Musings of a Catholic Convert

When hinges creak in doorless chambers, and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls. Whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still. That is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!

Welcome, foolish mortals, to my next post!  Kindly remove your hand from your mouse.  There's no turning back now.

Since we do our Christmas shopping throughout the year, we see October as "last minute" shopping.  In our browsing among different wares and vendors, we have a nice custom jewelry and gift dealer that you might want to consider.  

Bella Designs from Italy is a Murano Glass jewelry and gift store.  They have just recently built an online store to work alongside their busy direct sales business.  I'm very impressed with all of the Murano glass items.  When you look at these things you understand why they are called "unique".  Wine bottle stoppers, watches, rings, earrings, pendants, etc.,  are individually handcrafted items.  No two are exactly alike.  And they are beautiful!  Listen to this.  I, an aesthetically challenged guy, am calling this jewelry beautiful.  We have several items in our home.  

Consider dropping by their site (products being added continually) and give a browse to these Murano Glass gifts.

I now have a colony of Jesus Fish living in my house. 

By the way, for those of you looking for my comments on the University of Tennessee's recent loss to UCLA, keep looking.  As soon as Tennessee's football team shows up, I will let you know.  

Back to my Jesus Fish.  So these five fish move in Monday and have taken over the place.  As of yet, I do not know their names.  Therefore, I shall call them Inky, Pinky, Blinky, Clyde, and Joash.  They are quite rude, never responding to my queries and generally acting as though they cannot hear me.  Most of their day is spent pacing back and forth within their domicile, stopping occasionally to glare at me. 

I have come to the conclusion that they are plotting something.  Exactly what they are plotting is at this point unknown.  Until I have more data, I will have to observe them covertly and catch them plotting.  Perhaps I can fashion a listening device of some sort.  

No doubt they are reading this post as I type.  It is of little consequence.  They cannot remain on guard 24 hours per day.  At some point they will let their guard fall.  I must remain ever vigilent.  

My hope is that these Jesus Fish are indeed on the Lord's side and not just using the Name to fool me.  I will err on the side of mercy that their glossy stares are a sign of peace and nothing nefarious.     

It would appear that Brett Favre has been traded to the New York Jets.  According to Yahoo Sports, The Green Bay Packers traded Quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets for a draft pick, 2 llamas, and an unopened bag of Funyuns.  Whether or not cash was involved in the trade is unclear at this point.  What I do know is that there is still no happy ending apparent in the debacle that surrounds Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.  

What do I think?  I think Favre should have stayed retired.  If he didn't want to retire, he shouldn't have retired.  Players retiring then coming back rarely, if ever, turns out well.  If there is going to be a comeback, let's put David Hasselhoff back in KITT and revive Knight Rider.  Enough of this Mustang KITT.  Let's put the Hoff back in the sweet ride, eh?  

Montana as a 49er or as a Chief?

Rice as a 49er or as a Raider?

Ryan Leaf, maybe you need to come back to the NFL.  I mean, you did so well.  Let's just let everybody come back in.  Retirement means nothing in sports.  Brett Favre can retire in 2009 (again) as a Jet.  Then, if he's unhappy, he can unretire and see if he can get picked up by somebody else.  Oh, and good luck in the AFC East.  Enjoy playing the Patriots twice this season.  

This has not been pretty and it's not over.  Pride comes before a fall, and there is enough pride out there to cause a whole lot of falling. 

I am a fan of burritos, and I've enjoyed sampling the offerings at several Memphis area establishments.  Now, let me tell you, it's hard to go wrong with a burrito.  It's just not something you can really mess up too badly.  I've had my favorites.  In fact, my favorite burrito USED TO BE the big burritos from Guadalajara near the corner of Mendenhall and Winchester.  Sunday, the title's changed hands.  My new favorite burrito comes from. . .

steady . . .

wait for it, boys . . .

almost there . . .

Burma Shave. . .

Did you even get that?

Okay.  Before I tell you about Burma Shave, let me tell you that my favorite burrito can be purchased at Su Casa in Collierville, TN.  Muy delicioso!  For the same price as my big honkin' burrito at Guadalajara, I can get a bigger burrito with rice and beans on the side.  AND this one has white cheese sauce on it as well.  I had to eat it with a fork, but I did not mind.  Something so delicous was made to savor.  I didn't even finish the whole thing, and was forced (in shame) to take a portion home in a box for later.  

DID I MENTION IT WAS DELICIOUS?  FULL OF PEPPERS, ONIONS, GRILLED STEAK, GRILLED TOMATOES, MAYBE EVEN A PINCH OF CINNAMON. MMMMMMM.

Great place to take the family to eat.  I heartily recommend the place.

Tonight, I'm home working some laundry, and I say to myself, "Self, maybe you can watch a movie.  Let's see what's available on Pay-Per-View."  I had heard about the last Rambo film and had an expectation of explosions and gun battles akin to a John Woo film.  I also had in my mind every "rescue people from jungle captors" film I've ever seen.  I could never have predicted what I would see, nor what would my reaction be.  After what seemed to me like only about 20 minutes, I had turned off the video, fallen to the ground, and sobbed like I have not done in years.   Why? 

If you haven't seen the movie, I first need to tell you that I cannot reccomend it.  Even for a callous and desensitized person such as myself, this movie went beyond even my limits for depictions of violence.  Yet, it was this depiction that caused me to weep.  I need to explain the premise for the movie.  The setting is Burma, home to yet another civil war and mass genocide.  Rambo is supposed to help get some missionaries to a remote village to give aid, only to be involved in a rescue mission after things turn sour.  Not only did the movie discuss the violence and abuse occuring in these lands, it showed it.  I will not tell you of the images I saw, but they are burned into my mind and my heart, not because the images were so dramatically displayed, but because this is what is really happening in nations like this all around the world.  

It was after seeing a village razed, after the missionaries had arrived, that I could not take any more.  I fell to my knees and buried my face in my hands.  I just cried out to God for mercy - mercy for those innocent men, women, and children who are the victims of brutality.  They are not combatants in a military conflict.  They are civilians.  Yet, they are the targets, kept "in check" through fear, death, and torture.  My heart goes out to these places, most of which I can't even show you on a map, and which you won't see on the news.  Sure, there are some "high profile" places that we know about such as Darfur, but the problems are not limited to those persons.

Here in the United States, we are so very very blessed.  Not only do we have great wealth compared to the rest of the world, but we are safe.  We do not have to worry about a military group invading our homes in the middle of the night to take our lives, to imprison us, or to torture us.  We do not have to worry about being singled out as a cultural or religious group to be lined up and exterminated.  And yet, we whine and complain about being misrepresented, about not having an official prayer in schools.  As a descendant of Irish immigrants and as a Catholic, I see how people were mistreated and discriminated against.  I have read in the history books about the ethnic ghettos and the employment postings stating "No Irish.  No Catholics."  But they weren't being dragged from their homes and killed.  They were disliked, maybe even hated, but they weren't murdered.  Not here.  So when I read about the horrible things happening outside these United States, I cry, especially for the children.  I pray for their protection.  I beg for an end to the madness of war and destruction, of torture and abuse, and I ask God to bring it about quickly.

And I want to mention something else while I'm thinking about it.  This sort of persecution and devastation takes place in the Philippines and in the nations of Africa, and Asia, and yet these lands send missionaries to us.  They send missionaries to US.  We who have it so good and so privledged are in such dire need of the Gospel in our lives that other nations, even those marred by war, send men and women to our lands.  What makes it even more sad is that we have a church building on almost every street corner in some towns.  Why is it that Americans just don't get it?  Could it be that we think we do have it?  Could it be that most Americans consider themselves just religious enough to "slip by"?  Slip by what?  Do they even realize the reality of their own sin?  Do they realize their need for a savior?  Do they know how to receive salvation, and what it means to have a relationship with God?  Or have they created a religion to suit their needs, not too intrusive, but just enough to make them think they're where they need to be.  Just enough to give them a warm fuzzy feeling, but not enough to make them want to change their lives, any more than lip service anyway.

So let's pray.  Pray for a lot of things, but let's stop praying for all our petty wants and spend what little time we give to God praying for the salvation of souls, for the changing of hearts, for peace, for love.  Let's pray that our hearts, minds, actions, and wallets would be open to do whatever it takes to help bring about peace and the spread of the gospel.  They need our prayers, they need our support, and, when God calls us, our presence and actions to help in His name.  God grant that we would be obedient children.  God have mercy on us all. 

So, in one sense I can say I wasted five bucks, because I paid for a movie I didn't finish.  But that five bucks also did a lot to remind me of how lucky I am to be where I am and to weep and pray for the men, women and children who face death every hour of every day.

The Packers are doing the right thing by hanging on to Brett Favre's contract.  Listen, he has 3 years left on his contract, with about $39 million dollars involved.  Why on earth would they want to throw that away on what appears to be "an itch" to give football another try?  

Let's look at it another way.  Why would the Green Bay Packers want to give away the rights to a franchise quarterback like Brett Favre to have him possibly face them on the field?  Why would Brett Favre essentially throw away his allegiance to the Packers organization who have been so good to him since picking him up from Atlanta?  Is it worth it?  Is it worth one more unknown season playing for God only knows who?  You wanna talk about a tarnished image of a legend?  Brett Favre, if he moves forward and fights for this release, is going to tarnish his image in a bad bad way.

In the past few days since it was announced that Brett Favre had requested a release from the Packers, I've read reactions from all over.  Packers fans are upset to say the very least.  Football fans are upset too.  Listen, you look at an icon like Brett Favre and you think Green Bay.  You think of clutch play and an iron will.  What do you think now?  Money grubber?  Traitor?  Chasing a feeling?  Mid-life crisis?  Really, are you thinking anything happy is going to come out of this situation now that it has begun?   I sure don't.  I think just asking has put him, his family, his reputation, his teammates, his city, and everything else attached to him at great risk.  Time will tell just how tarnished he will become, and how well he fares as a player after his 1st retirement will not be a factor.

I don't blame the Packers for moving on.  It had to be done.  They begged and begged poor tired Brett to give them one more season.  He said no.  Okay then, the decision has been made and they have to move on.  Oh, wait, I think I want to play now.  Listen, draft strategy, off season planning, personnel shifts, and everything else that coaches and owners must do to prepare for a season have been going on since February.  The die have been cast.  Decisions have been made.  The team is moving forward.  If Brett is even taken back on the active roster, it shouldn't be as a starter.  Aaron has been patient (as patient as can be expected anyway) and the job has been given to him.  If Brett's itch is still there, he'll have to scratch it from the bench.  There comes a point in time where someone else has to take over as field general.  2008-2009 is going to have to be that season.  

I don't see this fiasco ending any time soon.  In my opinion, the most likely scenarios in this battle of wills look like this:

- Brett Favre decides retirement is the way he wants to go

- Brett Favre fights for a release, and goes to play for someone like Chicago for a season or two before deciding retirement is the way he wants to go (meanwhile, all Brett Favre #4 steakhouses are burnt to the ground)

- Brett Favre decides to accept a lesser role at Green Bay as a team player for this season, then bows out quietly in 2009, deciding retirement is the way he wants to go.

I'll keep watching ESPN to see what happens.  Let me tell you something else though, speaking as a Colts fan.  When Peyton Manning decides to retire, he had better not try to pull a stunt like this.   

There are many ways to properly celebrate the independence of these United States, but probably the best known, and most fun, is to blow stuff up.

Behold!

 

 4th of July, Southern Style: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Last weekend I participated in a cornhole tournament.  What is cornhole?  If you've ever played horseshoes or tossed washers you've played something similar.  Cornhole is played a lot like washers in that there is a slightly slanted plywood box with a hole.  There are boxes at both ends of the playing field (holes are supposed to be 40' apart I think).  Players take turns tossing bags filled with corn, trying to either land on the board (1 pt) or get in the hole (3 pts).  That's a super quick summary of the game. 

You play to 21 and your points each toss can cancel out your opponents, which makes both scoring and winning difficult.  For instance, if I get 3 bags on the board (3pts) and 1 in the hole (3pts) but my opponent has 2 bags in the hole (6pts), nobody scores that round (net 0).  Let me tell you, in our tournament there were plenty of those stalemate innings.  It made for a lot of ribbing and joking, especially as the night went on.  At any rate, there were a lot of people playing, and it was a lot of fun.  

Now that I've fully recovered from the weekend, I'm thinking I want to build my own cornhole set.  Basically, what I need to build is two boxes and eight bags.  I'm thinking that with the plans I found online I can probably build the whole thing in a day.  Even with painting and graphics work (I want to customize this thing), I may be looking at 2-3 days for the whole project.  It will give us another entertainment option for our backyard.

Now, here is my question for you.  Have you ever played cornhole?  Ever been in a tournament?  I was surprised to see online just how much interest there is in this game, even so far as to have an association and official rules.  I'm thinking by 2020 it will be an olympic event.  Olympic cornhole.  Wow. 

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The wifey and me had a date Saturday, and we decided to go see the new Indiana Jones movie. Know what? We liked it. I've seen the Indiana Jones movies so many times, I've practically got them memorized. Once the Crystal Skull movie comes out on DVD in the nice little box set, I'm going to add those bad boys to my DVD collection. I've talked to some of you haters who didn't like this latest Jones flick, and I really don't care. I don't watch movies because other people like them. All that matters is whether or not I like them. In fact, the sooner the Academy learns this, the better off we'll all be.

I didn't win a million dollars tonight during WWE Raw. That's too bad, because I really wanted a million dollars.

And, dudes, Lou Ferrigno is still totally ripped. I saw him in the crowd during American Gladiators, and he is huge. He could still play the Incredible Hulk. In fact, I'd like to see him and Lee Majors do an Incredible Hulk & Six Million Dollar Man vs. Kiss & the Space Pirates movie. Who would not want to see that? NOBODY! Because it would be totally awesome. It would be along the same lines of awesomeness as a ninja shark and pirate tiger giving each other a high five with a mushroom cloud explosion in the background. Are you seeing that? Awesome, right? Of course I'm right.

Why did I mention Ted Dibiase? Because I like The Million Dollar Man. Let me see if I can't find a classic clip of his entrance into the WWF.

 

 Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download