There's Always Something...

Piggybacking on Mothers' Day

Three of our kids checked in with their mom on Mothers' Day - yesterday. I always get a kick out of that. Expressing appreciation and saying "thank you!" is an easy thing to do but is also a mark of a certain kind of grace and maturity that all of us parents hope and try to build into our children. When one sees it actually coming into fruition and the smile it puts on their mother's face, it rekindles the hope we have for future generations and life itself.

Jo Ann put me on the phone for a brief hello as well and it was fun hearing those nice voices and sharing in the fun of the day. Started the week off right for both of us.

What a good thing families can be!

Something New...

I think you readers might find my "other blog", East of Eden…, of real interest. I've completely overhauled it over the past two weeks and now it's "ready for prime time". It has a new title, "Romancing the Desert..." and will follow a similar minimalist style of writing but will be much more full of images. On each page, there is an arrow that you may click to go to the page of the day before.

I hope you will be intrigued enough to subscribe to it and check it out each new day. And, of course, I would appreciate any comments you might have for me along the way. Thanks to you.

Work Outs and Movies...

One of the great things about our new home is the excellent collection of newest generation workout machines - just across the street and down a few casitas from us. We've been going over there about three times a week for hour-long workouts and enjoy it immensely. Especially nice is the fact that since this is a new community, there aren't many residents around yet and we always have the place to ourselves. It's a bit like having a private spa 24/7 with all the bells and whistles.

Don't tell anyone.

The other thing I wanted to share with you today is that we have recently rented two movies: "Charlie Wilson's War" and "I'm Not There" and they are the two that have given us more to talk about after than anything we've seen in a long time.

The latter is the film about Bob Dylan, featuring six actors and actresses portraying different aspects of the Dylan persona. It is a montage of dramatically different images, scenes and songs that remind us of Felini a bit - but unmistakably American. The idea is that Dylan is so complex, so fast-changing that about the time the audiences get used to what he is - and fallen in love with him, he has moved on to something new - and, of course, they hate him now. Republicans won't like this film, but anyone who sees change as wonderful (as opposed to "flip-flopping", an unforgiveable sin) will love it. We both loved it. Takes some openness and quietness of spirit though.

"Charlie Wilson's War" gives us a good insight into how things get done in Washington and is a fine companionpiece to "The Kiterunners" - both finding their center in Afghanistan. I think every thoughtful American should see this - another Tom Hanks masterpiece - directed by Mike Nichols.

Go!

Agism...

While reading my regular blogs this morning I came upon this quote:

Well it’s the last day of classes here at B&H and I must admit, it has been a lot of fun. I met a lot of really interesting people who are truly passionate about learning Photoshop. I met a man that is 80 years old and posed some really intelligent questions. Proof positive that it is never to late to learn something new.

Well, I'll be damned.

Personal Contact...

For some reason I was thinking about letters, long gone and forgotten, between my father and me during my college days. We had many unresolved issues, as is the case perhaps, with most fathers and sons during that period of life.

We could start up a written conversation on almost any innocent subject and with the combination of his controlling nature and my sophomoric wisdom, would end up angry and on bad terms. Eventually both of us learned that it was best to talk things over in person rather than try to iron them out by mail or even telephone.

The lesson was valuable to me in professional and family life. I quickly learned not to fight my battles from the pulpit, the church paper or even by telephone. Too easy to be misunderstood. And sending messages through third parties was a fatal mistake. Just sit down and hash things over. Listen thoughtfully. Compromise where it is wise. Make sure you are heard in the process - at least to the degree that you need to be heard. Learn to grant the benefit of the doubt. Trust. Wait. Love one another.

It works. In this new age the offending opportunities lie in email, chat rooms, instant messages, blogs, web pages, and of course, the telephone. Young folks - and their elders as well - honestly and innocently believe that one can deal with real issues without being with the person him or herself. Sorry folks. There is no substitute for seeing, hearing, touching, laughing, crying, communicating with a real live person. Face to face. That hasn't, and never will, change.

I saw a cartoon recently of two young girls instant messaging each other. They were in the same room. About 3 feet apart. Somehow, it didn't strike me as being the least bit funny.

Talking to the Machine...

Lately Jo Ann and I have been confronted with a relatively new phenomenon (for us) - talking with a machine. Or trying to. It seems that the powers that be are increasingly enamored with the idea of doing business by using voice recognition on the telephone or computer.

Problem is that, with both of us, we end up having to repeat ourselves ad nauseum in the fruitless effort to communicate our needs to a company machine that must be tuned to a harsh New Jersey accent as opposed to our soft southern/mid-western tones.

It's bad enough that the questions computers ask have nothing to do with the questions we need to ask of them. The mechanized "I can't understand your answer" is enough to drive one to distraction. Here's my confession for the day. I have, on a couple of occasions, ended up shouting at the machine. Once I uttered a few four-letter words that never escaped my lips in the pulpit. The machine didn't really care.

Mild-mannered Jo Ann yesterday was alternating between tears and screaming as she fruitlessly tried to change our address with the Social Security Administration. After she had angrily hung up on the government, she took it out on me!

There must be better signs of progress in this thermo-nuclear age. Maybe a company that uses a relaxed, familiar human voice to carry on its customer service?

Sinatra...

There was an intriguing post in USA Weekend about Frank Sinatra.

Steve Wynn, casino and resort owner, asked him how he went about recording a song. Sinatra thought a few moments and said this:

"I take a sheet with just the lyrics. No music. At that point, I'm looking at a poem. I'm trying to understand the point of view of the person behind the words. I want to understand his emotions. Then I start speaking, not singing, the words so I can experiment and get the right inflections. When I get with the orchestra, I sing the words without a microphone first, so I can adjust the way I've been prscticing to the arrangement. I'm looking to fit the emotion behind the song that I've come up with to the music. Then it all comes together. You sing the song. If the take is good, you're done."

"Did you know he only recorded My Way once and then walked out of the studio?"

Love That Picture...

This morning I discovered a new blogsite (at least for me). It had a photo that doubled me up with chuckles because I've been in similar places dozens of times and always have the same feelings. Namely confusion, hunger and awe.

Do click the link above and bon appetite!

Patience...

Here is some rare wisdom which I discovered on "talking tree" this morning.

Thoughts on Patience It is a real virtue to remain calm when storms unfold. As you think you are getting old now, just keep advancing forward through different levels of maturity. Then you will look back and realize your own immaturities. You will see that wisdom and love are not derived from arrogance or selfishness. Peace and solitude come from selfless introspection and trying your best at finding a way through darkness and suffering. Sadness plays an important role in your progress through life but true happiness is the beauty that brings balance when struggles abound.

Turning One's Back on Politics...

We've stopped listening to the news for a while. Feel so sorry for those news people who have to glean material and pretend excitement (in hopes of generating same and keeping folks interested) as this seemingly endless campaign goes on. And on.

The candidates never seem to venture into areas of genuine significance to the country. What kind of people will you surround yourself with? How will you go about nominating judges? Are you able to laugh at yourself? Can you really listen to ideas from other people? What does it mean to love your enemies? Do you feel it is embarrassing to change your mind now and then? Can you work hard on something - then give - or share credit with others? Can you fire people who need firing?

Of course many of these things can't be answered for political reasons. Still I'd like to know. And most of the stuff we're hearing now comes from anything but the essence of the people we are considering.