
I think I was 13 years old and just starting to develop some musical
tastes of my own. I was in a record store in a mall in Indianapolis,
flipping through the "S" selections, probably looking for a Rod
Stewart album, when I suddenly saw something that froze me in my
tracks.
It was stunning to see my name on something other than my football
helmet or a gym bag, let alone an [1]album cover. Wow! Somebody with
my name had recorded an album! Little did I know that he had actually
recorded several albums by that time, and would release more than 40
in his career.
I was almost as shocked this evening when I went on YouTube to see if
there were any John Stewart videos and read that he had passed away
back on January 19 as the result of a massive stroke at age 68. I
couldn't believe that I hadn't heard or read that news when it
happened.
I didn't buy California Bloodlines that first day in the record store.
The guy in the store said it was folk/country and that was the last
thing I wanted as I tried to distance myself from my parents' Glenn
Campbell and Bobby Goldsboro records. Ironically, I didn't realize
that I'd already heard this guy on some of those old Kingston Trio
albums my folks had. Nevertheless I would often check on the album
when I was in the store, getting a little thrill each time I read the
name. When I got to college I got a lot smarter and widened my musical
interests and eventually bought my own vinyl version of the album that
Rolling Stone would later rank as one of the top 100 albums of the
rock era.
Stewart (and it feels strange to type that), through his work with the
Cumberland Trio and Kingston Trio, had been a pioneer in the folk
music scene of the early 60s, opening the door for people such as Bob
Dylan. In fact, Bloodlines was Stewart's first solo album and it was
recorded directly across the hall from where Dylan was recording
Nashville Skyline. (Stewart also wrote "Daydream Believer" which was a
hit for the Monkees and Anne Murray.) Once I finally owned Bloodlines
I just about wore it out, playing it regularly along with an album by
Gamble Rogers that featured a cover of one of Stewart's classics,
"July, You're a Woman". When I spent a semester in England before
graduating from the University of Missouri (my family had moved back
to my parents' home town my junior year in high school) I often
thought of the lines from the song "Missouri Birds" as I tramped
around London:
Missouri Birds flying over old St. Louis
Hear that song they're singing to me
Go into the world, while you're young
I graduated from college in '79 and moved to Phoenix, AZ for my first
job, driving across the country in my Pinto while Top 40 radio played
"Gold" from Stewart's latest album, Bombs Away Dream Babies.with
Stevie Nicks "ooh-oohing" on the background vocals. It was a catchy
tune, but I liked the other songs on the album as well, and listened
to it nearly as much as I had to Bloodlines. In fact, it was a lyric
from one of those songs -- "Midnight Wind" -- that came to my mind two
weeks ago when a friend of mine died in a motorcycle crash. The tune
has been rattling around between my ears since then, and it was
probably what led me to go to YouTube tonight, only to find that there
was one less John Stewart in the world.
I had been fortunate to see him perform in Phoenix while I lived
there; he was a local favorite and a loved Phoenix in return, even
recording a live album there at one point. I'd like to say that I was
at the concert that was recorded, but that would be too much
serendipity. In the last couple of years I'd tried to replace
California Bloodlines and Bombs Away but most of his music is out of
print or available only as an import. Some of his later work is
available on iTunes, but his voice -- never a particularly strong one
-- had gotten reed thin and breathy and made me kind of sad.
I was eventually able to get the song "Gold" on iTunes by downloading
the soundtrack album for the movie "The Groomsmen" but his older stuff
is still elusive. Tonight I went to Amazon, however, and ordered an
imported version of Bloodlines before this, too, disappeared. I look
forward to re-grooving these songs into my memory banks. Among the
many on-line tributes I came across this evening was an especially apt
tribute in his own words, taken from "Hand Your Heart to the Wind"
from Bombs Away and "Some Lonesome Picker" from Bloodlines.
There's always one more river the sea can carry.
There's always one more soul that heaven can hold
There's always one more star the sky can hang on to
So hand your heart to the wind, let it carry you home.
There's always one more song to sing for the lonely
There's always one more dream to carry you along
There's always one more eagle come flying in the morning
So hand your heart to the wind let it carry you home.
...
And I'm believing, believing,
Believing that even when I'm gone
Maybe some lonesome picker will find some healing in this song
I did strike "Gold" on YouTube tonight as well, but rather than link
to that hit (which Stewart reportedly actually hated) I'll post a
video of him doing a medley of "Missouri Birds", "Cowboy in the
Distance" and "If You Should Remember Me."
Goodnight, John.
[EMBED]
References
1. http://www.amazon.com/California-Bloodlines-John-Stewart/dp/B000RMIYHC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1215660710&sr=1-1
From notify at powerblogs.com Fri Jul 11 14:03:08 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:03:08 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Man(ival), what a week
Message-ID: <20080711180308.95DD456046A@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Man(ival), what a week
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215799379.shtml
I was too busy vacationing last week to contribute an entry to [1]this
week's Manival, and I've been so busy with other things this week that
I'm a little slow in calling your attention to this week's host, [2]I
Am Husband. If you'll go over there you'll see that the carnival is
doing quite well without this clown (me). There are several fresh
posts from some of my new favorite bloggers, plus nice work from some
new contributors.
Of course my attention is going to be drawn to a post entitled "Why My
House is a Diva-Dome" by Dad of Divas. He writes authoritatively, but
his daughters are much younger than mine so he has little idea of
what's coming. I could tell him (or he could read about it here) but
why spoil the fun? I'll also second the recommendation from this
week's host that you read the "Real Men Dote" (@ Trey Morgan)and "What
Dads Really Think About Porn" (@ Discovering Dad). There's lots of
other good stuff as well about Marriage & Family, The Character of a
Man, House and Home and other Miscellaneous Manliness (including
another funny trip to Dr. Awesome's mail bag.) Dude, check 'em all
out.
References
1. http://www.iamhusband.com/2008/07/manival-iamhusband.html
2. http://www.iamhusband.com/
From notify at powerblogs.com Sat Jul 12 14:32:39 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:32:39 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: The great hair-coloring
massacree
Message-ID: <20080712183239.70D52560471@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
The great hair-coloring massacree
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1215887555.shtml
Sometimes you'll do something that, even as you are doing it, you just
know isn't a good idea. But you do it anyway.
Case in point: I came in the house unexpectedly today and my wife was
in the downstairs bathroom, and there was this strong smell coming
from in there. Now, right away, you're saying, "Uh, don't go there,"
but what you need to know is that she was wearing rubber gloves at the
time. You also need to know that there are only two things she does in
the bathroom that involve rubber gloves.
One is cleaning the bathroom, which usually involves strong and
odorifous chemicals but this wasn't bathroom cleaning day.
The second thing is to, um, refresh her hair color.
I walked closer and said, "Mmmm, smells colorful." She looked a little
disappointed that perhaps a tiny bit of The Mystery had departed. She
did suggest, however, that if I could only learn to apply this elixir
of youth it would be a big help in refreshing the tresses on the back
of her head.
I recalled the long and expensive training and certification process
the Mall Diva went through in order to be licensed to do that very
thing, and said, "I don't think that's legal."
"Oh, it's no big deal," she said, "you can have Faith (the Diva) show
you how."
"Sure," I said, "it's no big deal for you, but what about for me?" as
I remembered an old story by Arlo Guthrie. "I mean, I really don't
want to be sitting in jail and having some big guy say, 'What are you
in for?' and me having to say ...
'Hairdressing.'"
Okay, I know I shouldn't have done that.
From notify at powerblogs.com Mon Jul 14 20:38:22 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:38:22 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: *Roooosh!* And he's gone
Message-ID: <20080715003822.7EF2F560455@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
*Roooosh!* And he's gone
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216082294.shtml
Jroosh is shutting down [1]Roosh5 as of today.
That's too bad as this has been one of the best written and best
thought-out blogs in the MOB since it started a year and a half ago.
From politics to economics (actually these are becoming one and the
same these days), to family trips, movie reviews and car porn, this
has been an exceptional and digestible blog.
Fortunately it's not a matter of running out of juice, but a conscious
-- and admirable -- decision to apply that juice in a different
direction.
Well said, and farewell, Jroosh. Here's hoping to see you in various
and sundry comment sections and at future MOB events!
References
1. http://rooshfive.blogspot.com/2008/07/thats-all-i-have-to-say-about-that.html
From notify at powerblogs.com Mon Jul 14 22:16:30 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:16:30 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Manival #12 at Miserere
Message-ID: <20080715021630.290A6560472@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Manival #12 at Miserere
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216088186.shtml
Miserere got an early jump in launching this week's [1]Manival, but
that just gives you more time to read this week's selections. In
addition to post from your favorite writer in the night, there is a
great 3-part series from this week's host on Child-Rearing in a
Culture of Death/Discipline and Responsibility/Character Training.
There are tips on how to add spice to a ho-hum marriage and an article
on the "tipping" point in a marriage. You can also find out about
going "man-camping", which sounds like a step up from your "man cave",
but you should read both and find out for yourself. In fact, read them
all!
References
Visible links
1. http://www.miserere.org/m/archivedposts/368
Hidden links:
2. file://localhost/files/thenightwriterblog-miserere.jpg
From notify at powerblogs.com Tue Jul 15 21:28:42 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:28:42 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Proof
Message-ID: <20080716012842.7C45B56045E@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Proof
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216079616.shtml
We now have more evidence of what Tiger Lilly has been saying all
along: cows are terrorists! Here's a photo of a would-be bovine
suicide bomber about to go on a mission:
Actually, going on an emission might be more accurate. The photo is
from a story about a group of Argentinian scientists that are trying
to measure the amount of [1]methane emissions from cows and the impact
that may have on global warming:
In a bid to understand the impact of the wind produced by cows on
global warming, scientists collected gas from their stomachs in
plastic tanks attached to their backs.
The Argentine researchers discovered methane from cows accounts for
more than 30 per cent of the country's total greenhouse emissions.
As one of the world's biggest beef producers, Argentina has more
than 55 million cows grazing in its famed Pampas grasslands.
Guillermo Berra, a researcher at the National Institute of
Agricultural Technology, said every cow produces between 8000 to
1,000 litres of emissions every day.
Methane, which is also released from landfills, coal mines and
leaking gas pipes, is 23 times more effective at trapping heat in
the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
Scientists are now carrying out trials of new diets designed to
improve cows's digestion and hopefully reduce global warming.
Silvia Valtorta, of the National Council of Scientific and
Technical Investigations, said that by feeding cows clover and
alfalfa instead of grain "you can reduce methane emissions by 25
percent".
So the cows are out to get us, using biological weapons no less. This
plan has a fatal flaw, however.
When the weather gets warm, I like to grill.
HT: [2]The Llama Butchers
References
1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2274995/Cow-farts-collected-in-plastic-tank-for-global-warming-study.html
2. http://llamabutchers.mu.nu/
From notify at powerblogs.com Sat Jul 19 14:02:30 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:02:30 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Nobody expects...the Dad
inquisition
Message-ID: <20080719180230.2D5D6560455@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Nobody expects...the Dad inquisition
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216490545.shtml
My chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...my two weapons are
fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency. My three weapons are
fear, surprise and ruthless efficiency....and coming out of the sun
with a squirt bottle full of cold water. Make that my four
weapons...oh, never mind. The point is Ben and the Diva weren't
expecting it, but they should have been!
References
Visible links
Hidden links:
1. file://localhost/files/thenightwriterblog-Avenging_Dad.jpg
From notify at powerblogs.com Thu Jul 17 15:27:23 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:27:23 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: You're so Favre,
I bet you think this post is about you
Message-ID: <20080717192723.C386A56045C@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
You're so Favre, I bet you think this post is about you
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216322834.shtml
At first I didn't post on the Brett Favre saga becuase I didn't want
to be late the party. Now it appears that this is going to drag on for
months yet, and by writing now I can still squeeze a few paragraphs
into the first 10% of all the words that will end up being written.
Frankly, the story is barely newsworthy in terms of being shocking;
you'd have to be FEMA not to have seen this one coming. Aside from the
annual off-season "maybe I'll retire, maybe I won't" strokefest, this
latest move is vintage Favre for anyone who's followed #4's
on-the-field exploits.
"Triple-coverage? What triple-coverage? I'm Brett Favre - I can put
the ball in a Junebug's back pocket!" Whooosh. "Dang!" Similarly,
while "miscalculation" might be hard for Brett to say, it isn't a
foreign concept to him. "Retirement papers? I didn't file no
retirement papers! I'm Brett Favre - they've got to take me back!"
The moves made by both the Packers and Favre have been just as
predictable.
Farve: "I maybe, possibly, might want to come back, but you didn't
hear it from me."
Packers GM Ted Thompson: "Naah, naah, naah, not listening! I'm on
vacation! I'm rearranging my sock drawer! Brett who?"
Favre: "It's all just rumors taken out of context, I don't know how
Chris Mortenson could have intercepted my text messages."
Thompson: "Of course we'd welcome Brett back, as long as he'll wear
a helmet really made from cheese and confess that he was the one
that killed Dan Devine's dog. There might be a problem, though,
because we're all sold out of #4 jerseys and I told the staff not
to order any more. He might have to wear #78, which also happens to
be the number of times we've been down this road with Brett in the
past."
Favre: "Help! Help! I'm being repressed! Come see the nonsense
inherent in the system! Want to see me cry again?"
The posturing by both sides is just as transparent. The Packers will
act as if they'd gladly take Favre back as their back-up quarterback,
knowing there's no way in hell Brett will accept that, while Favre
will say he'll come back knowing that there's no way in hell Thompson
wants the nightmare of a Favre in uniform on the bench while a young
quarterback takes his lumps. The team could conceivably punish him by
trading him to a non-contender, but that is nearly as empty a threat
as bringing him back as a bench-warmer. What non-contending team would
trade for Favre and his salary, especially knowing that Brett won't
want to be there. Even potentially contending teams will be hesitant
to give up much, especially if it means Favre having to learn a new
offense. You should also keep in mind how much Favre has whined about
having enough talent on the team in recent years; even if the Packers
can find a trade partner (which they have the technical capability to
do), Favre will pout his way out of that situation as well, probably
forcing another trade that will make the Packers' moves blow up in
their face. In the Packers' favor is that trades take time and that's
something that Favre and most teams don't have if he's going to go
somewhere new and be ready by the start of the season.
Ultimately the Packers and Favre know he has the leverage and can
force his release just by continuing to be the pain-in-the-butt prima
donna he already is. Thompson also knows that the Vikings would be a
prime landing space for Favre given that the team is merely an
established quarterback away from being a serious Super Bowl
contender, and that Favre would relish the opportunity to play the
Pack twice in the coming year. There's not much Thompson can do to
prevent it, except muddy the waters by proactively accusing the
Vikings of tampering, especially since Vikings offensive coordinator
Darrell Bevell was Favre's former quarterback coach. I don't know what
hard evidence Thompson could have to support his claim unless he's got
the power to subpeona phone records. Perhaps it was this transcript
from a tape that was mysteriously found in the pocket of Bill
Belichek's hoodie:
DB: Hey, Brett, it's your ol' buddy, Darrell.
BF: Who?
DB: Darrell Bevell, your old quarterbacks coach.
BF: I had a quarterbacks coach? Who knew? I think I knew a guy
named Darrell who caddied for me for awhile.
DB: Ha-ha, always the kidder. I'm just calling you up like good
buddies do, to talk about huntin' and fishin' and such.
BF: Do tell.
DB: Of course! I wouldn't dream of having you tampered with, unless
of course it was by Jared Allen; man, can that boy hunt! You know,
we should get together. I think you'd like our West Coast off-, I
mean, you ought to check out the west coast of Lake Minnetonka.
Good fishing out there. Super, in fact.
BF: Hey, thanks, Darnell...
DB: It's Darrell.
BF: Oh, yeah, Darrell. The thing is, I don't know if I'm going to
have any time. Michael Strahan has also retired, and him and me got
a contract offer from FOX to go around the country re-enactin' the
time I fell down so Michael could set the single-season sack
record.
DB: I remember you like bowling. We've got a good group of, um,
bowlers over here. You know Kevin and Pat, and we got that kid we
call, "All Day." Next time we get together I'd be happy to give you
a ring. Uh, hello?
BF: Sorry, Merrill, I accidentally dropped my phone. I had this
itch I was trying to scratch.
Tune into ESPN tomorrow (and the day after that, and the day after
that, and the day after that) for the latest developments.
From notify at powerblogs.com Mon Jul 21 15:10:32 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:10:32 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: The Dark Knight(writer)
Message-ID: <20080721191032.3B875560450@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
The Dark Knight(writer)
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216607681.shtml
I came across Frank Miller's [1]The Dark Knight Returns book in the
late 80s and was captivated by the story and images, and how
powerfully the re-imaged story overwrote my memories of the campy,
1960s television show. This was a deep story: grimmer, grittier,
darker and an evocative social commentary on culture and the
individual, and the individual's struggle with himself. I was so
pumped up when I heard a little later about the a new kind of Batman
movie coming out. Then I heard that Michael Keaton was cast as the
Batman. Oh well.
That movie series actually turned out to be okay, though it was
understandable why no actor wanted to make it a recurring role as
Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney all had a little fun with the part and
moved on. It was only when Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale,
came out that I saw the vision and felt the excitement that Miller
first stirred in me. Given all that's gone before, there's a reason
the new series has been rebranded as a whole new franchise under The
Dark Knight mantle.
I went to see the new movie on Saturday with some anticipation, though
I was a little concerned that the movie was being overshadowed by the
untimely death of Heath Ledger, who I'm sure you have heard played The
Joker. There had been rave reviews of the movie and of Ledger's
performance; even some talk of him being nominated for an Oscar. I
chalked this up to bathos related to his passing. I was somewhat
familiar with other roles Ledger had played and was underwhelmed. Now
that I've seen this movie, however, I would cast my vote in his favor.
Everything, from the angle of his shoulders, to his voice and laugh,
to the twitching of his tongue, created the most compelling and
sinister movie villain since Hannibel Lecter.
Best of all, and as strong as the performance was, it didn't
overshadow the rest of the movie. It's a fabulous story, building onto
Batman Begins and gaining momentum of its own. There's action and
special effects of course, but also a story of the nature of good and
evil. Granted, the dilemmas are freshman-level ethical "heavies", but
still much deeper than your average (or even above-average) summer
blockbuster. In my view it's as [2]Hayden Tompkins points out in her
take on the movie, "Not every choice, however, is one made it the
midst of crisis. It?s the choices we make on a day-to-day basis, in
the flow of our life, which can just as clearly reveal who we really
are."
As the Joker says in the movie, "Madness is like gravity. It only
takes a little push." Character, however, is harder work. It takes a
push, a prod and a continuing series of head slaps sometimes to
establish it and keep it going. Consider this movie an invigorating
head-slap and go see it.
P.S.
While you're at it, go here to listen to a song, [3]My Twisted Humor,
that a friend of the Mall Diva's (alias Princess Flicker Feather)
wrote and performed in the hopes that it might make its way into this
movie. It obviously didn't, but it can still work for the next movie!
References
1. http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Knight-Returns-Frank-Miller/dp/1563893428/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216664589&sr=8-1
2. http://persistentillusion.wordpress.com/2008/07/21/the-dark-knight/#more-1435
3. http://www.myspace.com/mytwistedhumor
From notify at powerblogs.com Tue Jul 22 22:38:06 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:38:06 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: How to be Marriageable:
Class 1
Message-ID: <20080723023806.BED6156045C@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
How to be Marriageable: Class 1
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216410390.shtml
Several weeks ago I wrote a post entitled [1]How to Be Marriageable.
In it I laid out, at a high level, some key considerations and
preparations a man should undertake to prepare himself to meet that
special someone and to serve as the foundation of a happy and fruitful
marriage. I even taught pretty much the same information to a men's
group, touching on all the points in about 30 minutes without going
into a lot of detail for each.
My plan already was to develop each point into it's own teaching and
present it to a group of young men that I connected to. When I
presented the idea to the lads there was a long silence as they
considered the prospect. Finally, one of the guys (and a leader) said,
"Ok, I'll do it."
Another of the young men said, "Yeah, I'll do it; what could it hurt?"
To which the first young man said, "Oh, it's Mr. Stewart -- it could
hurt!" Nevertheless almost all of them gathered last week for our
first class. I've posted here the "script" I used and followed (for
the most part). There was a lot of discussion and some diversions
where I used examples from my personal life to illustrate a point and
those aren't captured here. There should be enough to give you a good
idea of what's up, though. It starts very similarly to the original
post but quickly moves into more detail than I wanted to provide
initially. There's also a link to a handout we'll be using.
([2]If you're interested, click here.)
I got the idea for this from a discussion some guys were having about
how to tell if a woman was ?the one? they should marry. It was a
serious conversation, but as they discussed the qualities they thought
their future wife should possess I began to wonder if they knew or
appreciated the qualities they themselves should bring to the
relationship. So I ask today, ?Are you marriageable??
A lot of guys hope or assume that they'll be able to sense when it's
time to marry, either because they'll find someone they FEEL they
can't live without or they FEEL it's time to settle down. Both of
those feelings are important, and feelings provide valuable momentum,
but they don't necessarily indicate that you have the proper outlook
or skills to marry. Yes, of course, people do get married in the
throes of passion and somehow manage to develop the proper survival
skills on the fly when reality sets in. Then again, many people try it
this way and fail spectacularly.
Ask yourself, would you rather learn to swim by being thrown into the
deep end to see if you'll go up or go down, or after you've been able
to rehearse a few techniques while still at the side of the pool?
Things we?ll cover to help you be prepared:
* how to identify and evaluate a marriage prospect
* courtship vs. dating
* living in understanding with your wife
* what do women want?
* praying for your wife
* oh, yeah; sex in marriage
* fundamentals
+ your finances
+ your appearance, hygiene
+ on being ?swave? and ?deboner?
HOW'S YOUR CONDITIONING?
Marriage is a marathon, but most of us spent our single days as
sprinters, chasing women and running away from commitment. You get
yourself into a distance race, though, and you'll find you may look
good for the first couple hundred yards and then you start to seize
up. Blisters form from the friction, and just about every part of your
body screams, "What were you thinking?"
Now I'm not saying that you prepare for marriage by a series of
progressively longer relationships; that may "condition" you, but not
for marriage. What I am suggesting is that if your objective is to get
married that you look to the condition of other things (ideally before
you even meet the woman you'd like to marry). For example:
WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF YOUR HEART?
By that I mean, "What is your view of women?" Are you looking at them
as your lover, your maid, your mommy? The fact is most people (men and
women) get married because we?re ?in love? with what we think the
other person can do for us. After all, both people have just spent the
last however many months and years trying to put their good sides
forward as they dated/courted/pitched woo. Then the first time someone
doesn't hold up his/her end of the (perceived) bargain you feel
betrayed.
You should be thinking in terms of what characteristics make for a
good partner ? and not just in her! What do you bring to the table
besides your bad manners? (More on that in a later class.)
Pro 18:22 -- [Whoso] finds a wife finds a good [thing], and obtains
favor of the Lord.
Don?t say, ?I?m not cut out for marriage.? You think you?re being
selfless, but it?s really selfishness. You?re not willing to change
your life to expand, to receive something good that God has for you.
It?s as if God says ?Here, take this blessing,? and you say, ?Uh, no
thank you.?
The key to finding a wife is to not go looking for a wife. No, that's
not some funky Zen or Yoda-like statement. The thing you want to find
first is a friend. Paul gives us an important example of how we should
relate to others in 1 Timothy 5:1-2:
Rebuke not an elder, but intreat [him] as a father; [and] the
younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as
sisters, with all purity...
I know, that sounds like a set-up for a Jeff Foxworthy routine. "If
you go to family reunions to meet women...youuu might be a redneck!"
In a real way, though, Paul's advice to young Tim gives you a chance
to consider how you act around women -- and not just the pretty ones.
Do you see them as sisters, as someone to respect? What is a brother's
role in looking out for his sister's well-being? (See [3]handout).
Here's something else to stretch your mind: nearly every woman you
meet is also somebody's wife! That is, she is either married to
someone now or will be. Your wife, too, is out there somewhere. How do
you want people treating her?
This is not meant to suggest that women need protecting because they
are weak; my point is that women should be protected because they are
under attack! For all the talk and ideals about women being equal and
having opportunities (which I agree with), the culture today is
systematically tearing down women on the altar of male libido. Sex and
porn are used to sell everything from beer to cars and violence -- in
both word and deed -- against women is pedaled through television,
movies and popular music -- and then women are treated as if they're
the weird ones if they object. This hyper-sexualized environment
debases women and undermines men and we're all swimming in a warm,
sensual bath (to which the proverbial frog says, "ahhh" -- right
before he's cooked!).
If you want to find a friend you have to stop looking for a toy.
Scripture references:
[4]1 Corinthians 6:8-20
[5]Colossians 3:5
[6]Ephesians 5:25-33
There are men who have said, just before they get married, ?Now I?m
going to have sex every night!? These are often the same guys who say,
just as they?re getting divorced, ?Now I?m going to have sex every
night!? Our culture says women are supposed to give themselves up to
men (or males, anyway), yet we are instructed that it is the men who
have to be prepared to sacrifice:
Eph. 5:25 - And you husbands must love your wives with the same
love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her to make
her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word. He did this
to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or
wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without
fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they
love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he
loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for
it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church.
You can prepare yourself to be married even before you?ve met anyone
by understanding that marriage isn?t a 50/50 proposition but 100/100
for each party. It?s not just about what you?re going to get out of
it, but what you have to give.
Homework:
Make a list of 10 to 15 things you think you want in your wife;
physically, spiritually, emotionally. What is important to you? Try to
get to at least 8, and don?t go past 15 for now. Don't worry, this
list doesn't have to be perfect; it will probably change many times
over the coming weeks and years as you discover new priorities or
re-prioritize the ones you already have. Be prepared to discuss.
([7]hide)
References
1. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1211071882.shtml
2. file://localhost/var/www/powerblogs/thenightwriterblog/posts/1216410390.html
3. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1112756417.shtml
4. http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?book=1Cr&chapter=6&version=NKJV#top
5. http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?translation=nkjv&book=Col&chapter=3#top
6. http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/tools/printer-friendly.pl?book=Eph&chapter=5&version=NKJV#27
7. file://localhost/var/www/powerblogs/thenightwriterblog/posts/1216410390.html
From notify at powerblogs.com Thu Jul 24 14:48:36 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:48:36 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Going back in time with
Tiger Lilly
Message-ID: <20080724184836.20CF1560473@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Going back in time with Tiger Lilly
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216925311.shtml
I happened to come across a reference the other day to [1]Connor
Prairie Farm, an historic farm and village near Indianapolis that
recreates life circa the 1800s. The setting is authentic, as is the
clothing of the staff who each must stay "in character" as they
interact with visitors. Seeing the place mentioned again brought back
memories, especially one in particular.
When I was a kid growing up in Indianapolis it seemed as if we had a
school field trip out to Connor Prarie every other year. About 10
years ago my family was back visiting in the area and we decided to
take the young Mall Diva and Tiger Lilly out to the site for a visit.
Tiger Lilly would have been five then, and this was the summer between
kindergarten and first grade (she started kindergarten when she was
four).
Her red hair and precociousness have always garnered her a lot of
attention, and when we visited the Tailor's shop she was soon in a
conversation with the tailor, an older gentleman with long, white
hair, wireframe glasses, dressed in breeches and a waistcoat and
stitching on some project. After they had talked a bit, TL asked the
tailor why he said "thee" and "thou" so much.
"Because," he said, with a twinkle, "I am a Quaker. Does thou know
what a Quaker is?"
"Oh, yes," was the reply. "Last year in school we read a book about
Benjamin West and his cat Grimalkin!" TL went on to talk about how
Benjamin West was a Quaker and wanted to be a painter, but the Quakers
didn't think painting was proper but he did it anyway and became
America's first great painter.
The tailor was quite taken by this unexpected discourse and smiled and
said, "Does that tell you how important it is to listen to that small
voice inside you?"
Tiger Lilly cocked her head and gave him a puzzled look for a moment.
"You mean GOD?"
The tailor couldn't hide the surprise and amusement in his face, and
shook his head, chuckling. "Thou art a caution!" he said.
Indeed!
References
1. http://www.connerprairie.org/
From notify at powerblogs.com Tue Jul 29 21:42:54 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:42:54 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Minfidel: Why so serious?
Message-ID: <20080730014254.6272F560472@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Minfidel:
Why so serious?
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217382169.shtml
With Heath Ledger's death after a virtuoso performance as The Joker in
[1]The Dark Knight, who could possibly take his place?
Hmmm...
References
Visible links
1. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1216607681.shtml
Hidden links:
2. file://localhost/files/thenightwriterblog-pelosi_joker.jpg
From notify at powerblogs.com Mon Jul 28 15:01:14 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:01:14 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: Developing...
Message-ID: <20080728190114.68077560470@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
Developing...
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217271670.shtml
I'm still tired after spending the weekend trying to recover from the
annual Millard Fillmore Memorial golf tournament (aka "The MILF") last
Friday where I was in the woods so much I think the tourney should be
renamed "Lumberjack Days." I wouldn't be surprised if I'm now battling
Lyme Disease.
Then there was my stepping up at the last minute at the post-MILF
party to serve as a replacement "Master of Sausages" without first
being able to perform the standard three day meditation and
purification regimen that goes along with that. Fortunately I was able
to pass through the flames without injury, but it was a very close
thing and that will take something out of you.
I've also been devoting time to preparing the second lecture and
homework assignment for this week's "Are You Marriageable" class that
I'm teaching, set for Wednesday night. Speaking of which, here's an
interesting link to a post over at The Art of Manliness on [1]How to
Ask a Woman's Father For Her Hand in Marriage.
Maybe I'll have enough energy to post something tonight after I
finally get home. I first have to stop off and see Ben; he said
there's something he wanted to talk to me about.
References
1. http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/15/asking-a-womans-father-for-her-hand-in-marriage/
From notify at powerblogs.com Tue Jul 29 12:12:44 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:12:44 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: They reportedly like Obama,
too...
Message-ID: <20080729161244.A4B4B560472@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
They reportedly like Obama, too...
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217347962.shtml
The new fashion statement from Europe is...
[1]Men In Skirts (story and photos)...
How do you know men's lib is in full swing? When men start wearing
skirts. On the street. In everyday life. The Sartorialist, Scott
Schuman, snapped two men wearing skirts on the streets of Europe,
and it caught us off guard ? it's not like these guys were heading
to a Scottish wedding in ritual dress. No, they evidently woke up
that morning and decided that instead of putting their pants on one
leg at a time, they'd slip a skirt over both legs. We thought we
weren't ready for mirdles, but this is a whole new level.
We admit, we find the looks Schumann shot stylish. But we can't get
past the fact that they're men wearing skirts, and something about
that trend catching on just doesn't look or feel right. Don't get
us wrong ? we're all for equality of the sexes, and if Yves Saint
Laurent can put women in pantsuits, there's no reason other
designers can't put men in skirts. We expect to see them on the
men's runways from time to time. And we find it delightful when we
do, but in a non-serious way. But now that it may be getting
serious, we're a bit unsettled. We don't know if America is ready
for her men to be traipsing around the streets in skirts. And if
they're just barely catching on in Europe now, how long before
they're popular here? Five to ten years?
Commenters on the Sartorialist are smitten by these men in their
skirts. One writes, "I'd do it myself (in ten years maybe)."
Another writes, "There was a great Met Costume Institute show of
men in skirts a few years ago ? it took about 5 seconds inside to
realize that the West has missed an opportunity for beautiful
tailoring and sexy knees." And yet another writes, "I love both
looks ? I was struck by the usage of the belt on the guy with the
tie ? these looks are hot."
Hot? As in, Damn, that outfit compels me to get that guy's number?
Hm. Dunno. But that's not to say that in several years we won't
find a hot man in a hot skirt to be the sexiest thing since
Brangelina. For now, though, so long as they're off the runway, we
can't help but prefer to see guys with that extra bit of fabric
between their thighs. But maybe we're just behind. So we'll ask
you: How do you feel about men in skirts? Is the world ready for
it? Or do you think it will take another decade or so for the
planet to prepare?
References
1. http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/07/are_you_ready_for_men_in_skirt_1.html
From notify at powerblogs.com Tue Jul 29 18:50:31 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:50:31 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: "Just Manny being Manny" --
but how about "Manly"?
Message-ID: <20080729225031.26407560472@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
"Just Manny being Manny" -- but how about "Manly"?
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217371826.shtml
Manny Ramirez of [DEL: the Boston :DEL] Team Manny has one laudatory
skill: being able to hit a baseball. Perhaps he would benefit by
checking out
[1]Manival #14. It's back "home" this week at the blog that launched
the Manival carnival, [2]The Art of Manliness. As usual there's lots
of good stuff and several different categories to explore, especially
if you're Manny Ramirez.
For example, check out Dr. Awesome for valuable advice and important
rulings on what is or isn't manly: this week's topic concerns long
hair. In addition, as the summer winds down and the play-offs draw
near there's still time to review a list of "Top 10 Summer Activites
for Dad & Kids" from Discovering Dad. And if you're into naming the
"best" and "worst" of anything you'll probably like "The Best Foods
for Men" at Fat Man Unleashed (oh, Manny!) and "The Worst Karate Move
I Ever Learned" at Martial Development (I wonder if this involves
knocking down the club's 60-year-old Traveling Secretary?).
There are also plenty of good posts for those of us non-All Stars who
might still like to take our game to another level. This week I want
to call special attention to two Manival articles: [3]Seven Proverbs
for Skilled Living from Cameron at Schaefer's Blog; and Cory's
challenge to make it a point to schedule doing something special for
your wife each week in [4]Monday Morning Amour over at A Good Husband.
You should definitely read the other Manival entries as well, or -- as
Twins' announcer John Gordon would say -- "Touch 'em all!"
References
1. http://artofmanliness.com/2008/07/29/the-manival-14/
2. http://artofmanliness.com/
3. http://www.schaefersblog.com/7-proverbs-for-skilled-living/
4. http://www.agoodhusband.net/2008/07/monday-morning-amour.html
From notify at powerblogs.com Tue Jul 29 21:26:54 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:26:54 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: They couldn't print it if it
wasn't true
Message-ID: <20080730012654.6D610560471@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
They couldn't print it if it wasn't true
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217381207.shtml
From the front page of today's StarTribune:
"Squeezed by a smoking ban and higher costs, beer sales in British
pubs have fallen to Depression-era levels, and 1,400 pubs have
closed."
The [1]Telegraph had more to say.
UK beer sales have fallen through the five billion litre mark for
the first time since 1975 as the consumer downturn and smoking ban
continue to hit Britain's pubs and brewers.
News that annual beer sales have slipped below 50m hectolitres will
come as a further blow to an industry already suffering as pubs go
out of business and brewers are forced to consolidate.
Figures released to the brewing industry by the British Beer and
Pub Association, and seen by The Sunday Telegraph, show total UK
beer sales fell 1.7 per cent in the year to the end of April.
advertisement
The effect of the decline in consumption, combined with rising
utility and commodity costs, an increase in beer duty, and the
impact of the consumer downturn and smoking ban is having a
catastrophic impact on Britain's pubs.
Pub closures are running at 27 a week, according to the BBPA,
amounting to some 1,200 that have been forced out of business over
the last 12 months.
To be fair, a 1.7 percent decline in beer sales this year doesn't
sound like enough to drive pubs out of business, even if linked to a
smoking ban. The article also states:
That came as the volume of beer sold through pubs hit its lowest
level since the Great Depression of the 1930s, with sales in the
whole of the UK beer market down by 22 per cent since 1979.
If beer sales have been dropping since 1979 it doesn't sound as if a
smoking ban was the root cause. Still, it couldn't have been helpful,
especially when combined with other factors, including additional
government handicaps in the form of increased duties.
Meanwhile, [2]The Guardian had this report:
Pubs have sold 175 million fewer pints in the past year as a direct
result of the smoking ban, according to market analysts AC Nielsen.
Jake Shepherd, marketing director AC Nielsen, said: 'The winter
months were particularly bad. Sales fell nine per cent through
November to January when smokers would have been reluctant to stand
outside in the cold to have a cigarette.'
Sales of wine were not hit as hard, dropping four per cent after
the ban. Shepherd said: 'Wine has held up somewhat better than
other drinks, benefiting from the increasing importance of food and
women to the trade.' Cigarette sales have dropped 6 per cent since
1 July last year with smokers buying 2 billion fewer cigarettes
between 1 July 2007 and April 2008.
The decline in beer sales in England, however, is consistent with the
experience of Scottish pubs. Scotland instituted a nation-wide smoking
ban in March of 2006, a year ahead of the rest of the UK, and saw a 7
percent decrease in pub beer sales in the ensuing 12 months according
to AC Nielsen in an article in [3]The Independent.
It would seem that in a down economy it is easier to push a
margin-intensive business over the edge, especially when the
government adds the extra burdens of increased taxes and a smoking
ban. Increase taxes and institute a smoking ban? I'm certainly glad
that that couldn't happen in Minnesota.
Wait a minute...
References
1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/22/cnbeer122.xml
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/06/fooddrinks.retail?gusrc=rss&feed=business
3. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/smoking-ban-will-burn-a-hole-in-beer-sales-pubs-warned-453418.html
From notify at powerblogs.com Wed Jul 30 12:46:44 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:46:44 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: *Le chat* is out of *du sac*
Message-ID: <20080730164644.4AEBE56045A@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
*Le chat* is out of *du sac*
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217436400.shtml
Breaking (actually, "bonding") news over at [1]Hammerswing for all you
romantics, or the just plain curious.
References
1. http://hammerswing75.blogspot.com/2008/07/further-yet-or-how-to-propose-marriage.html
From notify at powerblogs.com Thu Jul 31 19:01:09 2008
From: notify at powerblogs.com (notify at powerblogs.com)
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:01:09 -0400
Subject: [thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: What a Dad's to do
Message-ID: <20080731230109.59533560465@server2.servers.powerblogs.com>
Posted by The Night Writer:
What a Dad's to do
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1217531215.shtml
When my oldest daughter was born, nigh on 20 years ago, they put that
tiny little bundle in my arms -- arms that had, just a few hours
earlier, been lifting furniture and heavy equipment in the delivery
room as I tried to vent my anxiety and frustration. The contrast
between the weight of those items and her seven measly pounds belied
the heavy but invisible mantle that had just been laid across my
shoulders.
Our pastor knocked and came into the room about that time and I turned
my daughter toward him and said, "Now Faith is" -- as in "Now faith is
the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen"
(Heb. 11:1). Our little miracle baby, Faith Christine, was amongst us
and I had just taken up my first watch.
I thought of this the other day as Ben made his case for how much he
admired Faith and, in exchange for my blessing, gave his personal
promise to safeguard her heart and well-being, to support her
physically, emotionally and spiritually, and to raise my grandchildren
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
I know there are a few people -- well, probably many -- who question
the need or propriety of a would-be husband these days asking his
prospective father-in-law for the daughter's hand in marriage. "Women
aren't chattel to be passed from one patriarch to another!", or
"Doesn't she have a say in the matter?", or "What right does Dad have
to get in-between young lovers?" Some of the more perceptive might
even ask, "Why isn't he asking both the father and the mother?"
To me it's all part and parcel of a culture that has grown accustomed
to demeaning and diminishing the role of parents, going back to the
days when we started saying "Don't trust anyone over 30," the
presentation of adults (especially dads) as dolts on "family" sit-coms
and the cultural and educational conceit that young people are wiser
and more informed about "how things really are" than those
stick-in-the-mud old folks. As a result we miss, or become uncertain
about, certain nuances.
Now, I enjoy playing the role of patriarch and benevolent dictator,
but that is because I take it seriously and have not shirked the robe
that comes with it. It fits. I have not viewed my daughters as my
property to be maximized for the greatest return on investment, or as
servants and dependents sent for my own amusement. My wife and I have
always realized that we were not owners, but stewards, of what we were
entrusted with and we sructured our lives and our daughters' with an
eye to providing the things that prepare them for long-term happiness
(especially how they can get this themselves), even if it involved
some not-so-happy decisions.
I have to say we are well-pleased with the results to date. Yes, Faith
is well able to direct her own life, but every woman needs a man in
her life who knows her value and is willing to sacrifice for her
well-being. Before I cede that position to another I want to be darn
sure he knows what is expected.
Ben may not be perfect (he's got some dents where the University of
Hard Knocks has deposited wisdom), but the situation has been nearly
ideal. They've known each other for almost three years and have
progressed gradually from acquaintance to friendship to courtship and
now engagement. While they have not been physical, they have been
intimate, taking the opportunity to really know each other and weigh
their respective characters. Similarly, our family has had the same
amount of time (actually, longer) to get to know Ben and make our own
evaluation. This isn't some shaggy freak Faith has drug home from a
concert and asked if she can keep him.
So, while my stewardship is not yet finished, its days are clearly
numbered. The promised land my daughter and I have been preparing for
for so many years is at last on the horizon though, like Moses, I will
not cross with her. She will always be my daughter, but then I will
have something even better. A friend.
Two, actually.
From bogus@does.not.exist.com Sun Jul 20 20:33:53 2008
From: bogus@does.not.exist.com ()
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:33:53 -0000
Subject: No subject
Message-ID:
HT: [1]Are We Lumberjacks?
Was it just coincidence that Sarah Palin gave her acceptance speech in
Minnesota, also home to Frostbite Falls, or that she was only a few
miles from Whatsamatta U? Meanwhile, keep checking with the MSM for
the latest attempts to fracture the fairy-tale.
References
Visible links
1. http://arewelumberjacks.blogspot.com/2008/09/say-hello-to-my-little-f=
ren.html
Hidden links:
2. file://localhost/files/thenightwriterblog-bulwinklesurprise.jpg