Arachnophobia

I have a deep fear of spiders. I blame it on one fateful night, when, sitting in my grandparents living room watching TV, I stumbled upon a movie aptly titled "Arachnophobia." It was terrifying. Nests of spiders. Spiders in noses and mouths. Spiders coming out of shower heads. Monster mama spiders that hissed and jumped. I was 6 or so when I saw that. My freshman year of high school, I saw the same movie on a friend's shelf and thought that I should re-watch it, mainly to show how lame the movie truly was and that I had no reason to fear the 8-legged creatures.
Wrong.
Didn't make it past the first scary scene. If anything I was more scared. And all this comes up because this morning, while sitting at my desk at home, I saw a massive spider crouched in the flowerpot by my computer. Not an ordinary household spider, but nothing less than this.

Jump to 1:00 and watch from there. Needless to say I leapt from my seat and exited the room. I knew I had to kill it but then, surprisingly, I started thinking about how happy the spider must be in his home. And that he probably kills all of the fruit flies that are always in the apartment. (Although a spider that size was probably waiting to trap and eat me). So, after the frantic urgings of my wife over text, I steeled my nerve, grabbed a paper towel and chased the brute down, much like Frodo against Shelob. And here I sit, 6 hours later, still feeling like there are things crawling all over me.

A postscript: Sorry for the prolonged absence. Although it wasn't all bad. My silence has somehow doubled my readership. Go figure. Maybe people are more in favor of me not writing. Time will tell

Practice Resurrection

This was posted as a Lenten reading/reflection and I liked it so much I wanted to put it up too.

Manifesto:
The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

by Wendell Berry

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion - put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

 

Apology!

I'm sorry for not having written in over a month! February turned into a pretty intense ordeal with exams and Heather getting used to her new job and just a rather large amount of exhaustion. So, certain things had to go, among them any sort of bloggage. But, things are a bit more settled now and would like to get back on this with some thoughts and ideas I've been having. We'll see if I end up following through, but for now, if you have time, watch this video. It blew me away and is well worth your time. It's about viewing theology/Christianity through music.

http://www.faithandleadership.com/multimedia/jeremy-begbie-theology-through-the-arts

A Realization

I was struck the other day with the realization that as a married man, certain privileges have been bestowed upon me. These are things that arguably many men wish they could enjoy, but only the most confident or the married may.
Here is just a small list of these things.

1) Baths: Before I got married I never would have taken a bath (much less a bubble bath) voluntarily, but you know what? Those things are awesome! And now if people find out I take baths, I can say Heather made me, or something not totally true like that.

2) Ordering Girly Drinks: They taste better and it spares us from having to order "the hardest stuff you got to put some hair on this chest." Chances are your wife really doesn't like hair on your chest.

3) Admitting that you enjoyed the 6 hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I'M NOT SAYING I DID! But, er, I could understand if, you know, other people liked it...

4) Going to bed at 10pm on a Friday night. This one may be more universal that just to married men, but it seems to be a theme for married couples in general.

5) Going to Home Depot to buy parts to build your own light saber. (Granted this one wasn't me, but I'm sure you can guess who did it). 

Well, gladly the only people that will read this are people that probably know all this stuff already, so it's not too embarrassing. But here are some things that CANNOT happen yet. These things we can do once we become dads.

1) Tuck your t-shirt into your jeans. Nope

2) Use phrases like "golly" and "swell."

3) Go to bed at 9pm on a Friday night.

Anyway. If any of you can think of any more, please, send them to me because I'd love to expand these lists. And for your viewing pleasure, a video of what my life has become (minus all the friends in the bathroom)

Man oh man

It is a super busy week. The kind that makes my chest all tight when I think about it. And the weather is also extremely crappy, and every sidewalk is covered in a thin sheet of ice. So, in the spirit of dismal days and much cold, here you go...

Although by doing this I have doomed myself to slip and fall big time. I make a covenant now that if it happens, I will blog about it.

Today I walked past a sandwhich...

Now most of you, upon reading that, would think of something like this...

 ...which would make sense, because I misled you. I actually walked past a guy dressed as a Subway sandwich. The reason this was a memorable experience is because I made eye-contact (by which I mean I looked into the googly sandwich eyes) about a halfblock away from him. Then had to keep walking toward him, trying to act cool and not smile. And googly sandwich eyes are like eyes in a painting, they follow you anywhere and never blink. It was extremely uncomfortable. Then right at the last second I looked up and he gave me the saddest, most timid little sandwich wave that made me feel as if I may have discouraged him by looking at him and then away trying not to smile. I waved back not knowing what else to do.
Unfortunately I was buying a cup of coffee and turning around to go to the bus stop, so I walked past him again (he was a slow walker). This time I avoided interacting.

An insight into things that have an impact on me.... :)

Song of the Day

My throat hurts and I feel bad, but Brothers, the new Black Keys album is pretty sweet. And subsequently my Song of the Day comes from it...

Tighten Up - The Black Keys